Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

The main task of the system design is a careful balancing of all system resources to achieve a high performance / cost ratio. The quantitative analysis is the tool for measuring the performance before developing the system in detail. It refines the design space in a stepwise procedure (see Fig. 4.1). Each step provides more accurate bounds on the performance of the final system. It selects the most promising solutions for the next analysis step. The initial design space of the embedded system design is mainly defined by marketing conditions and existing products. Typically, a company will not start a product from scratch, neither will it work for a completely new market segment. Instead, the market segment defines the basic constraints on the system cost, e.g., PC component prices must be below $1000. Furthermore, the system must achieve a minimum performance level, e.g., decoding of CIF sized images in real-time for frame rates of 30fps (frames per second). If the system cannot meet this basic goal, it cannot compete with other similar products. In summary, the principal system structure, the maximum costs, and the necessary performance are already defined. This gives the basis for the more detailed analysis, described in the following.