Embedded System

An embedded system is an electronic/electro-mechanical system designed to perform a specific

function and is a combination of both hardware and firmware (software). Every embedded
system is unique, and the hardware as well as the firmware is highly specialized to the
application domain. Embedded systems are becoming an inevitable part of any product or
equipment in all fields including household appliances, telecommunications, medical equipment,
industrial control, consumer products, etc.
Examples of Embedded Systems in real-time
Our day-to-day life is becoming more and more dependent on “embedded systems” and digital
technologies. Embedded technologies are bonding into our daily activities even without our
knowledge. Do you know the fact that the refrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, air
conditioner, television, DVD players, and music systems that we use in our home are built
around an embedded system? You may be traveling by a ‘Honda’ or a ‘Toyota’ or a ‘Ford’
vehicle, but have you ever thought of the genius players working behind the special features and
security systems offered by the vehicle to you? It is nothing but an intelligent embedded system.
In your vehicle itself the presence of specialised embedded systems vary from intelligent head
lampcontrollers, engine controllers and ignition control systems to complex air bag control
systems to protect you from a severe accident. People experience the power of embedded
systems and enjoy the features and comfort provided by them.
Embedded Systems vs General Computing Systems
The computing revolution began with the general-purpose computing requirements. Later it was
realised that the general computing requirements are not sufficient for the embedded computing
requirements. The embedded computing requirements demand ‘something special’ in terms of
response to stimuli, meeting computational deadlines, power efficiency, limited memory
availability, etc.
Let’s take the case of your personal computer, which may be either a desktop PC or a laptop PC
or a tablet PC. It is built around a general-purpose processor like an Intel® Celeron/Core M or a
Duo/Quad* core or an AMD A-Series processor and is designed to support a set of multiple
peripherals like multiple USB 3.0 ports, Wi-Fi, ethernet, video port, IEEE1394, SD/CF/MMC
external interfaces, Bluetooth, etc and with additional interfaces like a DVD read/writer, on-
board Hard Disk Drive (HDD), gigabytes of RAM, etc. You can load any supported operating
system (like Windows® 8.X/10, or Red Hat Linux/Ubuntu Linux, UNIX etc) into the hard disk
of your PC
Now, let us think about the DVD player you use for playing DVD movies. Is it possible for you
to change the operating system of your DVD? Is it possible for you to write an application and
download it to your DVD player for executing? Is it possible for you to add a printer software to
your DVD player and connect a printer to your DVD player to take a printout? Is it possible for
you to change the functioning of your DVD player to a television by changing the embedded
software? The answers to all these questions are ‘NO’. Indeed your DVD player is an embedded
system designed specifically for decoding digital video and generating a video signal as output to
your TV or any other display screen which supports the display interface supported by the DVD
Player.
Difference between Embedded Systems and General Computing Systems
 Hardware and Operating System
 Reprogrommable and Alterable.
 Key Parameters for Selection of System.
 Optimizing the Power Requirements.
 Time Critical Response.
Parameter Embedded Systems General Computing Systems

Hardware and A system which is a combination of a generic A system which is a combination of special
Operating hardware purpose
System and a General-Purpose Operating System for hardware and embedded OS for executing
executing a a specific set.
variety of applications of applications
Reprogrommable Applications are alterable (programmable) by the The firmware of the embedded system is
and Alterable. user (It is possible for the end user to re-install the pre-programmed and it is non-alterable by
operating system, and also add or remove user the end-user (There may be exceptions for
applications) systems supporting OS kernel image
flashing through special hardware settings)
Key Parameters Performance is the key deciding factor in the Application-specific requirements (like
for Selection of selection of performance, power requirements, memory
System. the system. Always, ‘Faster is Better’ usage, etc.) are the key deciding
factors
Optimizing the Less/not at all tailored towards reduced operating Highly tailored to take advantage of the
Power power requirements, options for different levels power saving modes supported by the
Requirements. of power management. hardware and the operating system

Time Critical Response requirements are not time-critical For certain category of embedded systems
Response. like mission critical systems, the response
time requirement is highly critical.
Classification Of Embedded Systems
Embedded System is classified, based on different criteria. Some of the criteria used in the
classification of embedded systems are as follows:
(1) Based on generation
(2) Complexity and performance requirements
(3) Based on deterministic behaviour
(4) Based on triggering.
The classification based on deterministic system behaviour is applicable for ‘Real Time’
systems. The application/task execution behaviour for an embedded system can be either
deterministic or non- deterministic. Based on the execution behaviour, Real Time embedded
systems are classified into Hard and Soft.
Classification based on Complexity and performance requirements
This classification is based on the complexity and system performance requirements. According
to this classification, embedded systems can be grouped into the following:
a) Small-Scale Embedded Systems Embedded systems which are simple in application needs
and where the performance requirements are not time critical fall under this category. An
electronic toy is a typical example of a small-scale embedded system. Small-scale embedded
systems are usually built around low performance and low cost 8- or 16-bit
microprocessors/microcontrollers. A small-scale embedded system may or may not contain an
operating system for its functioning.
b) Medium-Scale Embedded Systems Embedded systems which are slightly complex in
hardware and firmware (software) requirements fall under this category. Medium-scale
embedded systems are usually built around medium performance, low cost 16- or 32-bit
microprocessors/microcontrollers or digital signal processors. They usually contain an embedded
operating system (either general purpose or real time operating system) for functioning.
c) Large-Scale Embedded Systems/Complex Systems Embedded systems which involve
highly complex hardware and firmware requirements fall under this category. They are
employed in mission critical applications demanding high performance. Such systems are
commonly built around high performance 32- or 64-bit RISC processors/controllers or
Reconfigurable System on Chip (RSoC) or multi-core processors and programmable logic
devices. They may contain multiple processors/controllers and co-units/hardware accelerators for
offloading the processing requirements from the main processor of the system. Decoding/
encoding of media, cryptographic function implementation, etc. are examples for processing
requirements which can be implemented using a co-processor/hardware accelerator. Complex
embedded systems usually contain a high-performance Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) for
task scheduling, prioritisation, and management.
Purpose of Embedded Systems
Embedded systems are used in various domains like consumer electronics, home automation,
telecommunications, automotive industry, healthcare, control & instrumentation, retail and
banking applications, etc. Within the domain itself, according to the application usage context,
they may have different functionalities. Each embedded system is designed to serve the purpose
of any one or a combination of the following tasks:
(1) Data collection/Storage/Representation
Embedded systems designed for the purpose of data collection performs acquisition of data from
the external world. Data collection is usually done for storage, analysis, manipulation, and
transmission. Embedded systems with analog data capturing techniques collect data directly in
the form of analog signals whereas embedded systems with digital data collection mechanism
converts the analog signal to corresponding digital signal using analog to digital (A/D)
converters and then collects the binary equivalent of the analog data. If the data is digital, it can
be directly captured without any additional interface by digital embedded systems. The collected
data may be stored directly in the system or may be transmitted to some other systems or it may
be processed by the system or it may be deleted instantly after giving a meaningful
representation. These actions are purely dependent on the purpose for which the embedded
system is designed. Some embedded systems store the collected data for processing and analysis.
Such systems incorporate a built-in/plug-in storage memory for storing the captured data. Some
of them give the user a meaningful representation of the collected data by visual
(graphical/quantitative) or audible means using display units
(2) Data communication
Embedded data communication systems are deployed in applications ranging from complex
satellite communication systems to simple home networking systems. As mentioned earlier in
this chapter, the data collected by an embedded terminal may require transferring of the same to
some other system located remotely. The transmission is achieved either by a wire-line medium
or by a wireless medium. Wireline medium was the most common choice in all olden days
embedded systems. As technology is changing, wireless medium is becoming the de-facto
standard for data communication in embedded systems. A wireless medium offers cheaper
connectivity solutions and make the communication link free from the hassle of wire bundles.
Data can either be transmitted by analog means or by digital means. Modern industry trends
are settling towards digital communication. The data collecting embedded terminal itself can
incorporate data communication units like wireless modules including Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi,
EDGE, GPRS, etc. or wire-line modules including RS- 232C, USB, TCP/IP, PS2, etc..
(3) Data (signal) processing
As mentioned earlier, the data (voice, image, video, electrical signals, and other measurable
quantities) collected by embedded systems may be used for various kinds of data processing.
Embedded systems with signal processing functionalities are employed in applications
demanding signal processing like speech coding, synthesis, audio video codec, transmission
applications, etc. A digital hearing aid is a typical example of an embedded system employing
data processing. Digital hearing aid improves the hearing capacity of hearing impaired persons.
(4) Monitoring
Embedded systems falling under this category are specifically designed for monitoring purpose.
Almost all embedded products coming under the medical domain are with monitoring functions
only. They are used for determining the state of some variables using input sensors. They cannot
impose control over variables. A very good example is the electro cardiogram (ECG) machine
for monitoring the heartbeat of a patient. The machine is intended to do the monitoring of the
heartbeat. It cannot impose control over the heartbeat. The sensors used in ECG are the different
electrodes connected to the patient’s body.
(5) Control
Embedded systems with control functionalities impose control over some variables according to
the changes in input variables. A system with control functionality contains both sensors and
actuators. Sensors are connected to the input port for capturing the changes in environmental
variable or measuring variable. Actuators connected to the output port are controlled according
to the changes in input variable to put an impact on the controlling variable to bring the
controlled variable to the specified range.
(6) Application specific user interface
These are embedded systems with application-specific user interfaces like buttons, switches,
keypad, lights, bells, display units, etc. Mobile phone is an example for this. In mobile phone the
user interface is provided through the keypad, graphic LCD module, system speaker, vibration
alert, etc.