Platform-based design and software design methodology for embedded systems

Embedded products have become so complex and must be developed so quickly that current design methodologies are no longer adequate. The authors ’ vision for the future of embedded-system design involves two essential components: a rigorous methodology for embedded software development and platform-based design. THE ESSENCE OF embedded-systems design is implementing a specific set of functions while satisfying constraints on characteristics such as performance, cost, emissions, power consumption, and weight. The choice of implementation architecture determines whether designers will implement a function as a hardware component or as software running on a programmable component. In recent years, the functions demanded for embedded systems have grown so numerous and complex that development time is increasingly difficult to predict and control. This complexity, coupled with constantly evolving specifications, has forced designers to consider intrinsically flexible implementations—those they can change rapidly. For this reason, and because hardware-manufacturing cycles are more expensive and time-consuming, software