Interrupt-Driven Input/Output
Textbook: Chapter 11 (Interrupts)
ARM Cortex-M4 User Guide (Interrupts, exceptions, NVIC)
Sections 2.1.4, 2.3 – Exceptions and interrupts
Section 4.2 – Nested Vectored Interrupt Controller
STM32F4xx Tech. Ref. Manual:
Chapter 8: External interrupt/wakeup lines
Chapter 9: SYSCFG external interrupt config. registers
1
Interrupt-driven operations
An interrupt is an event that initiates the automatic transfer of
software execution from one program thread to an interrupt
handler (or interrupt service routine)
Event types:
Signal from a “device” (keyboard, data converter, etc.)
Device external to the CPU (possibly within a microcontroller)
Signals that a device needs, or is able to provide service
(i.e. device goes from “busy” to “ready”)
Asynchronous to the current program thread
Allow CPU to do other work until device needs service!
An internal event or “exception” caused by an instruction
Ex. invalid memory address, divide by 0, invalid op code
A software interrupt instruction
Ex. ARM Cortex SVC (supervisor call) instruction
2
Interrupt I/O
Busy/wait very inefficient.
CPU can’t do other work while testing device.
Hard to do simultaneous I/O.
But – OK if the CPU has nothing else to do, or if the
program cannot otherwise continue
An interrupt handler is executed only when a device
requires service
Interrupt Processing
Hardware Busy Done Busy
Hardware
needs
service
Main
Thread Saves
execution Restores
state execution
Interrupt state
Thread
ISR time
provides
service
Bard, Gerstlauer, Valvano, Yerraballi
Interrupts in control systems
Continuous loop With interrupts Handling an interrupt request
1. Suspend main thread
2. Save state and jump to handler
3. Execute interrupt handler
4. Restore state and return to main
5. Resume main thread
Interrupt
main signal
2
3
1
Hardware Interrupt
actions handler
5
4 CPU in
“Handler
main
Mode”
5 CPU in
“Thread Mode”
Interrupt interface
CPU and device handshake:
• device asserts interrupt request to signal the CPU;
• CPU asserts interrupt acknowledge when it responds to the
interrupt;
• device de-asserts interrupt request.
intr request
PC
status
mechanism
intr ack reg
CPU
SP data/address data
reg
Cortex-M structure
Nested Vectored
Interrupt Controller
---------
Coordinates multiple
Interrupt sources
Cortex CPU registers
• Two processor modes:
• Thread mode for User tasks
• Handler mode for O/S tasks and exceptions
• Stack-based exception model
• Vector table contains addresses
Process SP, Main SP (selected at reset)
PSR has priority of current process
PRIMASK has intr. enable (I) bit
BASEPRI has allowed intr. priority
Cortex-M4 processor operating modes
• Thread mode – normal processing
• Handler mode – interrupt/exception processing
• Privilege levels = User and Privileged
• Supports basic “security” & memory access protection
• Supervisor/operating system usually privileged
Cortex-M Interrupt Processing
(much of this transparent when using C)
1. Interrupt signal detected by CPU
2. Suspend main program execution Pre-IRQ
finish current instruction top of stack
save CPU state (push registers onto stack)
set LR to 0xFFFFFFF9 (indicates interrupt return)
set IPSR to interrupt number
load PC with ISR address from vector table
3. Execute interrupt service routine (ISR)
save other registers to be used in the ISR1
clear the “condition” that requested the interrupt IRQ
perform the requested service top of stack
communicate with other routines via global variables
restore any registers saved by the ISR1
4. Return to and resume main program by executing BX LR
saved state is restored from the stack, including PC (see next slide)
10 1C compiler takes care of saving/restoring registers
Exception return
The exception mechanism detects when the processor has
completed an exception handler.
EXC_RETURN value (0xFFFFFFF9 ) was loaded into LR on
exception entry (after stacking PC and original LR)
Exception return occurs when:
1. Processor is in Handler mode
2. EXC_RETURN loaded to PC by executing one of these
instructions:
LDM or POP that loads the PC
LDR with PC as the destination
BX using any register
Example: Interrupt-driven printing
Printer
PB7-0 DATA8-1
PB8 STRB*
PB9 BUSY
PB10 ACK*
DATA8-1 Printer
finished
STRB*
BUSY
ACK*
STB* tells printer to begin printing character on DATA8-1
Initialize PB pins for printer
InitPrinter
;enable clock to GPIOB
ldr r0,=RCC ;clock control registers
ldr r1,[r0,#AHB1ENR] ;get current values
orr r1,#0x02 ;enable GPIOB clock
str r1,[r0,#AHB1ENR] ;update values
;PB7-0=outputs (data), PB8=output (STRB*), PB9-10 inputs
ldr r0,=GPIOB
ldr r1,[r0,#MODER] ;get current MODER
ldr r2,=0x003fffff ;clear bits for PB10-0
bic r1,r2 ;clear bits
ldr r2,=0x00015555 ;PB10-9 input, PB8-0 output
orr r1,r2 ;set bits
str r1,[r0,#MODER] ;update MODER
;Set initial value of STRB* = 1
mov r1,#0x0100 ;select pin PB8 (STRB*)
strh r1,[r0,#BSRRL] ;PB8 = STRB* = 1 initially
13 bx lr ;return
Program-controlled solution
(no interrupt)
ldr r0,=GPIOB
ldr r1,=string ;string = char array
Loop: ldrb r2,[r1],#1 ;get next character
cmp r2,#0 ;NULL?
beq Return ;quit on NULL
strb r2,[r0,#ODR] ;character to printer (PB7-PB0)
mov r2,#0x0100 ;strobe = PB8
strh r2,[r0,#BSRRH] ;Reset PB8=0 (strobe pulse high-to-low)
strh r2,[r0,#BSRRL] ;Set PB8=1 (strobe pulse low-to-high)
Wait: ldrh r2,[r0,#IDR] ;check PB9 (BUSY)
Time “lost”
tst r2,#0x0200 ;test BUSY bit
waiting for
bne Wait ;repeat while BUSY=1
BUSY = 0.
b Loop ;next character
Return: bx lr
Interrupt-driven solution
;Printer ISR – Send next character when ACK received from printer.
; Saved_Pointer variable contains address of next character
PrintISR ldr r0,=Saved_Pointer ;pointer variable address
ldr r1,[r0] ;retrieve saved data pointer
ldrb r2,[r1],#1 ;get next character
str r1,[r0] ;save pointer for next interrupt
cmp r2,#0 ;NULL character?
beq Return ;quit on NULL
ldr r0,=GPIOB ;GPIOB register address block
strb r2,[r0,#ODR] ;character to printer (PB7-PB0)
mov r2,#0x0100 ;strobe = PB8
strh r2,[r0,#BSRRH] ;Reset PB8=0 strobe pulse high->low
strh r2,[r0,#BSRRL] ;Set PB8=1 strobe pulse low->high
Return bx lr ;return from ISR
No new interrupt request if no new strobe pulse.
Example: Interrupt-driven keyboard
Keyboard
PA7-0 DATA8-1
PA8 DATA_VALID
DATA8-1
DATA_VALID
DATA8-1 = pressed key# while DATA_VALID = 1
Initialize PA pins for keyboard
InitKeyboard
;enable clock to GPIOA
ldr r0,=RCC ;clock control registers
ldr r1,[r0,#AHB1ENR] ;get current values
orr r1,#0x01 ;enable GPIOA clock
str r1,[r0,#AHB1ENR] ;update values
;PA7-0=inputs (data), PA8=input (DATA_VALID)
ldr r0,=GPIOA
ldr r1,[r0,#MODER] ;get current MODER
ldr r2,=0x0003ffff ;clear bits for PA8-0
bic r1,r2 ;clear bits for input mode
str r1,[r0,#MODER] ;update MODER
bx lr ;return
17
Program-controlled solution
(no interrupt)
;Read key numbers and store in String array until ENTER pressed
ldr r0,=GPIOA
ldr r1,=String ;String = char array
Wait: ldrh r2,[r0,#IDR] ;check PA8 = DATA_VALID Time “lost”
tst r2,#0x0100 ;test DAVA_VALID bit waiting for
beq Wait ;repeat while DATA_VALID = 0 key press.
and r2,#0x00ff ;mask DATA_VALID (key# = PA7-PA0)
;Homework problem: returned code in r0 instead of the following
mov r3,#0 ;NULL character
strb r3,[r1] ;save NULL in String (for now)
cmp r2,#0x0D ;ENTER key?
beq Return ;quit on ENTER
strb r2,[r1],#1 ;replace NULL with key#
b Wait ;next character
Return: bx lr
Interrupt-driven solution
;Key ISR – Get character when DATA_VALID pulsed.
;Saved_Pointer variable contains address at which to store next character
KeyISR ldr r0,=Saved_Pointer ;pointer variable address
ldr r1,[r0] ;retrieve saved pointer
ldr r2,=GPIOA
ldrb r3,[r2,#IDR] ;read key# = PA7-PA0
mov r4,#0 ;NULL character code
strb r4,[r1] ;save NULL in String (for now)
cmp r3,#0x0D ;ENTER key (ASCII code for ENTER)
beq Return ;quit on ENTER
strb r3,[r1],#1 ;replace NULL with key#
str r1,[r0] ;save incremented pointer
Return bx lr ;return from ISR
Main program setup
__main
; Configure the I/O ports
; Set up printing of a character string
ldr r0,=String ; pointer to character string
ldr r1,=Saved_Pointer ; variable address
str r0,[r1] ; save string pointer for ISR
cpsie i ; enable interrupts
bl PrintISR ; print the 1st character
; others printed when CPU interrupted
; when printer changes BUSY->READY
;****** rest of the program
AREA D1,DATA
Saved_Pointer dcd 0
String dcb “This is a string”,0
