Let the RPi generate a pulse per second (PPS)

Question

I'm trying to let the RPi generate a PPS (pulse per second) to synchronize an external LiDAR with the RPi. The PPS is the only way to synchronize the LiDAR with the RPi and I can't use a GPS module as I don't have GPS coverage where I am using it. Also, the absolute time is actually not that important but the relative to the RPi is. It is also not required to be absolute nanosecond accurate at the moment, but it may be in the future. Is there a possibility to get an interrupt (in a kernel module or somewhere else) to toggle a GPIO when the second increments? How would you implement that? When I google it, there were only hits where the RPi is used as a recipient of the PPS, but never a generator.

I have thought of the following solutions:

• Ideal: get an interrupt in a kernel module when the time increments by one sencond
• update the Linux kernel and toggle the GPIO in the function itself, where this happens (does this even happen continuously, or only when somebody asks for the time will this value be calculated?)
• start a HW timer in a kernel module and adjust the timer value (e.g. via Kalman Filter) until the timer interrupt happens around the time when the sencond is incremented (plus/minus a certain uncertainty)

I would naively go for the last, to start a HW timer, which I'm starting to do. But this does not seem to be as elegant as the other solutions.

What do you people think? How would you implement a PPS generator?

Thanks

Answer 1

I have some pigpio example code to generate a pulse per second.

It's some time since I have tested it.

http://abyz.me.uk/rpi/pigpio/examples.html#C_pps_c

It generates a pulse on the wall time second.

If the Pi is connected to a time source (i.e. it is networked) it will use that as wall time.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdarg.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/timex.h>

#include <pigpio.h>

/*

pps.c
2020-09-18
Public Domain

gcc -o pps pps.c -lpigpio

sudo ./pps

*/

#define GPIO    4   /* gpio for output pulse */
#define LEVEL   1   /* pulse high or low */
#define PULSE 200   /* pulse length in microseconds */
#define SECONDS 1   /* pulse every second */
#define SLACK  5000 /* slack period to correct time */

#define MILLION 1000000

static int g_gpio    = GPIO;
static int g_plevel  = LEVEL;
static int g_plength = PULSE;
static int g_seconds = SECONDS;

static int g_interval;

static uint32_t *g_slackA;

void fatal(char *fmt, ...)
{
   char buf[256];
   va_list ap;

   va_start(ap, fmt);
   vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), fmt, ap);
   va_end(ap);

   fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", buf);

   exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

void usage()
{
   fprintf(stderr, "\n" \
      "Usage: sudo ./pps [OPTION] ...\n"\
      "   -g 0-31   gpio (%d)\n"\
      "   -l 0,1    pulse level (%d)\n"\
      "   -m 1-5000 pulse micros (%d)\n"\
      "   -s 1-60   interval seconds (%d)\n"\
      "EXAMPLE\n"\
      "sudo ./pps -g 23 -s 5\n"\
      "  Generate pulse every 5 seconds on gpio 23.\n"\
   "\n", GPIO, LEVEL, PULSE, SECONDS);
}

static void initOpts(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   int i, opt;

   while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "g:l:m:s:")) != -1)
   {
      i = -1;

      switch (opt)
      {
         case 'g':
            i = atoi(optarg);
            if ((i >= 0) && (i <= 31)) g_gpio = i;
            else fatal("invalid -g option (%d)", i);
            break;

         case 'l':
            i = atoi(optarg);
            if ((i == 0) || (i == 1)) g_plevel = i;
            else fatal("invalid -l option (%d)", i);
            break;

         case 'm':
            i = atoi(optarg);
            if ((i > 0) && (i<=5000)) g_plength = i;
            else fatal("invalid -m option (%d)", i);
            break;

         case 's':
            i = atoi(optarg);
            if ((i > 0) && (i<=60)) g_seconds = i;
            else fatal("invalid -s option (%d)", i);
            break;

         default: /* '?' */
            usage();
            exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
        }
    }
}

void callback(int gpio, int level, uint32_t tick)
{
   static int inited = 0, drift = 0, count = 0;

   int i;
   int slack; /* how many microseconds for slack pulse */
   int offby; /* microseconds off from 0 */
   uint32_t stamp_micro, stamp_tick;
   uint32_t pulse_tick, now_tick;
   uint32_t tick1, tick2, tick_diff;
   uint32_t nextPulse, nextPulseTick, delay, fixed;
   struct timespec tp;

   if (level == g_plevel)
   {
      /*
         Seconds boundary has arrived.

         Make several attempts at finding the relationship between the
         system tick and the clock microsecond.

         Do so by bracketing the call to the clock with calls to get
         the system tick.

         Escape the loop early if the difference between the two
         system ticks is zero (can't do any better).
      */

      pulse_tick = rawWaveGetIn(0); /* tick read at pulse start */
      now_tick = gpioTick();        /* just for interest, to get an idea
                                       of scheduling delays */

      tick_diff = 10000000;

      for (i=0; i<10; i++)
      {
         tick1 = gpioTick();

         clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &tp);

         tick2 = gpioTick();

         if ((tick2 - tick1) < tick_diff)
         {
            tick_diff = tick2 - tick1;

            stamp_tick  = tick1;

            stamp_micro = ((tp.tv_sec % g_seconds) * MILLION) +
                          ((tp.tv_nsec+500) / 1000);

            if (tick_diff == 0) break;
         }
      }

      /*
      */

      if (inited)
      {
         /* correct if early */
         if (stamp_micro > (g_interval / 2)) stamp_micro -= g_interval;
         offby  = stamp_micro - (stamp_tick - pulse_tick);
         drift += offby/2; /* correct drift, bit of lag */
      }
      else
      {
         offby = 0;
         drift = 0;
      }

      nextPulse = g_interval - stamp_micro;
      nextPulseTick = stamp_tick + nextPulse - drift;

      delay = nextPulseTick - pulse_tick;

      fixed = g_interval - SLACK;
      slack = delay - fixed;

      if (slack < 0) slack += g_interval;
      if (!slack) slack = 1;
      *g_slackA = (slack * 4);

      if (inited)
      {
         printf("%8d %5d %5d %5d %5d\n",
            count++, drift, offby, now_tick - pulse_tick, slack);
      }
      else
      {
         printf("#  count drift offby sched slack\n");
         inited = 1;
      }
   }
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   int off;
   int wave_id;
   rawWave_t wave[3];
   rawWaveInfo_t winf;

   initOpts(argc, argv);

   g_interval = g_seconds * MILLION;

   off = g_interval - (g_plength + SLACK);

   printf("# gpio=%d, level=%d slack=%dus, off=%dus\n",
      g_gpio, g_plevel, SLACK, off);

   if (gpioInitialise()<0) return -1;

   gpioSetAlertFunc(g_gpio, callback);     /* set pps callback */

   gpioSetMode(g_gpio, PI_OUTPUT);

   if (g_plevel) /* pulse is high */
   {
      wave[0].gpioOn  = 0;
      wave[0].gpioOff = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[0].usDelay = SLACK;
      wave[0].flags   = 0;

      wave[1].gpioOn = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[1].gpioOff = 0;
      wave[1].usDelay = g_plength;
      wave[1].flags   = WAVE_FLAG_TICK;    /* read tick at start of pulse */

      wave[2].gpioOn  = 0;
      wave[2].gpioOff = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[2].usDelay = off;
      wave[2].flags   = 0;
   }
   else        /* pulse is low */
   {
      wave[0].gpioOn  = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[0].gpioOff = 0;
      wave[0].usDelay = SLACK;
      wave[0].flags   = 0;

      wave[1].gpioOn  = 0;
      wave[1].gpioOff = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[1].usDelay = g_plength;
      wave[1].flags   = WAVE_FLAG_TICK;    /* read tick at start of pulse */

      wave[2].gpioOn  = (1<<g_gpio);
      wave[2].gpioOff = 0;
      wave[2].usDelay = off;
      wave[2].flags   = 0;
   }

   gpioWaveClear();            /* clear all waveforms */

   rawWaveAddGeneric(3, wave); /* add data to waveform */

   wave_id = gpioWaveCreate(); /* create waveform from added data */

   if (wave_id >= 0)
   {
      gpioWaveTxSend(wave_id, PI_WAVE_MODE_REPEAT);

      winf = rawWaveInfo(wave_id);
      /* get address of slack length */
      g_slackA  = &(rawWaveCBAdr(winf.botCB+2)->length);

      while (1) sleep(1);
   }

   gpioTerminate();
}