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diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/iio/intro.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/iio/intro.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..3653fbd57069 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/driver-api/iio/intro.rst @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +.. include:: <isonum.txt> + +============ +Introduction +============ + +The main purpose of the Industrial I/O subsystem (IIO) is to provide support +for devices that in some sense perform either +analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) or digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) +or both. The aim is to fill the gap between the somewhat similar hwmon and +:doc:`input <../input>` subsystems. Hwmon is directed at low sample rate +sensors used to monitor and control the system itself, like fan speed control +or temperature measurement. :doc:`Input <../input>` is, as its name suggests, +focused on human interaction input devices (keyboard, mouse, touchscreen). +In some cases there is considerable overlap between these and IIO. + +Devices that fall into this category include: + +* analog to digital converters (ADCs) +* accelerometers +* capacitance to digital converters (CDCs) +* digital to analog converters (DACs) +* gyroscopes +* inertial measurement units (IMUs) +* color and light sensors +* magnetometers +* pressure sensors +* proximity sensors +* temperature sensors + +Usually these sensors are connected via :doc:`SPI <../spi>` or +:doc:`I2C <../i2c>`. A common use case of the sensors devices is to have +combined functionality (e.g. light plus proximity sensor). |