Why do we need Asynchronous Task Specification block?

Dear all,

I am learning how to work with SoC Blockset and curious about why we need Asynchronous Task Specification in Event-driven Tasks.

I mean by this some questions: what lacks in functionality of Task Manager, that does not allow to connect it straight to a Function-call subsystem? Why do we need this "bridge" if it is always present in Event-driven tasks? Why is it not implemented in one single block?

I hope for your explanation!

Answer 1

[Soumya]

Hi @Sergei,

The Task Manager schedules both time-driven and event-driven tasks and generates function-call signals in response to scheduled events, such as interrupts or external triggers. However, the Task Manager lacks the functionality to provide the necessary execution context or configuration such as task priority and type for function-call subsystems to execute asynchronously. Therefore, the Asynchronous Task Specification block is placed between a root-level Inport block (configured to receive function-call signals) and the function-call subsystem. This block acts as an execution context, enabling the subsystem to run appropriately in response to external asynchronous events.

Separating the scheduling functionality (provided by the Task Manager) from the execution context configuration (handled by the Asynchronous Task Specification block) enhances modularity and clarity within the model. This design allows for independent configuration of task triggering and execution attributes, providing greater flexibility and scalability.

For more details, please refer to the following MathWorks documentations:

• Event- driven task: https://www.mathworks.com/help/soc/ug/event-driven-task-example.html
• Asynchronous Task Specification: https://www.mathworks.com/help/rtw/ref/asynchronoustaskspecification.html
• Task Manager: https://www.mathworks.com/help/soc/ref/taskmanager.html

I hope this helps!