JAVA FOR REAL-TIME TELEMETRY SYSTEMS

Abstract

Because of an ever-increasing need for performance and high predictability in modern real-time telemetry systems, the Java programming language is typically not considered a viable option for embedded software development. Nevertheless, the Java platform provides many features that can easily be applied to embedded telemetry systems that other development platforms cannot match. But obviously, there are pitfalls to be aware of. This paper will present an alternative solution to address today’s problems in real-time telemetry systems and will cover the following topics: • Java development platforms for the embedded world • Impact on software portability and reusability • Performance and optimization techniques • Direct access to hardware devices • Memory management and garbage collection • Network-centric component-oriented architecture • Real-time examples from past experience • Future developments