Overview

The structure of the graduate school – as it is shown in the figure – is organized into two parts. The architecture of embedded microsystems is described by a hierarchy of shells. The sensors and actuators which offer the connections to the environment are located in the centre. They are embedded by integrated circuits to a powerful signal processing. To assure the functionality they are implemented in an operating system that enables the access of the application software to the resources. Especially the use of embedded microsystems will often take place in a network, so that each individual system is implemented in an entire system of embedded systems. Basing on the research analysis, four fields of research were defined within this architecture. Every research area contains projects with microsystem engineering issues and on computer science questions. Because of the proposed themes a strong synergetic interaction between ideas from microsystem technology and computer science is expected.

A. Modelling and Design
B. Diagnostics and Test
C. Localization of Microsystems
D. Distributed Microsystems

There will also be a strong coupling within each research area and between the research areas as well as between the individual research fields. As an example, the work on Modelling and Design is indispensable for an efficient development of locatable and distributed microsystems. Similarly, the work on Diagnostics and Test will orient itself on the methods for Modelling and Design and will react to these through the extraction of optimized design tools. Further, Diagnostics and Test have to ensure that the functionality of embedded microsystems can be verified on the different hierarchy levels of application oriented research topics.