Basic Electronics

&
Communication Engineering
MODULE – 3
Embedded Systems, Sensors and Interfacing, Actuators,
Communication Interface
SUBJECT CODE: 21ELN14

Chandra Shekar P (CSP) Chethana K S (CKS)

Assistant Professor, UGC – NET Assistant Professor
Department of ECE
ATMECE, Mysuru
 INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND VISION

Vision
• Development of academically excellent, culturally vibrant, socially responsible and
globally competent human resources.

Mission
• To keep pace with advancements in knowledge and make the students competitive and
capable at the global level.
• To create an environment for the students to acquire the right physical, intellectual,
emotional and moral foundations and shine as torch bearers of tomorrow's society.
• To strive to attain ever-higher benchmarks of educational excellence.

DEPARTMENTAL MISSION AND VISION

Vision
To develop highly skilled and globally competent professionals in the field of Electronics and
Communication Engineering to meet industrial and social requirements with ethical
responsibility.
Mission

• To provide State-of-art technical education in Electronics and Communication at

undergraduate and post-graduate levels to meet the needs of the profession and society.
• To adopt the best educational methods and achieve excellence in teaching-learning and
research.
• To develop talented and committed human resource, by providing an opportunity for
innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial leadership with high standards of
professional ethics, transparency and accountability.
• To function collaboratively with technical Institutes/Universities/Industries and offer
opportunities for long-term interaction with academia and industry.
• To facilitate effective interactions among faculty and students, and promote networking
with alumni, industries, institutions and other stake-holders.
Program outcomes (POs)

Engineering Graduates will be able to:

PO1. Engineering knowledge: Apply the knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering

fundamentals, and an engineering specialization to the solution of complex engineering
problems.

PO2. Problem analysis: Identify, formulate, review research literature, and analyze complex
engineering problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematics,
natural sciences, and engineering sciences.

PO3. Design/development of solutions: Design solutions for complex engineering problems

and design system components or processes that meet the specified needs with appropriate
consideration for the public health and safety, and the cultural, societal, and environmental
considerations.

PO4. Conduct investigations of complex problems: Use research-based knowledge and

research methods including design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, and
synthesis of the information to provide valid conclusions.

PO5. Modern tool usage: Create, select, and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and
modern engineering and IT tools including prediction and modeling to complex engineering
activities with an understanding of the limitations.

PO6. The engineer and society: Apply reasoning informed by the contextual knowledge to
assess societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities
relevant to the professional engineering practice.

PO7. Environment and sustainability: Understand the impact of the professional engineering
solutions in societal and environmental contexts, and demonstrate the knowledge of, and need
for sustainable development.

PO8. Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities
and norms of the engineering practice.

PO9. Individual and team work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or
leader in diverse teams, and in multidisciplinary settings.

PO10. Communication: Communicate effectively on complex engineering activities with the

engineering community and with society at large, such as, being able to comprehend and write
effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, and give and receive
clear instructions.

PO11. Project management and finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
engineering and management principles and apply these to one’s own work, as a member and
leader in a team, to manage projects and in multidisciplinary environments.

PO12. Life-long learning: Recognize the need for, and have the preparation and ability to
engage in independent and life-long learning in the broadest context of technological change.
Program Specific Outcomes (PSOs)

At the end of graduation, the student will be able,

• To Comprehend the Fundamental ideas in Electronics and communication Engineering and
Apply them to identify, formulate and effectively solve Societal engineering problems using
latest tools and techniques.

• To work effectively in a group as an independent visionary, team member and leader having
the ability to understand the requirement and develop feasible solutions to emerge as potential
entrepreneur.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

• Graduates will have a successful professional career and will be able to pursue higher
education and research globally in the field of Electronics and Communication
Engineering thereby engaging in lifelong learning.
• Graduates will be able to analyze, design and create innovative products by adapting to
the current and emerging technologies while developing a conscience for
environmental/ societal impact.
• Graduates with strong character backed with professional attitude and ethical values
will have the ability to work as a member and as a leader in a team.
• Graduates with effective communication skills and multidisciplinary approach will be
able to redefine problems beyond boundaries and develop solutions to complex
problems of today’s society.
 MODULE 3
Embedded Systems, Sensors and Interfacing, Actuators, Communication
Interface
Embedded Systems – Definition, Embedded systems vs general computing systems,
Classification of Embedded Systems, Major application areas of Embedded Systems,
Elements of an Embedded System, Core of the Embedded System, Microprocessor vs
Microcontroller, RISC vs CISC, Harvard vs Von-Neumann. Text 2: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, Fig.
2.1, 2.1, 2.1.1.4, 2.1.1.6, 2.1.1.7.
Sensors and Interfacing – Instrumentation and control systems, Transducers, Sensors.
Text 1: Chapter 15
Actuators - LED, 7-Segment LED Display, Stepper Motor, Relay, Piezo Buzzer, Push
Button Switch, Keyboard. Text 2: 2.3.2, 2.3.3.1 to 2.3.3.8 except 2.3.3.3
Communication Interface - UART, Parallel Interface, USB, Wi-Fi, GPRS. Text 2: 2.4,
2.4.1.3, 2.4.1.5, 2.4.2.2, 2.4.2.6, 2.4.2.8.
Teaching-Learning Process:
Chalk and talk method, Power Point Presentation, YouTube videos Pictures of
sensors, actuators, microcontrollers (with manufacturer names)
Self-study topics:
Block diagrams of the architectures of RISC, CISC, Harvard and Von-Neumann,
Actuator types, LCD, Touch screen displays
Textbooks:
1. Mike Tooley, ‘Electronic Circuits, Fundamentals & Applications’, 4th Edition,
Elsevier, 2015.
2. K V Shibu, ‘Introduction to Embedded Systems’, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill
Education (India), Private Limited, 2016.
3. S L Kakani and Priyanka Punglia, ‘Communication Systems’, New Age International
Publisher, 2017.
4. D P Kothari, I J Nagrath, ‘Basic Electronics’, 2nd edition, McGraw Hill Education
(India), Private Limited, 2018
 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Embedded Systems

What is an embedded system?

An embedded system is an electronic/electro-mechanical system designed to

(software).

Every embedded system is unique, and the hardware as well as the is highly specialized
to the application domain. Embedded systems are becoming an inevitable part of any product or
equipment in all including household appliances, telecommunications, medical equipment,
industrial control, consumer products, etc.

Embedded system vs general purpose computing system

General purpose computing system Embedded system

A system which is a combination of a generic A system which is a combination of special

hardware and a General Purpose Operating purpose hardware and embedded OS for
System for executing a variety of applications executing a set of applications

Contains a General Purpose Operating System May or may not contain an operating system
(GPOS) for functioning

Applications are alterable (programmable) by the The rmware of the embedded system is pre-
user (It is possible for the end user to re-install the programmed and it is non-alterable by the end-
operating system, and also add or remove user user (There may be exceptions for systems
applications) through
special hardware settings)

Performance is the key deciding factor in the Application- requirements (like

selection of the system. performance, power requirements, memory
usage, etc.) are the key deciding factors

Less/not at all tailored towards reduced Highly tailored to take advantage of the power
operating power requirements, options for saving modes supported by the hardware and the
different levels of power management. operating system

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Response requirements are not time-critical For certain category of embedded systems like
mission critical systems, the response time
requirement is highly critical

Need not be deterministic in execution Execution behavior is deterministic for certain

behavior types of embedded systems like
systems

Classification of Embedded systems

Some of the criteria used in the embedded systems are as follows:
(1) Based on generation
(2) Complexity and performance requirements
(3) Based on deterministic behavior
(4) Based on triggering.

behavior
systems. The application/task execution behavior for an embedded system can be either
deterministic or non- deterministic.

Based on the execution behavior Hard

and Soft.

Hard real time systems have a set of strict deadlines, and missing a deadline is considered
a system failure. Examples of hard real-time systems: airplane sensor and autopilot
systems, space-crafts and planetary rovers.

A soft real-time system is a system whose operation is degraded if results are not
produced according to the specified timing requirement. In a soft real-time system, the
meeting of deadline is not compulsory for every task, but the process should get processed
and give the result.

Embedded nature, can be based on the triggering

as either event triggered or time triggered.

In an event triggered system a processing activity is initiated as a consequence of the

occurrence of a significant event.
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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

In a time-triggered system, the activities are initiated periodically at predetermined

points in real-time.

Based on G eneration

This is based on the order in which the embedded processing systems

evolved from the
into the following:

1. First Generation:

These are built around 8-bit microprocessors like 8085 and Z80, and 4bit
microcontrollers.

mbly code.

Example: Digital telephone keypads, stepper motor control units etc. are examples of this.

2 . Second Generation:

These are built around 16-bit microprocessors and 8 or 16-bit microcontrollers.

The instruction set were much more complex and powerful.

Some of the second generation embedded systems contained embedded operating

system for their operation.

Examples: Data Acquisition Systems, SCADA systems, etc.

3. Third Generation:

These are built around powerful 32 bit processors and 16bit microcontrollers for their
design.

A new concept of application and domain processors/controllers like Digital

Signal Processors (DSP) and Application
picture.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

The instruction set of processors became more complex and powerful and the concept
of instruction pipelining also evolved.

The processor market was

vendors. Processors like Intel Pentium, Motorola 68K, etc. gained attention in high
performance embedded requirements.

Dedicated embedded real time and general purpose operating systems entered into the
embedded market. Embedded systems spread its ground to areas like robotics, media,
industrial process control, networking, etc.

4. Fourth Generation:
multicore
processors are bringing high performance, tight integration and miniaturization into the
embedded device market.

The SoC technique implements a total system on a chip by integrating different

functionalities with a processor core on an integrated circuit.

High performance real time embedded operating systems are used for their
functioning.

Examples: Smart phone devices, mobile internet devices (MIDs), etc. are examples of fourth
generation embedded systems.

Based on Com plexity and s y s t e m Perform ance

requirem ents

According to this embedded systems can be grouped into the following:

Small-Scale Embedded Systems:

These systems are built around low performance and low cost 8 or 16- bit
microprocessors/microcontrollers.

These systems may or may not contain an operating system for its functioning.

Embedded systems which are simple in application needs and where the performance
requirements are not time critical.
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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Example: An electronic toy.

Medium-Scale Embedded Systems:

These systems which are slightly complex in

requirements.

These systems are usually built around medium performance, low cost 16 or 32 bit
microprocessors/microcontrollers or digital signal processors.

They usually contain an embedded operating system (either general purpose or real
time operating system) for functioning.

Large-Scale Embedded Systems/Complex Systems:

These systems are highly complex in hardware and requirements. They are
employed in mission critical applications demanding high performance.

Systems are built around high performance 32 or 64 bit RISC processors/controllers or

System on Chip (RSoC) or multi-core processors and programmable
logic devices.

They may contain multiple processors/controllers and co-units/hardware accelerators for

rom the main processor of the system.

Decoding/ encoding of media, cryptographic function implementation, etc. are

examples for processing requirements which can be implemented using a co-
processor/hardware accelerator.

These systems contain a high performance Real Time Operating System (RTOS) for
task scheduling, prioritization, and management.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Major application areas of embedded systems

Embedded systems play a vital role in our day- to-day life, starting from home to the computer
industry. Embedded technology has acquired a new
latest radio navigation system combined with in-car entertainment technology and the wearable
computing devices. The application areas and the products in the embedded domain are
countless.

A few of the important domains and products are listed below:

(1) Consumer electronics: Camcorders, cameras, etc.
(2) Household appliances: Television, DVD players, washing machine, fridge, microwave
oven, etc.
(3) Home automation and security systems: Air conditioners, sprinklers, intruder detection
alarms, closed circuit television cameras,
(4) Automotive industry: Anti-lock braking systems (ABS), engine control, ignition
systems, automatic navigation systems, etc.
(5) Telecom: Cellular telephones, telephone switches, handset multimedia applications, etc.
(6) Computer peripherals: Printers, scanners, fax machines, etc.
(7) Computer networking systems:
(8) Healthcare: Different kinds of scanners, EEG, ECG machines etc.
(9) Measurement & Instrumentation: Digital multimeters, digital CROs, logic analyzers PLC
systems, etc.
(10) Banking & Retail: Automatic teller machines (ATM) and currency counters, point of sales
(POS)
(11) Card Readers: Barcode, smart card readers, hand held devices, etc.
(12) Wearable Devices: Health and Fitness Trackers, Smartphone Screen extension for

(13) Cloud Computing and Internet of Things (IOT)

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Elements of an embedded system

A typical embedded system shown in the figure contains a single chip controller, which
acts as the master brain of the system.

The controller can be a Microprocessor (e.g. Intel 8085) or a microcontroller (e.g. Atmel
AT89C51) or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device (e.g. Xilinx Spartan) or a
Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or an (ASIC) /
(ASSP) (Analog Devices for energy metering
applications).

Embedded hardware/software systems are designed to regulate a physical variable or to

manipulate the state of some devices by sending some control signals to the Actuators or
devices connected to the o/p ports of the system, in response to the input signals provided
by the end users or Sensors which are connected to the input ports. Hence an embedded
system can be viewed as a reactive system.

The control is achieved by processing the information coming from the sensors and user
interfaces, and controlling some actuators that regulate the physical variable.

Key boards, push button switches, etc. are examples for common user interface input
devices.

LEDs, liquid crystal displays, piezoelectric buzzers, etc. are examples for common user
interface output devices for a typical embedded system.

For example, if the embedded system is designed for any handheld application, such as a
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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

mobile handset application, then the system should contain user interfaces like a keyboard
for performing input operations and display unit for providing users the status of various
activities in progress.

Some embedded systems do not require any manual intervention for their operation. They
automatically sense the variations in the input parameters in accordance with the changes
in the real world, to which they are interacting through the sensors which are connected
to the input port of the system.
The sensor information is passed to the processor after signal conditioning and digitization.
Upon receiving the sensor data the processor or brain of the embedded system performs
some operations with the help of the
some actuating signals to the actuator connected to the output port of the embedded system,
which in turn acts on the controlling variable to bring the controlled variable to the desired
level to make the embedded system work in the desired manner.
The Memory is responsible for holding the control algorithm and other important

There are two types of memory: RAM and ROM.

ROM: is used for data and it is not available for the
end user for . Other types of ROM are OTP, PROM, UVEPROM, EEPROM
and FLASH. The memory size may vary from a few bytes to megabytes.
RAM (Working Memory): It is a temporary memory for performing arithmetic
operations or control algorithm execution. Other types of RAM like SRAM, DRAM, and
NVRAM. The size of the RAM also varies from a few bytes to kilobytes.
It is having all the peripherals but is not capable of making any decision depending on the
situational as well as real world changes. For embedded systems it is the responsibility of
the designer to impart intelligence to the system.
In a controller-based embedded system, the controller may contain internal memory for
storing the control algorithm and it may be an EEPROM or FLASH memory varying from
a few kilobytes to megabytes. Such controllers are called controllers with on-chip ROM,
e.g. Atmel AT89C51. Some controllers may not contain on-chip memory and they require
an external (off-chip) memory for holding the control algorithm.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Core of an Embedded System

any of the core units

mentioned below. The core of the embedded system falls into any one of the following
categories:
(1) General
a. Microprocessors
b. Microcontrollers
c. Digital Signal Processors
(2) Application
(3) Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)
(4) Commercial off-the-shelf Components (COTS)

Microprocessor vs Microcontroller

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Microprocessor Microcontroller
A silicon chip representing a central processing A microcontroller is a highly integrated chip
unit (CPU), which is capable of performing that contains a CPU, scratchpad RAM, special
arithmetic as well as logical operations and general purpose register arrays, on chip
ROM/FLASH memory for program storage,
timer and interrupt control units and dedicated
I/O ports

It is a dependent unit. It requires the It is a self-contained unit and it

combination of other chips like timers, program require external interrupt controller, timer,
and data memory chips, interrupt controllers, UART, etc. for its functioning
etc. for functioning

Most of the time general purpose in design Mostly application-oriented or domain-

and operation

contain a built in I/O port. The I/O port Most of the processors contain multiple built-
functionality needs to be implemented in I/O ports which can be operated as a single 8
externally. or 16 or 32 bit port or as individual port pins

Targeted for high end market where Targeted for embedded market where
performance is important performance is not so critical

Limited power saving options compared to Includes lot of power saving features
microcon trollers

Reduced Instruction Set Computer VS Complex Instruction Set Computer

RISC CISC
Lesser number of instructions (typically in Greater number of Instructions
the range of 30 to 40)
Instruction pipelining and increased Generally no instruction pipelining
execution speed feature
Orthogonal instruction set Non-orthogonal instruction set
Operations are performed on registers only, Operations are performed on registers or
the only memory operations are load and memory depending on the instruction
store
A large number of registers are available Limited number of general purpose
registers
Programmer needs to write more code to A programmer can achieve the desired

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

execute a task since the instructions are functionality with a single instruction
simpler ones which in turn provides the effect of using
more simpler single instructions in RISC
Single, length instructions Variable length instructions
Less silicon usage and pin count More silicon usage since more additional
decoder logic is required to implement the
complex instruction decoding.
With Harvard Architecture Can be Harvard or Von-Neumann
Architecture
Atmel AVR microcontroller, its and its Original version of 8051 microcontroller
instruction set contains only 32 instructions. (e.g. AT89C51) is a CISC controller and its
instruction set contains 255 instructions

Harvard vs. Von-Neumann Processor/Controller Architecture

The terms Harvard and Von-Neumann refers to the processor architecture design. Von-
Neumann architecture is also referred as Princeton architecture, since it was developed by the
Princeton University.

Harvard Architecture Von-Neumann Architecture

Separate buses for instruction and data Single shared bus for instruction and data
fetching fetching

Easier to pipeline, so high performance can be Low performance compared to Harvard

achieved architecture

Comparatively high cost Cheaper

No memory alignment problems Allows self modifying codes

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Since data memory and program memory are Since data memory and program memory are
stored physically in different locations, no stored physically in the same chip, chances for
chances for accidental corruption of program accidental corruption of program memory
memory

Instrumentation and control systems

Figure shows the arrangement of an instrumentation system.

Sensor: The physical quantity to be measured (e.g. temperature) acts upon a sensor that
produces an electrical output signal. This signal is an electrical analogue of the physical input
but note that
Signal conditioning: There may not be a linear relationship between the physical quantity
and its electrical equivalent also the output produced by the sensor may be small or may suffer
from the presence of noise (i.e. unwanted signals), hence it is required to have the signal at
an acceptable level and in an acceptable form for signal processing, display and recording.
Signal processing may use digital rather than analogue signals an additional stage of analogue-
to-digital (ADC) conversion may be required.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

A Control System

Figure shows the arrangement of a control system.

This uses negative feedback in order to regulate and stabilize the output. It thus becomes
possible to set the input or demand (i.e. what we desire the output to be) and leave the
system to regulate itself by comparing it with a signal derived from the output (via a sensor
and appropriate signal conditioning).
A comparator is used to sense the difference in these two signals and where any
discrepancy is detected the input to the power amplifier is adjusted accordingly. This signal
is referred to as an error signal (it should be zero when the output exactly matches the
demand).
The input (demand) is often derived from a simple potentiometer connected across a
stable d.c. voltage source while the controlled device may be a d.c. motor, linear
actuator, heater, etc.

Transducers
Transducers are devices that convert energy in the form of sound, light, heat, etc., into an
equivalent electrical signal, or vice versa. Transducers may be used both as inputs to electronic
circuits and outputs from them.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

Example:
A loudspeaker is a transducer that converts low frequency electric current into audible
sounds. It is an output transducer designed for use in conjunction with an audio system.
A microphone is a transducer that performs the reverse function i.e. that of converting
sound pressure variations into voltage or current. A microphone is an input transducer
designed for use with a recording or sound reinforcing system.
Loudspeakers and microphones can thus be considered as complementary transducers.

There are many different types of transducer and table provide some examples of transducers that
can be used to input and output three important physical quantities; sound, temperature and angular
position.

Sensors

Sensors provide us with a means of generating signals that can be used as inputs to electronic
circuits.
Sensors are a subset of a larger family of devices known as transducers.
A sensor is a special kind of transducer that is used to generate an input signal to a
measurement, instrumentation or control system.
The signal produced by a sensor is an electrical analogy of a physical quantity, such as
distance, velocity, acceleration, temperature, pressure, light level, etc. The signals returned from
a sensor, together with control inputs from the user will subsequently be used to determine the
output from the system.
The choice of sensor is governed by a number of factors including accuracy, resolution, cost
and physical size.
Sensors can be categorized as either active or passive.
An active sensor generates a current or voltage output.
A passive transducer requires a source of current or voltage and it modifies this in some way

Sensors can also be classed as either digital or analogue.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

The output of an analogue sensor can take any one of an infinite number of voltage or current
levels. It is thus said to be continuously variable.

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 Module 3 - Embedded Systems

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