An embedded system is a computer system designed to perform one or more dedicated and / or specific functions, often with restrictions of real-time computing. An embedded system is a combination of hardware and software, whether fixed or programmable, that is designed for a specific function or for specific functions within a larger system. Industrial machines, agricultural and process industry devices, automobiles, medical equipment, cameras, household appliances, aircraft, vending machines and toys as well as mobile devices are all possible places for a system Imbibed.
History
One of the first recognized modern systems was the Apollo Guidance Computer, developed by Charles Stark Draper at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. At the start of the project, the Apollo computer was considered the most risky element of the Apollo project as it used newly developed monolithic integrated circuits to reduce size and weight. An early serial-produced embedded system was the Autonetics D-17 steering computer for the Minuteman missile, launched in 1961. When Minuteman II went into production in 1966, the D-17 was replaced by a new computer that was The first high-volume integrated circuits.
Since these early applications in the 1960s, embedded systems have come down in price and there has been a dramatic increase in processing power and functionality. An early microprocessor, for example, the Intel 4004, was designed for calculators and other small systems, but still requires external memory and support chips. In 1978, the National Association of Engineering Manufacturers published a "standard" for programmable microcontrollers, including almost all computer-based controllers, such as single-board computers, numerical controllers, and event-based controllers.
As the cost of microprocessors and microcontrollers decreased, it became feasible to replace costly analogue components based on knobs, such as potentiometers and variable capacitors with up / down buttons or buttons read by a microprocessor even in consumer products. In the early 1980s, the components of the memory, input and output system had been integrated into the same chip as the processor that formed a microcontroller. Microcontrollers find applications where a general-purpose computer would be too costly.
A comparatively low microcontroller can be programmed to fulfill the same role as a large number of separate components. Although in this context an embedded system is generally more complex than a traditional solution, most of the complexity is contained within the microcontroller itself. Very few additional components may be needed and most of the design effort is in the software. Prototype software and testing may be faster compared to designing and building a new circuit that does not use an integrated processor.