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Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/driver-api/iio/buffers.rst')
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diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/iio/buffers.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/iio/buffers.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..3ddebddc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/driver-api/iio/buffers.rst @@ -0,0 +1,125 @@ +======= +Buffers +======= + +* struct iio_buffer — general buffer structure +* :c:func:`iio_validate_scan_mask_onehot` — Validates that exactly one channel + is selected +* :c:func:`iio_buffer_get` — Grab a reference to the buffer +* :c:func:`iio_buffer_put` — Release the reference to the buffer + +The Industrial I/O core offers a way for continuous data capture based on a +trigger source. Multiple data channels can be read at once from +:file:`/dev/iio:device{X}` character device node, thus reducing the CPU load. + +IIO buffer sysfs interface +========================== +An IIO buffer has an associated attributes directory under +:file:`/sys/bus/iio/iio:device{X}/buffer/*`. Here are some of the existing +attributes: + +* :file:`length`, the total number of data samples (capacity) that can be + stored by the buffer. +* :file:`enable`, activate buffer capture. + +IIO buffer setup +================ + +The meta information associated with a channel reading placed in a buffer is +called a scan element. The important bits configuring scan elements are +exposed to userspace applications via the +:file:`/sys/bus/iio/iio:device{X}/scan_elements/*` directory. This file contains +attributes of the following form: + +* :file:`enable`, used for enabling a channel. If and only if its attribute + is non *zero*, then a triggered capture will contain data samples for this + channel. +* :file:`type`, description of the scan element data storage within the buffer + and hence the form in which it is read from user space. + Format is [be|le]:[s|u]bits/storagebitsXrepeat[>>shift] . + * *be* or *le*, specifies big or little endian. + * *s* or *u*, specifies if signed (2's complement) or unsigned. + * *bits*, is the number of valid data bits. + * *storagebits*, is the number of bits (after padding) that it occupies in the + buffer. + * *shift*, if specified, is the shift that needs to be applied prior to + masking out unused bits. + * *repeat*, specifies the number of bits/storagebits repetitions. When the + repeat element is 0 or 1, then the repeat value is omitted. + +For example, a driver for a 3-axis accelerometer with 12 bit resolution where +data is stored in two 8-bits registers as follows:: + + 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 + +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ + |D3 |D2 |D1 |D0 | X | X | X | X | (LOW byte, address 0x06) + +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ + + 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 + +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ + |D11|D10|D9 |D8 |D7 |D6 |D5 |D4 | (HIGH byte, address 0x07) + +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ + +will have the following scan element type for each axis:: + + $ cat /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device0/scan_elements/in_accel_y_type + le:s12/16>>4 + +A user space application will interpret data samples read from the buffer as +two byte little endian signed data, that needs a 4 bits right shift before +masking out the 12 valid bits of data. + +For implementing buffer support a driver should initialize the following +fields in iio_chan_spec definition:: + + struct iio_chan_spec { + /* other members */ + int scan_index + struct { + char sign; + u8 realbits; + u8 storagebits; + u8 shift; + u8 repeat; + enum iio_endian endianness; + } scan_type; + }; + +The driver implementing the accelerometer described above will have the +following channel definition:: + + struct iio_chan_spec accel_channels[] = { + { + .type = IIO_ACCEL, + .modified = 1, + .channel2 = IIO_MOD_X, + /* other stuff here */ + .scan_index = 0, + .scan_type = { + .sign = 's', + .realbits = 12, + .storagebits = 16, + .shift = 4, + .endianness = IIO_LE, + }, + } + /* similar for Y (with channel2 = IIO_MOD_Y, scan_index = 1) + * and Z (with channel2 = IIO_MOD_Z, scan_index = 2) axis + */ + } + +Here **scan_index** defines the order in which the enabled channels are placed +inside the buffer. Channels with a lower **scan_index** will be placed before +channels with a higher index. Each channel needs to have a unique +**scan_index**. + +Setting **scan_index** to -1 can be used to indicate that the specific channel +does not support buffered capture. In this case no entries will be created for +the channel in the scan_elements directory. + +More details +============ +.. kernel-doc:: include/linux/iio/buffer.h +.. kernel-doc:: drivers/iio/industrialio-buffer.c + :export: + |