Embedded Systems

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Embedded Systems
Embedded Systems - Introduction

Embedded System is a combination of software and hardware to perform

a particular special task in a given time constraint.
Embedded system is a mechanical/electrical application that includes a
microcontroller to perform a special task with in a time constraint.
In the most cases, the embedded system is a part of (embedded into an)
electro-mechanical system.
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Embedded Systems - Introduction Contd...

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Embedded Systems - Introduction Contd...

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Hardware Vs Software Vs Firmware
HARDWARE is the physical arrangement of electronic parts that can only
be changed with a screwdriver or soldering iron. It is purely physical.
SOFTWARE is the arrangement of digital instructions that guide the
operation of computer hardware. Software is loaded from storage (flash,
disk, network, etc) into the computer’s operating memory (RAM) on
demand, and is designed to be easy to change. Familiar kinds of software
are operating systems, which provide overall control for computer
hardware, and applications, which are optional programs used for a
particular job.
FIRMWARE is a special class of software that is not intended to change
once shipped. An update requires either a swap of chips or a special
process to reload the flash memory containing the software. Firmware is
software that is semi-permanently placed in hardware. It does not
disappear when hardware is powered off, and is often changed by special
installation processes or with administration tools. This kind of software
powers things like TV, microwave, and home router, as well as the BIOS
(the boot code) of PC. The program instructions written for embedded
system are written to as firmware and are stored in read only memory or
FLASH memory chipes. They run with limited computer hardware
resources.
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Embedded Systems
Hardware Vs Software Vs Firmware Contd...

BIOS ( Basic Input/Output System and also known as the System BIOS,
ROM BIOS or PC BIOS) is non-volatile firmware used to perform
hardware initialization during the booting process (power-on startup), and
to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs. The
BIOS firmware comes pre-installed on a personal computer’s system
board, and it is the first software to run when powered on. The BIOS in
modern PCs initializes and tests the system hardware components, and
loads a boot loader from a mass memory device which then initializes an
operating system.

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Embedded Systems
Time Critical Vs Non Time Critical System
Real Time: It is a quantitative notion of time measured using a physical
clock.
Real Time System: A system is said to be real time system when we need
quantitative notion of time to describe the behavior of the system. It can
be defined as the system that responds to the external events in a timely
fashion. A real time system does not mean faster performance.
Time Critical Real Time System: Example of a time critical system is -
Automated Teller Machines (ATM). Here an ATM card user is supposed
to get his money from the teller machine within 4 or 5 seconds from the
moment he press the confirmation button. The card user will not wait 5
minutes at the ATM after he pressed the confirm button. So an ATM is a
time critical system.
Non Time Critical System: Where as a personal computer (PC) is not a
time critical system. The purpose of a PC is multiple. A user can run
many applications at the same time. After pressing the SAVE button of a
finished document, there is no particular time limit that the doc should
be saved within 5 seconds. It may take several minutes (in some cases)
depending upon the number of tasks and processes running in parallel.

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Embedded Systems
General Computing Systems Vs Embedded Systems
General Computing Systems
Generic hardware and general purpose OS
Applications are alterable. It can be reprogrammed.
Power consumption is more
Response times are not time-critical
Performance is the key factor on the selection of the system.
Always ’Faster is Better’.
Need not to be deterministic in the execution behavior.
They do not have hard reliability and correctness requirements.
Embedded Systems (ES)
Special hardware and embedded OS or RTOS
Pre-programmed and non-alterable by end user. Embedded
systems cannot be reprogrammed.
Low power consumption
Highly time-critical
Application specific requirements such as performance, power,
area, memory usage, and so on are the key factors on the
selection of the system.
Execution behavior is deterministic in Hard Real Time ES.
Embedded systems have hard reliability and correctness 8/22
requirements. Embedded Systems
Characteristics of Embedded Systems
Robustness: Embedded system can operate in harsh environment. They
should endure vibration, power supply fluctuations, and excessive heat
generation.
Reactive systems: Embedded systems have continuous interaction with
their environment such as hardware or RTOS or sensors/actuators and
reacts to changes in the system’s environment.
Reliable
Easily available
Safe to use
Single functioned: Executes a single program repeatedly. For example, a
car may be having the following embedded systems (1) music player, (2)
braking system, (3) fuel control. So, each one will perform one particular
task repeatedly. Due to this explicit in nature, fault tolerance can be
achieved. If both the braking system and fuel control are integrated as
one embedded system, then a fault at braking system will cause failure in
both braking system and fuel control. So, the most of the embedded
systems are single functioned.
Tightly constrained (low cost, low power, small, and fast)
Real time systems: Timing correctness
Embedded systems are not always stand alone.
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Hardware Components of Embedded Systems
Micro-controller or SoC Processor or GPU or FPGA
Memory
ADC/DAC
Sensors
Actuators: An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible
for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by
opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a ”mover”. An actuator requires a
control signal and a source of energy. An actuator is something that
converts energy into motion.
Cloud
Hardware timers: Hardware timer counts the clock pulses and interrupt
the processor at regular intervals of time to perform periodic tasks. The
clock pulses periodically update the timers.
Real Time Clock
Communication interface (I2C, UART, PCI, CAN, Ethernet, Wi-fi, and so
on)
I/O ports
GPIO
Interrupt Controller
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Oscillators.
Embedded Systems
Software Components of Embedded Systems

Real Time Operating System (RTOS)

Editor
Compiler: It converts the particular language of the program into
machine language.
Assembler
Simulator: It is to test the internal states and functionality of a hardware
or software.
Emulator: An emulator is a software program that allows our machine to
imitate the features of another hardware or software.
Debugger
Linker: It is to convert the project file into an executable file.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE): An IDE is a software application

that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software
development. It includes compiler, assembler, debugger, linker, loader, and so
on.
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Design Metrics of an Embedded System
Non Operational Metrics
Time-to-Prototype : the time needed to build a working
version of the system
Time-to-Market : the time required to develop the system to
the point that it can be released and sold to customer
Maintainability : The ability to modify the system after its
initial release. It is the probability of the system working
correctly d-time units after error occurred.
Portability
Per-unit-and-total-cost
Evolvability
Operational Metrics
Testability and Debug Ability
Correctness
Reliability
Throughput
Safety and Security
Maintainability
Mean time between the failures
Mean time to repair 12/22
Embedded Systems
Classifications of Embedded Systems

Based on the Deterministic Behavior

Based on the Connectivity
Based on the Generation
Based on the Complexity and Performance
Based on the Triggering
Based on the Application

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Embedded Systems
Based on the Deterministic Behavior

For hard real-time systems, no deadline misses are tolerated. Some

examples are nuclear systems, some medical applications such as
pacemakers, a large number of defense applications, avionics, etc.
For soft real-time systems, it is acceptable for tasks to miss deadlines
occasionally and tasks not finished by their deadlines are still completed,
but with reduced values (or the taks crosses the deadline in the soft real
time systems will be degrading the system (less advantage)). The
usefulness of a result is degraded after its deadline. A good example for
soft real time system is the sound system in your computer. If you miss a
few bits, no big deal, but miss too many and you’re going to eventually
degrade the system. Examples : Video Games, Audio Systems with
Microphone.

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Embedded Systems
Based on the Deterministic Behavior Contd...

Firm real-time systems (FRTS) also allow occasional deadline misses.

But, unlike soft real-time systems, if an instance (job) of a task is not
completed by its deadline, the instance is considered valueless and is
discarded (or dropped) by the system. The usefulness of a result is zero
after its deadline. Example : ATM, OTP Generation
Hyrbid real-time systems (HRTS) which exhibit both hard and soft
constraints on its performance.

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Embedded Systems
Based on the Connectivity

The embedded subsystem is placed inside the larger system. The

embedded system is useless if it is independent.
In stand alone embedded system, users just give an input and get the
desired output generated by the system. Now-a-days, these systems are
said to be SoC. Ex: iPoD
In the networked embedded system, the communication between
functionally distributed nodes which can be embedded and connected
through wireless/wired medium. It achieves the goal of interaction with
environment by some actuators and sensing devices. Ex: Internet of
Things (IoT) - Components of IoT are Sensors, Microcontrollers, and
Cloud.

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IoT

Ref: A Survey on Sensor-based Threats to Internet-of-Things (IoT) Devices

and Applications, https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.02041 17/22
Embedded Systems
Based on the Generation

First generation(1G): Built around 8-bit microprocessor &

microcontroller; Simple in hardware circuit & firmware developed;
Examples: Digital telephone keypads.
Second generation(2G): Built around 16-bit µp & 8-bit µc; They are
more complex & powerful than 1G µp & µc; Examples: SCADA systems.
Third generation(3G): Built around 32-bit µp & 16-bit µc; Concepts like
Digital Signal Processors(DSPs); Application Specific Integrated
Circuits(ASICs) evolved; Examples: Robotics, Media, etc.
Fourth generation: Built around 64-bit µp & 32-bit µc; The concept of
System on Chips (SoC), Multicore Processors evolved; Highly complex &
very powerful; Examples: Smart Phones.

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Based on the Complexity and Performance

Small-scale: Simple in application need; Performance not time-critical;

Built around low performance & low cost 8 or 16 bit µp/µc; Example: an
electronic toy.
Medium-scale: Slightly complex in hardware & firmware requirement;
Built around medium performance & low cost 16 or 32 bit µp/µc; Usually
contain operating system; Examples: Industrial machines.
Large-scale (sophisticated): Highly complex hardware & firmware; Built
around 32 or 64 bit RISC µp/µc or PLDs or Multicore Processors;
Response is time-critical; Examples: Mission critical applications.

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Embedded Systems
Based on the Triggering

An event-triggered system reacts asynchronously to the occurrence of

events in the system, such as external interrupts (e.g. when a network
device receives a packet), or the release of a shared resource (e.g. release
of a mutex/semaphore/lock of any kind). The system may typically react
by suspending a task, and running another one in response to that event;
It is purely non deterministic way of run, where the system does not know
which task should run next. Example - Walk-through Metal Detectors at
airport, RFID detectors, ATM machines, and so on.
In time triggered real time systems, the activities initiated at predefined
points in time everything planned before system is deployed. Here the
run-time dispatching is performed according to a set of rules. It is a
deterministic way of run, where the system has known beforehand which
activity should run. Example Traffic Light Controller, Real Time Clock,
and so on.

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Based on the Application

Similar to general computing - video games, Set-top boxes, automatic

teller machine.
Control systems - feed back control of real time systems, vehicle engines,
flight control, nuclear reactor
Signal processing - radar, sonar, DVD players
Communication and networking - cellular phones, internet appliances

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Embedded Systems

Advantages
Smallar size
Lower power consumption
Lower price
Strictly follows the timing
Disadvantages
Faster obsolescence (become out of use in early)
Repair and maintenance is not merely possible
Difficult to design and high development efforts
Unmanageable heat loss
Longer time to market

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Embedded Systems