CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.

1 EMBEDDED SYSTEMS Embedded system is a combination of hardware and software design to meet a specificneed with performance in a given time frame. Embedded system is a subsystem which wecan embed with a big system to enhance the functionality of the big system. For example printers and mouse con be considered as the embedded systems of the computer.An embedded controller is a controller or computer that is embedded into some devicefor some purpose other than to provide general purpose computing.Each day, our lives become more dependent on 'embedded systems', digital informationtechnology that is embedded in our environment. This includes not only safety-criticalapplications such as automotive devices and controls, railw ays, aircraft, aerospace andmedical devices, but also communications, 'mobile worlds' and 'e-worlds', the 'smart'home, clothes, factories etc. All of these have wide-ranging impacts on society, includingsecurity, privacy and modes of working and living. More than 98% of processors appliedtoday are in embedded systems, and are no longer visible to the customer as 'computers'in the ordinary sense. New processors and methods of processing, sensors, actuators,communications and infrastructures are 'enablers' for this very pervasive computing.T h e y a r e i n a s e n s e u b i q u i t o u s , t h a t i s , a l m o s t i n v i s i b l e t o t h e u s e r a n d a l m o s t omnipresent. As such, they form the basis for a sig n i f i c a n t e c o n o m i c p u s h . T h e s e applications are 'vision driven', as in the following examples: Automotive: Accident free driving Aerospace: A free, safe sky for all Medical Devices: Robotic surgeon Communications: Seamless connectivity e-Life: ubiquitous/pervasive computing