Real-Time Windows Target

Real-Time Application

The real-time application runs in real time on your PC computer and has the following characteristics:

• Compiled code -- Created from the generated C code using either a Microsoft Visual C/C++ compiler or a Watcom C/C++ compiler.
• Relation to your Simulink model -- The executable contains a binary form of all Simulink model components, connections between blocks, time dependencies, and variables in the Simulink blocks.
• Relation to the kernel -- The executable must be loaded and executed directly by the Real-Time Windows Target kernel. It cannot be executed without the kernel.

• The kernel runs as a VxD or kernel-mode driver, intercepts timer interrupts from the PC clock, maintains clock signals for the Windows operating system, and ensures real-time execution of the real-time application. As a result, both the kernel and the real-time application run at CPU ring zero.

• Checksum -- The Simulink model and the executable contain a checksum value. The kernel uses this checksum value to determine if the Simulink model structure, at the time of code generation, is consistent with the real-time application structure during execution. This ensures that when you change parameters during an execution, the mapping of Simulink model parameters to the correct memory locations in the real-time application is correct.

• If you make structural changes to your Simulink model, the Simulink checksum value will not match the executable checksum value. You will have to rebuild your executable before you can connect it to your Simulink model.

Real-Time Kernel

Signal Acquisition and Analysis