Start of trail Upgrading QUARC navigation bar

Table of Contents > QUARC

Getting Started with QUARC

QUARC is a rapid-prototyping and production system for real-time control that is so tightly integrated with Simulink that it is virtually transparent. In fact, it is easy to forget that one is even using QUARC! QUARC consists of a number of components that make this seamless integration possible:

QUARC also provides the ability to generate code from MATLAB script and run it on a target. MATLAB classes are provided for accessing hardware, implementing communications, and using multimedia devices, such as cameras, etc.

Refer to System Requirements for the host and target system requirements necessary to use QUARC.

QUARC Code Generation

QUARC extends the code generation capabilities of Simulink Coder by adding a new set of targets, such as a Windows target and Linux targets. These targets appear in the system target file browser of Simulink Coder. These targets change the source code generated by Simulink Coder to suit the particular target platform. QUARC automatically compiles the C source code generated from the model, links with the appropriate libraries for the target platform and downloads the code to the target. All of these operations are performed with a single click of a button!

QUARC External Mode Communications

QUARC provides an "external mode" communications module that allows the Simulink diagram to communicate with real-time code generated from the model. Click Monitor & Tune on the Simulink diagram and the generated code is automatically compiled, downloaded and run on the target. Tune parameters of the running model by changing block parameters in the Simulink diagram. Open a Simulink Scope or any other sink in the diagram and view the status of that signal in the model as it runs on the target!

QUARC Target Management

Generated code is managed on the target by an application called the QUARC Target Manager. It is the QUARC Target Manager that allows generated code to be seamlessly downloaded and run on the target from Simulink. Additional components of the QUARC Target Management System provide access to data acquisition hardware, communications protocols, etc. The management system also supplies the ability to dynamically reconfigure the models running on the target; a model may be replaced with another model while it is running with no interruptions! Learn more about the dynamic reconfiguration capabilities of QUARC in the Dynamic Reconfiguration section of this documentation.

 

navigation bar