MODULE SPECIFICATION FORM
Module Title:
Level:
Embedded System Design
Module code:
(if known)
ENGM14
Semester(s) in which to
be offered:
Existing/New:
Existing
Title of module being
replaced (if any):
Originating Subject:
Engineering
Module duration
(contact hours/directed
private study):
200 hours
(48 hrs contact, 152 hrs
directed and self-study)
1
M (7)
With effect from:
Module leader:
0%
Programme(s) in which to be offered:
Pre-requisites per
programme (between
levels):
20
Sept. 2010
Y Hu
Status: core/option/elective
(identify programme where
appropriate):
Percentage taught by Subjects other than
originating Subject (please name other Subjects):
MSc
 Electrical and Electronic Systems - Option
 Advanced Electronics Techniques - Core
 Digital and Radio Frequency Communication Systems
- Option
 Renewable Energy Systems and Sustainability Option
Credit Value:
See below
Co-requisites per
programme (within a
level):
Module Aims:
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of advanced digital system design
techniques and the advanced methods in digital system design, optimise design and implementation
while minimising the size and costs, so as to prepare students to solve practical problems and to carry
out research and development.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate in-depth understanding of the subject area and its development, including current
problems.
2. Evaluate and select microprocessors for given applications: in both hardware and software.
3. Carry out digital system design using sequential and concurrent process models.
4. Select appropriate methods and techniques to design, program and critically evaluate embedded
use of logic arrays and microcontrollers, from software specification to hardware implementation.
Transferable skills
Knowledge and skills to conduct research and advanced technical and professional activities.
Analytical, synoptic and integrative skills.
Assessment: please indicate the type(s) of assessment (eg examination, oral, coursework, project) and the weighting of
each (%). Details of indicative assessment tasks must be included.
Assessment is by means of an assignment, consisting of a design, implementation and evaluation
exercise, and unseen examination papers (a two hours examination at the end of module).
Assessment
Learning
Type of
Weighting Duration
Word count or
Outcomes to
assessment
(if exam)
equivalent if
be met
appropriate
Throughout
Assessment
Outcomes
In-course
50%
Not relevant – but
Module
One:
assignment
equivalent to 2000
1, 2, 3, 4
Assessment
Outcomes 3, 4 Examination
50%
2 hours
Two:
Learning and Teaching Strategies:
The module will be delivered througn lecturers, tutorials and practical exercises. There will be also
organised tutor-led seminars and group discussions as class based learning. Students will come to
this module with a variety of experiences of work in organisations which the class based seminars
will build on. Tutorials will involve case studies which illustrate lecture material.
Directed study guides will be available for students. There is also a recommended reading list
including some journal papers. Moodle on the Internet will be used to support the module study.
Syllabus outline:
Introduction: Embedded control systems overview, common design metrics.
Brief review of languages: assembly and high-level languages.
Processor technology: Concept, features and application examples on embedded control systems.
Custom and standard single-purpose processors, general-purpose processors.
Memories: Memory write ability; storage permanence; memory types and composing memory.
Interfacing: Terminology, protocol concepts, I/O addressing, Port and bus based I/O, Memory
mapped I/O and standard I/O, interrupts, digital system example.
Hardware Issues: power supply, reset circuit, clock oscillator, configuration
Peripherals: introduce the concept of Pulse Width Modulation, principles of serial communication,
implementation of the Serial Peripheral Interface, the elements of a data acquisition system,
implementing A to D Conversion, Interrupt, Timer and timing
Concurrent Process Models: Concurrent process model, concurrent processes.
Control Systems: General control systems, control objectives, modelling real systems, design.
Design Technology: Compilation/Synthesis, Libraries/IP, design environments. System synthesis and
hardware co-design. Verification and simulation, simulation speed and emulators. Applications
and design in Microprocessors, FPGA and CPLD.
Bibliography
Essential reading:
Raj Kamal; Embedded Systems: Architecture, Programming and Design, 2nd Edition
(2009), McGraw-Hill Education (India); ISBN: 0070667640
Stuart R. Ball (2002); Embedded Microprocessor Systems - Real World Design; (Butterworth-Heinemann)
Michael J Pont (2002); Embedded C; (Addison-Wesley)
Recommended reading:
Peter J. Ashenden (2008) Digital Design (VHDL) ISBN: 978-0-12-369528-4
Ted Van Sickle (2001); Programming Microcontrollers in C; (LLH Technology Publishing)
Xilinx, Inc. (2002), The Programmable Logic Databook; (Xilinx, Inc)
Li Y, Callahan T, Darnell E, Harr R, Kurkure U, Stockwood J (1999), Hardware-Software Co-Design of Embedded
Reconfigurable Architectures. Proceedings of Design Automation Conf. (DAC), 1999.
G. Stitt, B. Grattan, J. Villarreall and F. Vahid. (2002); Using On-Chip Configurable Logic to Reduce Embedded
System Software Energy. IEEE Symposium on FPGAs for Custom Computing Machines (FCCM), 2002.
G. Vanmeerbeeck, P. Schaumont, S. Vernalde, M. Engels and I. Bolsens (2001). Hardware/Software Partitioning
of Embedded System in OCAPI-xl. International Symposium on Hardware/Software Codesign, 2001.
In addition, students will be guided to appropriate Internet sources.