#the microprocessor

Though the embedded system is getting fashionable in recent years, this concept does not appear recently. From the appearance of the one-chip computer, the embedded microprocessor until today of all kinds, large-scale application of microcontroller of the seventies of last century, the embedded system has developing history of more than 30 years.

At present, the embedded system has already permeated through each corner in people's life, for example industry, service industry, consume the electron, medical electron etc., and the embedded system has already developed into the bulky industry of a amount of money, organization research report of Gartner point out global 32-bit microcomputer and 64 embedded the intersection of products and reachable 12 billion dollars output value by 2012 according to data's investigation, annual compound growth rate is reachable 7%.

Definition of the embedded system

According to IEEE ' International electrical engineering SCTE) Definition,it is in embedded system " control, monitor by auxiliary apparatus, machine and device that apparatus operate " . This mainly defines, can find out from it the embedded system is the synthesises of software and hardware from employing, can also contain attachments such as machinery,etc..

But the above-mentioned definition can not fully embody the marrow of the embedded system, a general definition approved in China is to " regards employing as the centre at present, based on computer technology, the intersection of software and hardware can cut out, meet, employ the intersection of system pair and function, reliability, cost, volume, the intersection of power consumption and strict specialized computer system of requirement. "

According to this definition, can be from several respects to understand the embedded system:

Embedded system and employs and compacting, the very strong one is specialized, must accord with the real system demand and utilize reasonable reduction;

The embedded system is a product after combining advanced computer technology, semiconductor engineering and electron technology with particular application of each trade, this determines it must be a skill-intensive integrated system of knowledge with intensive fund and highly dispersing, innovating;

The embedded system must pay and cut out the software and hardware according to employing the demand, meet requirements such as the function, reliability, cost, volume of the application system,etc.. So, if can set up relatively general software and hardware foundation, then develop on it and adapt to various required systems, it should be a better development model.

In fact, embedded system is a noun with extremely wide epitaxy, every control system with the embedded characteristic combined with products can be called the embedded system, and very difficult sometimes to give it the next accurate definition. The embedded system that people tell now, refer to hotter embedded system with the operating system in recent years to a certain extent.

The embedded system employs the key in the future

One kind of lookses of the modern embedded products is changed quite big, for example consuming electronic product, digital household appliance, communication system, storage system,etc., so the arithmetic capability demand is the complicated pluralism, only need simple operation to differ widely with the past simply. AMD solution division head and general manager Buddy Broeker point out, sees with the key arithmetic capability development trend at present, only pay attention to the processor ability operation mode and already go to the end, under X86 systematic framework, the efficiency of CPU and GPU leads the development of PC framework at the same time, the more likewise, embedded system and utility program need efficiency of CPU and GPU more and more.

The processor efficiency of X86 framework is stronger and stronger, but visit craft and technical progress to grant, the price is lower and lower, the electricity needing consuming drops gradually too, in fact, the embedded market can enjoy these new technical advantages at the same time too. In GPU arithmetic capability, there was surprising development even more over the last seven years, even exceeded the Moore law, nearly turn over one time of growth every year in characteristic.

Then, CPU and development of GPU, what kind of the intersection of connect and does it have with embedded market on earth? Take ATM ATM as examples, a lot of ATM has already been equipped with a plurality of display units at present, besides main display function, two or more display units can reveal more information and advertisement too, in order to deal with image and decoding capability of higher picture element, ATM begins and needs operation of the power and reveals ability too. There are affairs machines such as thin client Thin Client system and printer, etc in addition, do not need display function traditionally, but more and more this kind of models change the outfit the strong display function at present, offer more plural application.

Buddy Broeker shows while accepting media's special visit, directs against the embedded market, AMD thinks the telecommunication, storage and client use will become the trend of staple market. So, besides offering the processor to match with the chip set, will also offer through the developing instrument or technology assists, let users carry on the product design fast, simple and easily. In addition direct against the special application, different groups serve customer within AMD too. After CPU combines with GPU, the next development focal point of the embedded products is still low power consumption, small dimension, and take most important customer's demand as the core. Buddy Broeker points out, compared with rival large resource, AMD does not have too many resources that are used for elongating the battle line, compete in an all-round way, so must be based on definite resource, adopt the exquisite way, stabilize and develop.

Challenge which can't be avoided in embedded system design

The consumption electronic product is the extremely potential star's products in the embedded system, according to statistics, are favoured the most by the future development of products such as blue light DVD, digital television, set-box,etc., and how to design the optimization embedded system directed against this kind of product, it is a significant challenge.

The popularization that is connected with USB, the designer hopes to obtain and bring and handle the solution numerously and uniquly and dominant and intelligently and embeddedly to his application, realize the characteristics, such as more long battery service life, more high portability and more abundant function,etc.. In order to provide the simple advanced connection apt to use for sane and reliable products, instrument of Dezhou (TI) Claimed to put out and possess embedded full-speed USB2.0 a few days ago (12 Mbps) Little for treatment (MCU) in MSP430F55xx Series. Brand-new series F55xx combine high-performance simulation and integrated peripheral hardware of other intelligence together perfectly, can realize global and leading ultra low power consumption. F55xx MCU does not need to use the power line, is very suitable for including the consumption electron, measuring portably in inner low-cost application to medical treatment and health care and industry,etc., and numerous other applications.

Key feature and advantage of MSP430F55xx

*5 kinds of low power consumption modes, the working current 200 uA/MHz among them, the lower electric current of standby mode is 2.5 uA, waking not ample 5 milliseconds of time up under the standby mode, having realized low power consumption the most of the industry, the battery service life of very prominent extension; *Cover and store the range from 8KB to more extensive quick flashing of 128KB, can offer the simple and convenient migration path; *High-performance simulation, 10 or 12 ADC not including not only consuming amply 200uA electric current under the work pattern selects, and is suitable for inferior microampere of the extensive application (sub-microamp) Grade exceeds the low power consumption comparator; *Integrating IP Intelligent Peripherals, including hardware multiplier, 4 piece 16 timer and reach more 4 serial communications is interface (such as UART, SPI and I2C) ; *Have multi-type capsulate, select while being small-scale, 48 guide the intersection of foot and QFP and QFN, capsulate, 64 guide the intersection of foot and QFN, capsulate and 80 guide the foot QFP and BGA to capsulate; *Overall and integrated LDO can have can already save the cost and still can narrow the board-level space by 5V bus line power direct power supplied; *USB product series various in style have over 35 kinds of devices that select, can realize high peripheral hardware with analog integration, abundant memorizer and capsulate select and many kinds of low-cost alternatives.

A few days ago, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Introduce negative voltage, overvoltage and voltage shortage monitoring circuit newly, control IC product mix after expanding its much voltage. This product mix includes ADM2914, the monitor of passway ADM12914 voltage four, ADM6339 microprocessor control IC through guaranteeing the voltage level keeps in the predetermined range, can help the total reliability of the enhancement system. These new products are offered the precision higher than other competitive devices by twice, mains voltage course while employing of designing to control the communication, industry and instrument.

In medical supersound and telecommunication equipment are employed, not merely need to monitor the voltage shortage state, also need to monitor and pressing the state at the same time. It causes unnecessary overvoltage, voltage shortage phenomenon with the electrical equipment that the overrunning of mains voltage will be given. If supply uses the electrical equipment for a long time, the damage that will be maximal uses the electrical equipment. So in using the use of electrical equipment, will join corresponding protective circuit, in order to guarantee to use in normal power supply state with the electrical equipment. As the power supply line has appeared, at the time of voltage shortage, the protective circuit carries on effective protection, thus guarantee to use the security normal operation of the electrical equipment.

ADM12914 has measured pressing and voltage shortage (OV/UV) State precision ( With the varying to ± of the temperature 0.8%) It is 1.5 times that of competitive monitoring circuit. This sincere and new control IC can prevent the overrunning of mains voltage in medical supersound, telecommunication equipment and other application, thus improve systematic operation, as to work, might cause power system of catastrophic failure in below 1 V and the intersection of overvoltage and state usually but speech, this is especially important. ADM2914/ADM12914 a built-in one inputs the current divider stabilizator of power, makes this device run under higher mains voltage, including 12 V communication infrastructure apparatus and lithium battery used for mixed dynamic automobile.

Become more and more complicated with the processor, guarantee the reliable operation of the processor becomes a thorny problem, there are more and more the requirements for monitoring circuit too. ADM6339 four passway the intersection of microprocessor and monitoring circuit can offer higher than similar competitive the intersection of product and precision of 2 time ' With the varying to ± of the temperature 0.8%) ,Can control up to three positive mains voltage and one and is defeated by mains voltage. ADM6339 is built-in to repair the threshold value of voltage shortage to choose in advance, is used for controlling 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3 V, 3.3 V, 5 V and - 5 V mains voltage, can obtain adjustable threshold value of one to three kinds to choose, help to promote design flexibility.

A few days ago, Ramtron International Corporation was claimed to be put out and adopted FBGA encapsulated 8 megabits (Mb) F-RAM memorizer. FM23MLD16 adopts 48 foot ball grid arrays (FBGA) Encapsulated 8 - Mb, 3V and mouth non-volatile RAM, visit fast and nearly reading and writing advantages such as number of times and low power consumption,etc. many times. This device and asynchronous static RAM (SRAM) The pin is compatible, directed primarily to the industrial control system such as robotics, network RAID and store solution, multi-functional printer, automated navigation system, and various system design based on SRAM.

Ramtron marketing manager Mike Peters claims: "This 8 - Mb F-RAM combines a memorizer, and 4 - Mb FM22LD16 that we release recently, design, used for, meet customer in the intersection of load and intensive data employ, to higher demand of memory capacity. These two products have compatible characteristic of pins, it is apt to realize the staging of memory capacity. The system designer uses FM23MLD16, can improve F-RAM density by 7 times in capsulating PCB space of the same magnitude with TSOP32. "

Products key feature

FM23MLD16 is a nonvolatile memory of 512K * 16, adopts the parallel interface of industrial standard to realize and deposit and withdraw, access time, for 60ns, one access period 115ns. Is this device with the ' undelelayed ' (NoDelay? )Characteristic, according to reading and writing by linear velocity, it write to wipe 1E14 (100,000 billion) at least in life-span Time, and offer the data hold facility in 10 years.

It needs it with battery-driven SRAM (BBSRAM) to compare ,FM23MLD16 does not need the battery and carry on the data backup, the characteristic is more outstanding. Capsulate and weld the solution as the genuine surface, FM23MLD16 does not need to need doing the step over again correlated to battery like SRAM of the battery backup, and have high to able to bear tide, impact-resistance and the intersection of anti-vibration and ability, make F-RAM become, require tight severe applied ideal choice of industry. FM23MLD16 includes the low-voltage and measures the function, when the mains voltage is lower than critical threshold value, will prevent the visit of the memorizer. Thus the improper visit to prevent the memorizer and in this case presents, avoid the data are destroyed.

ZiLOG announces: Appoint Intel (Intel) Former executive vice president, department's general manager Darin Billerbeck gentleman of Flash products of the company are newly appointed president and concurrently highest executive officer of ZiLOG Company. 47 -year-old Mr. Billerbeck now, has worked in Intel for 14 years, he took over ZiLOG director and concurrently temporary CEO Robin Abrams lady and took on this position. Abrams lady took over ZiLOG Company temporary CEO from Mr. James Thorburn leaving office since last September, will continue serving as ZiLOG directors in the future.

ZiLOG is regarded as one of the inventor of Z80 microprocessor and the pioneers of Silicon Valley and global semi-conductive industry, set foot on strategy and reform the avenue to success since 2002. The company has succeeded in carrying on the public publication of the first stock (IPO) first ,Later expanding the products content fast constantly. The input especially in the field of embedded flashing memory, make the traditional embedded system of ZiLOG Company receive the development of persistent essentiality, change into a round (fabless) coreless relying mainly on chip design from a microprocessor chip manufacturing company Company. Appoint Mr. Billerbeck as newly appointed president and concurrently CEO of ZiLOG Company today, it in Ji leads growth that the company marched toward the next stage, that is to say in embedded to design leading position at the solution and commercial mode come on, absorb in, expand market share and raise sales amount by it.

"Darin has brought the experience of management of the abundant international major company to ZiLOG in the work experience for many years of Intel, especially he and with remarkable to carry out performance, come, drive ability that sale increase in technological the intersection of strategy and leading ability of, make people with deep impression especially " Abrams lady shows. "Staff and administrative department of our company pass efforts diligently, has already succeeded in laying the solid commercial foundation for the company, also pave the way for the development at the next stage. We firmly believe the ability of Darin, he can lead the company to continue developing forward; His speciality and experience -, especially leading ability in the field of flashing memory, more priceless resources. "