OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR DYNAMIC LOADING AND MANAGEMENT OF MODULAR APPLICATIONS IN EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Abstract

Ensuring modularity under strict resource constraints is a critical challenge in the design of embedded systems. This paper presents "Part Only RTOS", an operational environment developed for devices based on 8-bit ATmega2560 microcontrollers. The core feature of the proposed system is the ability to dynamically load and execute application modules (in .bin format) from an SD card without requiring full hardware reprogramming. The developed three-tier architecture, comprising the Launcher, Bootloader, and Kernel, ensures reliable software validation via unique pattern matching and efficient memory utilisation. Experimental results demonstrate that the system kernel occupies less than $2.5~KB$ of Flash memory, and the loading time for a 10 KB module is approximately 132 ms. This solution enables the creation of flexible and high-performance modular embedded systems on low-power microcontroller platforms.