4.7.2 Cyclic Handler
A cyclic handler is a time event handler started at regular intervals. Cyclic handler functions are provided for creating and deleting a cyclic handler, activating and deactivating a cyclic handler operation, and referencing cyclic handler status. A cyclic handler is an object identi.ed by an ID number called a cyclic handler ID.
The time interval at which a cyclic handler is started (cycle time) and the cycle phase are specified for each cyclic handler when it is created. When a cyclic handler operation is requested, T-Kernel determines the time at which the cyclic handler should next be started based on the cycle time and cycle phase set for it. When a cyclic handler is created, the time when it is to be started next is the time of its creation plus the cycle phase. When the time comes to start a cyclic handler, exinf, containing extended information about the cyclic handler, is passed to it as a starting parameter. The time when the cyclic handler is started plus its cycle time becomes the next start time. Sometimes when a cyclic handler is activated, the next start time will be newly set.
In principle the cycle phase of a cyclic handler is no longer than its cycle time. The behavior if the cycle phase is made longer than the cycle time is implementation-dependent.
A cyclic handler has two activation states, active and inactive. While a cyclic handler is inactive, it is not started even when its start time arrives, although calculation of the next start time does take place. When a system call for activating a cyclic handler is called (tk_sta_cyc), the cyclic handler goes to active state, and the next start time is decided if necessary. When a system call for deactivating a cyclic handler is called (tk_stp_cyc), the cyclic handler goes to inactive state. Whether a cyclic handler upon creation is active or inactive is decided by a cyclic handler attribute.
The cycle phase of a cyclic handler is a relative time specifying the .rst time the cyclic handler is to be started, in relation to the time when the system call creating it was invoked. The cycle time of a cyclic handler is likewise a relative time, specifying the next time the cyclic handler is to be started in relation to the time it should have started (not the time it started). For this reason, the intervals between times the cyclic handler is started will individually be shorter than the cycle time in some cases, but their average over a longer time span will match the cycle time.
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