An embedded system is a computer system designed for a specific function within a larger system, and often has one or more real-time computing constraints.
Embedded Software Engineering is the process of controlling various devices and machines that are different from traditional computers, using software engineering. Integrating software engineering with non-computer devices leads to the formation of embedded systems.
Embedded systems are typically popular in medical science, consumer electronics, manufacturing science, aviation, automotive technology.
A typical embedded system requires a wide range of programming tools, microprocessors and operating systems. Embedded software engineering, performed by embedded software engineers, needs to be tailored to the needs of the hardware that it has to control and run on.
The software and operating system requirements of an embedded system is also different from a traditional computer based system. Typically embedded systems use basic embedded system software such as C, C++, ADA, etc. Some specialized embedded systems may use OS such as Windows CE, LINUX, TreadX, Nucleus RTOS, OSE, etc.
Embedded software engineering differs from traditional application development in terms of the additional consideration to external factors such as temperature and other environmental factors that may affect performance.
Like so many systems engineering areas, the embedded software engineer’s job has changed dramatically over the past two decades and continues to evolve.
In the early days of embedded systems, developers used “simple” 8-bit or 16-bit architectures that a developer could master over the course of several months during a development cycle. Over the past several years, many teams have moved to more complex 32-bit architectures.
They don’t just include a few peripherals for sampling sensors and communicating, but also hardware for USB, external memory, DMA, TCP/IP, Bluetooth, and many other peripherals that would take a developer perhaps years to truly master.
Bottom line: Embedded systems have started to become extremely complex. The big push to connect every device to the internet to create the IoT is causing a demand for embedded software engineers that has not yet been seen in recent history.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Software Engineering for Embedded Systems, a 4-day workshop that provides the techniques and technologies in software engineering to optimally design and implement an embedded system. Participants will learn about key embedded systems, software engineering problems/issues and references to their solution.
Additionally learn about core methods and how to apply them, examples that demonstrate timeless implementation details, case studies, design guidelines and trade-offs.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.