Embedded Systems Tutorial - Electrical Vani

In this Embedded Systems Tutorial, you will learn about different concepts of Embedded Systems, from basics to advanced. This tutorial is mainly designed for both beginners and professionals who aspire to know about embedded systems and their usage in real-world applications. In this introductory chapter, you will understand the basic meaning of an embedded system and its needs. Then, we will move to some advanced concepts in the next chapter. This chapter also provides some common examples of embedded systems that we see in our day-to-day life.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Embedded System

An embedded system is an electronic device or system that consists of both hardware and software components and is primarily designed and used as a part or sub-component of a large electronic system.

For example, a microcontroller is used in a washing machine to provide automation control and operations for washing clothes. Hence, in a washing machine, the microcontroller can be considered an embedded system.

Before proceeding further, let us know about some basic terms related to embedded systems.

Embedded Systems Terminology

We have collected some essential terms related to embedded systems and defined them. These terms will be very helpful for understanding the concepts covered in this tutorial.

Microcontroller

A microcontroller is an electronic device generally produced in the form of a compact integrated circuit. It combines components of an entire computing system like processor, memory, IO, and software components into a single unit. Arduino is a very popular example of a microcontroller.

Embedded Operating System

An operation system is a set of computer programs that are designed and used to define the functionality of hardware parts of the system. Thus, operating systems are fundamental components for making a computing machine functional. Embedded operating systems are specially designed for embedded systems. Examples of embedded operating systems include FreeRTOS, embedded Linux, etc. The most important thing to note about embedded operating systems is that they are optimized to utilize minimum resources.

Real-Time Systems

Real-time systems are designed to respond to their inputs in real-time. Most embedded systems are designed to have real-time functionality, hence these systems can produce results within a certain time constraint.

IoT Integration

IoT (Internet of Things) integration is an application of embedded systems to provide connectivity and communication facilities among smart devices like home or office automation systems.

Bootloader

The bootloader is the part of a computing or embedded system that loads the operating system and performs hardware initialization when the embedded system is switched on.

Kernel

The kernel is nothing but the part of an operating system that is responsible for establishing and managing interactions between hardware and software components of a computing machine like an embedded system.

Firmware

Firmware are machine-level software components that are permanently programmed in a hardware component. BIOS is an example of firmware.

Debugging Interfaces

Tools and technologies developed and used for testing and troubleshooting embedded systems or other computing devices to ensure their desired functionality and performance are known as debugging interfaces. Examples of debugging interfaces include JTAG, SWD, etc.

Hardware-Software Co-Design

The integrated process of developing and designing both hardware and software components of an embedded system at the same time is termed hardware-software co-design.

Embedded Systems Syllabus

In this tutorial on embedded systems, you will learn about the following major topics –

Topic	Description
What is an Embedded System?	This chapter provides an introduction to embedded systems and explains the block diagram and its characteristics.
Classification of Embedded Systems	In this chapter, you will learn about different types of embedded systems and their applications.
Characteristics of Embedded Systems	This chapter explains all the important characteristics that distinguish embedded systems from a general-purpose computer.
Embedded System Architecture	In this section, you will find a detailed description of the architecture of embedded systems.
Applications of Embedded Systems	This chapter explains the key use cases of embedded systems in the real world.
RTOS in Embedded Systems	This chapter is meant to explain the basics and properties of real-time operating systems used in embedded systems.

Main Components of Embedded System

A typical embedded system consists of the following three main components –

Hardware – These are the physical and tangible components of the embedded system. Examples of hardware components of an embedded system include a microprocessor, memory unit, power supply IC, display unit, I/O peripherals, etc.
Embedded System RTOS – RTOS stands for Real-Time Operating System. Embedded system RTOS are the operating systems designed for making an embedded system functional. This component also provides an interface between the hardware and application software of the embedded systems.
Application Software – Embedded systems can have different types of application software to perform different tasks.

Why do We Need Embedded Systems?

Today, embedded systems are serving as the essential parts of modern electronic systems, especially those having modular architecture. Some of the key factors highlighting the needs of embedded systems are given here –

To implement task-specific functionality to perform the specific tasks in a large electronic system.
To provide real-time operations in many advanced systems like industrial automation or robotic systems.
To enhance energy efficiency and resource utilization.
To develop cost-effective designs of electronic systems.
To enhance the reliability and stability of systems used in critical applications like medical, defense, flight operations, etc.
To reduce the size of electronic devices by integrating hardware and software components into a single unit and smaller form factor.
To optimize the performance of systems for specific application requirements.
To enable IoT integration.

Evolution of Embedded Systems

The following table highlights some historical developments in the field of embedded system technology –

Year	Developments
1961	An integrated circuit was developed by Charles Stark Draper for the Apollo Guidance Computer to its size and weight.
1965	The first mass-produced embedded system, the D-17B, was developed by Autonetics to use the Minuteman I missile guidance system.
1966	NS-17 was developed for use in the Minuteman II missile guidance system.
1968	The first embedded system was developed for use in vehicles. It was used in the Volkswagen 1600 to control its electronic fuel injection system.
1971	Texas Instruments introduced the first microcontroller.
1971	The 4004 microprocessor developed by Intel became commercially available.
1972	Intel introduced the 8-bit microprocessor, named 8008.
1974	The TMS1000 series, a family of general-purpose microcontrollers, was commercialized by Texas Instruments.
1974	Intel released the 8080 microprocessor, having 64 kb of memory.
1978	Intel introduced the x86 series of microprocessors.
1987	The first embedded operating system, named the real-time VxWorks, was introduced by Wind River.
1996	Microsoft released the Windows Embedded CE.
Late 1990s	Linux started to appear in embedded systems.
1990s – 2000s	Rapid development in the field of embedded systems was noted. The 8-bit to 16-bit, 16-bit to 32-bit, and 32-bit to 64-bit transitions were happened.
2010s	Significant enhancement in the security features of embedded systems was recorded.
Today	Embedded systems are being integrated with advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Benefits of Embedded Systems

Being a compact and powerful computing device, an embedded system offers a wide range of advantages across various fields. Some of the key benefits of embedded systems are listed as follows –

Embedded systems require a very low amount of power and they are suitable for battery-powered devices like smartphones, smartwatches, and more.
Embedded systems are generally designed for performing specific tasks, hence they are optimized for those tasks and considered to be more reliable in their operations.
Embedded systems integrate all essential components of a computing system into a single unit; hence they have a compact size.
Embedded systems are powered by RTOS and hence provide real-time operations.
Being designed for dedicated tasks, embedded systems can be customized as per the needs of applications.
Embedded systems use minimal hardware resources; hence they are cost-effective.
Embedded systems are designed with dedicated security features; hence they are more rigid against threats.

Limitations of Embedded Systems

Embedded systems have several advantages as discussed above, but they also have certain limitations or disadvantages. Some of the major limitations or disadvantages of embedded systems are given here –

Embedded systems have limited processing power, mainly due to minimal resource availability.
Embedded systems face issues related to processing power and performance when engaged in complex applications.
Most embedded systems are designed to have fixed functionality that cannot be modified or upgraded at a later time. The primary reason behind this limited flexibility is mainly associated with their hardware limitations.
Embedded systems require specialized designing and programming skills.
Due to limited interfaces, embedded systems are also difficult to debug.
The cost involved in research, development, and prototyping of embedded systems is also high.
Since embedded systems are designed for dedicated applications and use limited resources, they also become difficult to scale with increasing loads and functionalities.

Conclusion

So, this is all about Introduction to Embedded Systems and Embedded System Tutorial. Let’s move to the next chapter in the tutorial and learn about embedded systems in more detail.