Reconfigurable Automotive Cluster Based on Intel x86_64 Microprocessor Architecture
Description
Reconfigurable automotive clusters offer extensive functionality and content customization capabilities. An application called CLUSTER_PI is currently available and runs under the ARM architecture on a Raspberry Pi board. Applications configured on this microcontroller require a high demand for data processing and cannot be tracked due to limited memory capacity. For projects with a greater demand for graphics, it is necessary to have an architecture that allows more information processing. Because future projects need more information demand, processing capacity and graphics, Minnowboard Max is chosen over Raspberry Pi since it offers more features and performance. The main objective of this work is to migrate CLUSTER_PI application from ARM to x86_64 architecture, for this, a new kernel must be configured according to the application’s requirements and then compiled. Buildroot is used to configure and compile the Kernel with the necessary modules, libraries and configurations. This tool uses cross-compilation and also allows the creation of a complete Linux embedded system, which includes: bootloader, root filesystem, kernel image and cross-compilation toolchain. At first, mandatory packages for CLUSTER_PI App like QT5 and SSH are selected in the kernel configuration. The most important components and their dependencies are explained in detail in Section 4. Once the configuration is saved, the Makefile is created, which is responsible for: downloading the packages; configure, build and install the compilation tools; generate the kernel image, the bootloader, and the root filesystem. After generating the Linux system, CLUSTER_PI application is run on the Minnowboard Max obtaining the same graphic environment and functionalities as in the Raspberry Pi. With the development of this work, it is possible that new research work will emerge based on the x86_64 architecture, thus allowing greater support to other automotive applications, better graphicsConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología