The Utilization of Reconfigurable Hardware to Implement Digital Controllers: a Review

This paper reviews the impact of Reconfigurable Hardware (RH) on the design of digital controllers. It starts by showing the application areas in which this technology has more influence. The reasons of the technology migration are then analyzed, pointing specific examples from the literature. Finally, run-time reconfiguration (RTR) of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) is revised and its utilization for designing FPGA-based controllers is presented. The research trends are shown, giving an insight on the potential benefits of using this technology.