Embedded Systems and its Applications

Abstract
The main aim of this research paper is to explain the key concepts of embedded systems including embedded hardware and embedded software. The word Embedded means hidden. Embedded industry always addresses the computing products produced by Original Device Manufacturers (ODMs) that are incorporated into solution level products by the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The ODM makes a component level product and the OEM embeds this component into a solution level product. Embedded devices are always board and box-level components that are integrated into services designed for specific applications within various verticals like Communications, Computing, Healthcare, Military, Storage, Industrial etc. This paper will first discuss about the major embedded hardware and software services that are being used in the industry today with few graphs proving the dominance of embedded industry in various applications across various regions. The next phase of the paper will give an overall view of the various embedded market segments where it has been used very often. Finally, this paper will talk about the future of embedded industry and its biggest challenges.

a. Embedded Hardware Design

The term Embedded Systems refers to the incorporation of microprocessors, microcontrollers, and integrated circuits (ICs) in equipment, appliances and other devices that provide a certain degree of computer control. The design of embedded systems has several phases such as specification, methodology, representation, validation, and design exploration from a high-level perspective. In todays world embedded systems is everywhere including homes, offices, cars, hospitals, factories, consumer electronics etc. Due to high complexity and the demand for new design approach constantly, the low-level assembly language programming and logic design is of rare use these days and much emphasis is on highlevel design tools. Usually companies offer an end to end product development service which includes various levels of complex designing processes such as embedded hardware, embedded software, and various support services which includes mechanical design and fabrication, product styling and user interface design, product prototyping, assistance in product certification and compliance trials, and finally support in deploying the product. Some of the most common types of embedded hardware services that are provided by the firms are board level and system level designs such as wake-up boards, reference boards, interface boards, mother boards, and single board computers. Generally all these boards are designed for specific applications based on the levels of complexity and density. A board may be of several layers depending on the type of application and generally ranges from 4 to 30 layers. The other type of embedded design is an FPGA (Field programmable gate array) design. This type of design is mainly used by semiconductor companies to validate their silicon and to develop companion FPGAs to enable new opportunities for the silicon. VHDL and Verilog are the main languages used in FPGA design. ASIC (Application specific integrated circuit) design or SOC (System-on-chip) design is another type of embedded hardware design. It requires high-end tools and unique skill sets but yields a lot of money compared to other class of hardware designs. Many companies with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools make use of ASIC design services and also convert FPGA to ASIC design. Firms also offer a range of embedded hardware development services which includes hardware abstraction layer design with kernels under various

operating systems such as WinCE, Nucleus, Embedded Linux, and QNX. They also offer services such as middleware development, network management interfaces, network utility development, remote monitoring and diagnostics tool development.

b. Embedded Software Design

In different sectors, there is always constant demand for products with improved features and functionality that includes high performance with low-power consumption, miniature form factor, efficient low cost designs, faster time to market, and full compliance with regulations. Embedded solutions help to achieve all these by adopting a systematic approach that transforms the clients ideas and specifications into quality products. Embedded technology is provided by solution providers who help to minimize the deliverable timeline, low cost bill of materials (BOM), and engineering costs. Some of the most common services provided by the firms in embedded software development include device driver and diagnostics development, board support package (BSP) development, RTOS bring-up, software architecture and design, user interaction design and usability, software testing and test automation. Protocol stack development and integration is the most widely offered service based on various microprocessors, microcontrollers, FPGA, DSP and System-on-chip.

c. Embedded System Vertical Markets

Embedded systems have found their applications in almost every sector with Networking being the most significant and dominating area. Whether it is an embedded microprocessor in some kind of server I/O device, network infrastructure equipment, or consumer devices network applications and protocols will dominate embedded applications. But networking and embedded should go hand in hand to make the product a big success. For instance, if a device has a 32 bit processor we could then include a network stack with various networking protocols and have that device connected to the outside world very easily. If a widget is connected to a network, it could be remotely managed and this is a powerful feature and one of the reason why the embedded market is exploding the way it is today. This proves the versatility of an embedded device. Also we have low power devices and high-speed digital signal processing chips which find their application in handhelds and point-of-sale (POS) devices which is the future of embedded market. As per the research report from VDC research group, apart from networking the other major areas of focus for embedded in the future will be Communications, Industrial Automation and Control, Medical, Military and Aerospace, and Transportation. Niche markets and emerging applications like retail, digital signage and kiosk energy, renewable etc. are definitely the future of embedded. Embedded has a huge market in industrial automation and military considering all the rugged systems that has been built and to be built in future for a wide range of applications. In medical field, due to the advancement in embedded systems development the medical devices have been shrinking from cart-sized devices to handheld-sized devices. Due to this they are performing more tasks at a faster rate and higher accuracy than ever before. In case of transportation, vehicle infotainment systems are being used everywhere with in-vehicle LCD monitors and touch monitors being the best examples.

d. The Future of Embedded Systems

As per the research conducted over the years, the biggest challenges for embedded systems in the future are security, real-time, scalability, high-availability, and performance-based interoperability. Also solving

an issue in case of embedded is to meet the time constraints going through layers of protocols, software mappings, and switches from one kind of network to another, and through layers of software. As per another survey conducted by Embedded Market Forecasters, it is seen that commercial middleware has a very significant impact on projects cost, time, performance, and risk. Another major concern in embedded space would be safety. Inspite of all these, Nasscom conducted a survey in the early 2011 which proves that the embedded industry would have a significant growth in the coming years. According to them there are 11 verticals that generated huge revenue in the year 2009 such as Aerospace, Automotive, Telecom, Semiconductors, Consumer Electronics, Construction/Heavy Machinery and emerging verticals such as Industrial Automation, Infrastructure, Energy, Computing Systems, and Medical devices. These sectors all together amounted to USD 320-340 billion in 2009 and the revenues are expected to reach between USD 900-1000 billion by 2020.

Conclusion
The usage of embedded solutions in the companies can release new product introductions, enjoy independent verification and validation services, efficient hardware and software integration, chip manufacturing support, board manufacturing support, and finally ensure to build products that are compliant, compatible, and necessary requirements verified. In the coming years, developers should focus more on buying commercial middleware from other embedded vendors and IT middleware vendors to reduce the cost, time, and risk. Also there should be more focus on running systems software and applications correctly since they are used in many safety-critical areas. There should be greater scalability to design more complex software that scales well with existing microcontroller solutions for embedded systems. In future there is no doubt that embedded applications will become the driving force of hardware and software technologies.