Introduction to Embedded System

It is really fantastic that today science has developed a lot. Today we can do everything in a very short period apart from our imagination.The technological world of today runs on a hidden technology called as Embedded Systems.Embedded systems are the name given to the chips within our mobile phones, modems and set-top boxes. These chips are the opposite of the normal chips that are deployed in our personal computers like laptops and desktops.

History:

In the earliest years of computers in the 1930–40s, computers were sometimes dedicated to a single task, but were far too large and expensive for most kinds of tasks performed by embedded computers of today. Over time however, the concept of programmable controllers evolved from traditional electromechanical sequencers, via solid state devices, to the use of computer technology.

One of the very first recognizably modern embedded systems was the Apollo Guidance Computers, developed by Charles Stark at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory. At the project's inception, the Apollo guidance computer was considered the riskiest item in the Apollo project as it employed the then newly developed monolithic integrated circuits to reduce the size and weight.Since these early applications in the 1960s, embedded systems have come down in price and there has been a dramatic rise in processing power and functionality. The first microprocessor for example, the Intel 4004 was designed for calculators and other small systems but still required external memory and support chips. Nowadays microcontrollers are cheap and readily available for hobbyists, with large online communities around certain processors.

Growth Of Android In Embedded System:

Linux has continuously grown in the embedded systems market for over a decade, gaining market share from proprietary operating systems. The proliferation of embedded devices, the explosion of open source development, the inherent hardware support, the incredible networking capabilities and the royalty-free economic model have all helped propel use of the Linux kernel into one of the best choices for the design of new embedded systems. While the success of Linux in the embedded market can not be denied, its notoriety was once confined to mostly technical professionals. That changed in 2008 with Google’s release of the Android mobile phone operating system, based on the Linux kernel. Thus began the tremendous growth of Linux in the consumer world, with over one million Android devices being activated every day in 2012 and predictions of total Android devices shipped reaching one billion in 2013.
Embedded System In Automobiles:

An embedded system is defined as a computer system with a fanatical function surrounded by a larger mechanical or electrical system, frequently with real time computing constriction.Nearly each and every car that ways off the manufacture line nowadays take advantage and use of embedded technology in one or the other way. The majority of the embedded systems in automobiles are jagged in nature because nearly every system is made up of a single chip.

Embedded system facilitates them to fit easily under the confined lid of a car. It can be used to execute features starting from modification of the deferral to suit road conditions and the petroleum component in the fuel to anti lock braking systems and security systems. It can convert a dream into reality by developing a drive less vehicle control, as big and main automobile producers are already occupied in work on this philosophy. Ford has acknowledged a technology with the name called Adaptive Cruise Control. It lets cars to maintain a distance which is safe on busy roads and highways from other vehicles. The speed and distance of the car from other vehicles can be easily and quickly set by the driver with ease. The ACC computer inbuilt regularly controls the choke and brakes of the car. 

Future Scope of Embedded System:

Embedded systems market is expected to grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 13% over the period, rising from $32 billion in 1998 to nearly $67 billion in 2004.Software for embedded applications, which includes realtime operating systems and portable operating systems, will see the second highest growth, with an AAGR of over 16% through the period. Market heavyweights Microsoft and Sun have entered the embedded systems marketplace, their Windows CE and Java offerings, respectively.

Embedded processors, the largest segment in terms of revenue, will grow at 11.2% on average per year. Embedded systems are designed to do some specific task, rather than be a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. Some also have real time performance constraints that must be met, for reasons such as safety and usability; others may have low or no performance requirements, allowing the system hardware to be simplified to reduce costs.