ELFT2500 Embedded Systems and Instrumentation Course description

Increased use of high-performance microcontrollers and microprocessors in manufacturing automation control systems, robots, home appliances, power tools, office equipment, implantable medical devices, remote controls and toys has caused the embedded systems segment of electronics to expand within the last few decades to dominate the computing. Particularly, real-time embedded systems, fueled by processor efficiency improvements and advancements in instrumentation such as sensors and actuators, have sustained steep growth globally in industrial automation, energy infrastructure, transportation, telecommunication, and healthcare applications.

The course covers the fundamentals of microcontroller hardware/software architecture, common types of instrumentation used to interact with the physical world of automation, and different types of embedded system interfaces that allow the partnership between processors and instrumentation to be effective in automation systems. Sensors, measurement techniques, and important elements of industrial automation are studied, including examples of highly reliable robust PLC system hardware and programming. In-class discussions on design tradeoffs associated with embedded systems and instrumentation highlight evaluation of primary metrics for automation systems such as reliability and performance, as well as other considerations such as power consumption and battery life. Theory is reinforced with lab exercises, through which simple to complex embedded systems are progressively designed, verified, implemented, and tested in the lab using Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) tools. Lab examples present concepts and interfaces associated with automation engineering.

Some of the concepts from ELPE1300 Electrical Circuits, ELPE1400 Digital Design, ELI2300 Dynamic Systems will be useful.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of:

• Processor architecture and organization to support embedded system design;
• assembly and high-level programming of simple to intermediate complexity using modular approaches to execute typical embedded system tasks,
• hardware/software interfacing, embedded system design techniques and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools,
• physical principles of different instruments commonly used in automation, and equipment used for validation and testing of embedded systems,
• hardware and programming methods for common embedded subsystems such as memory technologies, digital/analog I/O, parallel/serial buses, timers, waveform generators, and interrupts,
• principles of data acquisition systems (data/signal conditioning, classification of instrumentation error, different calibration techniques),
• automation and IT layers at an industrial plant (Field, Control, Supervision, Planning, and Management),
• PLC systems: Components and input/output devices of a PLC and differences in programming from a microcontroller, Industrial Internet of Things (IoT).    

Skills

The student is capable of:

• setting up a simple automation plan 
• interpreting instrumentation datasheets,
• providing an embedded system solution to an automation problem for measurement of different variables and control of various parameters,  
• providing suggestions to minimize errors 
• proposing a microcontroller and/or PLC based system with required I/O support, 
• programming a microcontroller both in assembly and in high-level language for an embedded system design of simple to medium complexity with multi-tasked automation capabilities,
• using CAD tools and lab equipment to execute a design flow that includes programming, hardware configuration, simulation-based verification, and physical testing.  

General competence

The student is capable of:

• setting up a general automation plan  by selecting the appropriate instruments, microcontrollers and/or PLCs;
• designing, simulating, implementing, and testing a basic embedded automation system, including development of multi-tasked assembly or high-level programs.
• developing simple PLC programs  

Lectures and laboratory assignments are central. The laboratory teaching is built to support the classroom teaching and for hands on practice with a number of products and solutions used in the industry.

A semester project consolidates the knowledge and skills from the entire semester.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can take the final written exam:

• A passing aggregate lab score collected from 5 lab experiments, including the term project (30-40 pages in total, totally approx. 50 hours including execution and documentation) .
• 5 hand-in exercises (4-5 pages and 4 hours each).

Individual written exam, 3 hours

The exam result can be appealed.

In the event of a resit or rescheduled exam, an oral examination may be used instead. In case an oral exam is used, the examination result cannot be appealed.

Exam is "Open book". Books, notes and calculators are allowed.

Grade scale A-F.

One internal examiner. External examiners are used regularly.