CONTROL DEVICE, DATA PROCESSING DEVICE, CONTROLLER, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THEREOF AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20140075227A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shirota, Yusuke, Kanai, Tatsunori, Kimura, Tetsuro, Fujisaki, Koichi, Segawa, Junichi, Tarui, Masaya, Shirai, Satoshi, Haruki, Hiroyoshi, Shibata, Akihiro, Toyama, Haruhiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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

A control device according to embodiments comprises a data-copying unit, a data-processing instructing unit, and a power-control unit. The data-copying unit copies data in a first memory to a second memory of which power consumption is less than power consumption of the first memory. The data is to be processed at a first data processing unit. The data-processing instructing unit instructs the first data processing unit to process the data copied to the second memory. The power-control unit switches power for the first memory from a first power to a second power while the first data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory. The first power is power supplied to the first memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory. The second power is lower than the first power.

Claims

1. A control device comprising:

a data-copying unit that copies data in a first memory to a second memory of which power consumption is less than power consumption of the first memory, the data being to be processed at a first data processing unit;

a data-processing instructing unit that instructs the first data processing unit to process the data copied to the second memory; and

a power-control unit that switches power for the first memory from a first power to a second power while the first data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory,

the first power being power supplied to the first memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory, and

the second power being lower than the first power.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising

a data-size adjusting unit that adjusts a size of data that the data-copying unit is to be copying to the second memory at one time.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein

the data-size adjusting unit divides or integrates one or more data stored in the first memory into one or more unitary data to be copied to the second memory.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the data-copying unit copies unprocessed data stored in the first memory to the second memory while the first data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory, and

the power control unit switches power for the first memory from the first power to the second power after completing copying the data from the first memory to the second memory.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein

the data-processing instructing unit instructs a second data processing unit that conducts process accompanying access to the first memory to execute the process while the first data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory, and

the power control unit switches power for the first memory from the first power to the second power after completing copying the data from the first memory to the second memory and the process by the second data processing unit.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first memory is a non-volatile memory, and

the power control unit sets power at a time when power supply to the first memory is shut off as the second power.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first memory is a volatile memory having a power-saving mode, and

the power control unit sets power under the power-saving mode as the second power.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first data processing unit is an electronic paper display controller.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first data processing unit is a network including a transmitter that transmits data to a network.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein

the network controller further includes a receiver that receives data from the network.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the first data processing unit is an accelerator.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the second memory is a memory of which capacity is smaller than that of the first memory.

13. A control device comprising:

a data-receiving unit that receives data from a network;

a data-receiving instructing unit that instructs the data-receiving unit to receive the data from the network and store the received data in the first memory;

a data-copying unit that copies the data stored in the first memory to a second memory, power consumption of the first memory being less than power consumption of the second memory; and

a power-control unit that switches power for the second memory from a first power to a second power while the data-receiving unit stores the received data in the first memory,

the first power being power supplied to the second memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory, and

the second power being lower than the first power.

14. A control method executed by a control device for instructing a data processing unit to process data copied from a first memory to a second memory of which power consumption is less than power consumption of the first memory, the method including:

copying data processed by the data processing unit from the first memory to the second memory;

instructing the data processing unit to process the data copied to the second memory; and

switching power for the first memory from a first power to a second power being lower than the first power while the power processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory,

the first power being power supplied to the first memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory, and

the second power being lower than the first power.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a program for operating a computer in which data on a first memory is processed by a data processing unit, the program comprising the instructions of:

copying data being to be processed by the data processing unit from the first memory to the second memory of which power consumption is less than power consumption of the first memory;

instructing the data processing unit to process the data copied to the second memory; and

switching power for the first memory from a first power to a second power while the data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory,

the first power being power supplied to the first memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory, and

the second power being lower than the first power.

16. A controller comprising:

a data-copying unit that copies data in a first memory to a second memory of which power consumption is less than power consumption of the first memory, the data being to be processed at a first data processing unit;

a data-processing instructing unit that instructs the first data processing unit to process the data copied to the second memory; and

a power-control unit that switches power for the first memory from a first power to a second power while the first data processing unit is processing the data copied to the second memory,

the first power being power supplied to the first memory at a time when the data is copied from the first memory to the second memory, and

the second power being lower than the first power.