Introduction to embedded systems: a cyber-physical systems approach

Abstract

The major theme of this book is on models and their relationship to realizations of systems. The models we study are primarily about dynamics, the evolution of a system state in time. We do not address structural models, which represent static information about the construction of a system, although these too are important to embedded system design. Working with models has a major advantage. Models can have formal properties. We can say definitive things about models. For example, we can assert that a model is determinate, meaning that given the same inputs it will always produce the same outputs. No such absolute assertion is possible with any physical realization of a system. If our model is a good abstraction of the physical system (here, “good abstraction” means that it omits only inessential details), then the definitive assertion about the model gives us confidence in the physical realization of the system. Such confidence is hugely valuable, particularly for embedded systems where malfunctions can threaten human lives. Studying models of systems gives us insight into how those systems will behave in the physical world.