Course details

Design of Embedded Systems

NAV Acad. year 2021/2022 Summer semester 5 credits

Current academic year

The themes of lectures deal with problems that must be solved by a designer during the design of components of an embedded system. Students will become acquainted with the principles of I/O bus system operation and the communication with adapters (communication with memory components, registers, interrupt request generation and its service, DMA request generation and its service). The principles of component design (synthesis) for peripheral operation control will be discussed. The laboratory tutorials will be directed towards the presentation of these principles on a computer structure in a design system environment.

Guarantor

Course coordinator

Language of instruction

Czech

Completion

Examination (written)

Time span

  • 26 hrs lectures
  • 16 hrs laboratories
  • 10 hrs projects

Assessment points

  • 60 pts final exam (written part)
  • 15 pts mid-term test (written part)
  • 8 pts labs
  • 17 pts projects

Department

Lecturer

Instructor

Subject specific learning outcomes and competences

  • Students will become acquainted with the principles of digital systems design with complex sequential behavior reflecting the conditions in which the application will operate.
  • They will become acquainted with tools to support designer.
  • They will learn how an implementation will be subdivided between software and hardware components.
  • They will learn how to design controllers of independently operating computer systems operating in real environment and communicating with a user or systems on higher level.


  • Student learns to design a master's work solo and as a member of a team.
  • Student learns terminology in Czech and English language.

Learning objectives

To develop knowledge gained in courses from the area of computer systems construction and demonstrate these principles in the field of  embedded systems design and integration. To utilize this knowledge in the design and implementation of complex digital systems with comprehensive sequential behavior. Students will be taught how to analyze the conditions in which the equipment under design will operate and on the basis of the analysis how to identify the trade-off between price, reliability and dynamic parameters. In laboratory tutorials students will study the structure and operation principles of  embedded systems components and their design in design system environment.

Recommended prerequisites

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

  • Knowledge of programming in an assembly language and C language, basics of VHDL.
  • Knowledge of electronic circuit principles and computer architectures.

Study literature

  • Daniele Lacamera: Embedded Systems Architecture - Explore architectural concepts, pragmatic design patterns, and best practices to produce robust system. Packt Publishing, 2018, ISBN 978-1788832502.
  • Jonathan W. Valvano: Embedded Microcomputer Systems, Real Time Interfacing. Brooks/Cole, 2000, ISBN 0-534-36642-2.
  • Ken Arnold: Embedded Controller Hardware Design. LLH Technology Publishing, 2001, ISBN 1-878707-52-3.
  • Stuart R. Ball: Embedded Microprocessor Systems: Real World Design. Newnes, 2002, ISBN 0-7506-7534-9.

Syllabus of lectures

  1. Embedded system, design techniques, specification, embedded system requirement.
  2. Selection of an appropriate platform, microcontroller. Pros and cons of using micro-controller in various situations.Other options how to implement an embedded system.
  3. Hardware and software approach to embedded system functions.
  4. Digital inputs, binary information processing, digital outputs, two-state actuators control, extending digital inputs and outputs.
  5. Analog input and output, converters, comparators, control of analog actuators.
  6. Sensors and their interfacing to an embedded system. Modern types of sensors.
  7. Human interaction of embedded system, keyboard, status and general information visualization, LED displays, LCD character-based and graphics displays.
  8. Communication inside embedded system with multiple processors, communication with external systems, serial synchronous and asynchronous, parallel, widespread protocols, networks.
  9. System level design, design of a System on Chip (SoC).
  10. How to design and realise an embedded system on a PCB, techniqes and constraints of PCB design.
  11. Power supply and power consumption of an embedded systems. Principles and techniques of power savin.
  12. Typical software architecture of embedded system. Styles and techniques used in embedded software.
  13. Debugging and diagnostics of embedded systems.

Syllabus of laboratory exercises

  • A minimal embedded computer system with a MCU.
  • Expanding MCU outputs practically.
  • Communication between MCU and a peripheral or a sensor.
  • Push-pull driver and H-bridge control.

Syllabus - others, projects and individual work of students

  • Basic design of a small embedded system.

Progress assessment

  • Lab experiments - 8 points.
  • Evaluated project with the defense - 17 points.
  • Written mid-term exam - 15 points.
  • Final written examination - 60 points.

Controlled instruction

Laboratory exercises - in each exercise students perform an independent experiment with a partial solution, the result is practically presented to the teacher and submitted electronically. The submitted and presented solution is evaluated by the teacher by assigning the appropriate number of points. The substitution of a laboratory exercise is possible by agreement with the lecturer on one of the following dates.

Course inclusion in study plans

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