Research Impact
The Department of Computer Science, University of York was rated 5th on Impact in REF 2014 (out of 89 Computer Science and Informatics Departments).
The Real-Time Systems group contributed three of the four highly ranked impact case studies. The REF Impact Case Studies can be found on the REF2014 website. For additional details, please contact Rob Davis.
Impact Case Study: Guaranteeing the real-time performance of in-vehicle networks
- Researchers involved: Robert Davis, Ken Tindell, Alan Burns, and Andy Wellings
- Underpinning Research: Schedulability Analysis guaranteeing the timing performance of messages on Controller Area Network (CAN).
- Technology: Analysis tools and CAN communications software (part of the Volcano Communications Concept).
- Vehicle for Impact: Start-up Company (Technology now owned by Mentor Graphics).
- Impact: Used in Volvo in production cars since 1998 (over 5 million vehicles). Also used by Jaguar, LandRover, Aston Martin, Mazda, the Chinese automotive company SAIC and the world’s leading automotive suppliers, including Bosch and Visteon.
Impact Case Study: The world's smallest automotive real-time operating system
- Researchers involved: Robert Davis, Ken Tindell, Neil Audsley, Alan Burns, Andy Wellings
- Underpinning Research: Schedulability Analysis for fixed priority scheduling guaranteeing the timing behaviour of real-time embedded systems using a Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and fixed priority scheduling.
- Technology: Analysis tools and the exceptionally small and efficient RTA-OSEK and RTA-OS operating systems.
- Vehicle for Impact: Start-up Company (Technology now owned by Mentor Graphics).
- Impact: The RTOS has been standardised upon by many of the world’s leading automotive powertrain systems and chassis electronics suppliers, and is used in cars produced by nearly all of the world's major car manufacturers. By 2015, the RTOS had been deployed in over one billion ECUs (Electronic Control Units). This number is increasing at the quite astonishing rate of 1 to 2 million new ECUs per week.
Impact Case Study: How long does your real-time software take to run?
- Researchers involved: Guillem Bernat, Ian Broster, Antoine Colin, Robert Davis, Alan Burns
- Underpinning Research: Hybrid measurement-based worst-case execution time analysis (WCET) techniques. Determines the longest time that software components can execute on advanced microprocessors.
- Technology: RapiTime WCET analysis tools.
- Vehicle for Impact: Start-up Company: Rapita Systems Ltd.
- Impact: Deployed on major aerospace, space and automotive projects in the UK, Europe, Brazil, India, China, and the USA. Customers include BAE Systems, European Space Agency (ESA), Embraer, Alenia Aermacchi, and Infineon.