Traditional embedded system design views the design of software as a separate task from the design of hardware. The purpose of hardware/software codesign is to provide an integrated method. The design work starts from a system description that is not biased. This system description is then refined into software and hardware components. Typically the refinement step is done automatically by synthesizing software and VHDL code from the system description. 
The decision about which parts go into hardware and which into software (a process called partitioning) is done by estimating the performance of the system on the system model level. The advantage of this is that it makes it possible to fully explore the design space and find an optimal solution to the design problem. 
The design process is based on hardware / software codesign and is no longer partitioned by hardware and software disciplines but rather by the levels of abstraction represented in the system, architecture, and detailed design processes. 

Curriculum

Day 1  
Overview Of Embedded System Design  
Unified approach to codesign  Designtasks in hardware/ software  Starting with incomplete specifications Primary bottlenecks in the design process  How complete is designcapture?   
System Architecture  
Processors, Coprocessors, ASIPs, DSPs Memory: Standard,Flash, Cache,Shared  Buses and Communication Devices I/O and Peripheral Components Preselection of architecture   

1. Assignment 1 -System Behaviour - Study the given system. Translate the specification into a state transition diagram. What are the essential control functions? 

Day 2  
Design Process  
Requirements definition  Specification  System architecture development  Software development  Hardware development Interface design  Integration andtest   
Embedded Design Case Study 1  
Designof a Priority-Queue  

1.  Assignment 2 -Partitioning Exercise – In this assignment, you are given a system design. Provide a partition for the hardware, software and interface glue logic. State any assumptions you have made. Give a rationale for the partition. 

Day 3  
Cosimulation Techniques  
Abstract executionmodels Models of computation Processor, bus and memory models Tools for cosimulation Levels of abstraction: Specificationand implementation  
Communication  
Communicating processes  Required communication actions  Dataflow analysis Communication protocol selection  Integration with hardware / software partitioning   
Embedded Design Case Study 2  
Designof a 32-bit Embedded Computer  

1. Assignment 3 - Case Study A -Read the given case study. Identify the bottlenecks and sources of error. protocols will you use and why? 

 
Day 4  
Issues In System Design  
Potentialsources of error  Conceptual models for capturing system behaviour  Design estimates Reuse of components Techniques for system partitioning and estimation Synthesis of software and hardware  Earlydetection of design faults 
What communication 
Embedded Design Case Study 3  
Designof a Java-Based Web Camera  

1.  Assignment 4 -Case Study B - Read the given case study. Develop a codesign on paper. Identify the critical factors for a successful design. 

 
Training Duration  
4 days.

Level  
Core. 

Who Should Attend?  

This course is designed for project managers who wish to get updated on the latest trends and techniques in embedded system codesign. Software and firmware engineers about to embark on embedded systems design may also attend. 

Prerequisites  
Core Subject: ES101 Systems Thinking is preferred, although not necessary. 

Skills Gained  
After completing this training, you will be able to: 

• Use the codesign process to design an embedded system of medium complexity.
• Determine the mutual influence of both hardware and software early in the design cycle. Software performance is a key criterion for selecting an architecture. 
• Evaluate the enlarged design space. The interoperability of tools and automation of codesign early in the architecture process significantly improves the ability to consider designs that may otherwise be ignored. 
• Perform system integration and testing. This reduces effort and resources devoted to integration and testing because hardware and software come from reuse libraries and are coverified.