07-10-2010, 03:43 PM
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This article is presented by:
Ketul B Sutaria
Siddarth P Vaidya
The Embedded Systems
WHAT ARE EMBEDDED SYSTEMS?
Introduction
In the fast growing world there always arise a need for a product that are smaller, cheaper & smarter.
With the increasing amount of the salaries to be paid for small work is not a practical solution to deal with.
Thus there arise the need for a machine, which can work autonomously & requires very less attention to be paid.
All these need lead to the invention of the technology that is known as embedded system.
Definition
These are the complicated systems that are the combination of a hardware & software.
An embedded system is preprogrammed to perform a narrow range of functions with minimal end user or operator intervention.
It refers to a device that contains computer logic on a chip inside it not independently programmable by the user. Such equipment is electrical or battery powered. The chip controls one or more functions of the equipment, such as remembering how long it has been since the device last received maintenance.
With the combination of the hardware & software make them performs or controls a function, either in whole or in part, as an integral element of a larger system or subsystem such as, ground support equipment, flight simulators, engine test stands, or fire control systems.
The addition of the mechanical element also proves to be useful as it helping developing a complete low power operated system.
E.g. As an anti-lock braking system in a car.
These systems are mainly produced in order to achieve specific purpose & allow themselves to make the decision in different conditions.
With all these things they are able to do the prescribed work to them with efficiency.
Now continuously working, they consume power. Also the complicated technologies converging in them, they prove to become costly. But this is the main criterion they are to be designed.
Today they have proved not only to be reliable but also to be cheaper then we have imagined.
A specialized computer, often hidden from the end user, used to control devices such as automobiles, home and office appliances, hand-held units of all kinds as well as machines as sophisticated as space vehicles. Operating system and application functions are often combined in the same program. An embedded system implies a fixed set of functions programmed into a non-volatile memory (ROM, flash memory, etc.) in contrast to a general-purpose computing machine. Think of it like a self-contained system. An example would be a computer in a car that controls the ignition system. Because they often operate critically important applications, reliable real-time reactions are vital.
"Real Time" Systems such as industrial control, security, facilities automation, navigational systems, production control, laboratory instrumentation, and similar microprocessor-controlled devices. Embedded systems tend to serve no other function independent of the system into which they are embedded, although some include external data input/output linkages that may pass date-sensitive data to other systems. Operating systems, bootstraps and other pre-programmed instructions are often contained on EPROM or EEPROM