Embedded Computer Systems Embedded Computing: Dr. A. Al-Saif Systems Engineering Department

Embedded Computer Systems Chapter1: Embedded Computing
Dr. A. AL-SAIF Systems Engineering Department
Introduction
Why do we embed microprocessors in systems? What are embedded computing systems? Challenges in embedded computing system design. Design methodologies. System Specification
2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)
Definition
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:
dont need all the general-purpose bells and whistles.
Embedding a computer
output analog
CPU
input
analog
embedded computer
mem
Examples

Cell phone. Printer. Automobile: engine, brakes, dash, etc. Airplane: engine, flight controls, nav/comm. Digital television. Household appliances.
Early history
Late 1940s: MIT Whirlwind computer was designed for real-time operations.
Originally designed to control an aircraft simulator.
First microprocessor was Intel 4004 in early 1970s. HP-35 calculator used several chips to implement a microprocessor in 1972.
Early history, contd.
Automobiles used microprocessor-based engine controllers starting in 1970s.

Control fuel/air mixture, engine timing, etc. Multiple modes of operation: warm-up, cruise, hill climbing, etc. Provides lower emissions, better fuel efficiency.
Microprocessor varieties
Microcontroller: includes I/O devices, onboard memory. Digital signal processor (DSP): microprocessor optimized for digital signal processing. Typical embedded word sizes: 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit.
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 for video/audio decode, menus, etc.
Application areas (1)
Aerospace
Navigation systems, automatic landing systems, flight attitude controls, engine controls, space exploration (e.g., the Mars Pathfinder).
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Automotive
Fuel injection control, passenger environmental controls, anti-lock braking, air bag controls, GPS mapping.
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Children's Toys
Nintendo's "Game Boy", Mattel's "My Interactive Pooh", Tiger Electronics "Furby".
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Motorcycles
Trains
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Telecommunication
Satellites; network routers, switches, hubs.
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Home
Dishwashers, microwave ovens, VCRs, televisions, stereos, fire/security alarm systems, lawn sprinkler controls, thermostats, cameras, clock radios, answering machines.
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Office Automation
FAX machines, copiers, telephones, and cash registers.
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Consumer electronics
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Personal
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), pagers, cell phones, wristwatches, videogames, portable MP3 players, GPS.
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Medical
Imaging systems (e.g., XRAY, MRI, and ultrasound), patient monitors, and heart pacers.
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Fabrication equipment
Smart buildings
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Robotics Pipe-climber
Robot Johnnie (Courtesy and : H.Ulbrich, F. Pfeiffer, TU Mnchen)
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Industrial
Elevator controls, surveillance systems
Robotics
Robot Johnnie (Courtesy and : H.Ulbrich, F. Pfeiffer, TU Mnchen)
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Pedometer
Obvious computer work:

Count steps Keep time Averages etc. Actually identify when a step is taken Sensor feels motion of device, not of user feet
Hard computer work:
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Mobile phones
Multiprocessor 8-bit/32-bit for UI DSP for signals 32-bit in IR port 32-bit in Bluetooth 8-100 MB of memory All custom chips Power consumption & battery life depends on software
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Telecom Switch
Rack-based

Control cards IO cards DSP cards ...
Optical & copper connections Digital & analog signals
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Sewing Machine
User interface

Embroidery patterns Touch-screen control Sets pressure of foot depending on task Raise foot when stopped
Smart
New functions added by upgrading the software
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Forestry Machines
Networked computer system

Controlling arms & tools Navigating the forest Recording the trees harvested Crucial to efficient work 16-bit processors in a network
Processors
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Operator Panel
Embedded PC

Graphical display Touch panel Joystick Buttons Keyboard
But tough enough to be out in the woods
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Extremely Large
Functions requiring computers:

Radar Weapons Damage control Navigation basically everything Large servers 1000s of processors
Computers:

29
Inside your PC
Custom processors
Graphics, sound IR, Bluetooth Network, WLAN Harddisk RAID controllers USB Keyboard, mouse
32-bit processors

8-bit processors

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Cars
Functions by embedded processing:

ABS: Anti-lock braking systems ESP: Electronic stability control Airbags Efficient automatic gearboxes Theft prevention with smart keys Blind-angle alert systems ... etc ...
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Cars
Large diversity in processor types:

8-bit door locks, lights, etc. 16-bit most functions 32-bit engine control, airbags
Form follows function
Processing where the action is Sensors and actuators distributed all over the vehicle
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33
Automotive embedded systems
Todays high-end automobile may have 100 microprocessors:

4-bit microcontroller checks seat belt; microcontrollers run dashboard devices; 16/32-bit microprocessor controls engine.
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BMW 850i brake and stability control system
Anti-lock brake system (ABS): pumps brakes to reduce skidding. Automatic stability control (ASC+T): controls engine to improve stability. ABS and ASC+T communicate.
ABS was introduced first---needed to interface to existing ABS module.
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BMW 850i, contd.

sensor brake ABS brake sensor
sensor brake hydraulic pump brake sensor

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Characteristics of embedded systems

Sophisticated functionality. Real-time operation. Low manufacturing cost. Low power. Designed to tight deadlines by small teams.
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Functional complexity
Often have to run sophisticated algorithms or multiple algorithms.
Cell phone, laser printer.
Often provide sophisticated user interfaces.
38
Real-time operation
Must finish operations by deadlines.

Hard real time: missing deadline causes failure. Soft real time: missing deadline results in degraded performance.
Many systems are multi-rate: must handle operations at widely varying rates.
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Non-functional requirements
Many embedded systems are mass-market items that must have low manufacturing costs.
Limited memory, microprocessor power, etc.
Power consumption is critical in batterypowered devices.
Excessive power consumption increases system cost even in wall-powered devices.
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Design teams

Often designed by a small team of designers. Often must meet tight deadlines.

6 month market window is common. Cant miss back-to-school window for calculator.
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Why use microprocessors?
Alternatives: field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), custom logic, etc. Microprocessors are often very efficient: can use same logic to perform many different functions. Microprocessors simplify the design of families of products.
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The performance paradox
Microprocessors use much more logic to implement a function than does custom logic. But microprocessors are often at least as fast:

heavily pipelined; large design teams; aggressive VLSI technology.
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Power
Custom logic uses less power, but CPUs have advantages: Modern microprocessors offer features to help control power consumption. Software design techniques can help reduce power consumption. Heterogeneous systems: some custom logic for well-defined functions, CPUs+software for everything else.
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Platforms
Embedded computing platform: hardware architecture + associated software. Many platforms are multiprocessors. Examples:
Single-chip multiprocessors for cell phone baseband. Automotive network + processors.
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The physics of software
Computing is a physical act.
Software doesnt do anything without hardware.
Executing software consumes energy, requires time. To understand the dynamics of software (time, energy), we need to characterize the platform on which the software runs.
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What does performance mean?
In general-purpose computing, performance often means average-case, may not be welldefined. In real-time systems, performance means meeting deadlines.

Missing the deadline by even a little is bad. Finishing ahead of the deadline may not help.
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Characterizing performance
We need to analyze the system at several levels of abstraction to understand performance:

CPU. Platform. Program. Task. Multiprocessor.
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Challenges in embedded system design
How much hardware do we need?
How big is the CPU? Memory? Faster hardware or cleverer software?
How do we meet our deadlines?
How do we minimize power?
Turn off unnecessary logic? Reduce memory accesses?
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Challenges, etc.
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? Observability, controllability? What is our development platform?
How do we work on the system?

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Design methodologies

A procedure for designing a system. Understanding your methodology helps you ensure you didnt skip anything. Compilers, software engineering tools, computer-aided design (CAD) tools, etc., can be used to:

help automate methodology steps; keep track of the methodology itself.
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Design goals
Performance.
Overall speed, deadlines.
Functionality and user interface. Manufacturing cost. Power consumption. Other requirements (physical size, etc.)
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Levels of abstraction
requirements specification architecture component design system integration
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Top-down vs. bottom-up
Top-down design:

start from most abstract description; work to most detailed. work from small components to big system.
Bottom-up design:
Real design uses both techniques.
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Stepwise refinement
At each level of abstraction, we must:
analyze the design to determine characteristics of the current state of the design; refine the design to add detail.
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Requirements
Plain language description of what the user wants and expects to get. May be developed in several ways:

talking directly to customers; talking to marketing representatives; providing prototypes to users for comment.
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Functional vs. non-functional requirements
Functional requirements:
output as a function of input. time required to compute output; size, weight, etc.; power consumption; reliability; etc.
Non-functional requirements:

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Our requirements form

name purpose inputs outputs functions performance manufacturing cost power physical size/weight
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Example: GPS moving map requirements
lat: 40 13 lon: 32 19
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Scotch Road
Moving map obtains position from GPS, paints map from local database.
I-78
GPS moving map needs

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. $30 cost of goods sold.
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GPS moving map needs, contd.

Physical size/weight: Should fit in hand. Power consumption: Should run for 8 hours on four AA batteries.
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GPS moving map requirements form

name purpose inputs outputs functions performance manufacturing cost power physical size/weight GPS moving map consumer-grade moving map for driving power button, two control buttons back-lit LCD 400 X 600 5-receiver GPS; three resolutions; displays current lat/lon updates screen within 0.25 sec of movement $100 cost-of-goodssold 100 mW no more than 2: X 6:, 12 oz.
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Specification
A more precise description of the system:

should not imply a particular architecture; provides input to the architecture design process.
May include functional and non-functional elements. May be executable or may be in mathematical form for proofs.
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GPS specification
Should include:

What is received from GPS; map data; user interface; operations required to satisfy user requests; background operations needed to keep the system running.
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Architecture design
What major components go satisfying the specification? Hardware components:
CPUs, peripherals, etc.
Software components:
major programs and their operations.
Must take into account functional and nonfunctional specifications.

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GPS moving map block diagram
GPS receiver
search engine
renderer
display
database
user interface
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GPS moving map hardware architecture
display
frame buffer
CPU GPS receiver
memory
panel I/O
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GPS moving map software architecture
position
database search
renderer
pixels
user interface
timer
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Designing hardware and software components
Must spend time architecting the system before you start coding. Some components are ready-made, some can be modified from existing designs, others must be designed from scratch.
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System integration
Put together the components.
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.
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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.
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Embedded Computer Systems Embedded Computing: Dr. A. Al-Saif Systems Engineering Department

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Embedded Computer Systems Chapter1: Embedded Computing

Dr. A. AL-SAIF Systems Engineering Department

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

dont need all the general-purpose bells and whistles.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Originally designed to control an aircraft simulator.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Early history, contd.

Automobiles used microprocessor-based engine controllers starting in 1970s.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

32-bit RISC CPU runs autofocus and eye control systems.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (1)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (2)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (3)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (4)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (5)

Satellites; network routers, switches, hubs.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (6)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (7)

FAX machines, copiers, telephones, and cash registers.

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (8)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (9)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (10)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (11)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (12)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Application areas (13)

Elevator controls, surveillance systems

Robot Johnnie (Courtesy and : H.Ulbrich, F. Pfeiffer, TU Mnchen)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Obvious computer work:

Hard computer work:

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Control cards IO cards DSP cards ...

Optical & copper connections Digital & analog signals

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

New functions added by upgrading the software

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Networked computer system

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Graphical display Touch panel Joystick Buttons Keyboard

But tough enough to be out in the woods

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Functions requiring computers:

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

2011 Dr. AL-Saif (CISE 414)

Functions by embedded processing: