RTOS

Why is Kithara RealTime just the right solution?

Kithara RealTime Suite is the only real-time system for Windows to combine industrial automation, machine vision, hardware drivers and communication seamlessly together while at same time being completely flexible and modular. As a highly flexible solution, Kithara RealTime Suite is therefore the best tool for the time-saving and cost-efficient implementation of real-time functions in nearly any conceivable industrial application.

Read further to learn more about the benefits and features of Kithara RealTime Suite. Alternatively, jump right in and try out the free test version including the full function range.

Real-time connection to the most important Interfaces for industrial fields

The Benefits

Stable Real-Time

full-featured preemptive multitasking system for “hard“ real-time capabilities
integrated real-time extension, thus elimination the need for a separate real-time system
more than 20 years of experience in the field of industrial real-time as well as application in a variety of sectors and projects

Comprehensive, Modular, Coherent

real-time access to most of the relevant industrial interfaces and standards
every software package can be individually assembled from over 20 modules
flexible software assembly but seamless synergy and performance between modules
special focus on automation, vision, automotive, network, hardware communication

Development-Friendly

familiar development environment and flexible as well as convenient user interface
wide system and hardware support: from low to extreme high-end
free test version with full function range available for download

Other Features

High-precision real-time timers with frequencies of up to 20 kHz
“Dedicated” real-time mode on exclusively used CPU cores with extreme real-time properties without Windows interference
Priority-based pre-emptive real-time multitasking
Real-time automation with a specially developed EtherCAT Master or CANopen Master
Fast image capturing with GigE Vision and USB3 Vision in real time
Industrial image processing with Halcon or OpenCV in real time
Event-triggered raw Ethernet, UDP and TCP communication in real time with up to 200 Gbit/s
Automotive standards FlexRay, CAN/CAN FD, LIN and BroadR-Reach in real time
Fast real-time data storage via NVMe SSDs
Hierarchically structured data storage with MDF and PCAPng format
Hardware-dependent programming: I/O ports, physical memory, interrupts
Support for PCI, PCIe and PCMCIA boards, USB devices, serial COM ports (UART)
Supports the latest Windows versions in 32 or 64 bit
Code execution at kernel level supports C, C++ and Delphi (requires native code generation)
C# support by transferring code into a C++-DLL
License management with online activation or USB dongle

Kithara RealTime Suite currently consists of more than 20 different modules. The software can be freely assembled from these modules according to specific customers needs.

Funktional Schematic

Optimal Development Conditions

Software development with Kithara RealTime Suite is designed to achieve high real-time performance while also being as time-saving and cost-efficient as possible.

Scalability

The wide-ranging hardware support of the function library can be adjusted flexibly to many hardware changes. This way, Kithara ensures that PC-based real-time is viable on low system specifications while at the same time taking full advantage of performance benefits of high-end computers. When your programming platform changes, Kithara RealTime Suite adjusts.

Below are some of the scalable specifications:

Number of utilized logical CPUs and dedicated CPU cores
Memory
Up to 10 Gbit/s Ethernet
Number of utilized Ethernet ports and USB3 ports
Number of EtherCAt slaves within topologies incl. PCIe slave cards; all common EtherCAT extensions incl. DC, EoE, FoE, SoE, CoE, FSoE, EAP, HotPlug and others

Update Service

Kithara RealTime Suite is constantly being developed further in order to adjust to new conditions, trends and customer feedback. Regular updates upgrade existing functions, add completely new features, fix issues and introduce new hardware support. Additionally, new versions are available to customers for early testing weeks before actual release.

Developer Tools

Achieving the highest possible efficiency in programming industrial applications depends heavily on the utilized tools. The provided tools for the analysis, visualization and configuration of different parameters are even used in-house here at Kithara and therefore highly suitable for almost every project.

Kithara Kernel Tracer

Kithara Kernel Tracer is a multi-source real-time message logger. It supports debugging, quality assurance, and in general detecting relations, which are otherwise indeterminate. It provides detailled insights into the inner processes of a PC and of the interfaces supported by the Kithara real-time system.

Kithara Performance Analyzer

Kithara Performance Analyzer is a development-related visualization assistant for simultaneous display and monitoring of different relevant system resources. It is an important tool in determining the real-time performance of a system as well as identification of internal system interactions and problem areas.

Kithara Master Monitor

Kithara Master Monitor for EtherCAT is a graphical Windows application for the visualization and control of EtherCAT topologies. It can also be utilized as an EtherCAT configurator, making it an essential tool for complex EtherCAT systems.

Fields of Application

Kithara RealTime Suite is designed for the time-efficient, seamless implementation of guaranteed reaction times in nearly any conceivable industrial project that requires "hard" real-time capabilities. Accordingly, there is a wide array of application fields that are covered by the function library; with a strong focus on engineering, measurement technology and research.

Here are some of the fields that already successfully utilize Kithara RealTime Suite:

Production and Manufacturing

Automated processing of workpieces is often tied to high frequencies of retreived and transmitted positional data in order to achieve accurate control results down to the millimeter. This way, laser welding facilities, wood trimming machines or sophisticated robotic applications benefit from the flexible integration of real-time systems such as Kithara RealTime Suite to allow for the efficient deployment of guaranteed reaction times.

Prüfstand: Radaufhängung — Image: Renk Test System GmbH

Measurement and Test Stand Technology

Test systems often require high-precision measurement data and immediate control reactions, both of which can only be accommplished with hard real-time capabilities. The Kithara real-time environment is the basis for capturing and processing of critical data sets for both small-scale test applications as well as test systems for automotive functions and even aeronautic gears.

A more specific area is the development of time-critical vehicle functions such as driver assistance systems and autonomous car technologies. These fields require the lossless handling of large amounts of image and sensor data. For these tasks Kithara RealTime Suite provides Hardware-in-the-Loop simulations with seamless communication between devices and whole systems to ensure the most realistic conditions.

Flaschensortierung — Image: Miho Inspektionssysteme GmbH

Quality Assurance and Automated Sorting

Image-guided facilities for packaging, sorting and QA mostly have one driving factor - efficiency. This usually implies that large amounts of work pieces or even bulk material need be processed as quickly as possible. The real-time functions by Kithara for machine vision allow for the fast acquisition of raw image data from industrial camera systems and the subsequent triggering of control reactions to processed image data.