Developing FPGA-based Embedded Controllers using Matlab/Simulink

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are emerging as suitable platforms for implementing embedded control systems. FPGAs offer advantages such as high performance and concurrent computing which makes them attractive in many embedded applications. As reconfigurable devices, they can be used to build the hardware and software components of an embedded system on a single chip. Traditional FPGA design flows and tools, requiring the use of Hardware Description Languages (HDLs), are in a different domain than standard control system design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink. This paper illustrates development of FPGA-based controllers by utilizing popular tools such as MATLAB/Simulink available for the design and development of control systems. The capability of DSP Builder is extended by developing a custom library of control system building blocks that facilitates rapid development of FPGA-based controllers in the familiar Matlab/Simulink environment. As a case study, this paper presents how the tools can be utilized to develop a FPGA-based controller for a laboratory scale air levitation system.