Hybrid Operating System for Battery Powered Computing Systems

• US 20080244289A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fuller, Andrew J., Parks, Gregory H., LeProwse, Shawn R., Geidl, Erik M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded

Abstract

Systems, methods, and/or techniques (“tools”) for hybrid operating systems for battery powered computing systems are described herein. The hybrid operating systems (OS) may include a full-power OS component that enables the computing system to operate in a full-power mode, and a low-power OS component that enables the computing system to operate in a low-power mode. In the full-power mode, the computing system consumes a first amount of electrical power, while in the low-power mode, the computing system consumes less electrical power. The computing system may include a processor that consumes a given power amount of power, and a low-power core processor that consumes less power than the processor.

Claims

1. A hybrid operating system (OS) comprising:

a full-power OS component stored on a computer-readable storage media and executed on a full-power processor for enabling a computing system to operate in a full power mode, in which the computing system consumes a first amount of electrical power; and

a low-power OS component stored on a computer-readable storage media and executed on a low-power processor for enabling the computing system to operate in a low-power mode, in which the computing system consumes a lesser amount of electrical power, relative to the first amount.

2. The hybrid operating system of claim 1, further comprising a lifetime manager coupled to communicate with the low-power OS component and the full-power OS component, wherein the lifetime manager is operative to transition the computing system between the low-power mode and the full-power mode.

3. The hybrid operating system of claim 2, wherein the lifetime manager is adapted to transition the computing system between the full-power mode and the low-power mode in response to detecting that a battery powering the computing system has reached a predetermined level of charge.

4. The hybrid operating system of claim 2, wherein the lifetime manager is adapted to transition the computing system between the full-power mode and the low-power mode in response to receiving a command from a user.

7. The hybrid operating system of claim 2, wherein the lifetime manager is adapted to transition the computing system between the low-power mode and the full-power mode in response to at least one stimulus received from a source external to the system.

8. The hybrid operating system of claim 1, wherein the low-power OS component includes throttling logic for transitioning a user between a standard display and an auxiliary display, as provided by the computing system.

9. The hybrid operating system of claim 1, wherein the full-power OS component includes a user interface enabling the user to access the low-power OS component from within the full-power OS component.

11. A computing system comprising at least the hybrid operating system of claim 1.

21. The hybrid operating system of claim 1, further comprising a synchronization component that is adapted for filtering data, settings, or application state passed between the full-power OS component and the low-power OS component.

22. The hybrid operating system of claim 1, further comprising a low power system memory for use only by the low-power processor and a high-power system memory for use only by the full-power processor.

23. The hybrid operating system of claim 2, wherein the lifetime manager powers-down full-power peripherals and/or full-power components and/or the full-power processor while in low power mode.

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12. A low-power computing system comprising:

a full-power core processor having a power consumption characteristic;

a full-power operating system stored in a computer-readable media and executing on the full-power core processor;

a low-power core processor having a further power consumption characteristic that is less than the power consumption characteristic of the full-power processor; and

a low-power operating system stored in a computer-readable media and executing on the low-power core processor.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the full-power core processor and the low-power core processor reside on separate dies.

15. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising a storage element that includes a low-power consumption component coupled to the low-power core processor and at least a high-power consumption component coupled to the full-power core processor.

16. The computing system of claim 15, further comprising a synchronization component that is adapted for filtering data, settings, or application state passed between the high-power consumption component and the low-power consumption component.

17. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising a display component that includes a standard display coupled to communicate at least with the full-power core processor, and at least an auxiliary display coupled to communicate with the low-power core processor.

18. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising a shared memory coupled to communicate with the full-power core processor and the low-power core processor.

19. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising a lifetime manager adapted to activate the low-power core processor when the computing system is to operate in a low-power consumption mode, and to activate the full-power core processor when the computing system is to operate in a high-power consumption mode.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the lifetime manager is adapted to transition the computing system between the processor and the low-power core processor in response to a charge level of a battery.

24. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the full-power processor uses a full-power graphics processing unit and the low-power core processor uses a low-power graphics processing unit.

14. (canceled)