Computers as Components, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER

1

Embedded Computing

■ Why we embed microprocessors in systems.

■ What is difficult and unique about embedding computing.

■ Design methodologies.

■ System specification.

■ A guided tour of this book.

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we set the stage for our study of embedded computing system design.

In order to understand the design processes, we first need to understand how and

why microprocessors are used for control, user interface, signal processing, and

many other tasks. The microprocessor has become so common that it is easy to

forget how hard some things are to do without it.

We first review the various uses of microprocessors and then review the