Embedded Systems: From Legacy to Innovation

Embedded Systems: From Legacy to Innovation free download

Embedded Systems cutting-edge transformation, System Design Flow, Legacy Embedded Systems. Become an Embedded Engineer.

A warm welcome to the Embedded Systems: From Legacy to Innovation course by Uplatz.

The evolution of embedded platforms is a story of increasing complexity, power, and pervasiveness.

• Early Beginnings

  • The Apollo Guidance Computer in the 1960s is often cited as an early example. These early systems were purpose-built for specific tasks.

  • Early embedded systems relied on discrete transistors and then integrated circuits (ICs).

• Microprocessor Revolution

  • The development of microprocessors in the 1970s, like the Intel 4004, significantly impacted embedded systems, enabling more complex functionality in smaller packages.

  • Microcontrollers, which integrate a CPU, memory, and I/O peripherals on a single chip, further fueled this growth.

• Software Advancement

  • The rise of real-time operating systems (RTOS) allowed for more sophisticated control and management of embedded systems.

  • Embedded Linux and other operating systems have become increasingly common, providing a platform for complex applications.

• Connectivity and Intelligence

  • The growth of networking and wireless technologies has enabled embedded systems to connect and communicate, leading to the Internet of Things (IoT).

  • Advances in processing power and artificial intelligence (AI) are now allowing embedded systems to perform more intelligent tasks.

• Modern Day

  • Today, embedded systems are found in virtually every aspect of life, from automotive and industrial applications to consumer electronics and medical devices.

  • Trends include increased focus on:

    • Power efficiency.

    • Security.

    • AI at the edge.

In essence, embedded platforms have evolved from simple control circuits to powerful, connected, and intelligent systems that are integral to modern technology.

Embedded Systems Paradigm Shift

Let us assume that you are a software/systems development lead on a complex embedded development project. There are many requirements to be met in order to satisfy the project specifications as well as an aggressive delivery timeline. The project is entering the integration phase. The functionality seems to be working well and you’re feeling pretty good about things. With the exponential growth in the complexity of embedded systems, the above scenario is becoming all too common. Consider current mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets now hitting the market that have four processor cores (and an additional GPU core) with other vendors advertising eight (heterogeneous) core devices for next-gen mobile devices.

Embedded systems design is constantly changing and following enterprise systems by becoming more flexible and software-defined. Traditionally, embedded systems were purpose-built using closed architectures that were unique to each device. They run a real-time operating system (RTOS) that have fixed time constraints, where predictability is key. The RTOS ensures that these systems do not fail. Alternatively, systems without real-time requirements can run customized versions of Linux, such as Wind River Linux. These automotive embedded systems, now connected to one another, need greater security countermeasures than when they were siloed. As many major recent data breaches have demonstrated, one system can provide hackers the path into another. Security of the modernized and integrated embedded systems assumes great priority now as it is directly connected to the organization's reputation and industry's compliance requirements.

Drivers of changes in embedded systems design include improvements in hardware as well as the continuing evolution in software development methods. At the hardware level, it’s now possible to do more with a single CPU. Rather than host just one application, new multi-core systems on a chip (SoCs) can support multiple applications on a single hardware platform while still maintaining modest power and cost requirements. At the same time, advances in software development techniques point toward systems that are more software-defined and fluid than their predecessors.

The recent and modern automotive electronics systems have reached quite a high level of complexity today, leading to a corresponding increase in the complexity of the deployed software. This increasing complexity of embedded hardware/software increases the need for software reusability and shorter design cycle. The corresponding issues are addressed by emerging technologies in software engineering that contribute to reuse and increased flexibility while preserving interfaces and system-level integrity.

Embedded Systems: From Legacy to Innovation - Course Curriculum

• Introduction to Legacy Embedded Systems

• Embedded Systems Paradigm Shift

• Embedded Portfolio

• Embedded System Design Flow