Introduction to

Real-time and
Embedded
Systems
 Course objectives
 To enable students know the basics of planning and designing embedded
systems
 Interfacing input and output devices to microcontrollers
 Using simulation tools like proteus to design circuits
 Wireless Sensor Network Simulation with Cooja
 Embedded operating systems and Technologies
 Using C programming to program embedded applications
Pre-requisites

 Computer architecture
 C programming or even assembly (Will use AVR Studio)
 Simple electronics i.e. schematics drawing(will use Proteus )
 Digital logic
 Outline
 Embedded systems overview
 What are they?
 Design challenge – optimizing design metrics
 Technologies
 Processor technologies
 IC technologies
 Design technologies

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 Real-time embedded system

 Systems in which the correctness of

the system depends not only on the
logical result of computation, but
also on the time at which the results
are produced

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 Definition Cont’d
 "embedded system", it constantly evolves with
advances in technology and dramatically decreases
in the cost of implementing various hardware and
software components.
 In recent years, the field has outgrown many of its
traditional descriptions
Embedded systems

 Embedded systems are more limited in hardware and/or software

functionality than a personal computer (PC).
 This holds true for a significant subset of the embedded systems family
of computer systems.
 this definition is only partially true today as boards and software
typically found in PCs of past and present have been repackaged into
more complex embedded system designs.
 Embedded systems

 An embedded system is designed to perform a dedicated

function
 Most embedded devices are primarily designed for one
specific function.
 devices such as personal data assistant (PDA)/cell
phone hybrids, which are embedded systems designed
to be able to do a variety of primary functions.
 digital TVs include interactive applications that perform
a wide variety of general functions unrelated to the
"TV" function but just as important, such as e-mail, web
browsing, and games.
 Embedded systems
 An embedded system is a computer system with higher quality
and reliability requirements than other types of computer
systems
 Some families of embedded devices have a very high
threshold of quality and reliability requirements.
 a car's engine controller crashes while driving on a busy
freeway or a critical medical device malfunctions during
surgery, very serious problems result.
 embedded devices, such as TVs, games, and cell phones, in
which a malfunction is an inconvenience but not usually a
life-threatening situation.
Examples of embedded systems

 the wide spectrum of embedded system devices is that there is no

single definition reflecting them all
 Automotive: Ignition System, Engine Control, Brake System
 Industrial Control: Robotics and Control Systems
 Networking: Routers, Hubs
 Office Automation: Fax Machine, Printers, Scanners
Essential Components

 Microprocessor / DSP
 Sensors
 Converters (A-D and D-A)
 Actuators (mechanical device that converts energy into motion)
 Memory (On-chip and Off chip)
 Communication path with the interacting environment

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Embedded systems overview
 Embedded computing systems
 Computing systems embedded within electronic
devices
Computers are in
 Hard to define. Nearly any computing system other here...
than a desktop computer and here...
 Billions of units produced yearly, versus millions of
desktop units and even here...
 Perhaps 50 per household and per automobile

Lots more of these,

though they cost a lot
less each.

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 A “short list” of embedded systems

Anti-lock brakes Modems

Auto-focus cameras MPEG decoders
Automatic teller machines Network cards
Automatic toll systems Network switches/routers
On-board navigation
Automatic transmission
Pagers
Avionic systems Photocopiers
Battery chargers Point-of-sale systems
Camcorders Portable video games
Cell phones Printers
Cell-phone base stations Satellite phones
Cordless phones Scanners
Cruise control Smart ovens/dishwashers
Curbside check-in systems Speech recognizers
Digital cameras Stereo systems
Teleconferencing systems
Disk drives
Televisions
Electronic card readers Temperature controllers
Electronic instruments Theft tracking systems
Electronic toys/games TV set-top boxes
Factory control VCR’s, DVD players
Fax machines Video game consoles
Fingerprint identifiers Video phones
Home security systems Washers and dryers
Life-support systems
Medical testing systems

And the list goes on and on

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Car example

 Mission: Reaching the destination safely.

 Controlled System: Car.

 Operating environment: Road conditions.

 Controlling System
- Human driver: Sensors - Eyes and Ears of the driver.
- Computer: Sensors - Cameras, Infrared receiver, and
Laser telemeter.

 Controls: Accelerator, Steering wheel, Break-pedal.

 Actuators: Wheels, Engines, and Brakes.

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Car example Cont’d

 Critical tasks: Steering and breaking.

 Non-critical tasks: Turning on radio.

 Cost of fulfilling the mission → Efficient

solution.

 Reliability of the driver → Fault-tolerance

needs to be considered.

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A typical real-time embedded
system

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Embedded System Structure
(Generic)

Processor & D- Actuator

Sensor A-
ASICs A
D

Memory

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General Characteristics of
Embedded Systems
 Perform a single task
 Usually not general purpose
 Increasingly high performance and real
time constrained
 Power, cost and reliability are important
considerations
 HW-SW systems
 Software is used for more features and
flexibility
 Hardware (processors, ASICs, memory
etc. are used for performance and
security

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Classification of Embedded
Systems
 Distributed and Non distributed

 Reactive and Transformational

 Control dominated and Data dominated

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 Reactive Real-time Systems
 Reactive Real-Time Systems
 “React” to external environment
 Maintain permanent interaction
 Ideally never terminate
 timing constraints (real-time)
 Distributed Systems
 Consist of components that may necessarily be physically
distributed.
 Consist of communicating processes on multiple processors
and/or dedicated hardware connected by communication
links.
 Motivation:
 economical
 4 8-bit micro-controller may be cheaper than a 32-bit processor

 multiple processors to handle multiple time-critical tasks

 physically distributed
 devices under control may be physically distributed.
Control dominated vs Data
dominated
 For control dominated systems, monitors control inputs,
sets control outputs. Reactive systems with event driven
behavior eg car brake controller
 supports process scheduling and synchronization
 Preemption (interrupt),
 Context switch
 Short latency times
 For data dominated systems, transforms input data
streams into output streams and mostly has periodic
behavior. require efficient processing while computing
some mathematical function of the input streams .
 eg signal processing an control engineering
 Design Metrics
 Unit cost – the $ cost for each unit excluding
development cost
 cost: $ cost for design and development
 Size: The physical space reqd. – determined by
bytes of sw, number of gates and transistors in hw
 Performance: execution time or throughput of the
system
 Power: lifetime of battery, cooling provisions
 Flexibility: ability to change functionality without
heavy cost
 Reliability

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Design Metrics (contd.)

 Time to market = Time to prototype +

Time to refine + Time to produce in bulk
 Correctness: Test and Validation
 Safety:

 Often these metrics are contradictory –

hence calls for optimization
 Processor choice, partitioning decisions,
compilation knowledge
 Requires expertise in hw and sw both

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MICROCONTROLLERS AND
EMBEDDED PROCESSORS
Company Website
Intel [Link]/design/mcs51 (8051)
Atmel [Link] (AVR)
Philips [Link]
m
Dallas Semi/Maxim [Link]
microchip [Link] (PIC)
Details + others:
[Link]
ocontrollers

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 references
 Microprocessor microcontroller and embedded systems
 AVR Microcontrollers and Embedded systems