VIII. TRENDS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
During the last two decades, microprocessor technology has advanced with a continuous rhythm and several processor generations have been developed with increasing computing capabilities. Today's microprocessors provide ever more computing power for most demanding applications.This advancement is expected to continue during the next decade at an accelerating rate.
Recently introduced microprocessors can be classified into three large categories according to their structure: CISC processors, RISC processors, and digital signal processors (DSP's). The computing capabilities of these devices, tremendously enhanced as compared to the last generation of microprocessors, include superscalar operation and
multiprocessing operation which result in higher execution speed and more complex processing.
Most of the new advanced microprocessors are designed for computing and data processing applications but motion control systems can also benefit from their enhanced performance. The potentials of new microprocessors in motion control are numerous. The enhanced computation speed of new microprocessors can be exploited to implement complex algorithms with very high sampling
rate. The multiprocessing capability can be helpful in developing multiprocessor motion control systems where parallel operation can solve present processing speed problems. High-performance motion control can be achieved by partitioning the control tasks into modules that are executed
concurrently in several processors. This partition can be readily done in a motion control system where the functions are typically under the form of functional blocks.
With the present development rate, it is difficult to project with accuracy the future developments in microprocessor technology for the next decade. Nevertheless, by observing the microprocessor industry behavior in the last decade, one can expect that during the next three years significant developments will be achieved in microprocessors addressed to real-time motion control systems. The developments will not be in the CPU computing performance but in the integration level that will permit the incorporation of more complex devices on the same chip. Also, the semicustom ASIC approach will be privileged for the design of microcontrollers for motion control systems.
The trends for future developments in microprocessors and IC's for motion control can be outlined as follows:
a) Development of new devices for real-time control that incorporate on the same chip advanced processors (DSP, RISC) and all required peripheral devices.
b) Development of semicustom ASIC technology permitting a motion control engineer to design a complete single-chip microcontroller containing advanced processors (RISC, DSP) and peripheral devices (digital and analog) suited for his application.
c) Development of cost-effective control-oriented parallel processors suitable for building multiprocessor motion control systems.
d) Development of neural networks and fuzzy logic chips suitable for implementing neural or fuzzy motion control systems.