Summary
This chapter introduced the elements of embedded systems, including digital processing, sensors, actuators, a power source, and, in many cases, one or more communication interfaces. We continued with an exploration of the relationship between embedded systems and the IoT.
The necessity for embedded systems to function in a real-time manner was emphasized, and the basic operational sequence of reading from input devices, computing outputs, and updating output devices was presented.
This chapter introduced the FPGA in functional terms and identified the benefits these high-performance devices bring to embedded system designs.
Having completed this chapter, you should now have a broad understanding of the components that make up embedded systems and the relationship between embedded systems and the IoT. You should also know why and how embedded systems operate in real time and understand how FPGAs can be employed to implement high-performance embedded systems.
In the next chapter, we will look at the range of sensors that are commonly used to enable embedded systems to receive input from users and from the environment around them.
