Classifications of Embedded Systems

Embedded systems can be classified into three types:

Small scale embedded systems.
Medium scale embedded systems.
Sophisticated embedded systems.

Contents

1 Small Scale Embedded Systems
2 Medium Scale Embedded Systems
3 Sophisticated Embedded Systems

Small Scale Embedded Systems

These are systems that are designed with a single 8-bit or 16-bit microcontroller. They have small hardware and software complexities and involve board-level design. These systems can even be battery operated.

When developing embedded software for this system type, an editor, assembler, and cross assembler, an integrated development environment (ISE) tool specific to the microcontroller or processor used, are the main programming tools.

Medium Scale Embedded Systems

These systems are designed with a single or a few 16-bit or 32-bit microcontrollers, DSPs or RISCs. These systems may also use the readily available single purpose processors and IPs for example, bus interfacing. ASSPs and IPs may also have to be suitably configured by the system software before being integrated into the system-bus.

Medium scale embedded systems have both hardware and software complexities. For complex software design, you may use C/C++/Java, RTOS, source code engineering tool, simulator, debugger, and an integrated development environment (IDE).

Sophisticated Embedded Systems

These systems have huge hardware and software complexities and may need several IPs, ASIPs, scalable processors or configurable processors and programmable logic relays. They are employed in cutting edge applications that need hardware and software co-design and components that have to be integrated in the final system. They are constrained by the processing speeds available in their hardware units.

Related: Features of an Embedded System

John Mulindi

John Mulindi has a background in a technical field and he writes on topics ranging from automation, computer systems, embedded systems, mechatronics to measurement and control.