Middleware for implementing distributed embedded real-time measurement and control systems

Modern distributed embedded realtime measurement and control systems (DERTMCS) are made up of diverse devices interconnected by a network. Middleware is the intermediary software layer serving as the glue between disparate applications. Typically, middleware in the distributed embedded real-time systems provides messaging services so that different applications can communicate with each other. In this paper, firstly the inner working of common object request broker architecture (CORBA) is introduced, which is a commonly used middleware infrastructure in building DERTMCS. Then a CORBA-based DERTMCS for a multi-model plant is discussed. A fault-tolerant controller and an adaptive resource manager are implemented in the middleware layer, which are helpful in ensuring the desired system functions as well as satisfying various end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) requirements in the uncertain and dynamic environments.