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Product Definition & System Design
Product definition and the early stages of conceptual design are where most of the decisions that will ultimately determine a product’s success – or failure - are made. The systems engineering team is concerned with the complete device, both hardware and software and, more particularly, all of the interfaces of the device, including that between hardware and software, and especially between the complete device and its user. Key considerations include system performance, forward and backward compatibility, reliability, serviceability.
Among the many decisions the team has to make are:
System architecture – What is the fundamental organization of the system product ? What are the relationships of the various functional blocks to each other and to the environment? What foundational technologies or intellectual property are needed to implement the architecture?
System partitioning – How much of the signal processing is to be done in the analog domain? How much in the digital domain? System-on-a Chip? Multi-chip? Discrete designs?
Processor platforms – Microprocessor? FPGA? Custom?
Analog strategy – related to the partitioning decision, the issue here is one of cost and component count vs. performance; to use off the shelf components or seek to develop ASICs that could reduce cost and complexity but raise schedule and cost risks.
Software – Is the current software adequate for the new design? Is new code needed? Is a change in platform required that necessitates a complete overhaul?
Intellectual property – Does the company have the necessary IP? Does IP need to be acquired? Does the proposed architecture potentially infringe on existing patents?
EDA and Design Tools – Does the company have the right development tools to do what they need to do?
EE Times covers all of the significant issues in design, fundamental technology and design. The eeDesign environment inside the EDA section of eetimes.com covers chip and system architectures, silicon intellectual property (IP), chip design methodologies, and EDA tools
On our vertically segmented DesignLine web sites, creators of technology can find the highly focused, how-to technical and product information on today’s hot application and technology areas. The sites help them accelerate the development of these products and better incorporate new technologies and techniques into their existing product lines.
Teardown reports available from our Portelligent division can provide insight into how other companies have tackled thorny system architecture and portioning challenges
The leading technical advisor to the world’s microelectronics community, Semiconductor Insights supports its clients through the technical investigation of patents, integrated circuits and electronic systems. It’s IPInsights division helps technology companies and legal professionals evaluate, develop and monetize their intellectual property. Typical clients are major electronics and semiconductor corporations in Japan , Korea , Taiwan , Europe and North America and the law firms that represent them
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TECH Reports help technology companies benchmark competing devices, improve time to market and solve technical problems.
The Intellectual Property Symposium brings together a unique combination of thought leaders in electronic systems, software, and semiconductors across the engineering, business and legal professions. It provides a unique forum for these constituencies to gather and address the current state of the rapidly evolving marketplace for patents and intellectual property in the electronics industry