Embedded Systems

Lecture #3: Core of embedded systems

Dr. Shimaa Mohamed

 ELEMENTS OF EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
any embedded system is a combination of 3 things:

1. Hardware 2. Software 3. Mechanical/ Electronic Components

 Core of embedded system
The core of the embedded system falls into any one of the following
categories:
1. Single Purpose processor
2. General Purpose processor (GPP)
❖ Microprocessor
❖ Microcontroller
❖ Embedded Processor
❖Digital signal Processor
3. Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)
4. Application Specific Processors (ASP)
5. Commercial off the Shelf Component (COTS):

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 1. Single-purpose processors(SPP)
Controller Datapath
• Digital circuit designed to execute exactly one Control index
program logic
total
State
• Features register +

– Contains only the components needed to execute Data

a single program memory

– No program memory

• Benefits
– Fast
– Low power
– Small size 5
 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)
• Programmable device used in a variety of applications. Controller Datapath
• It have one or more levels of cache. Control Register
logic and
• The processor may be microprocessor or a microcontroller State
file

register
or digital signal processor, depending on the domain and General
application. IR PC ALU

• Features
Program Data
– Program memory memory memory

– General datapath with large register file and Assembly code

for:
general ALU
total = 0
• User benefits for i =1 to …

– Low time-to-market
– High flexibility
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 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)
❖Microprocessor (MPU)
• A microprocessor is a single silicon chip representing a Central
Processing Unit (CPU), which is capable of performing arithmetic and
logical operations according to a pre-defined set of Instructions, which is
specific to the manufacturer.

• Examples of systems designed around an MPUs

• Personal computers
•Mainframes.

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2. General Purpose processor…
❖ Microprocessor(MPU)
❑ Microprocessor is a dependent unit and it requires the combination of other
hardware like memory usually ROM and RAM, memory decoder, an oscillator
and a number of serial and parallel ports, Timer Unit, and Interrupt Controller
etc. for proper functioning.
 2. General Purpose processor…
Developers of Microprocessors.
Intel developed first Microprocessor unit Intel 4004, a 4 bit
processor, ran at 400 kHz and contained 2,250 transistors, which
was released in Nov 1971.

Manufacturers of MPU’s include

Intel – Intel 4004 – November 1971(4-bit)

Intel – Intel 4040.
Intel – Intel 8008 – April 1972.
Intel – Intel 8080 – April 1974(8-bit).
Intel – Intel 8085 – 1976.
Motorola – Motorola 6800.
Zilog - Z80 – July 1976
 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)…
Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuit
❖Microcontroller
• A highly integrated silicon chip (VLSI) containing a CPU, RAM, Special and
General purpose Register Arrays, On Chip ROM/FLASH memory for
program storage, Timer and Interrupt control units and dedicated I/O
ports.
• A microcontroller is a small, single-chip VLSI unit (also called
microcomputer) which having limited computational capabilities.
• It Contain a microprocessor core. It usually less complex than that of an
MPU
• On chip memory; it includes both program and data memory.
• Microcontrollers are particularly used in embedded systems for real-time
control applications with on-chip program memory and devices.
 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)…
Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuit
❖Microcontroller
• Microcontrollers are cheap, cost
effective and are readily available in
the market
• Texas Instruments TMS 1000 is
considered as the world‟s first
microcontroller.
• A microcontroller is a functional computer
system-on-a-chip. It contains a integrated
CPU, memory (a small amount of RAM,
program memory, or both), input/output ports,
and programmable input/output peripherals.
 2. General Purpose processor…

Developers of Microcontroller.

Manufacturers of MCU’s include

INTEL 8031,8032,8051,8052,8752
PIC 8-bit PIC16, PIC18, 16-bit DSPIC33 / PIC24, PIC16C7x
Motorola MC68HC11
 Microprocessor Microcontroller
a general-purpose device that finds its application in most of the
a specific purpose device which has specific task for specific device.
electronic devices.
RAM, ROM, I/O Ports, and Timer's components embedded together OR
Designer must add RAM, ROM, I/O Ports, and Timers externally.
built-in on a chip.
multitasking in nature. Can perform multiple tasks at a time. Special purpose & Single task oriented.
For example, on computer we can play music while writing text For example, a washing machine is designed for washing clothes only.

Fixed number for memory or I/O makes a microcontroller ideal for a

Designers can decide the number of memory or I/O ports needed.
limited but specific task.
External support of external memory and I/O ports makes a
Microcontrollers are light weight and cheaper than a microprocessor.
microprocessor-based system heavier and costlier.
External devices require more space, and their power consumption is
A microcontroller-based system consumes less power and takes less
higher.
space / compact size. Includes lot of power saving features
Limited power saving options compared to microcontrollers
It is an independent device that does not require any other specific
It is a dependent unit that requires other chips for its operation.
chips.
It is called as microchip which contains the components of
Microprocessor is an I.C. which contains many useful functions.
microprocessor.
Typically, 32 / 64 bit Typically, 8/16 bit
2. General Purpose processor (GPP)…

❖Embedded processor
• A processor embedded into a system handles all the computation and logical
operations.
• An embedded processor is used when fast processing fast context-switching
& atomic ALU operations are needed.
• Embedded processors are used in a wide range of applications such as
smart phone….

Examples : ARM 7, INTEL i960, AMD 29050.

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 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)…
❖Digital Signal Processors (DSPs):
• DSP a single chip VLSI unit. It includes the computational capabilities of
microprocessor and multiply & accumulate units.
• DSPs are specialized microprocessor that are design to process digital signals, it
is specially built for communications applications, and audio, video.
• Powerful special purpose 8/16/32 bit microprocessors
• Digital Signal Processors are 2 to 3 times faster than the microprocessors in
signal processing applications, It is used when signal processing functions are to
be processed fast.
• DSP can be viewed as a microchip designed for performing high speed
computational operations for „addition‟, „subtraction‟, „multiplication‟ and
„division‟.
 2. General Purpose processor (GPP)…
❖Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
• DSP has been used in large number of Applications that requires signal processing such
as speech coding , speech recognition, image processing, Audio video signal processing,
telecommunication and multimedia applications.

A typical Digital Signal Processor the following units

• Program Memory
• Data Memory
• Computational Engine
• I/O Unit

Examples : TMS320Cxx, ARM cortex, Motorola 5600xx

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3. Programmable Logic Device (PLD)
• In digital electronic system there are only three kinds of devices that are memory, microprocessor and
logic devices.
❑ Memory devices store random information such as database.
❑ Microprocessor executes software instruction to perform a wide variety of tasks.
❑ Logic devices provide specific function including device to device interfacing data
communication. Signal processing data display timing and control operations and almost every
other function assistive must perform.
• PLD is an electronic component use to build re-configurable digital circuit. Un-like a logic gate which
has fixed function, a PLD has un-defined function at the time of manufacture. Before a PLD can use
in a circuit it must be programmed i.e. re- configured.
• PLD’s are chip that can be programmed and reprogrammed to implemented different logic
function.
• The main reason to produce PLD is to reduce total cost.
• Designing with PLD is faster due to which it reduces the time require to bring the product to the
market.
 3. Programmable Logic Device (PLD)
❑ The major types of programmable logic devices
• Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)
• Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs)

❑ Advantages of PLD
• PLDs are reprogrammable even after a piece of equipment is shipped to a customer.
• The manufacturers able to add new features or upgrade the PLD based products that are in the field by uploading new
programming file.
• Less board space is required, Faster in speed, Lower power requirement, Less costly assembly process, Availability of
design software.
• Higher reliability (since fewer IC’s) and circuit connections are there which helps in making troubleshooting easier.
❑ Disadvantages of PLD
• PLD’s required additional development software and hardware which is often very expensive.
• Design staff often needs to be trained to use new design tools.
4. Application-specific processors
Controller Datapath
• Programmable processor optimized for a particular class Control Registers
of applications having common characteristics logic and
State
– Compromise between general-purpose and single- register
Custom
purpose processors ALU
IR PC
• Features
Data
– Program memory Program memory
– Optimized datapath memory

– Special functional units Assembly code

for:
• Benefits
total = 0
– Some flexibility, good performance, size and power for i =1 to …

For ex- A chip design solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC.

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 4. Application-specific processors
Application Specific Integrated Circiut (ASIC) is a microchip designed to perform a specific or unique
application. It is used as replacement to conventional general purpose logic chips.
• It is basically a microchip customized for a particular use rather than intended for general purpose use.
• Most of the ASICs are proprietary products. As a single chip, ASIC consumes very small area in the total system
and thereby helps in the design of smaller systems with high capabilities/functionalities.

• ASICs can be pre-fabricated for a special application or it can be custom fabricated by using the components
from a re-usable “building block” library of components for a particular customer application.
• Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP) is marketed to multiple customers just as a general-purpose
product , but to a smaller number of customers since it is for a specific application.

• Some ASICs are proprietary products , the developers are not interested in revealing the internal details.
4. Application-specific processors
• ASIC are categorized according to the technology used for
manufacturing to the following types :
1. Fully-customized ASIC
➢ Fully-customized ASIC are those IC’s which cannot be modified to suit different

applications.
➢ Fully customized ASIC’s are those that are fully filtered to a particular application.

➢ Since its final design and functionality is pre-specified by the user.

➢ The use of pre-defined mask for manufacturing leaves no option for circuit
modification during fabrication except for some minor fine tunings or calibration
and is generally produced as a single specific product for a particular application
only.
 4. Application-specific processors
• ASIC are categorized according to the technology used for
manufacturing. Hence ,are the following types of ASIC :
2. Semi-customized ASIC
➢ These ASIC can be modified partially to serve different functions within its general
area of application.
➢ Unlike fully-customized ASIC, semi-customized ASIC are designed to allow
certain degree of modification during manufacturing process.
 4. Application-specific processors
• ASIC are categorized according to the technology used for
manufacturing. Hence ,are the following types of ASIC :
3. Structured/Platform ASIC
➢ Structured or platform ASICs belongs to relatively new ASIC classification.
➢ ASIC designed and produced from a tightly defined set of designed methodologies,
intellectual properties and well characterized silicon.
➢ The aim to developed this type of ASIC is to shorten design cycle and minimizing
development cost.
➢ A platform ASIC is built from group of platform slices with a platform slice being
defined as a pre-manufactured device system or logic for that platform
 (GPP) Vs Application Specific Instruction Set Processors (ASIP)
❖ General Purpose Processor (GPP) is a processor designed for general computational tasks
❖ GPPs are produced in large volumes and targeting the general market. Due to the high volume production,
the per unit cost for a chip is low compared to ASIC or other specific ICs

❖ A typical general purpose processor contains an Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) and Control Unit (CU).
ASIPs are processors with architecture and instruction set optimized to specific domain/application
requirements like Network processing, Automotive, Telecom, media applications, digital signal
processing, control applications etc.

❖ ASIPs fill the architectural spectrum between General Purpose Processors and Application Specific
Integrated Circuits (ASICs)

❖ The need for an ASIP arises when the traditional general purpose processor are unable to meet the
increasing application needs.

❖ Some Microcontrollers (like Automotive AVR, USB AVR from Atmel), System on Chips, Digital Signal
Processors etc are examples of Application Specific Instruction Set Processors (ASIPs).
 5. Commercial off the Shelf Component (COTS):

• A Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product is one which is used “as-is”

• COTS products are designed in such a way to provide easy integration and interoperability
with existing system components.

• Typical examples for the COTS hardware unit are Remote Controlled Toy Car control unit,
high frequency microwave electronics (2 to 200 GHz), High bandwidth analog-to-digital
converters.
• A COTS component in turn contains a General Purpose Processor (GPP) or Application Specific
Instruction Processor or Programmable Logic Device (PLD)
 5. Commercial off the Shelf Component (COTS):
• The major advantage of using COTS is that they are readily available in the market, cheap and a
developer can cut down his/her development time to a great extend. There is no need to design the
module yourself and write the firmware. Everything will be readily supplied by the COTs manufacturer.

• The major problem faced by the end-user is that there are no operational and manufacturing

standards.

• The major drawback of using COTs component in embedded design is that the manufacturer may
withdraw the product or discontinue the production of the COTs at any time if rapid change in
technology. This problem adversely affect a commercial manufacturer of the embedded system which
makes use of the specific COTs.
 Types of embedded system

➢ Microcontroller

➢ Field Programable Gate Array (FPGA)

WIFI IOT
➢ Platform (Arduino- Tiva C (TM4C123)- ESP(ESP01, ESP32,
ESP32CAM)- STM32F0-F7

➢ Raspberry Pi
 Microcontroller
▪ A highly integrated silicon chip containing a CPU, RAM, Special and
General-purpose Register Arrays, On Chip ROM/FLASH memory for
program storage, Timer and Interrupt control units and dedicated I/O
ports.
▪ Microcontrollers can be considered as a super set of Microprocessors.
▪ Microcontroller can be general purpose (like Intel 8051, designed for
generic applications and domains) or application specific (Like
Automotive AVR from Atmel Corporation. Designed specifically for
automotive applications)
▪ Since a microcontroller contains all the necessary functional blocks
for independent working, they found greater place in the embedded
domain in place of microprocessors
▪ Microcontrollers are cheap, cost effective and are readily available in the market
▪ Texas Instruments TMS 1000 is considered as the world's first microcontroller
Microcontroller (MCU , uC)

• The important part of embedded system is Microcontroller,

• We need to place it in a breadboard or chip to make connections, we have to
give regulated voltage, and we have connected right contacts to program it by
connecting it to computer. That in turn, requires a software to program it
usually provided by the manufacturer of the microcontroller itself. So, this
makes it complex for beginners and students to learn, and consumes lot of
time when you wanted to build prototypes.
Common developer of Microcontrollers

• Company (INTEL) introduced 8031,8032,8051,8052,8751,8752

• Company (Microchip) introduced PIC 8-bit, PIC16, PIC18,16-bit DSPIC33 /
PIC24, PIC16C7x
• Company (Motorola ) introduced
MC68HC11
• Company (ATmeL) introduced AVR ,
Atmega16
 Field Programable Gate Array
(FPGA)
• A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a type of integrated circuit (IC) that can be
programmed or reprogrammed or configured by a designer after manufacturing.

• It consists of an array of programmable logic block and interconnects that can be

configured to perform various digital functions.

• It enable us to create (functions) units not exist for image processing, speech recognition,
fingerprint, face recognition and so on.

• FPGAs are commonly used in applications where flexibility, speed, and parallel
processing capabilities are required, such as in telecommunications, automotive.

• FPGAs are a subset of logic devices referred to as programmable logic devices (PLDs).
 FPGA Architecture:
▪ A basic FPGA architecture consists of thousands of
fundamental elements called configurable logic blocks
(CLBs) surrounded by a system of programmable
interconnects, that routes signals between CLBs.
▪ Input/output (I/O) blocks interface between the FPGA
and external devices.
▪ Depending on the manufacturer, the CLB may also be
referred to as a logic block (LB), a logic element (LE) or
a logic cell (LC).
▪ Standard logic functions such as multiplexers (mux),
full adders (FAs) and flip-flops are also common.

The fundamental FPGA architecture

How does FPGA programming work?
• FPGA programming (configuration) is generally
specified using hardware descriptive languages
(HDL) to manipulate circuits based on the desired
capabilities of the device.
• HDLs translate codes into their language using
words and symbols, which the development
software can then convert into data that it loads into
the FPGA. This gives it the proper functions to
complete the FPGA's desired tasks.
• (VHDL) is Very High Speed Integrated Circuit HDL
and (VERILOG) languages are used to programming
FPGA.
• Quartus II is a shareware program that performs
CODE EXAMPLE analysis and synthesis of FPGA.
• Write code by notpad ++ and ModelSim to simulation
 FPGA applications
▪ Some common applications of FPGAs include:
• Military and space projects
• Medical instruments
• Scientific instruments
• Industrial instruments
• Robotics

▪ Manufacturers of FPGA include

INTEL, Example; Cyclone IV FPGA - Intel
XILINX,
Microsemi
 Arduino
• Arduino ready made boards.
• The controller board (Usually has
Atmel controllers) and is built in board,
we can easily interface peripherals with
the controller, without having necessity
to build circuits from scratch.
• ATMEL (Atmega) microcontroller
preloaded with a bootloader program.
• A boot loader is a tiny program stored
in non-volatile memory at a location
such that when power is applied, or
the reset button is pressed the CPU
jumps into it and executes its
instructions.
 Arduino
• If you see this board has a microcontroller, neatly connect any peripherals, power supply,
and USB port to program by connecting with computer and makes all easy.
• If you just have a microcontroller, you have to build all these essential circuits all by
yourself and is time consuming.
• So, it makes microcontrollers a ready-made board which can be instantly used to build any
kind of embedded systems just by connecting i/o devices.
• The Arduino also offers Arduino studio, with which we can easily program the
microcontrollers, we can connect any i/o devices, sensors, LEDs etc and easily program it
with very basic coding knowledge and build a prototype of embedded systems.

• Programming and connecting to various peripherals are also made very easy with such
boards.
• It is also very easy to learn for school students.
 ESP & STM
• ESP can be programmed by Arduino IDE
• ESP8266-01 is a very low cost WiFi enabled chip. But it has very limited I/O. At first glance,
once you configure it for programming all the pins are used.
• ESP32 is a series of low-cost, low-power system on a chip microcontrollers with
integrated Wi-Fi and dual-mode Bluetooth. It used in IOT applications or smart
home.
• ESP32 is created and developed by Espressif Systems, a Chinese company based
in Shanghai, and is manufactured by TSMC using their 40 nm process. It is a
successor to the ESP8266 microcontroller.
• ESP32 CAM use in applications need camera not computer vision.

• STM32 can be programmed by Cube IDE or Arduino IDE. Use in industry many
versions
 Raspberry Pi system
Raspberry Pi
• The raspberry pi is a small sized computer on a
single board that can fit in the palm of your hand.
• OS such as Linux and Win10

• While it might be slower than a laptop or desktop

computer, it still has all the capabilities and
features that you would expect from a normal
computer.
• The raspberry pi matches the definition of what an
ES is, which is a system that is a combination of
software and hardware used to perform a set of
operations within a mechanical or
electrical/electronic system.
 Raspberry Pi system
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI):
This is an output port used for transmitting video and audio
data to HDMI capable devices like a computer screen or
television. This allows you to display information on these
devices.
Camera Serial Interface (CSI):
If you ever needed to include a camera in your project, you
would need to use the camera serial interface.
Display Interface (DSI):
You might not need the extent of a Computer screen or
Television screen as a display. A simple LCD might suffice.
The DSI allows you to interface an LCD to the raspberry pi.
Stereo Audio:
The stereo audio port allows you to add sound to your project!
USB ports:
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard of communication and connection between USB capable devices, cables
and connectors. They allow computers to interface with peripheral devices like a keyboard, mouse, printer, and
more. So you have the ability to connect these devices to your raspberry pi as well. USB allows us to communicate
with other devices via cables.
 Raspberry Pi system …
• Ethernet Port:
If you want to access the internet using your raspberry pi, you will need to
be able to connect to it. The ethernet port gives you the ability to access
the internet via a RJ45 port which supports CAT 5/6 cables.
• USB-C:
The USB-C port allows us to power it using chargers rated at 5V / 3A.
• SD-Card Slot:
This is used to house SD-Cards, which is the memory of the raspberry pi.
Things like the raspberry pi’s operating system, audio/video files, etc, are
stored on the SD-Card.
• Bluetooth:
. Bluetooth on the other hand allows us to communicate with other
Bluetooth capable devices wirelessly.
• General Purpose Input/Output pins (GPIO):
you will need to use any of the 32 GPIO pins.
They allow you to connect and control electronic inputs and outputs such
as sensors, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), motors, buttons, switches and
much more.
Mirjam Nilsson​
[email protected]
www.contoso.com