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Interrupts
Published in Syed R. Rizvi, Microcontroller Programming, 2016
Embedded systems are generally reactive systems. A reactive system is a system whose role is to maintain an ongoing interaction with its environment rather than produce some final value upon termination. An air traffic control system and programs controlling mechanical devices such as a train, a plane, or ongoing processes such as a nuclear reactor are some of the typical examples of reactive systems. In many applications they must be viewed as real-time systems. Real-time systems are called real-time because they are subject to operational deadlines from event to system response. By contrast, a non-real-time system is one for which there is no deadline, even if fast response or high performance is desired or preferred. Thus, the success of a real-time system greatly depends upon the time in which its functions are performed. A real-time system may be one where its application can be considered to be mission critical. Mission critical refers to any factor that is essential to the core function of a system, and whose failure or disruption will result in the failure of the system. For example, the antilock brakes on a car are an example of a real-time system. Here, the deadline or real-time constraint is the short time in which the brakes must be activated to prevent the wheel from locking. Real-time systems can be considered to have failed if they do not respond before their deadline, where their deadline is relative to an event.
Insight into User Acceptance and Adoption of Autonomous Systems in Mission Critical Environments
Published in International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 2023
Kristin Weger, Lisa Matsuyama, Rileigh Zimmermann, Bryan Mesmer, Douglas Van Bossuyt, Robert Semmens, Casey Eaton
In civilian applications, a mission critical system can refer to a system that is essential to the survival of an organization and will adversely affect society when it fails (Hinchey & Coyle, 2010). Within the U.S. military, mission critical refers to any job functions that are identified as critical to the performance of the agency (Meyer, 2020). An example of a mission critical system in a military context is the navigational system for a spacecraft. If the navigational system were to fail, the spacecraft would either have degraded performance or could be lost entirely. Many mission critical systems can have major adverse impacts with the possibilities of loss of life, serious injury and/or financial loss if they fail especially in unanticipated ways. Within systems, specific components or subsystems can be mission critical where a failure of the component or subsystem causes the system to no longer function as anticipated which can cause hardware failure, software failure, or a loss of trust in the system by the user. Hence, the acceptance and adoption of mission critical autonomous systems is essential to improve military efficiency and safety because of an increase in system and mission complexity as well as a decrease in overall manpower in the military (Barrett-Pink et al., 2019; Benaskeur et al., 2011).