Embedded system design: a modern approach to the electronic design.
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Massimo Talia is an electronic engineer whose website is http://www.taliawebs.com. The document discusses different layers of embedded system design including application, middleware, operating system, firmware, system design, logic design, and PCB design layers. It also discusses embedded software design, firmware based design, system based design, logic based design, PCB based design, and verification and validation processes.
Embedded system design: a modern approach to the electronic design.
- 1. Massimo Talia Electronic Engineer Web address: http://www.taliawebs.com
- 2. Summary The Embedded Systems Layer based Embedded Design Embedded Software design Firmware based design System based design Logic based design PCB based design Verification and Validation
- 3. The embedded systems “Embedded system” is a generic term for a broad range of systems which are based on electronic microprocessors. Nevertheless, all embedded systems have a common feature in that they interact with the real physical world, controlling some specific hardware or plants.
- 4. Layer based Embedded Design The design of an «embedded system » can be divided in different layers or grained levels, so that it’s easier the design flow and the work-group management . Layer based design (TOP-DOWN) Application Middleware SDK RTOS (OS ) Firmware System Design Embedded Software Logic Design PCB Design Embedded Hardware
- 5. Embedded software design The embedded software design begin from the high level software requirements in compliance with the industrial standards and it ends with the verification and validation. Every design layer is connected each other from one or more requirements by the tracebility matrices. Every requirement describes one or more functionalities, which must be implemented in software or it can be a not functional requirement. In the Safety critical software you need respect the «SIL» (software integrity level), guarantee high reliability, availability, mantainability and safety. The embedded software code is developed for a real time operating system (RTOS) which is inside the target (Hardware equipment).
- 6. Firmware based design The firmware design is the last layer before the System design and identification. The firmware contains the main functionalities for accessing to the hardware board. An example is the MAC level access algorithm (medium access control). The firmware can be implemented by an high level programming language or low level language as assembly . It’s most common use implementing the firmware under the operating system layer.
- 7. System based design The system based design is the high level hardware design process, which identifies a part or the whole hardware. It’s part of the hardware prototyping , requirements and HDL generation. Every hardware system communicates with one or more external sources or a plant. The design process is similar to the embedded software design, but with different standards and tools.
- 8. Logic based design This hardware design process provides for the use of FPGA simulators in order to implement in RTL and VHDL or Verilog the logical circuits, optimize the clock time constraints, the power consumption and dowload the bytecode on the prototyping board. The typical process flow depends on the industrial standards or FPGA vendor process flow. In the Aerospace industry for example, there is the «V» flow in compliance with military standards.
- 9. PCB based design In this case the design process flow concerns the hardware layout and schematic design. It’s the lowest level possible in the hardware design, because you print on the fiber glass board the electronic layout tracks and the position of the electronic parts.
- 10. Verification and Validation For every design flow there is always one o more phases of verification and validation as it’s possible to read below.