Sona College of Technology

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

IT1353 – Embedded Systems

QUESTION BANK

UNIT-I
Introduction to Embedded Systems
Part – A (2 MARKS)
1. Define a System.(1.1.1 Page No -1)
2. What is an embedded system?(1.1.2 Page No -1)
3. What are the main components of an embedded system?(Page No -5)
4. Define embedded microcontroller.(Page No -34)
5. What are the various classifications of embedded systems?(Page No -4)
6. What are the two essential units of a processor on a embedded system?(Page No-5)
7. What does the execution unit of a processor in a embedded system do?(Page No -6)
8. Give examples for general purpose processor.(Page No -7)
9. Define microprocessor.(Page No -7)
10. When is Application Specific System processors (ASSPs) used in an embedded
system?(Page No -37)
11. What is the need for LCD and LED displays?(Page No -17)
12. Define ROM image.(Page No -19,20)
13. Define device driver.(Page No -24)
14. Name some of the software’s used for the detailed designing of an embedded system.
(Page No -26)
15. What are the various models used in the design of a embedded system?(Page No -23)
16. Give some examples for small scale embedded systems.(Page No -52)
17. Give some examples for medium scale embedded systems(Page No -52)
18. Give some examples for sophisticated embedded systems(Page No -52)

Part – B (16 MARKS)

1. List the hardware units that must be present in the embedded systems. (16) (Page No
10 to 18 1.3 Embedded Hardware units and devices in a system)
2. i) Explain the Exemplary applications of each type of embedded system. (8) (Page No
27, 28, 29 1.5 Examples of Embedded Systems)
ii) Explain the different program layers in the embedded software and also the process of
converting a “C” program into the file for ROM image with suitable block diagrams. (8)
(Page No- 22, 23).
3. Explain the Embedded System on Chip (SoC) & in VLSI circuit.(16) (Page No-
29,30,31 1.6 Embedded system on chip & VLSI circuit).
4. i) Explain the various form of memories present in a system (8) (Page No- 12, 13
1.3.5 Memory).
ii) Explain the software tools in designing of an embedded system. (8) (Page No- 25, 26
1.4.8 Software Tools for Designing of an Embedded system)
 Unit-II
Devices and Buses for Devices Network
Part – A (2 MARKS)

1. Differentiate synchronous communication and iso-synchronous communication.(Page

No -134)
2. What are the two characteristics of synchronous communication?(Page No -134)
3. What are the three ways of communication for a device?(Page No -137)
4. Expand a) SPI b) SCI(Page No -139,140)
5. Define software timer. (Page No -156 Below Table 3.7)
6. What is I2C?(Page No -161)
7. What are the bits in I2C corresponding to?(Page No -161 Table 3.9)
8. What is a CAN bus? Where is it used?(Page No -163)
9. What is USB? Where is it used?(Page No -165)
10. What are the features of the USB protocol?(Page No -163)
11. Explain briefly about PCI and PCI/X buses.(Page No -169)
12. Define half-duplex communication.(Page No -133)
13. Define full duplex communication.(Page No -133)
14. Define Real Time Clock (RTC)?(Page No -159)
15. Define Time-out or Time Overflow? (Page No -184)

Part – B (16 MARKS)

1. i) Explain the parallel port devices. (8) (PAGE NO- 143 to 149 3.3 Parallel Device
Ports).
ii) Explain the sophisticated interfacing features in device ports. (8) (PAGE NO-
150,151 3.4 sophisticated interfacing features in device ports).
2. Explain the timer and counting devices. (16). (PAGE NO- 152 to 157 3.6 Timer and
Counting Devices).
3. i) Explain the signal using a transfer of byte when using the I2C bus and also the
format of bits at the I2C bus with diagram. (8) (PAGE NO- 161,162 3.10.1 I2C Bus Fig
3.10)
ii) Explain the internal serial communication devices. (8) (Page No -160 to 165 3.10
Serial Bus Communication Protocols)
4. Explain the following parallel communication devices:
i) ISA bus (8) (PAGE NO- 167, 168 3.11.1 ISA Bus)
ii) PCI and PCI/X (8) (PAGE NO- 168,169 3.11.2 PCI and PC/X Buses)
 Unit – III
Programming Concepts and Embedding Programming in C,C++

Part – A (2 MARKS)
1. What is Development Cycle?(Page No -270)
2. Define In-line assembly(Page No -270)
3. What is Object oriented programming?(Page No -270)
4. Define Class.(Page No -269)
5. Differentiate Scalar data type and Reference data type.(Page No -271)
6. Define NULL function(Page No -270)
7. What is a Runtime Library?(Page No -271)
8. What is Multiple Inheritance?(Page No -270)
9. Define Exception handling(Page No -270)
10. What is IO stream?(Page No -270)
11. What is a Foundation class?(Page No -270)
12. What is a Class library?(Page No -269)
13. Define Modularity and Robustness(Page No -270)
14. What is Platform Independence?(Page No -239 5.2.4)
15. What is a Preprocessor Directive?(Page No -271)
16. What is a Data structure?(Page No -242 5.4.3)

Part – B (16 MARKS)

1. i) Tabulate program elements: Macros and Functions and their uses. (8) (PAGE NO-
240 Table 5.1).
ii) Explain the use of pointers, NULL pointers (8) (PAGE NO- 241,242 5.4.2 Use of
Pointers and NULL Pointers Example 5.2).
2. i) Explain the multiple function calls in the cyclic order in the main. Also write the
advantages of building ISR queues. Explain (8) (Page No 258 to 262)
ii) Explain the ‘C’ program compiler and cross compiler. (8) (Page No -625)
3. i) Explain the optimization of memory codes. (8) (Page No -264 5.6.3 Optimization
of codes in Embedded c++ Programs to Eliminate the Disadvantages)
ii)Explain the Embedded programming in C++. (8) (Page No 263, 264 5.6 Embedded
programming in C++.)
4. Explain the function pointers, function queues and ISR queues. (16) (Page No 259,260
5.4.8 function pointers, function queues and ISR queues)
 Unit – IV
Real time Operating Systems – Part -1
Part – A (2 MARKS)

1. Define process.(PAGE NO- 305).

2. Define task and Task state.(PAGE NO- 308).
3. Define Task Control Block (TCB)(PAGE NO- 311).
4. What is a thread?(PAGE NO- 306).
5. Define Synchronization.(PAGE NO- 347).
6. Define Inter process communication.(PAGE NO- 332).
7. What is shared data problem?(PAGE NO- 328).
8. Define Semaphore.(PAGE NO- 315).
9. Define Mutex.(PAGE NO- 318,329).
10. Differentiate counting semaphore and binary semaphore.(PAGE NO- 321,315).
11. What is Buffer? (Page No -346)
12. What is Priority inversion?(PAGE NO- 329,330).
13. What is Deadlock situation?(PAGE NO- 329).
14. Define Message Queue.(PAGE NO- 380).
15. Define Mailbox and Pipe.(PAGE NO- 337,339).
16. Define Socket.(PAGE NO- 341).
17. Define Remote Procedure Call.(PAGE NO- 345).

Part – B (16 MARKS)

1. i) Explain the goals of operating system services. (8) . (PAGE NO- 351, 352 8.1.1
Goal).
ii) Explain the three alternative systems in three RTOS for responding a hardware source
call with the diagram. (8) (PAGE NO- 367).
2. i) Explain the scheduler in which RTOS insert into the list and the ready task for
sequential execution in a co-operative round robin model. (8) (PAGE NO- 389,390,391).
ii) Explain the fifteen point strategy for synchronization between the processes, ISRs, OS
functions and tasks for resource management. (8)
3. i) Explain the critical section service by a preemptive scheduler. (8)(PAGE NO-397
8.10.4).
ii) Explain the Rate Monotonic Co-operative scheduling. (8)(PAGE NO- 398 8.10.5) .
 Unit – V
Real time Operating Systems – Part -2
Part – A (2 MARKS)

1. Name any two important RTOS. ? (PAGE NO- 474 2nd point in summary)
2. What is meant by well tested and debugged RTOS? (PAGE NO- 476 well tested and
debugged RTOS).
3. What is sophisticated multitasking embedded system? ? (PAGE NO- 475)
4. Name any two mailbox related functions. (PAGE NO- 438 Table 9.6).
5. Name any two queue related functions for the inter task communications. (PAGE NO
447 Table 9.7).
6. Name some application for the Vx Works RTOS.
Answer: Some of the application are
 Wind River General Purpose Platform
 Wind RiverPlatform for Automotive Devices
 Wind River Platform for Consumer Devices
 Wind River Platform for Industrial Devices
 Wind River Platform for Network Equipment
 VxWorks 653 Platform
 Wind River VxWorks DO-178B Platform
 Wind River VxWorks 61508 Platform
 Wind River VxWorks MILS Platform
7. How is Vx Works TCB helpful for tasks? (PAGE NO- 454 Vx works TCB).
8. What are the various features of Vx Works? (PAGE NO-454 9.3.1).
9. What is an active task in the context of Vx Works? (PAGE NO- 455 7th point).
10. What are the task service functions supported by Vx Works? (PAGE NO- 457
Table 9.8).
11. Name any four interrupt service functions supported by Vx Works? (PAGE NO- 461
Table 9.10).
12. Name some of the inter process communication function. (PAGE NO- 463 Table
9.11).
13. Name some of the inter process communication function used for messaging. (PAGE
NO- 463 Table 9.11).
14. What are Vx Works pipes? (PAGE NO- 472 12th point).
15. What is signal servicing function? (Page No -462 9.3.4 IPC Functions)
16. What are the different types of scheduling supported by Vx Works? (PAGE NO- 454
9.3.1 Basic Function 3rd point).

Part – B (16 MARKS)

1. Draw and explain basic system of an Automatic chocolate vending system(PAGE NO-
43, 44 and 299).
2. Discuss with the diagram task synchronization model for a specific application(PAGE
NO- 596, 597 and 613).
3. i)Explain the case study of an embedded system for a smart card. (8) (PAGE NO- 593
to 603).
ii) Explain the features of Vx Works. (8) (PAGE NO- 454,455 9.3.1 Basic Features).
4. Explain the RTOS programming tool MicroC/OS-II. (PAGE NO- 410 to 453 9.2
RTOS micro COS II).
Explain the Fifteen point strategy for synchronization between the
processes, ISRs, OS functions and tasks for resource management. (8
Marks)

An embedded system with a single CPU can run only one process at an instance. The
process at any instance may either be an ISR, scheduler or task. For designing the codes
for synchronization between the processes, the following fifteen points must be taken into
account:
1. Use appropriate precedence assignment strategy.
2. The ISR can only write (send) the messages for an RTOS and parameters for the
tasks. No ISR instruction should block any task. Only an RTOS must initiate
actions according to the variables, semaphores, queues, mailboxes and pipes for
interactions with the tasks and an RTOS must only control the states of the tasks.
The variables and task-switching flags must always be under the RTOS control.
No ISR instruction should read and change the task switch flags or messages for
the tasks and RTOS.
3. The ISR coding should be like a reentrant function with no shared data problems.
The ISR should be short and execute the codes that should not wait for actions by
the RTOS and tasks.
4. A task should not call another task as each task has to be under the RTOS control.
Such an attempt should generate an error.
5. A task can get the messages and send the messages using the RTOS calls only.
6. While executing the critical section codes, if possible, instead of disabling the
interrupts only the task-switching flag changes should be prevented. Thus only
the preemption by RTOS should be prevented. Disabling preemption may be
better than disabling interrupts. However, both increase worst-case interrupt
latencies.
7. Resource locking using the mutex semaphores may be better than disabling
preemption or interrupts. Use of mutex semaphore functions, P and V, is a way of
resource locking.
8. A task should take the semaphore only during a short period in which the critical
section alone is executed. Disabling of running of other tasks for a longer period
increases the worst-case interrupt latency periods of all the interrupts.
9. Relative response times improve on multitasking but a limited number of multiple
tasks should be preferred. It reduces the context switching intervals and stack
needs. Otherwise the response time advantages are lost and the sum of the stacks
for each task needs a larger memory.
10. The RTOS crate() function to create a task takes longer CPU time than writing
into a queue and then reading from the queue, and using a semaphore takes the
least. Therefore, use semaphores if that suffices. Getting a semaphore takes the
least CPU time. Use signals for the most urgent inter-process communications
(for example, error reporting by throwing the exceptions).
11. Create tasks at start-up only and avoid creating and deleting tasks later. The only
advantage of deleting is the availability of additional memory space. Suppose a
task is deleted by an RTOS delete () function. Now a situation can be that a task
is waiting for a semaphore (to let other tasks finish the critical section) or is
waiting for a queue (or mailbox) message for a pointer at the RTOS, and that
pointer is for a message to the task that has been deleted. A prolonged blocking
or a deadly embrace or a deadlock will then occur. An RTOS may not provide
protection for these situations.
 12. Semaphores, queues, and messages should not be globally shared variables, and
each should be shared between a set of tasks only and encapsulated from the rest.
13. Use idle CPU time for internal functions. Often, the CPU may not be running any
task. All tasks may be waiting for preemption (for transition from ready place to
running place). The CPU at that instant may associate the RTOS for the
following. Read the internal queue, Manage the memory, Search for a free block
of memory, delete or dispatch a task, perform the internal and inter-process
communication functions.
14. If memory allocation and de-allocation is done by the task the number of RTOS
functions is reduced. This reduces the interrupt-latency periods as execution of
these functions takes significant time by the RTOS whenever the RTOS preempts
a task.
15. Use a configurable or hierarchical RTOS, which can put only the needed
functions from the scheduler with the rest outside. This is because the preemption
scheduling increases the interrupt latency periods due to time spent in context
switching and saving and retrieving pointers for the RTOS functions like memory
allocation, and inter process communications. The interrupt latency is minimized
if the functions for the memory management, file system functions, inter process
communication (for example, pipe, signal, socket, and RPC) are outside the
scheduler at a hierarchical RTOS. Hierarchical RTOS means the RTOS derives
the limited functions for the scheduler and the rest of the functions link and bind
dynamically when needed.

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