HCC Embedded Developed File System Software for Smart-Meter Applications

HCC Embedded has developed a file system designed for the needs of smart-energy and smart-meter applications.

The approach maximizes the life of flash, reduces power consumption, and provides an ’emergency write’ function, which reduces cost by allowing the on-board capacitor to be as small as possible. The file-system features can result in savings of many ‘cents’ for each meter, a cost reduction in high volume manufacture.

The software is compliant with the MISRA C:2004 coding standard. The Smart-meter File System (SMFSTM) requires less than 15kB program memory and less than 1.5kB of RAM on most 32-bit MCUs.

Metering applications work with well-defined records that are more suited to a database approach. General-purpose file systems do not have any cyclic buffer logic for storing records and this adds complexity to applications. SMFS uses a structured database to reduce complexity of the application and improve the performance of the system in almost every way-speed, power consumption, and flash life.

Features:

• Fail-safe storage for guaranteed system recovery.

• Persistent storage for 15 years or more.

• Minimal power consumption to preserve battery life.

• Minimum number of flash operations to preserve both the flash and the battery.

• Deterministic behavior in the event of unexpected reset.

SMFS is available for a range of 16 and 32-bit MCUs and SOCs, and thanks to the advanced embedded framework, can integrate with any RTOS, toolchain or development board.