System and Method for Hardware Manipulation in a Computing Device

• US 20080244280A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wind River Systems Incorporated (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Wind River Systems Incorporated (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Hutchison, Perry
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3246 by software initiated power-off

Abstract

A device having an operating system including a power control policy for a component of the device and an effector program controlling power for the component based on the power control policy and power control hardware controlled by the effector program to implement the power control policy for the component. A method for determining a power state for a component, executing an effector program to produce a control output corresponding to the power state and controlling power supplied to the component so that the component enters the power state.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an operating system including a power control policy for a component of the device and an effector program controlling power for the component based on the power control policy; and

power control hardware controlled by the effector program to implement the power control policy for the component.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a configuration utility receiving a method for controlling the power control hardware and generating the effector using the method.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the configuration utility is executed during a startup procedure of the device and thereafter does not occupy a runtime memory of the device.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the configuration utility further receives a description of the component and generates the effector using the description.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the description includes an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) description.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the configuration utility includes an ACPI Machine Language (AML) interpreter.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the effector program is a separately executable program.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the operating system is at least partially loaded onto the device after execution of the configuration utility.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the component is one of an integral hardware component of the device and an external hardware component electrically coupled to the device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the component is one of a processor, a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, an input/output device and a display.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor executing the operating system, wherein the processor has less capabilities than a general purpose computer processor.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a runtime memory storing the operating system during execution, wherein the runtime memory has less storage space than a general purpose computer memory.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the power control policy includes a plurality of states for the component.

14. A method, comprising:

determining a power state for a component;

executing an effector program to produce a control output corresponding to the power state; and

controlling power supplied to the component so that the component enters the power state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the effector program is a separately executable program.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a method for controlling the component; and

generating the effector program based on the method.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a description of the component, the description being used for generating the effector program.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the power state is a plurality of power states and the effector program is a plurality of effector programs, each of the power states corresponding to one of the plurality of effector programs.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the component is one of a processor, a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, an input/output device and a display.

20. A device, comprising:

a memory storing a set of instructions;

a processor configured to execute the instructions, the instructions being operable to,

determine a power state for a component, and

produce a control output corresponding to the power state; and

power control hardware receiving the control output and controlling power supplied to the component so that the component enters the power state.