Dispatch Sequences for Embedded Control Models

We consider the problem of mapping a set of control components to an executable implementation. The standard approach to this problem involves mapping control blocks to periodic tasks, and then generating a schedule. This schedule is platform-dependent, and its execution requires realtime operating system support. We propose an alternative approach which involves generating a dispatch sequence of control blocks in a platform-independent manner. Our solution relies on assigning relative complexity and relative importance measures to control components, and is an adaptation of classical scheduling algorithms such as earliest-deadline-first. We show the benefits of our approach using simulation experiments on two case studies.