Method and apparatus for controlling the rate at which instructions are executed by a microprocessor system
First Claim
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1. A method for throttling a microprocessor comprising:
- receiving a signal indicating the existence of a throttling condition; and
in response to the throttling condition, performing the throttling by reducing the rate at which instructions are executed by the microprocessor.
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates controlling the rate at which instructions are executed by a microprocessor. The system starts by receiving a signal indicating the existence of a throttling condition. In response to the throttling condition, the system reduces the rate at which instructions are executed by the microprocessor. In a variation on this embodiment, the throttling condition can include a processor idle state, a processor overheating state, or a power over-consumption state.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for throttling a microprocessor comprising:
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receiving a signal indicating the existence of a throttling condition; and
in response to the throttling condition, performing the throttling by reducing the rate at which instructions are executed by the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for throttling a microprocessor comprising:
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receiving a signal indicating the existence of a throttling condition; and
in response to the throttling condition, performing the throttling by reducing the rate at which instructions are executed by the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for throttling a microprocessor comprising:
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a receiving mechanism configured to receive a signal indicating the existence of a throttling condition; and
a throttling mechanism configured to perform the throttling by reducing the rate at which instructions are executed by the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification