{"id":3200,"date":"2026-01-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kunden.weissblaumedia.de\/microconsult\/2018\/10\/18\/fl_architekturmuster\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T08:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T07:05:37","slug":"fl_architecturepattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/fl_architekturmuster\/","title":{"rendered":"Don't always reinvent the wheel: Successfully use architectural patterns in the embedded environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Embedded projects usually start very small. And often, no thought is given to the software architecture in the initial stages. The application is supposed to work quickly \u2013 and the problems with the new hardware still need to be solved. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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But such an approach quickly backfires. At the latest when the next customer request comes in, you realize that a little more structure in the application would have made the desired changes easier \u2013 but there's no time for that anymore, because the customer is waiting. This then repeats itself a few more times, and each time the effort increases.<\/p>\n

The next project will be launched in a similar fashion, and no one will have learned anything. Yet it's really not difficult to incorporate a few solid cornerstones into an embedded project. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Most problems aren't new and have already been solved by other developers.<\/p>\n

Some clever people have even developed templates (patterns) that you only need to adapt to your own project. These templates are called patterns in modern parlance.<\/p>\n

Patterns are widely used in programming, where they are called design patterns. Many embedded developers are unaware that such patterns also exist for software architecture. Below, we present three architectural patterns that are well-suited for embedded projects.<\/p>\n

The blackboard as a central exchange platform (notice board)<\/h4>\n

The Blackboard architectural pattern is frequently used in expert systems. In a simplified form, it can be effectively used in embedded systems to avoid the chaos of countless global variables. The starting point: Many components of a program need access to the same data but are not in direct contact with each other.<\/p>\n

\"Architectural<\/p>\n

Image 1: Principle of Blackboard Architecture<\/em><\/p>\n

The bulletin board is established as a central exchange platform for shared data. This provides the application with a unified data repository. It also makes it possible to send change notifications to data users or to validate values, thus preventing unauthorized data modifications.<\/p>\n

Advantages<\/strong><\/p>\n