COE 306: Introduction to Embedded Systems


Syllabus

PDF version

Catalog Description

Introduction to Embedded Systems. Microcontroller Hardware. ARM Processor. CPU Programming. Memory and I/O. Interfacing: Parallel and Serial Communication. A/D and D/A conversion Embedded system design methodologies. Specifications. Designing robust software for embedded systems. RTOS features.

Prerequisite: COE 301 and COE 203

Instructor

Dr. Ahmad Khayyat. Office: 22/150. Phone: 8234. Email: akhayyat@kfupm.edu.sa.
Website: http://www.ccse.kfupm.edu.sa/~akhayyat/.

Office Hours

Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM.

Course Website

Textbook

Wayne Wolf, “Computers as Components: Principles of Embedded Computing System Design”, Third Edition, Morgan Kaufmann, 2012.

The textbook is fully available online through the university library (KFUPM Portal login required): http://academic.safaribooksonline.com.extoljp.kfupm.edu.sa/book/electrical-engineering/computer-engineering/9780123884367

Course Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the design process and some of the related UML models.
  • Understand the interrupt mechanism, and develop interrupt-driven C programs.
  • Understand memory systems: cache mapping, virtual memory, and address translation.
  • Understand various system buses, protocols, and peripheral interaction.
  • Implement and use various common software components of embedded systems.
  • Understand the software compilation process and various compiler optimizations.
  • Understand context switching and scheduling of periodic processes in real-time operating systems.
  • Ability to analyze performance at the CPU, platform, and program levels, and to optimize various aspects of embedded programs.
  • Ability to develop ARM-based bare-metal embedded software in C.

Grading Policy

Assignments 10%
Quizzes 10%
Exam I 15%
Exam II 15%
Final Exam 25%
Lab and project 25%
  • Attendance is required. For each three missed classes, a penalty of 0.5 points will be deducted. The tenth unexcused absence results in a DN grade.
  • Late assignments penalty: 20% per day.
  • Cheating in one assignment or quiz will result in a zero in all assignments or quizzes. Any identical solutions are considered cheating.
  • No makeup will be made for missed quizzes or exams.
  • Some in-class activities may contribute to the assignments and quizzes grades.

Course Topics

  • Introduction to Embedded Systems

    Introduction to embedded systems; requirements analysis; specifications; design methodologies overview.

  • Microcontroller Organization

    Computer architectures, ARM organization, ARM instruction set, data operations, control flow, PIC, TI DSPs.

  • CPUs

    I/O and memory mapping, addressing modes, interrupts and traps, caches, co-processors, memory management unit, virtual memory, address translation, CPU performance, pipelining.

  • Embedded Platforms

    Hardware and software components of embedded platforms, bus protocols, DMA, system bus configurations, the AMBA and AHB buses, memory devices, example embedded platforms, bandwidth, bus and memory performance, performance bottleneck.

  • Program Design and Analysis

    State machines, circular buffers, queues, models of programs, the compilation process, program performance and optimization, power analysis, program size analysis, validation and testing.

  • Processes and Operating Systems

    Tasks and processes, process timing requirements, real-time operating systems, preemptive execution, context switching, scheduling processes, priority scheduling, inter-process communication, shared-memory systems, message passing.

  • Networks and Multiprocessors

    Multiprocessor systems, distributed embedded systems, CAN bus, I2C bus, multiprocessor system-on-chip (MPSoC), accelerators.

Lab Topics

  • Getting familiar with the development platform
  • General-purpose input/output (GPIO)
  • Interrupts
  • Hardware timers
  • Analog input and output
  • Pulse-width modulation
  • Serial communication
  • Building a microcontroller system on an FPGA