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EMBEDDED SYSTEM: IMPORTANT FACTS AND FIGURES

Objective:

To present important facts and new trends in the field of embedded system and hence to show its
importance and need in modern era.

INTRODUCTION:
DEFINITION:
An embedded system is one that has computer hardware
with software embedded in it as one of its components.
Or
We can define an embedded system as A microprocessor based system that does not look like a
computer.
Or
we can say that it is A combination of computer hardware and software, and perhaps additional
mechanical or other parts, designed to perform a dedicated function. In some cases, embedded systems are
part of a larger system or product, as is the case of an antilock braking system in a car .
SOFTWARE PROGRAM
#include <16f876a.h>
#use delay (clock=20000000)
#byte PORTB=6
main()
{
set_tris_b(0);
portb=255;
//decimal
delay_ms(1000);
portb=0b10101010; //binary
delay_ms(500);
}

HARDWA
RE

EMBEDDED SYSTEM
Components of Embedded System:

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)
Heart of Embedded system is its microcontroller.Some moncrocontrollers are:

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Application:
Due to their compact size, low cost and simple design aspects embedded systems are very popular and encroached
into human lives and have become indispensable. They are found everywhere from kitchen ware to space craft.
To emphasize this idea here are some illustrations.
Embedded systems span all aspects of modern life and there are many examples of their use.
a) Biomedical Instrumentation ECG Recorder, Blood cell recorder, patient monitor system
b) Communication systems pagers, cellular phones, cable TV terminals, fax and transreceivers, video games
and so on.
c) Peripheral controllers of a computer Keyboard controller, DRAM controller, DMA controller, Printer
controller, LAN controller, disk drive controller.
d) Industrial Instrumentation Process controller, DC motor controller, robotic systems, CNC machine controller,
close loop engine controller, industrial moisture recorder cum controller.
e) Scientific digital storage system, CRT display controller, spectrum analyser.

APPLICATION OF EMBEDDED SYSTEM

What makes embedded systems different?

Real time operation
size
cost
time
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reliability
safety
energy
security

How Embedded Systems Interacts with the external environment !

External Environment can interact with an embedded system through sensors.
Embedded system can interact with an environment through actuator.

Characteristics of a Embedded system:

Special-purpose
Typically, is designed to execute a single program, repeatedly
It used to be single-purpose
Now, multi-functioned, but single-purpose
Tactic and Strategy
Tightly constrained
Low cost
Simple systems
Fewer components based
Performs functions fast enough
Minimum power
Reactive and real-time
Reactive: Continually reacts to external events
Real-time: Must compute certain results in real-time
Hardware and software co-exist
The software written for embedded systems is often called firmware
Is stored in read-only memory or Flash memory chips rather than a disk drive

MARKET:
Market of Embedded system is increasing every year-

MARKET TREND
Trends in Embedded system:
The following section provides an overview of the emerging technological trends and implications in the
development of embedded systems.
Multi-core Processors
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8-bit controllers were widespread for quite a long time and are still powering a multitude of embedded
applications, for instance, in home appliances, smartcards and automotive body electronics. To cater to the need for
higher performance, these controllers advanced towards16-bit to 32-bit, as used in routers, cell phones and media
players.New applications in the areas of imaging, rendering, compression, multimedia and recognition demand
higher bandwidth, enhanced processing capabilities, quicker response times and more efficient algorithms. There is
a definite requirement of processors with multiple cores that would improve the throughput of the application
while reducing power consumption, cost of operation and increasing reliability. Thus, semiconductor companies
have introduced a single chip comprising multiple cores. Many of the gaming consoles and network processors use
multicore processors.
These are still early days for the widespread deployment of multi-core processors in embedded computing.
Adoption of these processors will depend how fast the entire ecosystem responds to the standardization of
technology in terms of debuggers, RTOS, compilers, integrated development environment (IDE) vendors and
programming methodologies. Companies like QNX, Montavista, Wind River Systems, National Instruments and
Mentor Graphics have taken the lead in defining tools and processes that can be applied to multi-core systems.

Wireless

For a long time, embedded devices were mostly operating as stand-alone systems. However, with the advent of
wireless connectivity, the scenario has changed. Both, short-range wireless protocols like Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID,
near field communications (NFC) and long-range protocols such as, wireless local area network (WLAN),
WiMAX, long term evolution (LTE) and cellular communications are bound to witness more widespread
applications in the near future. The recent trends in wireless for use in embedded systems are in the areas of
system-on-chip (SoC) architecture, reduced power consumption and application of short range protocols.

Increased use of open source technology

Embedded systems have traditionally employed proprietary hardware, software, communication protocols and
home grown operating systems for their development. The payment of royalty to vendors for using a particular
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operating system has been a significant overhead faced by the manufacturers of embedded systems. This scenario
is changing. Embedded Linux is a real time operating system that comes with royalty-free licenses, advanced
networking capabilities and a large base of engineers familiar with the Linux system. According to a recent report
by the VDC Corporation, Embedded Linux (both the free and the licensed versions) remains an attractive
choice for a range of development teams and its use is poised to see a manifold increase. Even WindRiver, the
global leader in device software optimization, joined the Linux bandwagon in 2005. It now supports both VxWorks
and Linux distributions. Software giant Microsoft, which has a Windows-based system for cellular phones, has a
separate consortium working on an open source Linux-based solution.An increasing number of manufacturers are
providing their source code free of cost to engineers or other manufacturers. Google has made its Android software
for cellular phonesavailable for free to handset makers and carriers who can then adapt it to suit their own
devices. Nokia has concrete plans to make the Symbian OS open source once it completes its acquisition of
Symbian.

Security
In an increasingly interconnected world, security in embedded devices has become critical. The security
requirements for the huge base of connected embedded devices are distinct on account of their limited memory,
constrained middleware, and low computing power. Embedded security is the new differentiator for embedded
devices. Progression in the areas of embedded encryption, cryptography, trusted computing and authentication are
covered in the following sub-sections.
Minimum bit-security level
Protection lifetime of data

80
2010

112
20112035

128
2036 and beyond

Forecast of the future security level (Source: NIST SP 800-57)

Device Convergence

Broadly speaking, any new device being introduced in the cellular, consumer electronics or infotainment segment
is a potential candidate for device convergence. So, a mobile phone not only enables one to receive calls but also
serves as a camera, PDA, navigation device, music player, texting device and can connect with other devices a
smart phone after all. An automotive infotainment system contains a navigation device, video player, parking
enablement, voice controlled applications, internet access devices, lane departure system, GPS connectivity and
Bluetooth enabled headphones. While convergence enables multiple features to be integrated into a single device,
there is another opposite trend that is somewhat divergent. What this means is that while specialized devices (for
instance digital camera, music player) exist as they are, they are enabled such that they can connect to each other.
Thus, there is a growing adoption of standards and guidelines for seamlessly connecting devices to one another.
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Internationalization

The devices that are currently manufactured offer rich multimedia support in terms of videos and graphics and
hence, demand more processing power, higher resolution and greater bandwidth. Touch screens are on their way to
becoming the standard in a variety of devices including PDAs, infotainment systems, ticketing solutions, gaming
consoles, mobile phones, music players and hand-held devices.
With a richer human machine interface (HMI), devices also require greater levels of internationalization and
Multilanguage support as manufacturers have access to global markets. Localization and personalization of devices
falls within the ambit of baseline features. Providing multi-language support on embedded devices is accompanied
by many challenges; the major ones are the limited memory to store the font related information (bitmap font,
outline font, glyph, character, tone etc.), CPU processing power, size of the script engine and the small resolution
of the display screen. The low resolution usually degrades the readability of the display text. It is important to plan
and design the internationalization requirements of an embedded device well in advance.
Smart Devices
Machine to machine (M2M) communication, through both wired and wireless mechanisms is on the rise. While the
technology for remote connectivity has been in use for a long time, what is changing now is the business scenario
and newer use cases that remote connectivity can be and is being applied to. This is mostly being triggered by the
widespread adoption and proliferation of mobile-based communications.Wouldnt it be great if a cell phone could
inform the nearest authorized service center that it needs repair, or if the water filter at home could inform the
service center that the candle of the filter needs to be replaced or better still, if an empty food plate could beckon
the nearest waiter (waiting on the handheld!) to get itself replenished! These examples illustrate how technology
can be used to enhance the value provided by an embedded device. Additionally, these devices can offer valuable
inputs to OEMs or service providers by providing data on the usage of the device features by a consumer (of
course, subject to user consent). This will eventually help the OEMs innovate advanced features or upgrades in the
subsequent versions. It will also open up new after-market revenue streams so specific features can be targeted to
users depending on their device usage patterns and preferences.
FUTURE SCOPE:
The market of embedded system is quite big.
1.In modern days electronics accessories are demanding more and more specially automated electronic devices.
2.Growth in networking market increases the uses of wireless devices.
3. According to an ISA-Ernst & Young report of 2011, this industry was about $6.5 billion in 2009 and is expected
to log a compound annual growth rate of 17.3 per cent to reach $10.6 billion in 2012.
4. The report also suggests that the industry promises 3.5 million jobs by 2015.
5. It is expected that the market for embedded systems will grow to nearly 4 billion units by 2015, requiring nearly
14.5 billion microprocessor cores, and worth more than USD 2 trillion.
6. Embedded software segment now offers more high-value activities relating to middleware, driver design and
associated applications. The main reason for increased adoption of embedded software is its use by electronics
companies for increased device functionality, reduced time-to-market and reduction in costs.
ROLES AVAILABLE:

Embedded engineers write the software that controls the VLSI chips. Embedded software can be any code
which interacts with the hardware layer, ranging from the hardware abstraction layer, device drivers, kernel
programming to application programming.
To take up embedded software development as career, you need to have a working knowledge of C, C++
and Java, with some exposure to application software development. If you have already done some
programming for an embedded system, you can expand your horizons by broadening your skill sets.
Embedded software is being developed using a variety of embedded and real-time operating systems, such
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as embedded NT, Windows CE and RTLinux. In addition, a variety of development tools and IDEs for C,
C++ and Java are available. You need to learn application development in these various environments.
To be a successful programmer, you need a good understanding of design alternativeshow to choose a
processor, an operating system, a programming language so that you can develop cost-effective, reliable
embedded software with minimal development time. As many of the systems become network enabled, a
working knowledge of network programming is also important. Also, you need to be aware of the diversity
of application areas and the specific requirements of each.
As a hardware/board designer, you could work on reference board design, new board design, and board
design derivatives and modifications on existing boards. Reference boards are used to validate the
capabilities of designed silicon chips.
The embedded hardware designer is responsible for hardware design schematic , PCB layout, BOM
creation, hardware board debugging and testing, and system integration testing. Desired skills are hardware
design using 8-/16-/32-bit microcontrollers, microprocessor-based systems, design of medium-frequency
boards, hardware design of analogue , mixed signal and digital, and understanding/ implementation of the
EMI and EMC concepts to hardware design.
CONCLUSION:
The trends detailed in this report have already begun impacting the concept, design, development and marketing of
embedded products. With a new product being announced almost every other day, technological changes are
sweeping the embedded world.
Wired or wireless communication between embedded devices or a back-end server is increasing and is resulting in
newer functional areas and business models. It is not surprising that out of the three billion embedded devices
forecast to be shipped this year, two-thirds are going to be connected. Plug and play kind of connectivity is the
need of the day.
Deployment of multi-core architectures, internationalization, efficient security algorithms and usage of open source
platforms is poised to grow; hence, product managers, architects, engineering teams need to understand the
implications of this growth.
Another area that could probably have an implication in the future is social networking. Certain embedded devices
could eventually turn out to be suitable platforms for collaboration with Web 2.0 concepts like social networking
and syndication being adopted. Eventually, a PDA device need not necessarily have a web client interface for
accessing social networking forums or subscribing to various feeds; it could on its own be a potential platform for
such collaboration. The underlying embedded technology would support syndication protocols like RSS/ATOM
that would automatically update changes.
It is also likely that embedded systems will embrace the cloud computing paradigms, as is happening in the
nonembedded world. So, it might be possible for instance, to have the RTOS, storage areas or other special
software in the cloud and have the embedded applications access them through internet connectivity.
Changes in the embedded world are occurring even as this report is being given. It is always going to be smaller,
faster, and superior in the embedded world!