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diff --git a/Documentation/power_supply_class.txt b/Documentation/power_supply_class.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..9758cf433c0 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/power_supply_class.txt @@ -0,0 +1,167 @@ +Linux power supply class +======================== + +Synopsis +~~~~~~~~ +Power supply class used to represent battery, UPS, AC or DC power supply +properties to user-space. + +It defines core set of attributes, which should be applicable to (almost) +every power supply out there. Attributes are available via sysfs and uevent +interfaces. + +Each attribute has well defined meaning, up to unit of measure used. While +the attributes provided are believed to be universally applicable to any +power supply, specific monitoring hardware may not be able to provide them +all, so any of them may be skipped. + +Power supply class is extensible, and allows to define drivers own attributes. +The core attribute set is subject to the standard Linux evolution (i.e. +if it will be found that some attribute is applicable to many power supply +types or their drivers, it can be added to the core set). + +It also integrates with LED framework, for the purpose of providing +typically expected feedback of battery charging/fully charged status and +AC/USB power supply online status. (Note that specific details of the +indication (including whether to use it at all) are fully controllable by +user and/or specific machine defaults, per design principles of LED +framework). + + +Attributes/properties +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Power supply class has predefined set of attributes, this eliminates code +duplication across drivers. Power supply class insist on reusing its +predefined attributes *and* their units. + +So, userspace gets predictable set of attributes and their units for any +kind of power supply, and can process/present them to a user in consistent +manner. Results for different power supplies and machines are also directly +comparable. + +See drivers/power/ds2760_battery.c and drivers/power/pda_power.c for the +example how to declare and handle attributes. + + +Units +~~~~~ +Quoting include/linux/power_supply.h: + + All voltages, currents, charges, energies, time and temperatures in µV, + µA, µAh, µWh, seconds and tenths of degree Celsius unless otherwise + stated. It's driver's job to convert its raw values to units in which + this class operates. + + +Attributes/properties detailed +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Charge/Energy/Capacity - how to not confuse ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ +~ ~ +~ Because both "charge" (µAh) and "energy" (µWh) represents "capacity" ~ +~ of battery, this class distinguish these terms. Don't mix them! ~ +~ ~ +~ CHARGE_* attributes represents capacity in µAh only. ~ +~ ENERGY_* attributes represents capacity in µWh only. ~ +~ CAPACITY attribute represents capacity in *percents*, from 0 to 100. ~ +~ ~ +~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ + +Postfixes: +_AVG - *hardware* averaged value, use it if your hardware is really able to +report averaged values. +_NOW - momentary/instantaneous values. + +STATUS - this attribute represents operating status (charging, full, +discharging (i.e. powering a load), etc.). This corresponds to +BATTERY_STATUS_* values, as defined in battery.h. + +HEALTH - represents health of the battery, values corresponds to +POWER_SUPPLY_HEALTH_*, defined in battery.h. + +VOLTAGE_MAX_DESIGN, VOLTAGE_MIN_DESIGN - design values for maximal and +minimal power supply voltages. Maximal/minimal means values of voltages +when battery considered "full"/"empty" at normal conditions. Yes, there is +no direct relation between voltage and battery capacity, but some dumb +batteries use voltage for very approximated calculation of capacity. +Battery driver also can use this attribute just to inform userspace +about maximal and minimal voltage thresholds of a given battery. + +CHARGE_FULL_DESIGN, CHARGE_EMPTY_DESIGN - design charge values, when +battery considered full/empty. + +ENERGY_FULL_DESIGN, ENERGY_EMPTY_DESIGN - same as above but for energy. + +CHARGE_FULL, CHARGE_EMPTY - These attributes means "last remembered value +of charge when battery became full/empty". It also could mean "value of +charge when battery considered full/empty at given conditions (temperature, +age)". I.e. these attributes represents real thresholds, not design values. + +ENERGY_FULL, ENERGY_EMPTY - same as above but for energy. + +CAPACITY - capacity in percents. +CAPACITY_LEVEL - capacity level. This corresponds to +POWER_SUPPLY_CAPACITY_LEVEL_*. + +TEMP - temperature of the power supply. +TEMP_AMBIENT - ambient temperature. + +TIME_TO_EMPTY - seconds left for battery to be considered empty (i.e. +while battery powers a load) +TIME_TO_FULL - seconds left for battery to be considered full (i.e. +while battery is charging) + + +Battery <-> external power supply interaction +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +Often power supplies are acting as supplies and supplicants at the same +time. Batteries are good example. So, batteries usually care if they're +externally powered or not. + +For that case, power supply class implements notification mechanism for +batteries. + +External power supply (AC) lists supplicants (batteries) names in +"supplied_to" struct member, and each power_supply_changed() call +issued by external power supply will notify supplicants via +external_power_changed callback. + + +QA +~~ +Q: Where is POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_XYZ attribute? +A: If you cannot find attribute suitable for your driver needs, feel free + to add it and send patch along with your driver. + + The attributes available currently are the ones currently provided by the + drivers written. + + Good candidates to add in future: model/part#, cycle_time, manufacturer, + etc. + + +Q: I have some very specific attribute (e.g. battery color), should I add + this attribute to standard ones? +A: Most likely, no. Such attribute can be placed in the driver itself, if + it is useful. Of course, if the attribute in question applicable to + large set of batteries, provided by many drivers, and/or comes from + some general battery specification/standard, it may be a candidate to + be added to the core attribute set. + + +Q: Suppose, my battery monitoring chip/firmware does not provides capacity + in percents, but provides charge_{now,full,empty}. Should I calculate + percentage capacity manually, inside the driver, and register CAPACITY + attribute? The same question about time_to_empty/time_to_full. +A: Most likely, no. This class is designed to export properties which are + directly measurable by the specific hardware available. + + Inferring not available properties using some heuristics or mathematical + model is not subject of work for a battery driver. Such functionality + should be factored out, and in fact, apm_power, the driver to serve + legacy APM API on top of power supply class, uses a simple heuristic of + approximating remaining battery capacity based on its charge, current, + voltage and so on. But full-fledged battery model is likely not subject + for kernel at all, as it would require floating point calculation to deal + with things like differential equations and Kalman filters. This is + better be handled by batteryd/libbattery, yet to be written. |