Embedded Software Systems

TL;DR: Embedded software systems are explored, covering past, current, and future systems. Benefits and drawbacks are discussed. Development environments, hardware interfaces, and changing requirements are covered. Software development issues and automatic code generation are examined. The focus is on software aspects of embedded systems, including planning, development, and reliability.

Abstract: Abstract In this chapter we will explore the world of embedded software systems, including a brief overview of past systems, current systems, and what we might expect in the future. A discussion of the benefits of embedded systems to overall spacecraft design and the attendant drawbacks will lead into the application of software engineering to the problems of developing embedded software systems. Development environments, simulation of developing hardware interfaces, and changing requirements will be discussed. Software development issues will be examined, including language selection and the ramifications of a bad choice, the reuse problem, and testing, testing, testing. Automatic code generation from various design sources will also be discussed. We will focus on the software aspects of these embedded systems, looking at the planning and development processes necessary to produce reliable and trusted spacecraft software.