Abstract
When the computer-based direct digital control (DDC) extends its range of application from the process control to the mechanical control, high-speed operations beyond a computer's ability are often required. In this paper, a firmware technology is applied to increase the operation speed of DDC, and its effect and limitation are discussed.
At first, the special instruction set for DDC is derived from transfer functions and block diagrams, and they are microprogrammed. According to the analytical result, the operations by special instructions (firmware) are 4 to 7 times as fast as those by standard ones (software). One experimental result shows that the execution speed in a motor control system is improved by firmware to become about 5 times faster compared with the speed to be obtained by software.
However, the application will be limited to high-speed and repetitive operations such as DDC or sensing, due to its limit of programming productivity.
