RP-TL: RPMsg transport layer for micro-ROS on Heterogeneous Multi-core Processor

Abstract

Accessing hard real-time capabilities for embedded system platforms requires compromises in terms of speed and design. In this project, two Robot Operating System deployments were tested on Xilinxs ZynqMP Heterogeneous Multicore Processor, allowing them to communicate with a real-time core on the same chip. Data transfer between ROS 2 and micro-ROS was improved by a factor of more than 30 when deployed this way, using shared-memory RPMsg as a transport layer (RP-TL) instead of the typical serial link between two boards. Furthermore, deploying the system in Linux userspace showed even better performance overall. This development aims to give robotics systems access to fast communication with real-time microcontrollers in a tightly integrated package, removing the messaging bottleneck between the control system and the real-time interface with the hardware.