One of the annotations of embedded systems
Summary of embedded systems for the 21st century
Beijing Taskin Software Technology Co., Ltd. (BTS)
China Single Chip Microcomputer Public Laboratory (BOL)
Lujing Jianhai Bridge
(http://www.bol-system.com)
Abstract: According to the application field, the new definition of embedded computer and general-purpose computer is proposed for computer classification, summarizing the characteristics of embedded system industries and its development, and summarizes the development and status quo of embedded processors. The real-time multi-task operating system (RTOS) has become a hotspot for embedded systems. This article discusses in detail in RTOS and its relationship with embedded development. Application of industrialization.
Keywords: embedded software industry, embedded system, real-time multi-task operating system (RTOS)
1 Classification of computer industry
In the past, we divided into large computers, medium-sized machines, small machines and microcomputers in accordance with the computer architecture, computing speed, structural scale, and to organize disciplines and industrial divisions. This classification follows about 40 year. In the past 10 years, with the rapid development of computer technology, the actual situation has produced fundamental changes, such as personal computers (PCs) evolved from the microcomputers defined at the end of the 1970s, and now it has taken a 90% market in the global computer industry. The processing speed has also exceeded the definition of the large and medium-sized computers. With the broad penetration of computer technology and products, it becomes more practical with the application-centric classification method, that is, it is divided into embedded computers and general-purpose computers according to computer embedded applications and non-embedded applications. .
The general computer has a computer standard form. By assembling different applications, the class is in various aspects of the society, and the typical products are PCs; and embedded computers are hidden in various forms of embedded systems. Devices, products and systems.
2 Embedded Systems
The embedded system is defined as a centered, based on computer technology, software hardware can be cropped, adapting to the application system to function, reliability, cost, volume, and power consumption. Computer system.
The embedded computer far exceeds a variety of general-purpose computers on the application, including 5-10 embedded microprocessors, keyboards, mouse, floppy drives, hard drives, display cards, displays, modems in an external device of a general computer. , NIC, sound card, printer, scanner, digital camera, USB hub, is controlled by embedded processors. In the manufacturing industry, process control, communication, instruments, instruments, automobiles, ships, aviation, aerospace, military equipment, consumer products, etc. are the application areas of embedded computers.
The embedded system is a product that combines advanced computer technology, semiconductor technology, and electronic technology and specific applications of various industries. This decides that it is inevitably a technology intensive, intensive, highly dispersed, and innovative knowledge integration. system.
Today, the annual output of the embedded system has exceeded 10 trillion US dollars. In 1997, the report from the US Embedded System Conference pointed out that only the full digital TV products of the embedded computer system in the next five years. A new market will be produced in the United States for $ 150 billion. The senior manager of Ford, USA, has also claimed that "Ford sells' computing power" has exceeded IBM ", thereby you can see the scale and breadth of embedded computer industry. In November 1998, the Embedded Internet Based on RTOS-based Embedded Internet was a technology new hotspot based on the embedded system conference in California, California.
The famous American future learner Niger, January 1999, visiting China, and after 4 to 5 years, the embedded intelligence (computer) tool will be the greatest inventions after the PC and the Internet. my country's famous embedded system expert Shenxu List is in the article "Computer Development and Technology" published by the 11th Microcomputer in Wuhan, in November, in Wuhan, in the article, computer industry based on embedded chips in the next 10 years. Scientific elaboration and prospects.
3 Embedded system industries and requirements
(Embedded System Industry, ESI)
3.1 Embedded System Industry is an inhalmonically highly dispersed industry in a sense that the technology of general computer industry is monopoly. 80% of the computer industry, 80% of Intel's 8x86 architecture, basically from Intel, AMD, and Cyrix, etc. Microsoft's Windows and Word account for 80-90% of Microsoft's WIDOWS and WORD, with other applications, with an essential operating system and writing processor. Therefore, the foundation of contemporary general-purpose computer industry is considered to be a monopoly of Wintel (Alliances established in the early 1990s).
The embedded system is different. It is a dispersed industry, full of competition, opportunities and innovations, no series of processors and operating systems can monopolize all markets. Even in the architecture, there is a mainstream, but the different applications that are different are determined to have few companies, and a few products monopolize all the markets. Therefore, the products and technologies in the field of embedded systems are inevitably dispersed, and the innovation of small and medium-sized high-tech companies left to various industries is large. In addition, the field of various applications in society is constantly developing, and the core of the embedded processor is also developed, which also constitutes a powerful driving force to promote the development of embedded industrial.
The basis of the embedded system industry is based on the application-centric "chip" design and application-oriented software product development.
3.2 Embedded systems have product characteristics
The embedded system is user-oriented, and applied, if independent is independent, it will lose the market. The power consumption, volume, cost, reliability, speed, processing capacity, electromagnetic compatibility, etc. of the embedded processor are restrictions on the application requirements, which is also a hot spot between various semiconductor vendors.
Unlike general-purpose computers, hardware and software of embedded systems must be highly efficiently designed, measured, to remove redundancy, and strive to achieve higher performance on the same silicon area, so that the selection of the processor can be used in the specific application. More competitive. The embedded processor is designed for the user's specific needs, and the chip configuration is cropped and added to achieve the ideal performance; however, it is also subject to the user's order quantity. Therefore, users facing different processors are different, which may be general users, industry users or single users.
The embedded system and the specific application are organically combined, and its upgrade is also in synchronization with the specific product, so the embedded system product has a longer life cycle. Software in embedded systems, generally cured in read-only memory, rather than being used as carriers, can be replaced at will, so the application software life cycle of embedded systems is as long as embedded products. In addition, the application systems and products of each industry are different, and universal computer software, few sudden jumps, and software in embedded systems, therefore, more emphasizable, and technological adhesive, and development is relatively stable.
The development of embedded processors also reflects stability, and a system is generally 8-10 years. A architecture and its related on-chip peripherals, development tools, library functions, embedded applications are a complex knowledge system, users and semiconductor vendors do not easily give up a processor.
3.3 Characteristics of embedded system software
The application software of embedded processors is the key to implementing embedded system functions, and the requirements for embedded processor system software and application software are different from general purpose computers.
(1) Software requires solid state storage
In order to improve the execution speed and system reliability, the software in the embedded system is generally cured in a memory chip or a single-chip itself, rather than being stored in a carrier such as a disk.
(2) Software code high quality, high reliability
Although the development of semiconductor technology has increased processor speed, on-chip memory capacity is increasing, but in most applications, storage space is still valuable, and there is still real-time requirements. To this end, the quality of the program is highly quality and the quality of the compilation tool is high to reduce the length of the program binary code and improve the execution speed.
(3) System software (OS) is the basic requirements
In multitasking embedded systems, the reasonable scheduling of the tasks that are different from the importance is effective, which guarantees the key to each task to execute, and simply improve the processor speed cannot be completed and inefficient, this task scheduling It can only be done by the system software that is optimized, so the high-performance time of system software is basic requirement. (4) Multi-tasking operating system is the basis for the integration of knowledge integration and the establishment of industrial standardization roads
3.4 Embedded system development requires development tools and environments
The general purpose computer has a perfect human-machine interface interface that adds some development applications and environments to its own development. The embedded system itself does not have bootstrap development capabilities. Even after design completion, users usually cannot modify the program functions in the design, there must be a set of development tools and environments to develop, these tools and environments are generally based on general-purpose computers. Software and hardware equipment and various logic analyzers, mixed signal oscilloscopes, etc.
3.5 Embedded system software requires RTOS development platform
A general computer has a complete operating system and application interface (API), which is part of the computer basic components, the application development and completion of software runs on the OS platform, but it is generally not real-time. The embedded system is different. The application can run directly on the chip without the operating system; however, in order to reasonably schedule multitasking, use the system resources, system functions, and expert library function interfaces, users must choose the RTOS development platform, so that Ensure the real-time, reliability, and reduce development time, and ensure software quality.
3.6 Embedded system developers dominated by application experts
General Computer developers are generally professional in computer science or computer engineering, while embedded systems are combined with applications of different industries, require more professional knowledge other than computer, and their developers are often all Experts in the field of application. Therefore, it is essential, easy to use, reliable and efficient, and efficient.
Conclusion
China's single-chip application and embedded system development have passed the 15 years of history, with more than 100,000 engineers engaged in microcontrollers, but more than 95% of 3 to 5 people have almost unreastable development. Software. It is facing the trend of embedded system industrialization today. If we can't recognize embedded software to produce development in industrialization, it is not understood in a short time assembly "hundreds of people" embedded product software library to curing the chip Among the methods, then we will lose more market opportunities for "upstream" products; vice versa to promote and build "embedded software factories", making our embedded software library (parts) products and dissolve into the international market It has a strategic significance for accelerating knowledge innovation and establishing a six-century knowledge economy. We hope to explore communication with you through http://www.mcu-world.com Chinese URL.
CompRehensive Survey On MCU & Embedded System Industry
Beijing Open Lab. Lu Jingjian
(P.O.BOX 9716 - 401, Beijing, 100101)
[Abstract] The article gives the new definition of embedded computer on basis of computer's classification according to the application's fields. It sums up the features of the embedded system industry, generalizes the development and situation of embedded processors. Real Time Operation System (RTOS) has became the hot topic in the field of embedded system. and RTOS and its relationship with embedded development are also discussed in this article. It submits the puzzles and challenges faced by microcontroller application industry of China and how to establish the concepts of embedded application industrialization . [Key Words] Embedded Software Industry, Embedded System, RTOS
