WHAT'S NEW−ARCHIVE 2003/April

TRON Association Business Plan for FY2003

The TRON Association has recently put together its business plan for the current fiscal year. The key points of business are as follows: Performing R&D in the computer architecture with an eye toward the development of computer technology in the next five and ten years range, and surveying development and technological trends in advanced IT systems. In view of the lack of engineers for embedded systems, planning training seminars focusing on ITRON and T-Engine in the near future, thus demonstrating our commitment to the development of more real-time OS experts. Moving ahead with development of a character code conversion system based on the TRON-specification multi-script OS, with the goal of widespread applications such as electronic book systems and others in the IT field. Expanding the functions of the existing ITRON Specification while researching the roadmap for a smooth transition to T-Engine.

Report of Activities of TRON Advanced Technology Research Group

At the latest gathering of this group, TRON Project Leader Ken Sakamura presented the Ubiquitous ID (uID) Center. The Center was created to establish and popularize the core technology for automatic recognition of objects in our everyday environment. An up-to-the-minute overview of the center described the structure of its organization, the nature of its activities, and the technical aspects of uIDs. Group members had a lively Q&A session after the presentation. The group name was changed in 2003 to the Advanced Technology Research Group. They will continue to conduct surveys on the latest trends in open architecture while moving ahead with studies of the latest technologies in microelectronics, RFID, the Internet, and various other fields.

Yamaha's "Clavinova CVP Series" Home Piano Uses an ITRON-Specification OS

In the Clavinova CVP Series, Yamaha leverages its piano-manufacturing heritage with sophisticated electronics technology to produce a home digital piano with superb audio quality and advanced features. Since its first release in 1983, this popular series of pianos has come to be loved by customers of all ages. Yamaha applies an original Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) system to transform digital audio sources into authentic piano resonances. The Graded Hammer weighted keyboard recreates the feel of an acoustic piano keyboard. These features, together with basic digital piano functions and a variety of instrument voices, programmed rhythms, automatic accompaniment, and multi-track recording for ensemble performance entertainment, make these models fun on many levels - from children's piano practice to an adult's favorite pastime. Pianos in the series employ a μITRON-based real-time operating system as an embedded OS for exceptional cost-performance and reliability.

Real-Time Systems Technology Seminar Plan

After preliminary planning for technical seminars on real-time systems, the Education and Promotion Group has scheduled seminars from 2003 onward targeting technical specialists new to this field. Seminar details are now being finalized with the organizations involved. The general plan for the events is as follows. First scheduled seminar period: July 2003 Seminar title: Introduction to Embedded Real-Time OS - An Overview of Principals and Construction Methods for Embedded Systems Using T-Kernel and ITRON Prerequisites: C programming experience. A knowledge of operating systems is also helpful. The lecture will summarize fundamental aspects of the real-time systems common to T-Kernel and ITRON, the de facto standard in the field of embedded systems built into handsets, digital still cameras, and vehicle engine devices for real-time control.

Activities of Device Driver Research Committee

Since last September, the Device Driver Research Committee within the ITRON Specification Study Group (formerly the ITRON Specification Update Group)has been active in preparing device driver design policies and sample programs under the following guidelines. Conventional program routines that accesses devices are being developed independently by various manufacturers who build embedded systems. Thus there are work duplicated by many. Device access method is now offered in a form that separates it from task processing to highlight the independence of device access processing. To reduce redundant investments in labor involving device driver creation, device driver samples are being provided by the device manufacturers. To make the system easier to port, task handling and hardware access are now clearly separatend and handled in such manner. As the target of the first stage, PDIC and the SIL layer will be studied in detail. After conducting the interim report at the ITRON open seminar to be held on June 24, the association will release its results this fall.

Mitsubishi Electric's IP Handset

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed technology for IP-based mobile phones that takes advantage of the μT-Engine. The handset's CPU uses M32R(M32104), as in the μT-Engine/M32104. For communication, users can rely on the IEEE802.11b wireless LAN specification, which has exploded in popularity in enterprise networks and hubs for public communications networks known as``hotspots.'' Users can use the handset anywhere in the world where they can access such networks. Because this phone handset uses the G.729 audio codec, audio calling is also supported when users insert a compact flash card for PHS data communications. In addition, the handset enables users to move between wireless LANs and establish calls between private IPs. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation News Release: http://www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp/news/2002/0925-b.htm