Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems

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Today, I will share an open-source lightweight framework designed specifically for embedded systems.

Introduction to mr-library

MR framework is a lightweight framework designed specifically for embedded systems, taking into full consideration the resource and performance requirements of embedded systems. By providing standardized device management interfaces, it greatly simplifies the difficulty of developing embedded applications, helping developers quickly build embedded applications.

The framework provides standardized interfaces for opening (open), closing (close), controlling (ioctl), reading (read), writing (write), etc. It decouples the application from the underlying hardware drivers, allowing the application to operate without needing to know the implementation details of the driver.

When hardware changes, only the underlying driver needs to be adapted, and the application can seamlessly migrate to the new hardware. This greatly enhances the reusability of software and the scalability to new hardware.

Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
Project Structure Diagram

Key Features

  • Standardized device access interfaces
  • Decoupling of application and driver development
  • Simplified development of underlying drivers and applications
  • Lightweight and easy to use, low resource consumption
  • Modular design, decoupling and independent development of various parts, extremely low hardware migration costs
  • Supports usage in bare-metal and operating system environments

Main Components

  • Device framework: provides standard interfaces for device access
  • Memory management: dynamic memory management
  • Tools: commonly used data structures such as linked lists, queues, balanced trees, etc.
  • Various functional components

Standardized Device Interfaces

All operations on devices can be implemented through the following interfaces:

Interface Description
mr_dev_register Register device
mr_dev_open Open device
mr_dev_close Close device
mr_dev_ioctl Control device
mr_dev_read Read data from device
mr_dev_write Write data to device

Example:

struct mr_spi_dev spi_dev;

int main(void)
{
    /* Register SPI10 device (CS low active) to SPI1 bus */
    mr_spi_dev_register(&spi_dev, "spi1/spi10", 0, MR_SPI_CS_ACTIVE_LOW);

    /* Open SPI10 device on SPI1 bus */
    int ds = mr_dev_open("spi1/spi10", MR_OFLAG_RDWR);
    
    /* Send data */
    uint8_t wr_buf[] = {0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04};
    mr_dev_write(ds, wr_buf, sizeof(wr_buf));
    
    /* Receive data */
    uint8_t rd_buf[4] = {0};
    mr_dev_read(ds, rd_buf, sizeof(rd_buf));
    
    /* Close device */
    mr_dev_close(ds);
}

Configuration Tool

MR provides a Kconfig visual configuration tool, allowing developers to configure without needing to delve into the source code.

Kconfig automatically generates the configuration options interface based on the configuration file. Developers can select the required functional components and set related parameters through simple operations.

Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
Configuration Tool
Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
Configuration Tool 1

By modifying parameters, quickly trim the required functions. After configuration is complete, the configuration file is automatically generated through a Python script.

Directory Structure

Name Description
bsp Board Support Package
components Components
device Device files
document Documentation
driver Driver files
include Library header files
source Library source files
Kconfig Configuration files
kconfig.py Automatic configuration script
LICENSE License

Getting Started

Configure Kconfig Environment

Note: Kconfig is not mandatory, but it is recommended (installation and configuration are very quick, and subsequent tutorials will also take Kconfig as an example).

  1. Verify whether the Python environment is installed on the system. Run python --version in the command line to check the Python version (as Kconfig relies on python, please install python if it is not available).

  2. Use the command shown in the command line to install Kconfig:

    python -m pip install windows-curses
    python -m pip install kconfiglib
    
  3. Run menuconfig -h in the command line to verify if the installation was successful.

Importing the Framework into the Project

  1. Download the latest version of the source code from Gitee or Github repository to your local machine.

  2. Import the source code into the directory where your project is located. For example, in the STM32 project:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory
  3. If the chip you are using has already been adapted to BSP, please refer to the configuration tutorial in the corresponding BSP to complete the BSP configuration.

  4. Remove unnecessary files such as bsp, document, module directories (if GIT is not needed, you can also remove the .git file). After completion, the directory structure is as follows:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 1
  5. Add the files to the IDE (most IDEs can automatically recognize the files under the project path, so this step is not necessary). For example, in keil:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory Keil

    Add all files under source, device, driver directories.

Configure Menu Options

  1. Open the command line tool in the mr-library directory, run menuconfig for menu configuration.

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 2

    Note: After adding the corresponding chip driver, Device configure and Driver configure will be displayed. Please refer to the tutorial under BSP for Driver configure.

  2. Select Device configure and press enter to enter the menu, configure the functions as needed.

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 3
  3. After configuration is complete, press Q to exit the menu configuration interface, and press Y to save the configuration.

Generate Configuration File

  1. Open the command line tool in the mr-library directory, run python kconfig.py, and automatically generate the configuration file mr_config.h.

Add Include Paths

  1. Add the include path of mr-library in the compiler, for example:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 4
  2. Configure automatic initialization (GCC environment), find the link script file with the .ld suffix in your project (usually link.ld), and add the following code to the script file: Note: If you are in an environment like keil that can automatically generate link scripts, please skip this step.

    /* mr-library auto init */
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _mr_auto_init_start = .;
    KEEP(*(SORT(.auto_init*)))
    _mr_auto_init_end = .;
    

    Example:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 5
  3. Configure GNU syntax. If you are using a non-GCC compiler, please enable GNU syntax. For example:

    AC5:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 6

    AC6:

    Lightweight Framework for Embedded Systems
    Project Directory 7
  4. In your project, include #include "include/mr_lib.h".

  5. Add the mr_auto_init(); automatic initialization function in the main function.

Let’s turn on the light

#include "include/mr_lib.h"

/* Define LED pin (PC13)*/
#define LED_PIN_NUMBER                  45

int main(void)
{
    /* Automatic initialization */
    mr_auto_init();

    /* Open PIN device */
    int ds = mr_dev_open("pin", MR_OFLAG_RDWR);
    /* Set to LED pin */
    mr_dev_ioctl(ds, MR_CTL_PIN_SET_NUMBER, mr_make_local(int, LED_PIN_NUMBER));
    /* Set LED pin to push-pull output mode */
    mr_dev_ioctl(ds, MR_CTL_PIN_SET_MODE, mr_make_local(int, MR_PIN_MODE_OUTPUT));

    while(1)
    {
        /* Light up LED */
        mr_dev_write(ds, mr_make_local(uint8_t, MR_PIN_HIGH_LEVEL), sizeof(uint8_t));
        mr_delay_ms(500);
        mr_dev_write(ds, mr_make_local(uint8_t, MR_PIN_LOW_LEVEL), sizeof(uint8_t));
        mr_delay_ms(500);
    }
}

Hello World

#include "include/mr_lib.h"

int main(void)
{
    /* Automatic initialization */
    mr_auto_init();

    /* Open Serial-1 device */
    int ds = mr_dev_open("serial1", MR_OFLAG_RDWR);
    /* Output Hello World */
    mr_dev_write(ds, "Hello World\r\n", sizeof("Hello World\r\n"));
    
    while(1);
}
Open source address:

https://gitee.com/MacRsh/mr-librar

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