Embedded Computing

Chapter 1
COE 306: Introduction to Embedded Systems
Dr. Aiman El-Maleh
Computer Engineering Department

College of Computer Sciences and Engineering

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
 Next . . .
 What are Embedded Computing Systems?
 Challenges in Embedded Computing System
Design
 Design Methodology
 Formal System Description: UML

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 2
 What is an Embedded System?
 Embedded computing system: any device that
includes a programmable computer but is not itself a
general-purpose computer.
 Take advantage of application characteristics to
optimize the design:
 don’t need all the general-purpose bells and whistles.
 Examples: calculator, fax, clock, coffee maker, cell
phone, printer, TV, microwave, camera, car (40–100
microcontrollers)
 It all started from a calculator: using Intel 4004
microprocessor

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 3
 Embedding a Computer
 Microcontroller: includes CPU, I/O devices, on-board
memory.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 4
 Application Examples
 Simple control: front panel of microwave oven, etc.
 Canon EOS 3 has three microprocessors.
 32-bit RISC CPU runs autofocus and eye control systems.
 Digital TV: programmable CPUs + hardwired logic.
 Today’s high-end automobile may have 100
microprocessors:
 4-bit microcontroller checks seat belt;
 microcontrollers run dashboard devices;
 16/32-bit microprocessor controls engine: determining when
spark plugs fire, controlling the fuel/air mixture, etc.
 Low-end cars use 20+ microprocessors.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 5
 Examples of Embedded Systems

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 6
 BMW 850i Antilock Brake System
 An antilock brake system (ABS) reduces skidding by
pumping the brakes.
 The purpose of an ABS is to temporarily release the
brake on a wheel when it rotates too slowly.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 7
 Cyber-Physical Systems
 A physical system that tightly interacts with a computer
system.
 The embedded computer is the cyber-part of the cyber-
physical system.
 Computers replace mechanical controllers:
 More accurate.
 More sophisticated control.
 Engine controllers replace distributor, carburetor, etc.
 Complex algorithms allow both greater fuel efficiency and lower
emissions.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 8
 Characteristics of Embedded
Systems
 Sophisticated functionality
 Often have to run sophisticated algorithms or multiple
algorithms: e.g., a microprocessor controlling automobile engine
 Often provide sophisticated user interfaces: e.g. moving maps in
Global Positioning System (GPS)
 Real-time operation
 Must finish operations by deadlines.
 Hard real time: missing deadline causes failure; e.g., missed
deadlines in printers can result in scrambled pages
 Soft real time: missing deadline results in degraded performance;
e.g., Streaming audio-video
 Many systems are multi-rate: must handle operations at widely
varying rates; audio and video of a multimedia stream run at
very different rates, but they must remain closely synchronized.
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 9
 Characteristics of Embedded
Systems
 Low manufacturing cost
 Many embedded systems are mass-market items that must
have low manufacturing costs. Cost is determined by type of
microprocessor, amount of memory, type of I/O devices.
 Low power
 Power consumption is critical in battery-powered devices.
 Excessive power consumption increases system cost even in
wall-powered devices.
 Designed to tight deadlines by small teams
 Often designed by a small team of designers.
 Often must meet tight deadlines: 6 month market window is
common; Can’t miss back-to-school window for calculator.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 10
 Implementation Alternatives
 Microprocessor, custom hardware (ASICs), FPGAs

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 11
 Why Use Microprocessors?
 Efficient
 1+ IPC for modern RISC processors
 Large design teams / mass production
 Highly optimized (speed, power)
 Latest manufacturing technology (fabrication)
 Single-design for multiple functions / general-purpose
 Implementing several functions on a single processor often
makes much better use of the available hardware budget
 Flexible
 Separate hardware/software design by different teams
 Easier to design cost-effective families/generations of products

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 12
 Embedded Computing Platform
 Embedded computing platform: hardware architecture +
associated software.
 Why not use PCs for all embedded computing?
 real-time performance requirements often drive us to different
architectures
 low power and low cost also drive us away from PC
architectures and toward multiprocessors
 Custom embedded systems that are designed for an
application, such as a cell phone
 burn several orders of magnitude less power than do PCs with
equivalent computational performance,
 they are considerably less expensive as well.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 13
 Challenges in Embedded System
Design
 How much hardware do we need?
 type of microprocessor, amount of memory, peripheral devices
— performance-cost tradeoff
 How do we meet deadlines?
 Faster hardware or cleverer software?
 Faster hardware increases cost and power consumption
 How do we minimize power?
 Turn off unnecessary logic? Reduce memory accesses?
 Careful design is required to slow down noncritical parts of the
machine while still meeting necessary performance goals
 Excessive power consumption reduces battery life and
increases heat dissipation

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 14
 Challenges in Embedded System
Design
 How do we design for upgradeability?
 Support multiple versions/generations using the same hardware
 How can we design a machine that will provide the required
performance for software that we haven’t yet written?
 Does it really work?
 Is the specification correct?
 Does the implementation meet the spec?
 How do we test for real-time characteristics?
 How do we test on real data?
 How do we work on the system?
 Limited observability and controllability; no keyboard and screen
 Restricted development environments
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 15
 Performance of Embedded
Computing Systems
 In general-purpose computing, performance often means
average-case, may not be well-defined.
 In real-time systems, performance means meeting
deadlines: Missing the deadline by even a little is bad.
 We need to analyze the system at several levels of
abstraction to understand performance:
 CPU: pipelined CPU with a cache
 Platform: bus and I/O devices
 Program: structure and overall behavior
 Task: multitasking system with tasks interaction
 Multiprocessor: interaction between processors

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 16
 The Computing Stack

EE 202, EE 203

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 17
Importance of Design Methodology
 Design methodology is a procedure for designing a
system.
 Helps in tracking design objectives and keeps a
scorecard on design to ensure nothing is skipped.
 Compilers, software engineering tools, computer-aided
design (CAD) tools, etc., can be used to:
 help automate methodology steps;
 keep track of the methodology itself.
 Team communication and coordination
 a design methodology makes it much easier for members of a
design team to communicate.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 18
 Design Goals
 Functionality and user interface
 Performance
 Overall speed, deadlines
 Manufacturing cost
 Power consumption
 Other requirements (physical size, weight, etc.)

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 19
 Embedded System Design Process
 Top-down design:
 start from most abstract description; Requirements
 work to most detailed.
 Bottom-up design: Specification
 work from small components to big system.
 Real design uses both techniques. Architecture
 At each level of abstraction, we must:
 analyze the design to determine how to meet Component
Design
specifications;
 refine the design to add detail.
System
Integration

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 20
 Requirements
 Plain language description of what the user wants and
expects to get.
 Functional requirements
 Output as a function of input.
 Non-functional requirements
 Performance: time required to compute output;
 Cost: includes manufacturing and nonrecurring engineering
(NRE) costs
 Physical size and weight
 Power consumption, reliability; etc.
 Validating requirements: mock-ups, physical non-
functional models.
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 21
 Requirements Analysis
 Requirements analysis
 Check for requirements consistency;
 Requirements form (summary)

name
purpose Types of data: Analog? Digital?
inputs Data Characteristics: Periodically arriving data?
outputs Occasional user inputs? #bits per data element?
functions Types of I/O devices: Buttons? Analog/Digital Conv.?
Video displays?
performance
manufacturing cost
power
physical size/weight

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 22
 Example: GPS Moving Map
Requirements
 Moving map obtains position from GPS, paints map from local
database.
 Functionality: For automotive use. Show major roads and
landmarks.
 User interface: At least 400 x 600 pixel screen.
Three buttons max. Pop-up menu.
 Performance: Map should scroll smoothly.
No more than 1 sec power-up. Lock onto GPS
within 15 seconds.
 Cost: $120 street price = approx. $40 cost of
goods sold.
 Physical size/weight: Should fit in hand.
 Power consumption: Should run for 8 hours on
four AA batteries.
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 23
 GPS Moving Map Requirements
Form
name GPS moving map
purpose consumer-grade moving map for driving
inputs power button, two control buttons
outputs back-lit LCD 400 X 600
functions 5-receiver GPS; three resolutions; displays
current lat/lon
performance updates screen within 0.25 sec of
movement
manufacturing cost $40 cost-of-goods-sold
power 100 mW
physical size/weight no more than 2" X 6", 12 oz.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 24
 Specification
 A formal more precise description of the system that
reflects the customer’s requirements in a way that can
be clearly followed during design.
 should not imply a particular architecture;
 provides input to the architecture design process.
 A contract between the customer and the architects
 Clarifies design objectives and prevents faulty
assumptions
 Should be:
 Understandable: so it can be verified against requirements
 Unambiguous: so designers are clear about what to build

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 25
 Specification
 Unclear specifications can result in design problems.
 If the behavior of some feature in a particular situation is
unclear from the specification, the designer may
implement the wrong functionality.
 If global characteristics of the specification are wrong or
incomplete, the overall system architecture derived from
the specification may be inadequate to meet the needs
of implementation.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 26
 GPS Specification
 Should include:
 data received from the GPS satellite constellation;
 map data;
 user interface;
 operations required to satisfy user requests;
 background operations needed to keep the system running.
 Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a language used
for describing specifications.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 27
 Architecture Design
 Purpose of architecture is to describe how the system
implements required functions
 Plan for overall structure of the system
 What major components are needed for satisfying the
specification?
 Hardware components: CPUs, peripherals, etc.
 Software components: major programs and their operations.
 Block diagrams: General architecture, Hardware
architecture, Software architecture
 Must satisfy functional and non-functional requirements

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 28
 GPS Moving Map Block Diagram
 Shows major operations and data flows among them

GPS search display

renderer
receiver engine

user
database interface

General Architecture
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 29
 GPS Moving Map Hardware
Architecture

display frame CPU

buffer

GPS
receiver

memory
panel I/O

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 30
 GPS Moving Map Software
Architecture
 Timer used to control when we read the buttons on the
user interface and render data onto the screen

position pixels
database
renderer
search

user
timer
interface

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 31
 Designing Hardware and Software
Components
 Building system components in conformance to the
architecture and specification.
 Some components are ready-made, some are modified
from existing designs, others designed from scratch.
 Ready-made, standard components
 CPU, memory, GPS receiver
 Software library, topographic data databases
 Custom components
 PCB, FPGA
 Custom software modules

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 32
 System Integration
 Putting the system components together
 Many bugs appear only at this stage
 Have a plan for integrating components to uncover bugs
quickly, test as much functionality as early as possible
 Bug discovery
 Building the system in phases
 Testing
 Inserting appropriate debugging facilities during design
can help ease system integration problems.
 Debugging facilities for embedded systems are usually
much more limited than what you would find on desktop
systems; always a challenge.
Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM
slide 33
 Formal System Description
 Unified Modeling Language (UML): A visual, object-
oriented modeling language used to capture design
tasks
 Designed to be useful at many levels of abstraction in
the design process
 described as a number of interacting objects
 some of those objects correspond to real pieces of software or
hardware in system; others correspond to people or machines
 Structural Description: the system components
 Behavioral Description: how the system components act

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 34
 Structural Description
 Classes, interfaces, and objects
 A class is a form of type definition. It defines attributes
that an object may have and operations that determine
how the object interacts with the rest of the world.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 35
 The Class Interface
 The operations provide the abstract interface between
the class’s implementation and other classes.
 Operations may have arguments, return values.
 An operation can examine and/or modify object’s state.
 Choose your interface properly
 If the interface is too small/specialized:
 object is hard to use and reuse.
 If the interface is too large:
 class becomes too cumbersome for designers to understand;
 implementation may be too slow; spec and implementation are
probably buggy.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 36
 Structural Description
 A conceptual model, not tied to implementation
 Relationships between classes:
 Association: classes communicate but one does not own other.
One class uses the functionalities provided by another class.
 Aggregation: a complex class is made of several smaller
classes. The child can exist independently of the parent.
 Composition: aggregation in which owner does not allow access
to its components. The child cannot exist independent of the
parent.
 Generalization: define one class in terms of another. A
superclass has the most general attributes, operations, and
relationships that may be shared with subclasses. A subclass
may have more specialized attributes and operations.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 37
 Relations Examples

Association

Composition

Aggregation

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 38
 Class Derivation: UML
Generalization
 May want to define one class in terms of another.
 Derived class inherits attributes, operations of base class

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 39
 Multiple Inheritance

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 40
 Links and Associations
 Link: describes relationships between objects.
 Association: describes relationship between classes.

Links between
objects

Association between
classes

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 41
 Behavioral Description: State
Machine
 Event-driven: An event is some type
of action.
 It may originate outside the system
or inside it.
 Types of events
 A signal is an asynchronous occurrence.
It is defined in UML by an object that is
labeled as a «signal».
 A call event follows the model of a
procedure call in a programming
language.
 A time-out event causes machine to
leave state after certain amount of time.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 42
 Behavioral Description: State
Machine

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 43
 Behavioral Description: Sequence
Diagram
 Shows sequence of operations over time
 Describes how—and in what order—a group of objects
work together
 Shows a particular scenario

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 44
 Summary
 Embedded computers are all around us
 Many systems have complex embedded hardware and
software.
 Embedded systems pose many design challenges:
design time, deadlines, power, etc.
 Design methodologies help us manage the design
process.
 Object-oriented design helps us organize a design.
 UML is a transportable system design language
 Provides structural and behavioral description primitives.

Embedded Computing COE 306– Introduction to Embedded System– KFUPM

slide 45