Embedded Parallel Computing Accelerators for Smart Control Units of Frequency Converters

Abstract:
Classical frequency converters are designed as embedded devices optimized for a specific application-field. But in times of Industry 4.0 simple frequency converters change to smart control units and become more intelligent with analysis and reporting functions to build up smart grids in automation systems for reducing maintenance costs and increasing productivity. To realize these new functions, an evaluation is needed, which kind of computer architectures should be used for these new devices. Due to more complex algorithms, classical microcontrollers are not sufficient anymore. Therefore, we show in this paper, if and how microprocessors in smart control units can benefit from highly parallel hardware accelerators. Consequently, we propose to increase the performance of an ARM Cortex-A9 processor by using an Epiphany III E16 many-core processor as hardware accelerator for complex analysis tasks. Our results show, that a speedup of 1.78 can be achieved, while the power consumption is increased by only 9%.