Development of a dynamically reprogrammable NCAP [network capable application processor]

A dynamically reprogrammable network capable application processor (NCAP) that is based on the IEEE 1451 standard is proposed in this paper. The dynamic reprogramming capability of the NCAP allows an on-line changing of its working program via a local area network and supports a set of widely used communication interfaces. The characteristics and requirements of the NCAP and the structure of a simple version of the NCAP, based on an MCS51 microcontroller, are proposed in this paper. The evaluation of the computing power of the proposed NCAP by simulation is described.