Applicability of cyclic-memory networks and IEEE 1394 for fine motion control and arcade games

Motion control and arcade games require a high bandwidth and periodic transfers to meet the needs of more precise control of motors, and more players and more complex graphics in arcade games. There is a common-memory architecture called "Cyclic Memory" because the data is refreshed periodically which is well known in the field of real-time systems. IEEE 1394 has been drawing considerable attention as the need for connecting audio/visual electronics with a unified fast interface increases. We discuss the feasibility of Cyclic Memory on the IEEE 1394 with its isochronous mode. By analyzing the requirements of two prototypical applications, we evaluate the performance and other capabilities of IEEE 1394 and the other networks that have the functionality of Cyclic Memory and discuss their applicability. We also discuss the network reliability based on IEEE 1394 when it is applied to an actual motion control system.