Embedded systems:

Introduction:

An embedded system is a computer system with a specific purpose within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It consists of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripherals. It is incorporated into a full gadget that frequently also contains mechanical and electrical components. An embedded system frequently has real-time computing limitations since it typically controls the physical operations of the machine it is embedded within. Today's commonplace devices are controlled by embedded systems. According to estimates, embedded systems accounted for 98% of all manufacturing microprocessors in 2009.

 

embedded system

Microcontrollers, which are microprocessors with built-in memory and peripheral interfaces, are the foundation of many contemporary embedded systems, but regular microprocessors, which use external chips for memory and peripheral interface circuits, are also widely used, especially in more complex systems. In each scenario, the processor(s) employed could be general-purpose, specialised in a particular class of computations, or even specially created for the given application. The digital signal processor is a widely used standard class of specialised processors (DSP).

 

Given that the embedded system is dedicated to particular functions, design engineers can optimise it to decrease the product's size and cost while boosting its performance and dependability. Embedded systems are sometimes mass-produced in order to take advantage of economies of scale.

 

Digital watches and MP3 players are examples of small embedded systems. Larger embedded systems include home appliances, industrial assembly lines, robotics, transport vehicles, traffic light controllers, and medical imaging systems. They frequently function as components of other devices, such as the avionics in aeroplanes and the astrionics in spacecraft.Numerous embedded systems that are networked together are essential to large installations like factories, pipelines, and electrical grids. Embedded systems, like programmable logic controllers, commonly combine their functional parts through software customisation.

 

The complexity of embedded systems can range from very low, with a single microcontroller chip, to very high, with numerous units, peripherals, and networks. These networks may be spread out over a large geographic area connected by long-distance communications lines, or they may be housed in equipment racks.

 

Background:

The MOS integrated circuit, which was created in the early 1960s and is an integrated circuit chip made of MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), is where the microprocessor and microcontroller got their start. In comparison to bipolar circuits, MOS devices had a better transistor density and reduced manufacturing costs by 1964. Moore's law projected that MOS circuits would continue to get more sophisticated, and by the late 1960s, large-scale integration (LSI) with hundreds of transistors on a single MOS chip had been achieved. The earliest microprocessors were built on the use of MOS LSI chips in computing, when developers realised that a whole computer processor system could be housed on a number of MOS LSI chips.

The Four-Phase Systems AL1 in 1969 and the Garrett AiResearch MP944 in 1970 were the first multi-chip microprocessors to be created using multiple MOS LSI circuits. The Intel 4004 single-chip microprocessor, introduced in 1971, was the first of its kind. Federico Faggin, along with Intel engineers Marcian Hoff and Stan Mazor, and Busicom engineer Masatoshi Shima, created it utilising his silicon-gate MOS technology.

 

Development:

Since these early applications in the 1960s, embedded systems' costs have decreased and their processing power and functionality have increased significantly. The 1971-released Intel 4004 was a pioneering microprocessor that was intended for calculators and other compact systems, but it still required external memory and support chips. Early in the 1980s, memory, input, and output system components were combined with the processor to produce a microcontroller on the same chip. In situations where a general-purpose computer would be too expensive, microcontrollers can be used. The prevalence of embedded systems increased as the price of microprocessors and microcontrollers decreased.

 

embedded system

Today, it is possible to programme a relatively inexpensive microcontroller to do the same function as numerous individual components. With the advent of microcontrollers, it became possible to replace pricey knob-based analogue components, like potentiometers and variable capacitors, even in consumer goods with up/down buttons or knobs read out by a microprocessor. Although an embedded system in this situation is typically more complex than a conventional solution, the microcontroller itself houses the majority of the complexity. The majority of the design work is done in the programme, and very few additional components can be required. When opposed to designing and building a new circuit without an embedded CPU, software prototype and testing can be completed more quickly.

 

Applications:

Consumer, industrial, automotive, home appliance, medical, telecommunication, commercial, aerospace, and military sectors all frequently use embedded systems.

 

Numerous embedded systems are used in telecommunications systems, from network telephone switches to end-user cell phones. Data is routed through computer networking using specialised routers and network bridges.

 

Televisions, mobile phones, video game consoles, digital cameras, GPS receivers, and printers are examples of consumer electronics. Embedded systems are used in household appliances, like microwaves, washing machines, and dishwashers, to provide flexibility, efficiency, and functions. Modern HVAC systems employ networked thermostats to more precisely and effectively regulate temperature, which might vary depending on the time of day and the season. In order to control things like lighting, climate, security, audio/visual, surveillance, and other things that require embedded devices for sensing and control, home automation uses wired and wireless networking.

 

More and more transportation systems, including aircraft and automobiles, use embedded technologies. Modern aircraft feature sophisticated avionics like GPS receivers and inertial guidance systems, which also have high safety standards. For trajectory adjustment, astrionics systems are used by spacecraft. Electronic motor controllers are used with a variety of electric motors, including brushless DC motors, induction motors, and DC motors. Embedded systems are being used more and more in cars, electric cars, and hybrid cars to improve economy and cut pollution. The electronic stability control (ESC/ESP), traction control (TCS), anti-lock braking system (ABS), and automated four-wheel drive are other automobile safety technologies that use embedded technology.

 

Medical equipment employs embedded systems for monitoring and various medical imaging techniques for non-invasive internal inspections, including positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Industrial computers are frequently used as the power source for embedded systems in medical equipment.

 

In the aerospace and defence industries, embedded systems are employed for safety-critical systems. These systems can be insulated from hackers and thus be more secure unless connected to wired or wireless networks via on-chip 3G LTE or other means for IoT monitoring and control. The systems can be made to be better able to withstand higher temperatures while still functioning for fire safety. The embedded systems can be self-sufficient and able to manage damaged electrical and communication networks when it comes to security.

 

Networked wireless sensors are tiny wireless gadgets known as motes. The use of wireless sensor networking allows people and businesses to measure a variety of things in the physical world and act on this information through monitoring and control systems. Wireless sensor networking uses miniaturisation made possible by advanced integrated circuit (IC) design to couple full wireless subsystems to sophisticated sensors. These motes are entirely self-contained and may often operate for years on batteries before they need to be replaced or recharged.