Aggregated electronic device power management

• US 10,705,591 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Harish, Combs, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Fahmida
• Application Number:
  US15/441,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20180120917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3048 where the topology of the computing system or computing system component explicitly influences the monitoring activity, e.g. serial, hierarchical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3869 Implementation aspects, e.g. pipeline latches; pipeline synchronisation and clocking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system for aggregated electronic device power management includes an aggregated power management arbitrator configured to collect activity information from one or more electronic devices regarding the use of a type of hardware component on the electronic devices. The aggregated power management arbitrator selects a timeout period for transmitting to one of the one or more electronic devices to define a minimum amount of time before the hardware component is transitioned to a lower-power state. The aggregated power management arbitrator may determine usage patterns for one of the electronic devices based on the collected activity information and the applications executing on the electronic device. A timeout period may be adjusted based on the determined usage pattern to improve efficiency of the power management of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for aggregated power management of electronic devices, the method comprising:

collecting, at an aggregated power management arbitrator, activity information from one or more remote electronic devices regarding use of a type of hardware component on each of the one or more remote electronic devices by one or more applications executing on each of the one or more remote electronic devices, each of the one or more applications being registered to use the type of hardware component;

setting, at the aggregated power management arbitrator, a timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more registered applications based on the collected activity information, the timeout period defining a minimum amount of time before a power state of the type of hardware component is transitioned from a higher-power state to a lower-power state while at least one of the one or more applications remains registered to use the type of hardware component;

determining one or more usage patterns in the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications based on the collected activity information, each usage pattern in the one or more usage patterns defining a usage pattern of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications;

adjusting the timeout period associated with the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the one or more determined usage patterns; and

transmitting, from the aggregated power management arbitrator, the adjusted timeout period to one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more registered applications to control power management on the one of the one or more remote electronic devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting operation further comprises:

classifying the collected activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications as satisfying at least one of the one or more usage patterns; and

adjusting the timeout period associated with the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the classified collected activity information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more usage patterns is associated with a power savings condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting operation includes reducing a length of the timeout period until the activity information indicates that the type of hardware component on the one of the one or more remote electronic devices satisfies the power savings condition.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein satisfying the power savings condition includes a target minimum number of transitions of the type of hardware component from the higher-power state to the lower-power state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the target minimum number of transitions is based on activity information collected from others of the one or more remote electronic devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a wakeup period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the collected activity information, the wakeup period defining at least a maximum amount of time before a power status of the type of hardware component is transitioned from the lower-power state to a different power state; and

transmitting the wakeup period to the one of the one or more remote electronic devices to control power management of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation of setting a wakeup period further comprises:

determining one or more usage patterns in the collected activity information, each usage pattern in the one or more usage patterns defining a usage pattern of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications;

classifying the activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications as one of the one or more usage patterns; and

adjusting the wakeup period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the one of the one or more usage patterns.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more usage patterns includes an excessive idle condition of the type of hardware component on the one of the one or more remote electronic devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more applications de-registers after expiration of the adjusted timeout period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more applications de-registers after the type of hardware component is transitioned from a higher-power state to a lower-power state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted timeout period is set to transition the type of hardware component from the higher-power state to the lower-power state after the at least one of the one or more applications has relinquished use of the type of hardware component while remaining registered to use the type of hardware component.

13. An aggregated power management control system comprising:

an activity information collector configured to collect activity information from one or more remote electronic devices regarding use of a type of hardware component on each of the one or more remote electronic devices by one or more applications executing on each of the one or more remote devices, each of the one or more applications being registered to use the type of hardware component;

a timeout period selector configured to select a timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more registered applications based on the collected activity information, the timeout period defining a minimum amount of time before a power state of the type of hardware component is transitioned from a higher-power state to a lower-power state while at least one of the one or more applications remains registered to use the type of hardware component;

a usage pattern module configured to determine one or more usage patterns in the collected activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications, each usage pattern in the one or more usage patterns defining a usage pattern of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications, wherein the timeout period selector adjusts the selected timeout period associated with the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the one or more determined usage patterns; and

a timeout period transmitter configured to transmit the adjusted timeout period to one of the one or more remote electronic devices, the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more registered applications.

14. The aggregated power management control system of claim 13, further comprising:

a usage pattern classifier configured to classify the collected activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications as satisfying at least one of the one or more usage patterns, the timeout period selector being further configured to adjust the timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the classified collected activity information.

15. The aggregated power management control system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more usage patterns includes a target minimum number of power state transitions of the type of hardware component from a higher-power state to a lower-power state of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices has performed over a time period.

16. The aggregated power management control system of claim 15, further comprising:

a usage pattern module configured to compare a number of power state transitions of the type of hardware component of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices has performed over the time period to activity information collected from others of the one or more remote electronic devices to output a power state deviation value for the one of the one or more remote electronic devices, the timeout period selector being further configured to adjust the timeout period if the power state deviation value for the one of the one or more remote electronic devices satisfies a deviation condition.

17. The aggregated power management control system claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more usage patterns includes a length of time the type of hardware component on the one of the one or more remote electronic devices is in a low-power state over a time period.

18. The aggregated power management control system of claim 13, wherein the lower-power state is an intermediate power state, the type of hardware component consuming more power in the intermediate power state than in a lowest-power state.

19. One or more tangible processor-readable storage media embodied with instructions for executing on one or more processors and circuits of a device a process for power management electronic devices, the process comprising:

registering one or more applications to use a type of hardware component on one or more remote electronic devices;

collecting activity information from the one or more remote electronic devices regarding use of the type of hardware component on each of the one or more remote electronic devices by the one or more registered applications executing on each of the one or more remote electronic devices, the activity information describing a usage history of the type of hardware component by the one or more registered applications;

setting a timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more registered applications based on the collected activity information, the timeout period defining a minimum amount of time before a power state of the type of hardware component is transitioned from a higher-power state to a lower-power state while at least one of the one or more applications remains registered to use the type of hardware component;

determining one or more usage patterns in the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications based on the activity information, each usage pattern in the one or more usage patterns defining a usage pattern of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications;

adjusting the timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the one or more determined usage patterns; and

transmitting the adjusted timeout period to one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications to control power management on the one of the one or more remote electronic devices.

20. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the setting operation further comprises:

classifying the collected activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications as satisfying at least one of the one or more usage patterns; and

adjusting the timeout period associated with the use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the classified collected activity information.

21. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the process further comprises:

setting a wakeup period associated with use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the collected activity information, the wakeup period defining a maximum amount of time before a power status of the type of hardware component is transitioned from the lower-power state to a different power state; and

transmitting the wakeup period to the one of the one or more remote electronic devices to control power management of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices.

22. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the process further comprises:

determining one or more usage patterns in the collected activity information, each usage pattern in the one or more usage patterns defining a usage pattern of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications;

classifying the activity information of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices executing the one or more applications as one of the one or more usage patterns; and

adjusting the wakeup period associated with use of the type of hardware component by the one or more applications based on the one of the one or more usage patterns.

23. The one or more tangible processor-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the activity information includes a number of power state transitions of the type of hardware component of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices has performed over a time period, and the process further comprises:

comparing the number of power state transitions of the type of hardware component of the one of the one or more remote electronic devices has performed over the time period to activity information collected from others of the one or more remote electronic devices to output a power state deviation value for the one of the one or more remote electronic devices; and

adjusting the timeout period if the power state deviation value for the one of the one or more remote electronic devices satisfies a deviation condition.