The installed frameworks industry was brought into the world with the innovation of microcontrollers and from that point forward it has advanced into different structures, from fundamentally being intended for machine control applications to different other new verticals with the assembly of communications.
The installed frameworks industry was brought into the world with the innovation of microcontrollers and from that point forward it has advanced into different structures, from fundamentally being intended for machine control applications to different other new verticals with the assembly of communications.
Different classes of inserted frameworks, for example, home media frameworks, versatile players, PDAs, implanted clinical gadgets and sensors, car installed frameworks have encircled us and with proceeded with intermingling of communications and registering capacities inside these gadgets, inserted frameworks are changing themselves into extremely complex systems, subsequently making more up to date openings and difficulties to create and showcase all the more impressive, vitality effective processors, peripherals and different embellishments.
An embedded system is more than the electronics as most people perceive it. It has electronics – both digital and analog, special purpose sensors and actuators, software, mechanical items etc., and with design challenges of space, weight, cost and power consumption. Its important characteristics are low-power, real-time responsiveness, low thermal dissipation, small physical form factor/footprint, low radiation/emission, ruggedness in design and impervious to external radiations etc.
In order to achieve key requirements, generally embedded systems are restricted to limited resources in terms of computing, memory, display size etc. With continued convergence of other technologies a lot more functionalities are being pushed into embedded devices which were once part of traditional computing platforms. This further adds a major “decision challenge” for architects and product managers on selection of processors, operating systems, standards of usage etc., as demands on functionality increase with time to market decreases.
Patterns insight from the applications of embedded systems in real life
Embedded systems are more than part of human life. For instance, one cannot imagine life without mobile phones for personal communication. Its presence is virtually unavoidable in almost all facets of human endeavor. While we search on patterns in each of these application spaces, we can clearly identify the trend as to where the future of embedded systems is heading.
Multicore in embedded
With a lot functionalities being added, the need for high performance in embedded systems has become inevitable and so developers are increasingly leaning towards multicore processors in their systems design decision. While this range of new applications also demands low thermals in small form factor setting, the mechanicals and packaging is also becoming a sub specialization of its own.
Conventionally, chip manufacturers developed faster single core processors to meet the ever increasing performance requirements but soon they realized that increasing frequency, though offered certain benefits had drawbacks too such as:
• It drove to higher power consumption and so the higher thermals;
• Overall cost increased as the peripherals surrounding also needed to operate at matching speed, which was truly not practical in all cases, there by driving the costs.
This paradigm is a serious drawback for embedded computing requirements, so semiconductor manufacturers have recognized that the way forward is to build processors that run at lower frequency and voltages but include parallel cores onto single chip. The overall performance increases because multicores can perform more than one task at given point of time.
Today a large portion of the gaming reassures are multicore as are cell phones, which are to be sure getting ‘smarter’. While this multicore worldview offers benefits, there is additionally abundant open door for the specialists to realign/relearn on this new plan space – on engineering, structure, programming, troubleshooting and testing so they are all around educated and know about the ideal utilization of new force that a multicore offers.
On the off chance that the advantages are not outfit by designers, at that point the reason gets vanquished. The eco-framework for use of multicore is as yet rising and it relies upon how quick or quickly creators are choosing change and normalization. IDE organizations have just taken lead in such manner by rolling out fundamental improvements and including support for the new multicores and this will unmistakably be one of the key elements of achievement of use of multicores in implanted frameworks.
Another ongoing advancement is that the chip providers are presently making and promoting new chips focusing on explicit business sectors. For example, Intel propelled an inserted processor focusing on the Point of offer terminal and other retail figuring applications. Intel’s Celeron CPU is widely being applied to new IP STB structures. Intel is additionally creating chips for home media frameworks and versatile media players.
Organizations like Transmeta, Philips semiconductor, Netsilicon and so on., are largely focusing on installed applications. Philips is good to go to present its LPC2000 arrangement MCU dependent on ARM7 piece, which has streak memory, RAM, ADC, CAN and PWM channel and can be applied to car hardware, industry control and clinical gear, Netsilicon as another model has NET+ARM arrangement processors, among which NS9775 is a 32bit, 200MHz chip including four autonomous video channels, TI as well, is arranging new in its best OMAP design arrangement. Transmeta has Crusoe TM5700 and TM9500 and the two offers better execution and structure factor is split contrasted with its last age items.
Despite the fact that the interest for processing is ever expanding for new installed applications, conventional applications are still in standard and they are currently offering ultra ease and force necessities and expanded onchip memory (both RAM and Flash) with new interfaces are key differentiators organizations like Atmel Corp., Microchip Technology Inc., Infineon Technologies AG, RDC Semiconductor Co. Ltd, Epson and different organizations are including their individual MCU items in these space.
Embedded operating systems
Traditionally embedded systems did away with an operating system (OS), it had lightweight control program/monitor to offer limited I/O and memory services, however, as the systems became complex, it was inevitable to have OS which offered low latency real-time response, low foot print both in time and space and give all traditional functionality such as memory protection, error checking/report and transparent interprocess communication, which can be applied to communications, consumer electronics, industry controls, automotive electronics and aerospace/national defense.
Emerging multicore also needs multimission, multithread, multiprocess, multiprocessor, multiboard debugging and has to operate on open source tool chains such as eclipse etc., most of the new designs today are moving away from proprietary OS and tool chains and are more and more opting for opensource platforms both of development and deployment as the key market differentiator for them is cost.
Royalty free licensing deployment is the key for reducing the end user costs so OS like Linux embedded and new OS such as Android are making inroads into places where traditionally Windows CE/Vxworks etc., used to play. Today many new handhelds and smart phones are embracing Andriod.
Even Wind River (acquired by Intel has embraced Linux and now offers it in its portfolio of products. Eclipse, the open source project for building development platforms offers an environment that crosses over RTOS boundaries. It comprises extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software throughout its lifecycle.
Embedded digital security and surveillance
In the ever increasing interconnected world, Digital embedded security is no more an option but a necessity as it is very critical for more transactions happening over embedded devices as front ends. Due to constrained resources on systems, embedded systems have challenges in implementation on full fledged security systems therefore the concept of ’embedded security’ offers a new differentiator for embedded product marketing.
Digital security and surveillance is currently in the host of new applications in the embedded arena which is benefiting from multicore phenomenon. Older systems needed more human intervention, but new systems offer intelligent systems to operate multisite, integrated and net centric systems that optimizes the resources needed to complete the job. The applications based on computer vision and tracking offers multiple benefits in capturing, post processing and identification and alerting of security video in realtime.
Convergence embedded systems and applications
The retail segment is one of the fastest growing segments in emerging markets and the trend in retail markets is moving towards improving the user experience, which is most certainly setting trend towards increased performance, connectivity and rich graphics.
A point-of-sale terminal (PoS) is a great example of this – the latest PoS devices incorporate dual-display for advertising, complex accounting applications and are increasingly connected to a central server for remote management. Back end integration with web/online stores from these embedded devices offers to bring in latest offers onto their connected mobiles instantly if they are planning to buy certain item. The location based marketing applications and convergence of Bluetooth based retail communication marketing space is offering new paradigms of sales and marketing which is beneficial for both sellers and buyers.
Healthcare
Electronic medical device and other technological innovations with the convergence of biotech, nanotech, manufacturing tech, communication tech and device, sensor technologies are making breathtaking transformations in healthcare delivery and creating new health care paradigms.
Bio med devices tech is being applied into wide variety of analytical problems including medicine, surgery and drug discovery, these devices are portable diagnostic imaging and home monitoring such as cholesterol monitors, blood glucose meters and with recent innovations paving way for miniaturization of devices, replacement organs and tissues, earlier use of more accurate diagnostics, and advances in information technology, became available thru Silicon Chip revolution.
The fastest growing markets within medical for semiconductors are home monitoring and diagnostic devices, telemetry, and diagnostic imaging applications. Interestingly the convergence of wireless communication with the sensors created the BAN – body area network which is today used to monitor, heart – ECG, pulse rate, temperature, oxygen, blood pressure etc., sleep disorders can also be monitored using a clip device fixed to head band.
For instance, Corventis develops wireless cardiovascular solutions that offer unprecedented visibility into a patient’s health status anytime, anywhere across the world. It has developed complete systems – sensors to monitor various critical health parameters – network to communicate between sensors and gateway, gateway application on an iphone and backend clinical application that can store, analyse and help clinical professionals to have unprecedented access to their patients critical system parameters. All these happened because of advancement of sensor, computing, communication technologies.
Automotive
With drive across the world to improve on emission controls and bring in efficiency in usage of fossil fuels, the automotive segment is challenged by various factors and embedded systems are clearly the ways and means of achieving multiple objectives in this segment taking it from infotainment systems, engine control unit, Car-area-network, fuel management, safety systems all need embedded to be in it.
Traffic management and prediction systems are being developed for large cities across the world today and the critical systems that has to support this is M2M or V2V communication networks that, form adhoc networks, seamlessly gather information from multiple sources, fuse and make decision that not only help the car users but also city traffic managers.
The realtime management of this is possible only by having embedded computing and communication systems that are part of the vehicle and the network. The usage of vehicle tracking and fleet tracking has already been beneficial for the operators by reducing their opex and downtime which has enhanced the customer satisfaction.
This apart, media oriented systems transport (MOST) is one of the technologies being deployed by OEMs for multimedia and infotainment networking. This technology is designed to provide an efficient and cost-effective fabric to transmit audio, video, data and control information between devices attached even to the harsh environment of an automobile.
Entertainment
While we have seen mobiles, handhelds, ipods etc., have changed the landscape of the personal entertainment in the world in the recent past, the emerging trend is adding more intelligence in the personal entertainment, communication devices by converging the social networks, city information, location based services and choices and profile of the users.
All these are going to be delivered through the continuous gathering of intelligence, choices and users and recent transactions. The devices are becoming multimodal, iPod and other new androids offer gesture recognition and also the new devices are offering augmented reality applications that are going to be future killer applications for smart phones – integration of real physical world with the virtual computing world – this drives the camera, display, MEMS based position and other tracking device technology to advance in the smart phone/tablets.
Localization and internationalization
For every one of these gadgets to be sold in overall business sectors, they should be upheld both locally and globally. The admittance to worldwide business sectors can happen just with restriction/personalization of highlights in the gadget with multi-language uphold and furthermore backend uphold workplaces that offer redid limited administrations. The use of various text style innovations and adjusting fresher ones are the key for embedded frameworks that are human driven to endure and flourish in the market so increasingly more gadget makers are working with nearby accomplices to guarantee that their embedded gadgets and emotionally supportive networks are limited and offer multi-language neighborhood culture flavor in complete terms. –
Ultimately, the eventual fate of embedded lies in how quicker individuals adjust to the progressions offered by union – interchanges, nano, fabricating and grow “super” applications that advance the general public and human needs, we should trust that our future is additionally embedded into it.
source:- http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1287560