Method and System For Measuring Task Load

• US 20090312856A1
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jong, Alex Kwang-Ho, Yadhav, Balam Subhash Chandra, Kishore, Paruchuru Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4887 involving deadlines, e.g. rate based, periodic

Abstract

A method for determining the task load in real-time. The method takes a difference in real-time between a first count value from a free running counter prior to a task executing, and a second count value after the task stops running. The task load may then be determined by using an accumulator to accumulate the difference between the first count value and the second count value over a reference interval and dividing the sum by a configurable reference interval. The individual task load computed in real-time may be used in scheduling an audio task.

Claims

1. A method of determining a task load comprising:

reading a first count value from a free running counter prior to a task executing;

reading a second count value from the free running counter after the task stops running;

taking a difference in real time between the first count value and the second count value;

using an accumulator to accumulate a difference between the first count value and the second count value over a reference interval; and

dividing the accumulated difference by the reference interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference interval is configured to a value equal to or less than a period of the free running counter multiplied by a maximum count value of the accumulator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined task load is applied in an electronic device, selected from a group consisting of a set top box, music player, video player, entertainment unit, navigation device, communications device, personal digital assistant (PDA), fixed location data unit, and a computer, into which the method of determining the task load is integrated.

4. A method for scheduling an audio task comprising:

retrieving a reference interval over which to process an audio task;

computing a difference between an actual number of cycles to process the audio task and the number of cycles in the reference interval; and

scheduling parameters for a future audio task.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task based on a task load of the audio task and based on the actual number of cycles to process the audio task.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task by NumCyclesAvailable.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling parameters are synthesis voice parameters in an audio frame.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the reference interval is configurable via hardware or software.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling comprises processing less audio task cycles for the future audio task than processed in the current audio task.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the scheduling comprises processing an equal or greater number of audio task cycles for the future audio task relative to the current audio task.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the method for scheduling an audio task is applied in an electronic device, selected from a group consisting of a set top box, music player, video player, entertainment unit, navigation device, communications device, personal digital assistant (PDA), fixed location data unit, and a computer, into which the method of scheduling an audio task is integrated.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor for computing a difference between an actual time to process an audio task and a the number of cycles in a reference interval, and scheduling a future audio task based on the computed difference;

a memory for storing the scheduling parameters; and

a free running counter to provide at least two count values to the processor to compute the actual time of the audio task.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to run a real time computing system.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the actual time to process the audio task is based on one or more task execution times and time spent processing one or more other tasks.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the scheduled audio task cycles are less for a future audio task relative to a current audio task.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the scheduled audio task cycles are an equal or greater number of cycles for the future audio task relative to the current audio task.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 incorporated into a device selected from a group consisting of a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fixed location data unit, and a computer.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for reading a first count value from a free running counter prior to a task executing;

means for reading a second count value from the free running counter after the task stops running;

means for taking a difference in real time between the first count value and the second count value;

means for using an accumulating to accumulate a difference between the first count value and the second count value over a reference interval; and

means for dividing the accumulated difference by the reference interval.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the reference interval is configured to a value equal to or less than a period of the free running counter multiplied by a maximum count value of the accumulator.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for retrieving a reference interval over which to process an audio task in a current frame;

means for computing a difference between an actual number of cycles to process the audio task and the number of cycles in the reference interval; and

means for scheduling parameters for a future audio task.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

means for computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task, based on a task load of the audio task and based on the actual number of cycles to process the audio task.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

means for computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task by NumCyclesAvailable.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the scheduling parameters are synthesis voice parameters in an audio frame.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the reference interval is configurable via hardware or software.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the scheduling comprises a means for processing less cycles for the future audio task than processed in the current audio task.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the scheduling comprises a means for processing a greater number of audio task cycles for the future audio task relative to the current task.

27. A computer-readable medium embodying a set of instructions executable by one or more processors, comprising:

code for retrieving a reference interval over which to process an audio task;

code for computing a difference between an actual number of cycles to process the audio task and the number of cycles in the reference interval; and

code for scheduling parameters for a future audio task.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising:

code for computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task, based on a task load of the audio task and based on the actual number of cycles to process the audio task.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising computing a number of cycles available for processing the future audio task by NumCyclesAvailable.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the scheduling parameters are synthesis voice parameters in an audio frame.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising:

code for configuring the reference interval to a value equal to or less than a period of a free running counter multiplied by a maximum count value of the accumulator.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the scheduling comprises processing less audio task cycles for the future audio task than processed in the current audio task.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the scheduling comprises processing an equal or greater number of audio task cycles for the future audio task relative to the current audio task.