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BRANCH: E.C.E.
EMBEDDED SYSTEM:1. An embedded system is some combination of computer hardware & software, either fixed in capability or programmable, that is specifically designed for a particular kind of application device. 2. Hardware & software that forms a component of some larger system & is expected to function without human intervention. 3. Typically an embedded system consists of a single-board microcomputer with software in ROM, which starts running a dedicated application as soon as power is turned on & does not stop until power is turned off. 4. An embedded system is any device controlled by instructions stored on a chip. These devices are usually controlled by a microprocessor that executes the instructions stored on a Read Only Memory (ROM) chip.
SCOPE:1. An embedded system can be defined as the computing device that has computer hardware, either with software embedded in it as one of its most important component. 2. It may be an independent system or a part of a larger system. The emergence of embedded systems is a recent development. 3. Embedded systems will appear in virtually all devices, and intelligent devices have the tendency to oust their "stupid" counterparts from the market place, just like CD players have ousted gramophone players.
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The computing power of the desktop computers is now becoming available on the palmtops. Embedded systems are heterogeneous. Since they are mixtures of hardware and software, trade-off is important design decisions. But embedded systems are more heterogeneous than just combining computer science & digital electronics.
Processor:A processor is the heart of the embedded system. For an embedded system designer, knowledge of microprocessors & Microcontrollers is a prerequisite. A processor has two essential units: 1. Program flow Control Unit (CU) 2. Execution Unit (EU) I. II. The CU includes a fetch unit for fetching instruction from the memory. The EU has circuits that implement the instructions pertaining to data transfer operation & data conversion from one form to another. The EU includes the Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU) & also the circuits that execute instructions for a program control tasks, say, halt, interrupt, or jump to another set of instructions. III. It can also execute instructions for a call or branch to another program & for a call to a function. Processors runs the cycle of fetch & execute the instruction defined in the processor instruction set are executing in the sequence that they are fetched from the memory. IV. A processor is mostly in the form of an IC chip; alternatively it could be in core form in an ASIC or at a Soc. Core means a part of the functional circuit on the VLSI chip.
Microprocessor:A microprocessor is a single VLSI chip that has a CPU &may also have some other units (for e.g.: floating-point processing arithmetic unit, pipelining &super-scaling units) that are additionally present & that result in faster processing of instructions. Memory: 1. The memory is categorized as Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). 2. The contents of RAM will be erased if power is switched off. So, the firmware is stored in the ROM. When the power is switched on, the CPU reads the ROM, the program is transferred to RAM and program is executed. Input devices:1. Unlike the desktops, the I/P devices to an embedded system have very limited capability. There will be keyboard or a mouse, & hence interacting with the embedded system is no easy task. 2. Many embedded systems will have a small keypad-you press one key to give a specific command. 3. A keypad may be used to I/P only the digits. Many embedded system uses in process control do not have any I/P device for user interaction; they take I/Ps from sensors or transducers & produce electrical signals.
Output devices:1. The output devices of the embedded systems also have very limited capability. Some embedded systems will have a few Light Emitting Diodes to indicate the health status of the system modules. 2. A small Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) may also be used to display some important parameters.
Communication interfaces: The embedded systems may need to interact with other embedded systems or they may have to transmit data to a desktop.
Application-specific circuitry:1. Sensors, transducers, special processing & control circuitry may be required for an embedded system, depending on its application. 2. The circuitry interacts with the processor to carry out the necessary work.
Processor in the System:An embedded system processor chip or Core can be one of the following. 1. General Purpose Processor (GPP):a) Microprocessor b) Microcontroller c) Embedded processor d) Digital signals processor (DSP) e) Media Processor
3. Multiprocessor system using General Purpose processors (GPPS) & Application Specific Instruction Processors (ASIPs)
4. GPP core(s) or ASIP core (s) integrated into either an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit (VLSI) circuit or an FPGA core integrated with processor unit(s) in a VLSI (ASIC) chip
REFERENCES:Embedded Systems Architecture, Designing and Programming By Rajkamal. Embedded Systems Programming and Designing By Michael Barr. Designing Of Embedded Hardware By John Keysoukisi.