Embedded Design

Embedded Systems Design
By
AJAL.A.J
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Electronics & Communication Engineering 1
Dept

Name of University
- Class Title
What Is An Embedded System ?
 A type of computer system.
 Some of the Most Common Traditional Definitions :
– Embedded systems are more limited in hardware
and/or software functionality then the PC.
– An embedded system is designed to perform a
dedicated function
– …
 Why don’t these definitions entirely apply, today?

Name of University
- Class Title
What is an Embedded System [Continued] ?
 Automotive
– i.e. : Ignition Systems, Engine Control, Antilock Braking System, …
 Consumer Electronics
– i.e. : TVs, STBs, appliances, toys, automobiles, cell phones …
 Industrial Control
– i.e. : robotics, control systems…
 Medical
– i.e. : Infusion Pumps, Dialysis Machines, Prosthetic Devices,Cardiac
Monitors, …
 Networking
– i.e. : routers, hubs, gateways, …
 Office Automation
– i.e. : fax machines, photocopiers, printers, monitors, …
** Aside from being types of computer systems, there is no single
definition or characterization of embedded systems reflecting them all. **

Systems engineering point of view:
• When approaching embedded systems
architecture design from a systems
engineering point of view, several models can
be applied to describe the cycle of embedded
system design.
• Most of these models are based upon one or
some combination of the following four
development models:

System Engineering Life Cycle Models
four development models:

four development models:
1.The big-bang model
2.The code-and-fix model
3.The waterfall model
4.The spiral model

big-bang model
• The big-bang model, in which there is
essentially no planning
or processes in place before and during the
development of a system.
Ad HOC MODEL

Name of University
- Class Title
Big-Bang Model
 Developer receives problem statement.
 Developer works in isolation for some
extended time period.
 Developer delivers result.
 Developer hopes client is satisfied.

code-and-fix model
The code-and-fix model, in which
product requirements are defined
But
no formal processes
are in place before the start of development.

waterfall model
The waterfall model, in which
there is a process for developing
a system in steps,
where results of one step
flow into the next step.

Waterfall Model with Back Flow
(sometimes this is implied by “waterfall”)
Requirements
Design
Implementation
Test
Adjustments made to immediately previous phase
based on issues with successive phase.
These slides prepared by Prof. Bob Keller of Harvery Mudd College and printed for ERAU/Prescott SE300 usage with
his kind permission. Slides avaialble online at http://www.cs.hmc.edu/courses/2005/spring/cs121/slides/slides05.ppt

Why Not Waterfall?
1. Complete Requirements Not Known at Project Start
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
10 100 1000 10000 100000
Project Size in Function Points
Creeping Req's as % of Orig
Source: Applied Software Measurement, Capers Jones, 1997. Based on 6,700 systems.

Function Point?
 A function point is a unit of complexity
used in software cost estimation.
Function points are based on number of
user interactions, files to be read/written,
etc.
SLOC means number of source lines of
code, also a measure of program
complexity.

Why Not Waterfall?
2. Requirements are not stable/unchanging.
 The market changes—constantly.
 The goals of the stakeholders
change.
Source: Craig Larman
 The technology changes.

Why Not Waterfall?
3. The design may need to change during
implementation.
 Too many variables, unknowns, and novelties.
 A complete specification must be as detailed as code itself.
 Discover Magazine, 1999: Software characterized as the most
Source: Craig Larman
 Requirements are incomplete and changing.
 Software is very “hard”.
complex “machine” humankind builds.

spiral model
The spiral model, in which there is a
process for developing a system in steps,
and
throughout the various steps,
feedback is obtained and
incorporated back into the
process.

“Life-Cycle” Models ….
 Iterative Models
 Spiral Model & Variants
 ROPES Model
 Controlled Iteration Model: Unified Process
 Time Box Model
 Scrum Model
 Fountain Model

Boehm Spiral Model
(of which some other models are variants)
 An iterative model developed by Barry
Boehm at TRW (1988), now Prof. at USC
 Iterates cycles of these project phases:
1 Requirements definition
2 Risk analysis
3 Prototyping
4 Simulate, benchmark
5 Design, implement, test
6 Plan next cycle (if any)
Prof. Barry
Boehm

Boehm Spiral Model

Risk? What risk?
 One major area of risk is that the
scope and difficulty of the task is not
well understood at the outset.
 This is the so-called “wicked problem”
phenomenon.

“Wicked Problems”
 Many software development projects have
been characterized as “wicked problems”,
meaning:
“problems that are fully understood only
after they are solved the first time”
(however poorly)
 Does not apply only to software

Source of some of this
Prentice-Hall, 1990
basically a criticism of the
waterfall model
“wicked” term first used in
H. Rittel and M. Webber,
Dilemmas in a general
theory of planning, Policy
Sciences, 4, pp. 155-169,
Elsevier, 1973.

Some Roots of Wickedness
 Risk: A customer not knowing exactly what
he/she wants; changing expectations as
project progresses.
 Risk: Staff who are inexperienced in the
problem domain, or with the appropriate
implementation techniques.

The Waffle Principle
 “Plan to throw the first one away; you will
anyhow.”
Fred Brooks, “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software
Engineering”, Addison Wesley, 1975.
Revised in 1995.
 another indication that building a large
software system is wicked

Wicked Problems
 The presence of wickedness is what
makes the iterative / incremental
approaches most appealing.
 Methodologies and organizational
techniques can help control the
degree of wickedness.

US Air Force
Risk Classification
 Performance risk: The project might not
meet requirements or otherwise be fit for
use.
 Cost risk: The budget might get overrun.
 Support risk: The software might not be
adaptable, maintainable, extendable
 Schedule risk: The project might be
delivered too late.

Ways to Manage Risk
 Risk cannot be eliminated; it must be
managed.
 Do thorough requirements analysis before the
design.
 Use tools to track requirements,
responsibilities, implementations, etc.
 Build small prototypes to test and demonstrate
concepts and assess the approach, prior to
building full product.
 Prototype integration as well as components.

Front-Loading
 Tackle the unknown and harder parts earlier
rather than later.
 Better to find out about infeasible, intractable, or
very hard problems early.
 The easy parts will be worthless if the hard parts
are impossible.
 Find out about design flaws early rather than upon
completion of a major phase.

ROPES Model - Similar to Spiral
Rapid Object-Oriented Process for Embedded Systems
Bruce Douglass
 Iterates the following
sequence of phases
repeatedly:
 Requirements analysis
 System analysis
 Object analysis
 Architectural design
 Design
 Mechanistic design
 Detailed design
 Coding
 Unit testing
 Integration testing
 Validation testing
 Iterative prototypes
http://www.sdmagazine.com/breakrm/features/s999f1.shtml

ROPES Model
Rapid Object-Oriented Process for Embedded Systems
Bruce Douglass

Controlled-Iteration Model
 Four phases per major cycle
 Inception: Negotiate and define product for
this iteration
 Elaboration: Design
 Construction: Create fully functional product
 Transition: Deliver product of phase as
specified
 The next phase is started before the end of the
previous phase (say at 80% point).

Rational Unified Process
(a form of controlled iteration)
Process Workflows
Business Modeling
Requirements
Analysis & Design
Implementation
Test
Supporting Workflows
Management
Environment
Preliminary
Iteration(s)
Iter.
#1
Phases
Iter.
#2
Iter.
#n
Iter.
#n+1
Iter.
#n+2
Iter.
#m
Iterations within phases
Iter.
#m+1
Deployment
Configuration Mgmt
Inception Elaboration Construction Transition

Time-Box Requirement
(can be used in iterative or incremental)
 Requirements analysis
 Initial design
 while( not done )
{
Develop a version within a bounded time
Deliver to customer
Get feedback
Plan next version
}

Scrum,
A cure for the Wicked?
Scrum first mentioned in
“The New New Product Development Game” (Harvard Business Review 86116:137-146, 1986)

Scrum Model
(incremental model,
includes some aspects of team structure, as well as process)
Start
A small group is responsible for picking
up the ball and moving it toward the
goal.
See http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_ooa_ood_methods.html
Goal

Argument for the Scrum Model
over other iterative models
 A software development project might not
be compartmentalizable into nice clean
phases as the Spiral models suggest.
 Scrum may be “just the thing” for wicked
problems, because the team can quickly
react to new information.

Some Principles of Scrum Model
 Always have a product that you can theoretically
ship: “done” can be declared at any time.
 Build early, build often.
 Continuously test the product as you build it.
 Assume requirements may change; Have ablility
to adapt to marketplace changes during
development.
 Small teams work in parallel to maximize
communication and minimize overhead.

Concepts Used in Scrum
(from http://www.controlchaos.com/ap.htm)
 Backlog - an identification of all requirements that should be fulfilled in the
completed product. Backlog items are prioritized.
 Objects/Components - self-contained reusable modules
 Packets - a group of objects within which a backlog item will be
implemented. Coupling between the objects within a packet is high. Coupling
between packets is low.
 Team - a group of 6 or fewer members that works on a packet.
 Problem - what must be solved by a team member to implement a backlog
item within an object(s) (includes removing errors)
 Issues - Concerns that must be resolved prior to a backlog item being
assigned to a packet or a problem being solved by a change to a packet
 Solution - the resolution of an issue or problem
 Changes - the activities that are performed to resolve a problem
 Risks - the risk associated with a problem, issue, or backlog item

Use of Iteration in Scrum
http://www.controlchaos.com/scrumwp.htm
 Each iteration consists of all of the standard Waterfall
phases,
 but each iteration only addresses one set of functionality.
 Overall project deliverable has been partitioned into
prioritized subsystems, each with clean interfaces.
 Test the feasibility of subsystems and technology in the
initial iterations.
 Further iterations can add resources to the project while
ramping up the speed of delivery.
 Underlying development processes are still defined and
linear.

Fountain Model
(Ian Graham, et al., The OPEN Process Specification
OPEN = Object-oriented Process Environment and Notation )

Additional Models/Acronyms
 RAD (Rapid Application Development):
time-boxed, iterative prototyping
 JAD (Joint Application Development):
Focus on developing models shared between
users and developers.
 See http://faculty.babson.edu/osborn/cims/rad.htm for
additional points.

Extreme Programming (XP)
(cf. http://www.extremeprogramming.org/rules.html)
 User stories (something like use cases) are written
by the customer.
 Complex stories are broken down into simpler ones
(like a WBS).
 Stories are used to estimate the required amount
of work.
 Stories are used to create acceptance tests.
 A release plan is devised that determines which
stories will be available in which release.
 Don’t hesitate to change what doesn’t work.

 Each release is preceded by a release planning
meeting.
 Each day begins with a stand-up meeting to share
problems and concerns.
 CRC cards are used for design. [XP and CRC were
created by the same person, Kent Beck.]
 Spike solutions are done to assess risks.
 The customer is always available.

 All code must pass unit tests, which are coded
before the code being tested (test-driven
design).
 Refactoring is done constantly.
 Integration is done by one pair.
 Integration is done frequently.
 Optimization is done last.
 Acceptance tests are run often.

System Metaphor?
“Choose a system metaphor to keep the team on the same page by
naming classes and methods consistently. What you name your
objects is very important for understanding the overall design of
the system and code reuse as well. Being able to guess at what
something might be named if it already existed and being right is a
real time saver. Choose a system of names for your objects that
everyone can relate to without specific, hard to earn knowledge
about the system.
For example the Chrysler payroll system was built as a production
line. At another auto manufacturer car sales were structured as a
bill of materials. There is also a metaphor known as the naive
metaphor which is based on your domain itself. But don't choose the
naive metaphor unless it is simple enough.”

Keller’s Roll-Your-Own
Software Life-Cycle Construction Kit
Requirements
Analysis
System Design
Program Design
Implement
Integration Test
Detailed Design
Code
Walkthrough
Port
Unit Test
Acceptance Test
Prototype
Design Review
Requirements
Elicitation
Requirements
Specification
Risk Analysis
Fix Errors
Validate
Verify
Integrate
Cost Analysis
Configure
Maintain
Document
Simulate
Train
Evaluate
Party

Embedded Systems Design and
Development Lifecycle Model

Embedded System Life Cycle Models
(1) 3V Model
(2) Multiple V Model

“V” Model
Each phase has corresponding test or validation counterpart
Requirements
Analysis
System Design
Program Design
Implementation
Acceptance
Integration
Test
Unit Test
Test

Sawtooth Model (Brugge)
Requirements
Analysis
System Design
Program Design
Implementation
Integration Test
Unit Test
Acceptance Test
Demo Prototype 1 Demo Prototype 2

Advanced Life Cycle Models
(1)MDA
(2) Y-Model
(3) Platform-Based Design

1. MDA MODEL
MODEL DRIVEN ARCHITECTURE

3. PLATFORM BASED DESIGN MODEL

Approach used in Platform based Model

Embedded design life cycle diagram

Different Stages
(stage 1) having a strong technical Foundation
(stage 2) understanding the Architectural Business
Cycle
(stage 3) defining the architectural patterns and
models
(stage 4) defining the architectural structures
(stage 5) documenting the architecture
(stage 6) analyzing and reviewing the architecture
(stage 7) Maintenance

7 stages can be merged to 3 steps
1. Product specification
2. Hardware/software partitioning
3. Hardware/software integration

Tools used in the design process

Product specification
• R&D engineers want to incorporate
everything:
– Wastes time and resource
• Marketing and sales will usually execute the
product specification
• Engineers, however, should be involved in
some customer tours
– CPIF - Cost Plus Incentive-Fee (Contract)
– Listening to the customer is good

Common success factors
• Design team shares a common vision of the
product
• Failed projects probably did not share a
common vision of project goals
– Low cost medium performance versus time to
market versus high performance and medium cost
• Often overlooked part of the product
specification phase - the requirement of the
development tools

Common success factors
• Embedded systems projects are late to market
because engineers do not have access to the
best tools
– Tools should be part of the product specification
– Prevents unrealistic expectations
• is/is-not list, or musts and wants

Hardware/software partitioning
• Embedded design usually involves hardware and
software
• Hardware utilizes Micro-processors, Micro-controllers
and Digital Signal Processors but are
neither used nor perceived as computers. Generally,
software is used for features and flexibility, while
hardware is used for performance.
• What is the partitioning decision?
• Different than application developers
– Not a good idea to h/w enhance h/w to address part of a
problem
– The old days of co-processors (FPUs) are over - emulated

Algorithm
• Steps required to implement a design
• Combination of hardware components and
software components
• Hardware/software partitioning also involves
the hows of partitioning the algorithm
(software only, hardware only, combination)
• Think about the simple algorithm of Fibonacci series

Embedded design requirements
• Price sensitive
• Leading edge performers
• Non-standard
• Market competitive
• Proprietary
• These are conflicting in many ways!

Embedded design requirements cont…
• Algorithm partitioning depends on the choice
of processor used in the design
– Several hundreds to choose from!
• Choice of CPU impacts the partitioning
decision which impacts the tools decisions,
etc…

Embedded design requirements cont…
• Variety of possible choices
• Experience required to arrive at optimal
design
• Solution surface is smooth
– Adequate solution not far off from the best
solution
• Constraints dictate the decision path

Iteration and implementation
• Hardware and software paths begin to diverge
• Early design work before the walls go up
(between H/W and S/W)
• Design still very fluid
• Major blocks partitioned
– Boundary can still be moved
• Iteration is common

Iteration and implementation
• Hardware team
– Simulation tools to model performance
• Software team
– Running code benchmarks on self contained systems
(evaluation boards)
– Convenient development environment until the hardware
arrives!
• Tools are helping (keep h/w, s/w engaged longer)
• More tools on their way…

Hardware/software integration
• Special tools and methods to manage the
complexity
• Process of integrating h/w and s/w requires
debugging and discovery
–Did the software team
really understand the
hardware spec?

Hardware/software integration
• Real-time nature of embedded systems leads
to highly complex, non-deterministic behavior
– Can only be analyzed as it occurs
• Accurately modeling and simulating behavior
may be very time consuming
– But tools are getting better!

Product testing and release
• Testing is important when performance is key
• Testing and reliability more stringent
Is system performing at close to its
optimal capabilities?

Compliance testing
• Embedded systems radiate a lot of radio
frequency energy
– “all electronic devices must be turned off…”
• If embedded designer does not consider these
things, compliance engineering (CE) will fail
– Software must be running to pass this test
– This is often overlooked

Maintaining and upgrading
• Not many tools to support applications already in
the field
• 60% of embedded engineers maintain systems
– Original engineer long gone
– Must rely on experience, any existing documentation,
etc…
– Tools might be handy…

Maintaining and upgrading
“time to market” must become
“time to reverse engineer”
and
“time to insight”

Embedded Design

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