Flash real-time operating system for small embedded applications

摘要

A flash real time operating system for embedded applications employing flash memory is capable of storing and accessing individual bytes of data corresponding to a particular logical address in real time. The operating system writes data bytes to sequential physical blocks within the flash memory. Physical blocks written with data bytes corresponding to the same logical address are connected by a linked list, which is dynamically modified to reduce access times required to read and write data to the flash memory. The operating system also monitors the number of physical blocks written with data within each physical sector. When one physical sector reaches its storage capacity, the operating system transfers the physical blocks holding valid data from the old physical sector to a new, previously erased physical sector.