1<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968"><title>Chapter 1. Introduction</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="Voltage and current regulator API"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="Voltage and current regulator API"><link rel="prev" href="index.html" title="Voltage and current regulator API"><link rel="next" href="consumer.html" title="Chapter 2. Consumer driver interface"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 1. Introduction</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="index.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="consumer.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="intro"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="intro.html#glossary">Glossary</a></span></dt></dl></div><p> 2 This framework is designed to provide a standard kernel 3 interface to control voltage and current regulators. 4 </p><p> 5 The intention is to allow systems to dynamically control 6 regulator power output in order to save power and prolong 7 battery life. This applies to both voltage regulators (where 8 voltage output is controllable) and current sinks (where current 9 limit is controllable). 10 </p><p> 11 Note that additional (and currently more complete) documentation 12 is available in the Linux kernel source under 13 <code class="filename">Documentation/power/regulator</code>. 14 </p><div class="sect1"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="glossary"></a>Glossary</h2></div></div></div><p> 15 The regulator API uses a number of terms which may not be 16 familiar: 17 </p><div class="glossary"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1121993500"></a>Glossary</h3></div></div></div><dl><dt><span class="glossterm">Regulator</span></dt><dd class="glossdef"><p> 18 Electronic device that supplies power to other devices. Most 19 regulators can enable and disable their output and some can also 20 control their output voltage or current. 21 </p></dd><dt><span class="glossterm">Consumer</span></dt><dd class="glossdef"><p> 22 Electronic device which consumes power provided by a regulator. 23 These may either be static, requiring only a fixed supply, or 24 dynamic, requiring active management of the regulator at 25 runtime. 26 </p></dd><dt><span class="glossterm">Power Domain</span></dt><dd class="glossdef"><p> 27 The electronic circuit supplied by a given regulator, including 28 the regulator and all consumer devices. The configuration of 29 the regulator is shared between all the components in the 30 circuit. 31 </p></dd><dt><span class="glossterm">Power Management Integrated Circuit</span></dt><dd class="glossdef"><p> 32 An IC which contains numerous regulators and often also other 33 subsystems. In an embedded system the primary PMIC is often 34 equivalent to a combination of the PSU and southbridge in a 35 desktop system. 36 </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="index.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="consumer.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Voltage and current regulator API </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 2. Consumer driver interface</td></tr></table></div></body></html> 37