Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By : Jim Cooling
Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By: Jim Cooling

Overview of this book

From air traffic control systems to network multimedia systems, real-time systems are everywhere. The correctness of the real-time system depends on the physical instant and the logical results of the computations. This book provides an elaborate introduction to software engineering for real-time systems, including a range of activities and methods required to produce a great real-time system. The book kicks off by describing real-time systems, their applications, and their impact on software design. You will learn the concepts of software and program design, as well as the different types of programming, software errors, and software life cycles, and how a multitasking structure benefits a system design. Moving ahead, you will learn why diagrams and diagramming plays a critical role in the software development process. You will practice documenting code-related work using Unified Modeling Language (UML), and analyze and test source code in both host and target systems to understand why performance is a key design-driver in applications. Next, you will develop a design strategy to overcome critical and fault-tolerant systems, and learn the importance of documentation in system design. By the end of this book, you will have sound knowledge and skills for developing real-time embedded systems.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
15
Glossary of terms

9.4 Object-Oriented Analysis and Design

9.4.1 Design Example – Dipmeter Wireline Logging Tool

This example is concerned with the development of software for a wireline oil well logging tool called a dipmeter.

Figure 9.27: Dipmeter logging tool – system configuration diagram

The purpose of the dipmeter is to extract geological information concerning oil-bearing rock (usually sandstone). In particular, it seeks to define details of the bedding planes in the subsurface formation, as follows:

  • Depth of bedding planes in a borehole
  • The angle of the bedding planes
  • Position of the planes in three dimensions in Earth's coordinates

This information is gathered by drilling a borehole and then running a dipmeter or logging sonde (housed on the end of a wireline cable) up the hole. During the run, a set of electrical sensors (pads) are held in contact with the borehole wall, measuring wall resistivity. As a pad crosses a bed...