Voltage and current regulator framework
cover Voltage and current regulator framework
This patch series provides a generic framework to allow device drivers to control voltage and current regulators on SoC based devices (e.g. phones, gps, media players).
The intention is to allow systems to dynamically control regulator output in order to save power and prolong battery life. This applies to both voltage regulators (where voltage output is controllable) and current sinks (where current output is controllable).
The framework is designed around SoC based devices but may also be relevant to non SoC devices. It's also been designed against two Power Management ICs (PMICs) currently on the market - namely the Freescale MC13783 and the Wolfson WM8350. However it is quite generic and should apply to all PMICs.
The framework provides several interfaces :-
1. Client or Consumer driver API.
This uses a similar API to the kernel clock interface in that client
or consumer drivers can get and put a regulator (like they can with clocks atm) and get/set voltage, current, mode, enable and disable. This should allow clients complete control over their supply voltage and current. This API also compiles out if not in use so drivers can be reused in systems with no PMIC power control.
2. Regulator driver API.
This allows regulator drivers to register their regulators and provide
operations to the core. It also has a notifier call chain for propagating regulator events to clients.
3. Platform API.
This API is for platform/device specific code and allows the creation
of voltage/current domains (with constraints) for each regulator. It can provide regulator constraints that will prevent device damage through over voltage or over current caused by buggy client drivers. It also allows the creation of a regulator tree whereby some regulators are supplied by others (similar to a clock tree).
4. Userspace.
The framework also exports a lot of useful voltage/current data to
userspace via sysfs. This could be used to monitor device and regulator power and status.
Fwiw, there is code in our public git tree that currently shows this API in use:-
http://opensource.wolfsonmicro.com/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?p=linux-2.6-audioplus.git;a=shortlog;h=imx31
All the relevant files are under include/linux/regulator and drivers/regulator. There are client drivers here :-
Patch follows.
Liam
Quoted 9 lines · Liam Girdwood
This patch series provides a generic framework to allow device drivers to control voltage and current regulators on SoC based devices (e.g. phones, gps, media players).
The intention is to allow systems to dynamically control regulator output in order to save power and prolong battery life. This applies to both voltage regulators (where voltage output is controllable) and current sinks (where current output is controllable).
Quoted 5 lines
The framework is designed around SoC based devices but may also be relevant to non SoC devices. It's also been designed against two Power Management ICs (PMICs) currently on the market - namely the Freescale MC13783 and the Wolfson WM8350. However it is quite generic and should apply to all PMICs.
General comments related to your patch submission - not to the code.
- Each patch should have a descriptive subject for the said patch. The headlines you use below looks fine for this.
- Tag each subject with name of the framework so it is obvious they belong to the same area.
Note that the numbers will be lost when the patches are applied to git.
- Each patch should contain a description of what it contains and why it is needed.
You seem to have it written but it is 'hidden' in the 0/4 mail that will not go into git - so the info is hard to find when the patches goes in.
- Each patch should contain a diffstat before the actual patch so it is obvious what is touched by the patch.
- The patches should not break the build.
As your patches did not include any Makefile / Kconfig fragments I gues you have no issues here.
It is typical to split up patches like you have done and apply the MAkefile/Kconfig bits as the final patch to make sure the kernel continue to build.
Sam
Quoted 10 lines · Sam Ravnborg
Quoted 9 lines · Liam Girdwood
This patch series provides a generic framework to allow device drivers to control voltage and current regulators on SoC based devices (e.g. phones, gps, media players).
The intention is to allow systems to dynamically control regulator output in order to save power and prolong battery life. This applies to both voltage regulators (where voltage output is controllable) and current sinks (where current output is controllable).
Quoted 7 lines
Quoted 5 lines
The framework is designed around SoC based devices but may also be relevant to non SoC devices. It's also been designed against two Power Management ICs (PMICs) currently on the market - namely the Freescale MC13783 and the Wolfson WM8350. However it is quite generic and should apply to all PMICs.
General comments related to your patch submission - not to the code.
And please run your patches through scripts/checkpatch.pl and fix the obvious issues.
Sam