Time derivative estimation of signals plays a very important role in several fields, such as signal processing and control engineering, just to name a few of them. For that purpose, a non-asymptotic algebraic procedure for the approximate estimation of the system states is used in this work. The method is based on results from differential algebra and furnishes some general formulae for the time derivatives of a measurable signal in which two algebraic derivative estimators run simultaneously, but in an overlapping fashion. The algebraic derivative algorithm presented in this paper is computed online and in real-time, offering high robustness properties with regard to corrupting noises, versatility and ease of implementation. Besides, in this work, we introduce a novel architecture to accelerate this algebraic derivative estimator using reconfigurable logic. The core of the algorithm is implemented in an FPGA, improving the speed of the system and achieving real-time performance. Finally, this work proposes a low-cost platform for the integration of hardware in the loop in MATLAB.

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In FPGA-based control system design, partial reconfiguration is especially well suited to implement preemptive systems. In real-time systems, the deadline for critical task can compel the preemption of noncritical one. Besides, an asynchronous event can demand immediate attention and, then, force launching a reconfiguration process for high-priority task implementation. If the asynchronous event is previously scheduled, an explicit activation of the reconfiguration process is performed. If the event cannot be previously programmed, such as in dynamically scheduled systems, an implicit activation to the reconfiguration process is demanded. This paper provides a hardware-based approach to explicit and implicit activation of the partial reconfiguration process in dynamically reconfigurable SoCs and includes all the necessary tasks to cope with this issue. Furthermore, the reconfiguration service introduced in this work allows remote invocation of the reconfiguration process and then the remote integration of off-chip components. A model that offers component location transparency is also presented to enhance and facilitate system integration.

In this chapter we will show how modern FPGA offers the possibility of implementing Reconfigurable Virtual Instrumentation, a new kind of electronic instrumentation which generates interesting opportunities for regular users but that also poses several technical challenges for advanced users and instrument developers. We will analyze some of the main problems and we will give some ideas and possible strategies to deal with them. In order to put the subject in the right context we will review some general concepts regarding instrumentation in general and we later proceed with some more specific concepts and definitions. The chapter also describes two hardware/software platforms for science and high-education developed at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) where the concept of RVI proposed in this chapter was applied. Although we mainly adopt a scientist's prospective to define and analyze instrumentation, most of the conclusions drawn along this chapter can be easily generalized for a wide range of applications in commercial or industrial sectors.

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