Lecture 1

Introduction
 Course Code: ECE 353
Course Name: Introduction to Embedded systems
Assessment and Evaluation
• Labs: 25 (20%)
• Midterm Exam & activities : 35 (28%)
• Final Exam: 65 ( 52% )
Course Text-Reference Books and other Material
• James K Peckol ,Embedded Systems: A Contemporary Design Tool ,2nd edition 2019
• Marilyn Wolf, Computer as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing System
Design, 4th Edition Morgan Kaufman – Elsevier 2016, ISBN 978-0-12-805387-4
• Michael Barr and Anthony Massa : Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition with C
and GNU Development Tools, 2007 O'Reilly Media
• C. Hallinan, Embedded Linux Primer: A Practical Real-World Approach, 2nd Edition,
Prentice-Hall 2010.
• R. Kamal, Embedded Systems: Architecture, Programming, and Design, McGraw-Hill, 2003 .
Main Aim of the Course

• To introduce the basics of embedded system design.

• Software and hardware components of an embedded system
• Hardware Software Codesign
• To understand real-time operating systems
• Embedded Computer Architecture
What’s an Embedded System?
• An embedded system (ES) is a combination of computer hardware and software,
and perhaps additional mechanical or other parts, designed to perform a specific
function.
• A good example is the microwave oven. Almost every household has one, and
tens of millions of them are used every day.
• Frequently, an embedded system is a component within some larger system.
• For example, modern cars and trucks contain many embedded systems.
• If an embedded system is designed well, the existence of the processor and
software could be completely unnoticed by a user of the device. Such is the case
for a microwave oven, VCR, or alarm clock.
Examples of
Embedded
Systems
Embedded Real Time Systems
• Real-time systems process events.
• Events occurring on external inputs cause other events to occur as
outputs.
• Minimizing response time is usually a primary objective, or otherwise
the entire system may fail to operate properly.
• Types of Embedded Real Time System
• Hard real-time — e.g. Flight control systems.
• Soft real-time — e.g. Data acquisition system.
• Real real-time — e.g. Missile guidance system.
• Firm real-time
•
Types of Real Time System
• Hard real-time — systems where it is absolutely imperative that the responses occur
within the required deadline.
• For example: Flight control systems.

• Soft real-time — systems where deadlines are important, but which will still function
correctly if deadlines are occasionally missed. For example: Data acquisition system.
• Real real-time — systems which are hard real-time, and their response time is very short.
• For example: Missile guidance system.

• Firm real-time — systems which are soft real-time but in which there is no benefit from
late delivery of service.
•
A single embedded system may have hard, soft and real real-time subsystems.
• In reality many systems will have a cost function associated with the missing of each
deadline.
Embedded System Applications
Embedded System Applications
Embedded System Applications
Automotive embedded systems
• Today’s high-end automobile may have 100 microprocessors:
• 4-bit microcontroller checks seat belt
• Microcontrollers run dashboard devices
• 16/32-bit microprocessor controls engine

• BMW brake and stability control system

• Anti-lock brake system (ABS): Pumps brakes to reduce skidding.
• Automatic Stability Control (ASC+T): Controls engine to improve stability.
• ABS and ASC+T communicate.
ABS was introduced first---needed to interface to existing ABS module.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Seagate Barracuda Disk Drive
• Employ two ARM Cortex-R4 Processors
• One for Servo control and 2nd for Command and Data Flow
 A Generic Embedded Systems
• By definition all embedded systems contain
a processor and software, but what other Memory
features do they have in common?
• Certainly, in order to have software, there
must be a place to store the executable
code and temporary storage for runtime Processor
Inputs outputs
data manipulation. These take the form of
ROM and RAM, respectively.
• All embedded systems also contain some
type of inputs and outputs. (u wave oven)
The software for the generic embedded system
Applications

Network stack Real- time

operating
Applications system
Device Drivers
Device Drivers

Hardware
Hardware

a. Basic embedded software b. more complex embedded software

diagram diagram
Components of Embedded System (1/2)
❑It has Hardware
▪ Processor, Timers, Interrupt controller, I/O Devices, Memories , Ports, etc.
❑It has main Application Software
▪ Which may perform concurrently the series of tasks or multiple tasks.
❑It has Real Time Operating System (RTOS)
▪ RTOS defines the way the system work. Which supervise the application
software. It sets the rules during the execution of the application program. A small
scale embedded system may not need an RTOS.
Components of Embedded System (2/2)
Embedded System Hardware (1/2)
Embedded System Hardware (2/2)
Embedded System Constraints
❑An embedded system is software designed to keep in view three
constraints
⮚ Available system memory
⮚ Available processor speed
⮚ The need to limit the power dissipation
❑When running the system continuously in cycles of wait for events, run,
stop and wakeup.
Common design requirements for embedded
systems
High Medium Low Criterion
or 64-bit -32 bit-16 or 8-bit -4 Processor
MB 1 > KB to 1 MB 64 KB 64 < Memory
$1,000,000 > to $1,000,000 $100,000 $100,000< Development cost
1,000 $ > to $1,000 $10 $10 < Production cost
10,000 > to 10,000 100 < 100 Number of units

mW/MIPS 10 > to 10 mW/MIPS 1 mW/MIPS 1 < Power consumption

Decades Years Days, weeks, or months Lifetime
Must be fail-proof Must work reliably May occasionally fail Reliability
Classification of Embedded System
Small Scale Embedded System
❑Single 8 bit or 16bit Microcontroller.
❑Little hardware and software complexity.
❑They May even be battery operated.
❑Usually “C” is used for developing these system.
❑The need to limit power dissipation when system is running continuously.
❑Programming tools:
▪ Editor, Assembler and Cross Assembler
Medium Scale Embedded System
• Single or few 16 or 32 bit microcontrollers or Digital
Signal Processors (DSP) or Reduced Instructions Set
Computers (RISC).
• Both hardware and software complexity.
• Programming tools
• RTOS, Source code Engineering Tool, Simulator, Debugger and
Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
Sophisticated Embedded System
• Enormous hardware and software complexity.
• Which may need scalable processor or configurable processor
and programming logic arrays.
• Constrained by the processing speed available in their
hardware units.
• Programming Tools
• For these systems may not be readily available at a reasonable cost or may not be
available at all. A compiler or retargetable compiler might have to be developed for
this.
Non-functional Requirements
• Many embedded systems are mass-market items that must have low manufacturing
costs.
• Limited memory, microprocessor power, etc.
• Power consumption is critical in battery-powered devices.
• Excessive power consumption increases system cost even in wall-powered devices.

• Power
• Custom logic is a clear winner for low power devices.
• Modern microprocessors offer features to help control power consumption.
• Software design techniques can help reduce power consumption.
Embedded System Designer Skill Set
❑Appreciation for multidisciplinary nature of design
▪ Both hardware & software skills
▪ Understanding of engineering beyond digital logic
▪ Ability to take a project from specification through production
❑Communication & teamwork skills
▪ Work with other disciplines, manufacturing, marketing
▪ Work with customers to understand the real problem being solved
▪ Make a good presentation; even better write ``trade rag'' articles
❑And, by the way, technical skills too...
▪ Low-level: Microcontrollers, FPGA/ASIC, assembly language, A/D,D/A
▪ High-level: Object oriented Design, C/C++, Real Time Operating Systems
▪ Meta-level: Creative solutions to highly constrained problems
▪ Likely in the future: Unified Modeling Language, embedded networks
Embedded System Design Process