SYSTEM-ON-CHIP (SoC) AND USE OF VLSI

CIRCUIT DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

Embedded systems are being designed on a single silicon chip called SoC. SoC is a system on a
VLSI chip that has all necessary analog and digital circuits, processors and software.
 VLSI chip

• Integration of high-level components

• Possess gate-level sophistication in circuits above
that of the counter, register, multiplier, floating point
operation unit and ALU.

2
 System on chip (SoC) a new design innovation

• SoC is a system on a VLSI chip that has all needed

analog as well as digital circuits, processors and
software, for example, single-chip mobile phone

3
New Innovation Example – Mobile Phone on a SoC
 SYSTEM-ON-CHIP
SoC may be Embedded with the following:
• Embedded processor GPP or ASIP core.
• Single purpose processing or multiple processors.
• Memories,
• Multiple standard source solutions (IP Cores),

• Logic and Analog units

• Network Bus Protocol core.

• An encryption function unit.

• Discrete cosine transform for signal processing applications

5

• Programming logic device and FPGA(Field Programming Gate Array) cores.

Application Specific ICs(ASICs) are designed using a
VLSI design tools with the processor GPP(General
Purpose Processor) or ASIP(Application Specific
Instruction Processor) and analog circuits embedded
into the design. The designing is done using
EDA(Electronic Design Automation) tool
 IPs in SoC
• On VLSI there may be integration of high- level
components which possess gate level sophistication.

• A standard source solution for synthesizing a higher-

level component by configuring a core of VLSI
circuit or FPGA core available as an Intellectual
Property, called (IP).
7
• High Level Components with gate level
sophistication circuit much above level of counters
and registers.
IPs

•Designer or designing company holds the

copyright for the synthesized design of a higher-
level component for gate-level implementation of
an IP.
•One might have to pay royalty for every chip
shipped. An embedded system may incorporate
several IPs.
8
 An IP may provide a

• design for adaptive filtering of a signal.

• full design for implementing Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to
transmit a web page or file on Internet.
• USB port controller, Bluetooth, GPS interface,
Wireless 802.11or 802.16 interfaces

9
 FPGA Core
• Suppose an embedded system is designed with a
view of enhancing functionalities in future. An FPGA
core is then used in the circuits.

• An FPGA consists of a large number of

programmable gates on a VLSI chip. There is a set
of gates in each FPGA cell, called 'macro cell’.

• Embedded system designed with a view10 of offering

enhancing functionalities in future, then FPGA core
can be used in the circuits.
 FPGA Core

• Each cell has several inputs and outputs. All cells

interconnect like an array (matrix).
• Each interconnection is programmable through
the associated memory RAM in a FPGA
programming tool.
• A concept is using FPGA (Field Programmable
Gate Arrays) core along with single or multiple
processors. 1
1
Complex System Design and Processors
 Embedding a Microprocessor
• General Purpose Processor (GPP) microprocessor
can be embedded on a VSLI chip.

1
3
 Embedding an ASIP

• Processor with instruction set designed for specific

application on a VLSI chip for example,
microcontroller, DSP, IO, media, network or another
domain specific processor

1
4
 Embedding a Microcontroller core
• 68HC11xx,
• HC12xx,
• HC16xx8051,
• 80251 PIC 16F84 or
• 16C76, 16F876 and PIC18Microcontroller
• Enhancements of ARM9/ARM7 ARM Cortex M3
from Philips, Samsung and ST Microelectronics
1
5
 Embedding a DSP Core

• TMS320Cxx, OMAP1Tiger SHARC 5600xx PNX

1300, 15002
• DSP for mobile phones, for example, OMAP of Texas
Instruments use the effective power dissipation
methods of dynamic switching both of power supply
voltage and operating frequency of the CPU core.
• Filtering, noise cancellation, echo elimination,
compression and encryption
1
6
Embedding a Multi-processor or Dual Core using
General Purpose Processors (GPP)

•Speech signal-compression and coding.

•Signal decoding and decompression.

1
7
 Embedding an Accelerator

• Accelerate the execution of codes, for example, a

floating-point coprocessor accelerates the
mathematical operations and Java accelerator
accelerates the Java code execution.

1
8
 Embedding Single purpose processors

• For Dialing, Modulating, Transmitting. Demodulating

and Receiving.
• Keypad interface and display interface handling.
• Touch screen
• Message display and creation, SMS (Short Message
Service) and MMS
• Protocol- stack generation.
• Pixel coprocessor and CODEC in a digital camera
1
9
 What we have studied so far in Embedded Systems- Summary
• Introduction to Embedded Systems including Its definition
• Embedded system components.
• Latest Technology in Embedded System and Applications
• Classification of embedded systems based on performance and functional requirements.
• Classification embedded systems based on the performance of microcontrollers.
• Brief introduction to - How an Embedded System Works.
• Characteristics of Sophisticated Embedded Systems.
• Constraints of an Embedded System Design.
• Typical Embedded System Hardware Units
• Subunits in a Microcontroller.
• Application Specific Instruction-Set Processor.
• Basic Circuit Elements at the Embedded Systems.
• Memories
• Media IO Control Element.
• Embedded Software(s) in a System-
• Brief introduction to OS and RTOS.
• Embedded SoC- use of VLSI technology
• Complex System design and Processors
DESIGN PROCESSES IN EMBEDDED-SYSTEM

2
1
 Abstraction
• Each problem component first abstracted.
• For example, Display picture and text as an abstract class
• Robotic system problem abstraction in terms of control of
motors in different degrees of freedoms.
• Application software abstracted as concurrently running
multiple threads and interrupt service threads

2
2
 Program Model

• Procedure Oriented
• Objected Oriented
• Sequential processes
• Concurrent processes
• State machine

2
3
 Object oriented Model

• Classes
• Objects
• Interfaces
• Package

2
4
 Hardware and Software architecture

• Assumed to consists multiple layers

• Each architectural layer be well understood before a
design

2
5
 Extra functional Properties

• Extra functionalities required in the system being

developed be well understood from the design

2
6
 System Related Family designs

• Families of related systems developed earlier taken

into consideration during designing

2
7
 Modular Design

• Decomposition of software into modules that are to

be implemented.
• Modules should be such that they can be composed
(coupled or integrated) later.
• Effective Modular design should ensure effective
(i) function independence, (ii) cohesion and (iii)
coupling.
2
8
 Modules

• Be clearly understood and maintain continuity.

• Appropriate protection strategies are
necessary for each module. A module is not
permitted to change or modify another module
functionality.
• For example, protection from a device driver
modifying the configuration of another device
2
9
Mapping
Mapping into various representations done
considering the software requirements.
•For example, data flow in the same path
during the program flow can be mapped
together as a single entity.
 Transform and transaction mapping

• For example, an image is input data to a system; it can have a

different number of pixels and colors of each pixel. The
system must store or process each pixel and color
• Transform mapping of image is done by appropriate
compression and storage algorithms.
• Transaction mapping is done to define the sequence of the
images
3
1
 User Interfaces Design

• Designed as per user requirements, analysis of the environment and

system functions.
• For example, in an automatic chocolate vending machine system, the
user interface is a LCD matrix display. It can display a welcome
message as well as specify the coins needed to be inserted into the
machine for each type of chocolate. Same ACVM may be designed
with touch screen GUI. Same ACVM may be designed with VUIs. A
GUI or VUI or user interface or LCD matrix display

3
2
 Interface design validation
• Customer validation
• For example, the customer must validate message’s
language, screen logo, screen icons and background color,
wall paper, menus and dialogs before an interface design
can proceed to the implementation stage

3
3
 Refinements

• Each component and module design needs to be

refined iteratively till it becomes the most
appropriate for implementation by the software
team

3
4
A software design may require use of Architecture Description
Language(ADL). It is used for representing the following- Control
Hierarchy ; Structural Partitioning; Data Structure and Hierarchy and;
Software procedures.
Shows the activities for Software design cycle during an embedded system development process
 Design Metrics in Embedded systems
A design process considers design metrics. There are several design metrics for an embedded systems

3
7
 Design Metrics
• Power Dissipation
• Performance
• Process Deadlines
• User Interfaces
• Size
• Engineering cost
• Manufacturing cost
3
8
 Design Metrics (Contd.)

• Flexibility
• Prototype development Time
• Time-to- market System and
• User safety Maintenance

3
9
 Abstraction of Design Process Steps

• A design process bottom-to-top design if it builds

starting from the components.
• A design process top-to-down design if it first starts
with abstraction of the process and then after
abstraction the details are created. Top-to-down
design approach is most favoured approach

4
0
Five levels of abstraction from top level to
bottom level in the design process

• Requirements
• Specifications
• Architecture
• Components
• System Integration 4
1
 Requirements
Complete clarity of
•required purpose,
•inputs,
•outputs,
•functioning,
•design metrics and
•Validation requirements for finally developed
systems specifications.
•Consistency in the requirements 4
2
 Specifications

Clear specifications of
Customer expectations from the product. Needs
specifications for
•hardware, for example, peripherals, devices
processor and memory specifications
•data types and processing specifications

4
3
 Needed specifications

• Expected system behavior specifications,

• constraints of design,
• expected life cycle specifications of the product.
• Process specifications analysed by making lists of inputs on
events list, outputs on events, processes activated on each
event.

44
Architecture
•data flow graphs
•program models

•software architecture layers and

•hardware architecture

•interfaces design

•system integration

4
5
 Software architectural layers
• How the different elements – data structures, databases, algorithms, control
functions, state transition functions, process, data and program flow are to
be organized
• What shall be design of data structures and databases that would be most
appropriate for the given problem? Whether data organised as a tree- like
structure will be appropriate? What will be the design of the components in
the data?

4
6
 Hardware Components
• Processor, ASIP and single purpose processors in the
system
• Memory RAM, ROM or internal and external flash or
secondary memory in the system
• Peripherals and devices internal and external to the
system
• Ports and buses in the system
• Power source or battery in the system
4
7
Challenges in Embedded Computing System Design:
• How much hardware do we need?
• How do we meet deadlines?
• How do we minimize power consumption?
• How do we design for upgradability?
• Does it really work?
• Complex testing
• Limited observability and controllability
• Restricted development environment
Requirement Forms
• Name :
• Purpose:
• Inputs :
• Outputs :
• Functions :
• Performance:
• Power:
• Physical size and weight:
Design process examples
• Case study of an embedded system for Smart Card.
• Case study of an embedded system for ATM.
• Case study of an embedded system for Digital Camera.
• Case study of an embedded system for Home Security.
• Case study of an embedded system for GPS module.