Embedded systems are informally defined as a collection of programmable
parts surrounded by ASICs and other standard components, that interact
continuously with an environment through sensors and actuators. The
programmable parts include micro-controllers and Digital Signal
Processors (DSPs).
Embedded systems are often used in life-critical situations, where
reliability and safety are more important criteria than performance.
Today, embedded systems are designed with an ad hoc approach that is
heavily based on earlier experience with similar products and on manual
design. Use of higher-level languages such as C helps structure the
design somewhat, but with increasing complexity it is not sufficient.
Formal verification and automatic synthesis of implementations are the
surest ways to guarantee safety.
Thus, the POLIS system which is a co-design environment for embedded
systems is based on a formal model of computation.
POLIS was initiated in 1988 as a research project at the University of
California at Berkeley and, over the years, grew into a full design
methodology with a software system supporting it.
Hardware-Software Co-Design of Embedded Systems: The POLIS Approach is
intended to give a complete overview of the POLIS system including its
formal and algorithmic aspects.
Hardware-Software Co-Design of Embedded Systems: The POLIS Approach
will be of interest to embedded system designers (automotive
electronics, consumer electronics and telecommunications),
micro-controller designers, CAD developers and students.