The implementation of a micro-controller software development expert system

摘要

The ability of microcontrollers in problem solving has been well known. By their very nature, microcontrollers can perform different functions according to software designs. Therefore, the software development has been highly considered in microcontroller-based system design. The software design process has been described as a very knowledge-intense activity. In order to deliver quality software design results, comprehensive knowledge is usually the fundamental basis. The performance of a microcontroller is the integration of hardware peripheral functions and software control strategies. However, all the proposed functions need to be coded in software eventually. Currently, the programming of microcontrollers is still dominated by assembly languages. Due to the hardware issues and the programming languages, the complexity of microcontroller software design is ever increasing. Modern technologies are thus aimed to apply onto the design process to improve software development. Due to the characteristics of software design, the applied technology is artificial intelligence, knowledge-based system (KBS). This expert system was proposed to help designers to deliver their design results for their target systems according to the configuration of the microcontroller. To effectively help designers during the software design phase, a graphic user interface was applied onto the system. Further detailed functions such as simulation were also included inside the expert system.