diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/media/kapi')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/media/kapi/rc-core.rst | 77 |
1 files changed, 77 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/media/kapi/rc-core.rst b/Documentation/media/kapi/rc-core.rst index 41c2256dbf6a..4759f020d6b2 100644 --- a/Documentation/media/kapi/rc-core.rst +++ b/Documentation/media/kapi/rc-core.rst @@ -4,6 +4,83 @@ Remote Controller devices Remote Controller core ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +The remote controller core implements infrastructure to receive and send +remote controller keyboard keystrokes and mouse events. + +Every time a key is pressed on a remote controller, a scan code is produced. +Also, on most hardware, keeping a key pressed for more than a few dozens of +milliseconds produce a repeat key event. That's somewhat similar to what +a normal keyboard or mouse is handled internally on Linux\ [#f1]_. So, the +remote controller core is implemented on the top of the linux input/evdev +interface. + +.. [#f1] + + The main difference is that, on keyboard events, the keyboard controller + produces one event for a key press and another one for key release. On + infrared-based remote controllers, there's no key release event. Instead, + an extra code is produced to indicate key repeats. + +However, most of the remote controllers use infrared (IR) to transmit signals. +As there are several protocols used to modulate infrared signals, one +important part of the core is dedicated to adjust the driver and the core +system to support the infrared protocol used by the emitter. + +The infrared transmission is done by blinking a infrared emitter using a +carrier. The carrier can be switched on or off by the IR transmitter +hardware. When the carrier is switched on, it is called *PULSE*. +When the carrier is switched off, it is called *SPACE*. + +In other words, a typical IR transmission can be viewed as a sequence of +*PULSE* and *SPACE* events, each with a given duration. + +The carrier parameters (frequency, duty cycle) and the intervals for +*PULSE* and *SPACE* events depend on the protocol. +For example, the NEC protocol uses a carrier of 38kHz, and transmissions +start with a 9ms *PULSE* and a 4.5ms SPACE. It then transmits 16 bits of +scan code, being 8 bits for address (usually it is a fixed number for a +given remote controller), followed by 8 bits of code. A bit "1" is modulated +with 560µs *PULSE* followed by 1690µs *SPACE* and a bit "0" is modulated +with 560µs *PULSE* followed by 560µs *SPACE*. + +At receiver, a simple low-pass filter can be used to convert the received +signal in a sequence of *PULSE/SPACE* events, filtering out the carrier +frequency. Due to that, the receiver doesn't care about the carrier's +actual frequency parameters: all it has to do is to measure the amount +of time it receives *PULSE/SPACE* events. +So, a simple IR receiver hardware will just provide a sequence of timings +for those events to the Kernel. The drivers for hardware with such kind of +receivers are identified by ``RC_DRIVER_IR_RAW``, as defined by +:c:type:`rc_driver_type`\ [#f2]_. Other hardware come with a +microcontroller that decode the *PULSE/SPACE* sequence and return scan +codes to the Kernel. Such kind of receivers are identified +by ``RC_DRIVER_SCANCODE``. + +.. [#f2] + + The RC core also supports devices that have just IR emitters, + without any receivers. Right now, all such devices work only in + raw TX mode. Such kind of hardware is identified as + ``RC_DRIVER_IR_RAW_TX``. + +When the RC core receives events produced by ``RC_DRIVER_IR_RAW`` IR +receivers, it needs to decode the IR protocol, in order to obtain the +corresponding scan code. The protocols supported by the RC core are +defined at enum :c:type:`rc_proto`. + +When the RC code receives a scan code (either directly, by a driver +of the type ``RC_DRIVER_SCANCODE``, or via its IR decoders), it needs +to convert into a Linux input event code. This is done via a mapping +table. + +The Kernel has support for mapping tables available on most media +devices. It also supports loading a table in runtime, via some +sysfs nodes. See the :ref:`RC userspace API <Remote_controllers_Intro>` +for more details. + +Remote controller data structures and functions +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ + .. kernel-doc:: include/media/rc-core.h .. kernel-doc:: include/media/rc-map.h |