Embedded Real-time Systems
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Module Aims
Aim 1
To introduce students to the real-time and concurrent systems nomenclature and methodology.
Aim 2
To provide students with the theoretical and practical skills that will enable them to design, build, program and use embedded real-time systems.
Module Content
Introduction to real-time systems.
Definition of real-time processing, real-time operating systems and real-time systems; examples of real-time systems; characteristics of real-time systems, embedded real-time hardware overview, hardware/software tradeoffs, introduction to embedded real-time design.
Real-time, and concurrent programming.
Concurrent programming abstractions. Interleaving; atomic instructions; correctness.
Scheduling models.
Pre-emptive and non pre-emptive scheduling; foreground/background scheduling; software/hardware interrupts and tasks scheduling. Clock driven scheduling; round-robin scheduling; priority-driven scheduling. Scheduling of periodic tasks; scheduling aperiodic and sporadic jobs.
Synchronisation and communication between processes
Semaphores; Binary and counting semaphores; mutual exclusion semaphores; locks; deadlocks. The mutual exclusion problem; definition of mutual exclusion problem; Dekker’s algorithm; mutual exclusion for N processes. The priority inversion problem; priority inheritance protocol; priority ceiling protocol. Mailboxes, queues, pipes, streams, device drivers
Real-time debugging and profiling
Non real time versus real-time analysis methodology; logging events; statistics accumulators.
“Real-time” operating systems
Time services, and scheduling mechanisms; communication and synchronisation; kernel footprint; memory management; application programming interface. Examples of commercial real-time operating systems: SYS/BIOS, RTLinux, CMSIS/RTX.
Examples of applications of real-time systems in control, signal and image processing.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
Lectures and directed reading provide students with the fundamental knowledge base. The laboratory sessions consolidate understanding through application. The laboratory exercises familiarise students with software & hardware development tools for real-time embedded systems and allow the students opportunity to experiment with & investigate the performance of RTOS analysis, scheduling & communication techniques.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through a written examination and an assignment: design study and implementation.
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Compulsory
Optional
