FORCED IDLE OF A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20110219247A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David G. Conroy, Guy G. Sotomayor Jr, Keith Cox, Michael Culbert
• Original Assignee: David G. Conroy, Guy G. Sotomayor Jr, Keith Cox, Michael Culbert
• Inventors: Sotomayor, Guy G. JR., Conroy, David G., Culbert, Michael, Cox, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,121 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 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• 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

Exemplary embodiments of methods and apparatuses to manage a power of a data processing system are described. One or more constraint parameters of a system are monitored. The data processing system is forced into an idle state for a first portion of a time while allowed to operate for a second portion of the time based on the one or more constraint parameters, wherein the system is forced into the idle state in response to comparing a target idle time to an actual idle time. The target idle time of the system is determined, in one embodiment, based on the one or more constraint parameters. The actual idle time of the system may be monitored to take into account interrupts which disrupt an idle time and idle times resulting from no software instructions to execute. The system may be allowed to operate based on comparisons of the target idle time and the actual idle time.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring one or more constraint parameters of a system; and

forcing the system into an idle state for a first portion of a time while allowing the system to continue to operate for a second portion of the time based on the one or more constraint parameters, wherein the forcing is performed in response to comparing a target idle time to an actual idle time.