Reconfigurable control system for controlling a target apparatus, and method for reconfiguration during operation of the control system

A control system that is reconfigurable during operation, the control system comprising:

• a master controller configured to generate a bitstream including reconfiguration information according to a command of a user;
• and
• a first slave controller for controlling operation of a first target apparatus, wherein the first slave controller comprises:
• a first dynamic reconfiguration module, which is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) reconfigured according to the reconfiguration information, and which computes a control value;
• a second dynamic reconfiguration module, which is an FPGA reconfigured according to the reconfiguration information, and which computes a control value, and wherein the control unit maintains the operation of the first dynamic reconfiguration module until the second dynamic reconfiguration module is completely reconfigured if the control unit controls the second dynamic reconfiguration module to be reconfigured according to the reconfiguration information;
• and
• a static reconfiguration module, which is an FPGA controlling an operation of a target apparatus according to the control value from the first dynamic reconfiguration module or the second dynamic reconfiguration module, the static reconfiguration module being operated by being linked to the first dynamic reconfiguration module until the second dynamic reconfiguration module is completely reconfigured, and control of the target by the static reconfiguration module is maintained until the static reconfiguration module and the first dynamic reconfiguration module are operated by being linked to each other;
• wherein a control unit reconfigures one or more of the first dynamic reconfiguration module, the second dynamic reconfiguration module and the static reconfiguration module according to the reconfiguration information,
• wherein the static reconfiguration module maintains control of the target apparatus according to the control value from the first dynamic reconfiguration module or the second dynamic reconfiguration module while one of the first dynamic reconfiguration module and the second dynamic reconfiguration module is reconfiguring,
• wherein the control unit reconfigures an FPGA structure of the dynamic reconfiguration module independently from the operation of the static reconfiguration module,
• wherein the control unit controls the second dynamic reconfiguration module to be reconfigured according to the reconfiguration information if the capacity of the reconfiguration information is greater than a predetermined value and maintains the operation of the first dynamic reconfiguration module until the second dynamic reconfiguration module is completely reconfigured,
• wherein the master controller comprises:
• a reconfiguration library storing unit storing function information indicating a connection relation between gates of the first dynamic reconfiguration module or the static reconfiguration module;
• a reconfiguration information combining unit extracting the function information according to the command and generating the reconfiguration information by combining the extracted function information;
• an entry management unit generating bitstream including the reconfiguration information;
• and
• a slave communication unit transmitting the bitstream to the first slave controller,
• wherein, if the entry management unit generates reconfiguration time information, which is time for transmitting the bitstream according to the command, the slave communication unit transmits the bitstream to the first slave controller at every predetermined period or when the bitstream is generated according to the reconfiguration time information.