Embedded Linux-based Handheld Data Terminal Design And Applications

With great development of information technology and computer science, handheld devices have been brought into every aspect of our lives, and play important role in many fields, such as mobile communication, consumer electronics and information collection, etc. Therefore, the problem is how to develop low cost handheld devices efficiently.Based on the background, this study put forward an ARM plus Linux way solution after considering the restriction in embedded system. With the features of cost-effective, low-power and high-performance, ARM processor is superior to others, and becomes the standard solution of designing handheld devices. Linux is stable, efficient, customizable, and can support all sorts of hardware. Linux is free and its source code is open, which is its greatest advantage. So, Linux becomes the trend in the design of handheld devices.This study describes the design of hardware and software for embedded system in detaile. It introduces main parts in the design of the hardware circuit, including memory, communication interface and human interface. After this, it describes the steps of constructing software platform for the system, such as constructing cross development environment, porting bootloader, porting Linux kernel and making root file system. Moreover, it analyzes the starup procedure of the kernel.Finally, this study discusses the application of our system in infrared power meter readering. I wrote the driver and application program for the system, and implemented reading and saving data from the infrared power meter.The combination of embedded system and handheld devices developes many new applications, and will bring economic gain for the information industry in future.