Delegating component power control

• US 10,133,341 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arm Limited (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Arm Limited (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Brown, Dominic William, Crawford, Ashley John, Severino, Christopher Vincent, Thomas, Tessil
• Primary Examiner(s): Snyder, Steven
• Application Number:
  US15/173,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20170351319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An apparatus and a corresponding method of operating the apparatus are disclosed. A component of the apparatus is capable of operating in one of at least two power modes and component power control circuitry which is communicatively coupled to the component causes the component to operate in a selected power mode of those power modes. A system power controller controls operation of the component power control circuitry by setting a power mode lock condition therein. When the power mode lock condition is met the component power control circuitry cannot change the selected power mode of the component. Power control over the component is thus partially delegated from the system power controller to the component power control circuitry.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing data comprising:

a component capable of operating in at least two power modes;

component power control circuitry communicatively coupled to the component to cause the component to operate in a selected power mode of the at least two power modes;

and

a system power controller comprising instruction execution circuitry to execute a set of instructions to control operation of the component power control circuitry by setting a power mode lock condition in the component power control circuitry, wherein when the power mode lock condition is met the component power control circuitry cannot change the selected power mode of the component,

wherein the component power control circuitry comprises interrupt generation circuitry to issue an interrupt to the system power controller to signal that the power mode lock condition is met, and

wherein the interrupt generation circuitry is capable of issuing an interrupt to the system power controller to signal a power mode change request to the system power controller whilst the power mode lock condition is met.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the power mode lock condition is met the component power control circuitry cannot raise the selected power mode of the component from a first power mode of the at least two power modes to a second power mode of the at least two power modes, wherein a power consumption of the second power mode is greater than a power consumption of the first power mode.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power mode lock condition defines a minimum power mode of the component and when the component power control circuitry causes the component to enter the minimum power mode a power mode setting circuitry of the component power control circuitry becomes locked,

and the component power control circuitry cannot change the selected power mode of the component until the system power controller unlocks the component power control circuitry.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the component is capable of requesting a specified power mode above the minimum power mode set by the system power controller.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system power controller comprises system monitoring circuitry to monitor at least one system parameter from the group comprising:

a total power consumption of the apparatus;

a temperature of the apparatus; and

a rate-of-current-change in the apparatus,

and, when the power mode condition is met, the system power controller releases the power mode lock condition in dependence on the at least one system parameter.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component power control circuitry comprises finite state machine circuitry, wherein a state of the finite state machine circuitry sets the selected power mode of the component and when the power mode lock condition is met the component power control circuitry cannot change the state of the finite state machine circuitry.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component power control circuitry comprises at least one register, wherein content of the at least one register defines the power mode lock condition, and the system power controller is capable of changing the content of the at least one register via a software interface between the system power controller and the component power control circuitry.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component power control circuitry is responsive to a power mode change request from the component to change the selected power mode of the component when the power mode lock condition is not met.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component power control circuitry is responsive to a power mode change request from another component in the apparatus to change the selected power mode of the component when the power mode lock condition is not met.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a further component capable of operating in at least two power modes, wherein the further component is capable of autonomously switching between the at least two power modes independently of the system power controller.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a further component comprised within a shared power domain with the component, wherein the further component is capable of operating in the at least two power modes and a domain power mode of the shared power domain defines the selected power mode,

wherein the component power control circuitry is communicatively coupled to the shared power domain to cause all components in the shared power domain to operate in the selected power mode of the at least two power modes, and

wherein when the power mode lock condition is met the component power control circuitry cannot change the selected power mode of the shared power domain.

12. A method of operating an apparatus for processing data comprising:

signaling to a component of the apparatus from component power control circuitry of the apparatus to cause the component to operate in a selected power mode of at least two power modes;

operating the component of the apparatus in the selected power mode;

executing a set of instructions in a system power controller to control operation of the component power control circuitry by setting a power mode lock condition in the component power control circuitry; and

when the power mode lock condition is met, preventing the component power control circuitry from changing the selected power mode of the component, issuing an interrupt to the system power controller to signal that the power mode lock condition is met, and further issuing an interrupt to the system power controller to signal a power mode change request whilst the power mode lock condition is met.