Graphical programming of custom device drivers

• US 9,329,840 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Koh, David, Galijasevic, Zijad
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/264,436
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven

Abstract

The present invention provides a set of blocks for creating device drivers. Since, for most computational devices, device driver code to configure and control an I/O interface may be decomposed into a small finite number of common software functions, by providing a block set comprising blocks representing the finite number of common software functions, custom device drivers can be created for any number of devices. Thus, by providing a set of generalized device driver blocks that can be parameterized by the user, specific instances of custom device drivers can be created as needed. Processor and device specific driver code can then be generated from the custom device driver.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing information identifying blocks of a block diagram,

the blocks representing functions associated with a plurality of device drivers,

the functions including a function to read from or write to serial ports,

the plurality of device drivers being used to control a plurality of devices,

the providing being performed by a computing device;

receiving parameters to configure the blocks,

the received parameters being received from a user associated with the computing device,

the received parameters corresponding to values of the blocks,

the receiving being performed by the computing device;

configuring the blocks, based on the received parameters, to generate another device driver,

the received parameters, received in association with the other device driver, including information identifying one or more serial port numbers relating to the function to read from or write to serial ports,

the other device driver including the information identifying the one or more serial port numbers,

configuring the blocks including automatically changing the values of the blocks, based on the received parameters, to configure the blocks,

the configuring being performed by the computing device; and

generating code for the other device driver based on configuring the blocks,

a particular device being controlled, using the other device driver, based on the other device driver including the information identifying the one or more serial port numbers,

the generating being performed by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the blocks include a block representing a function to read from and write to a memory.

3. The method of claim 1, where the blocks include a block representing a function to configure a Direct Memory Access controller of a device that controls the particular device using the other device driver.

4. The method of claim 1, where the blocks include a block representing a function to generate an interrupt signal.

5. The method of claim 1, where the blocks include a block for configuring the other device driver for the particular device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the particular device using the other device driver,

where the computing device includes information identifying devices that are supported by the computing device, and

where information identifying the particular device is not included in the information identifying the devices that are supported by the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, where providing the information identifying the blocks includes providing the information identifying the blocks to a client device, and

where receiving the parameters includes receiving the parameters from the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, selection of the blocks from a plurality of blocks.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to provide information identifying blocks of a block diagram,

the blocks representing functions associated with a plurality of device drivers,

the functions including a function to read from or write to serial ports,

a plurality of devices being controlled using the plurality of device drivers;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive parameters to configure the blocks,

the received parameters being mapped to values of the blocks;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to configure the blocks, based on the received parameters, to generate another device driver,

the received parameters, received in association with the other device driver, including information identifying one or more serial port numbers relating to the function to read from or write to serial ports,

the other device driver including the information identifying the one or serial port numbers,

the one or more instructions to configure the blocks including one or more instructions to automatically change the values of the blocks, based on the received parameters, to configure the blocks; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to generate code for the other device driver based on configuring the blocks,

a particular device being controlled, using the other device driver, based on the other device driver including the information identifying the one or more serial port numbers.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the blocks include a block representing a function to read from and write to a memory.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the blocks include a block representing a function to set up parameters for Direct Memory Access (DMA), and

where the one or more instructions to receive the parameters include:

one or more instructions to receive information identifying a source address relating to a DMA transfer and information identifying a destination address relating to the DMA transfer,

where the other device driver includes the information identifying the source address and the information identifying the destination address, and

where the particular device is controlled based on the other device driver including the information identifying the source address and the information identifying the destination address.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the blocks include a block representing a function to generate an interrupt signal, and

where the one or more instructions to receive the parameters include:

one or more instructions to receive information identifying an interrupt source, where the other device driver includes the information identifying the interrupt source, and

where the particular device is controlled based on the other device driver including the information identifying the interrupt source.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, where the interrupt source includes a completion of a Direct Memory Access transfer.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the blocks include a block representing a function to write to and read from a circular buffer, and

where the one or more instructions to receive the parameters include:

one or more instructions to receive information identifying a quantity of buffers and information identifying a buffer size.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the blocks include a block representing a function for configuring the other device driver for the particular device, and

where the one or more instructions to receive the parameters include:

one or more instructions to receive at least one of;

information identifying a sampling frequency, or

information identifying a data format.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the one or more instructions to provide the information identifying the blocks include:

one or more instructions to provide the information identifying the blocks, via a graphical modeling environment, to a client device, and

where the one or more instructions to receive the parameters include;

one or more instructions to receive the parameters from the client device via a user interface of the graphical modeling environment.

17. A system comprising:

a computing device to;

provide information identifying blocks of a block diagram,

the blocks representing functions associated with a plurality of device drivers,

the functions including a function to read from or write to serial ports,

the plurality of device drivers being used to control a plurality of devices;

receive parameters to configure the blocks,

the received parameters being received from a user associated with the computing device,

the received parameters being mapped to values of the blocks;

configure the blocks, based on the received parameters, to generate another device driver,

the received parameters, received in association with the other device driver, including information identifying one or more serial port numbers relating to the function to read from or write to serial ports,

the other device driver including the information identifying the one or more serial port numbers,

when configuring the blocks, the computing device is to automatically change the values of the blocks, based on the received parameters, to configure the blocks; and

generate code for the other device driver based on configuring the blocks,

a particular device being controlled, using the other device driver, based on the other device driver including the information identifying the one or more serial port numbers.

18. The system of claim 17, where, when providing the information identifying the blocks, the computing device is to provide the information identifying the blocks to a client device, and

where, when receiving the parameters, the computing device is to receive the parameters from the client device.

19. The system of claim 17, where the blocks include one or more of:

a block representing a function to read from and write to a memory,

a block representing a function to configure a Direct Memory Access controller of a device that controls the particular device,

a block representing a function to generate an interrupt signal, or

a block for configuring the other device driver for the particular device.

20. The system of claim 19, where, when receiving the parameters, the computing device is to receive:

information identifying a source address relating to a DMA transfer,

information identifying a destination address relating to the DMA transfer, or

information identifying an interrupt source.