The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is a language for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting the artefacts of software systems, as well as for modelling business and other non-software systems. The UML represents a collection of best engineering practices that succeeded in modelling large and complex systems; it is interesting to envision its extension for specification and modelling of hardware-software systems as well, starting with the first design phases, i.e. prior to hardware-software partitioning. This paper analyses the development of a solution able to define the hardware/software partitioning of an embedded system starting from its UML system specifications. The case study chosen is a Wireless Meter Reader (WMR) dedicated to the measurement of energy consumption. The designers evaluated the hardware/software partitioning solution in terms of cost, performance, size and consumption.
A. Minosi, S. Mankan, A. Martinola, F. Balzarini,