RT Communication Bus Engineer (human)

NEURA Robotics; Bielefeld; Vor Ort; EUR 70.000 - 100.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

NEURA Robotics is seeking an experienced engineer to own the deterministic bus layer connecting the RTOS to actuators, sensors, and the Robot Abstraction Layer. You will bridge EtherCAT master stacks to the Robot Abstraction Layer, enabling reliable, measurable deterministic communication for robot cells.

The role covers servo drive bring‑up, hardware clock synchronization (PTP/TSN), CANfd bus diagnostics, and close collaboration with kernel, control, and hardware teams.

Qualifikationen

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong C/C++ skills for RT networking and embedded protocols.
• Experience with EtherCAT, CANfd, PTP/TSN and real-time Linux.
• Knowledge of safety and certification processes.

Aufgaben

• Configure and maintain EtherCAT master stack across robot platforms.
• Develop and evolve the real-time communication server to connect layers.
• Servo drive bring-up and commissioning at firmware level with CoE/SoE handling.
• Implement hardware clock synchronization (PTP) and TSN traffic shaping.
• Develop CANfd bus configuration, bit-timing, and diagnostics.
• Review WCET budgets and timing with RT/Kernal engineers.
• Create measurement and diagnostic tooling for RT communication.
• Contribute to safety and certification design documentation.

Kenntnisse

C/C++

RT networking

Embedded systems

EtherCAT

CANfd

IEEE 1588 PT P

Scripting

Ausbildung

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

EtherCAT master stack

Beckhoff hardware

Synapticon drive

Jobbeschreibung

Your mission & challenges

We are growing our real-time communication capability across NEURA's current and next-generation robot platforms. This role owns the deterministic bus layer that connects the robot's real-time operating system to actuators, sensors, and the higher-level Robot Abstraction Layer — EtherCAT, PTP / gPTP, TSN, and CANfd.

You will sit between the kernel and BSP layer (where the RT & Kernel engineer owns OS scheduling and the kernel network path) and the Robot Abstraction Layer (which consumes the bus through a stable communication interface), and collaborate closely with low-level control, hardware, and safety stakeholders to deliver a communication stack that is reliable, measurable, and suitable for a controlled product lifecycle.

• EtherCAT master stack configuration and maintenance for every robot platform: cycle management, slave topology, and integrity monitoring under real workload.
• The real-time communication server that bridges the EtherCAT master to the Robot Abstraction Layer's communication interface — and its evolution as platforms and drives change.
• Servo drive bring‑up and commissioning at the firmware / protocol level: drive parameterisation, CoE / SoE handling, fault and state‑machine behaviour on real hardware.
• Hardware clock synchronisation (IEEE 1588 PTP, 802.1AS gPTP) and TSN traffic shaping (802.1Qbv/Qav/AS) for deterministic Ethernet on robot cells; RT network path tuning to match.
• CANfd internal bus on the Compute Unit: PHY configuration, bit‑timing, frame handling, and bus‑level diagnostics.
• Co‑review of WCET budgets and cycle timing with the RT & Kernel engineer at the OS / fieldbus boundary, ensuring scheduling, interrupt, and synchronisation assumptions hold under load.
• Measurement and diagnostic tooling for RT communication integrity (latency, jitter, missed cycles), giving dependent teams a shared, evidence‑based view of timing.
• Safety‑ and certification‑relevant design participation, documentation, and traceability for the communication path; technical documentation kept current for the wider engineering organisation.

What we can look forward to

• Hands‑on experience with industrial EtherCAT master stacks (open‑source or commercial) on real hardware — not configuration only.
• Servo drive commissioning experience using EtherCAT‑based protocols (CoE / CANopen over EtherCAT, SoE / Sercos over EtherCAT), including drive parameter handling and state‑machine debugging.
• Implementation‑level experience with IEEE 1588 / PTP clock synchronisation on real hardware.
  TSN stack configuration experience: 802.1Qbv/Qav/AS traffic shaping and gPTP hardware timestamping.
• CANfd protocol working knowledge: PHY configuration, bit‑timing calculation, CANfd frame handling vs classic CAN 2.0.
• Solid C and C++ at the RT networking / embedded protocol boundary; practical scripting for engineering workflows.
• A collaborative working style: shared design, constructive code review, proactive communication, and reliable coordination across kernel, control, and hardware disciplines. Strong teamwork is essential for this role.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice to Have

• Experience with industrial Ethernet ecosystems and infrastructure (Cisco Industrial, B&R X20, Hirschmann, or Beckhoff EK1100 series).
• Servo drive commissioning experience with vendors such as Synapticon or Beckhoff.
• Familiarity with real‑time Linux network path tuning and interrupt coalescing.
• Exposure to functional safety engineering practices for deterministic communication paths — documentation, evidence, review cycles. Certification sign‑off is not required for this role.
• Background in robotics, motion control, or industrial automation with strict timing expectations.
• Interest in growing scope as the platform team expands.