System suspend on lid close and system resume on lid open

• US 5,303,171 A
• Filed: 04/03/1992
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zenith Data Systems Corp. (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grabon, Robert J., Belt, Steven L., Sun, Jiming, Pandya, Chandrakant H., Terry-Gray, Neysa K.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LONG
• Application Number:
  US07/865,048
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 364/707, 364/708
• US Class Current: 713/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/24 Resetting means
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable computer system includes a housing, a lid supported on the housing for movement between open and closed positions, a keyboard supported on the housing below the lid, and a display provided on the lid. When the lid is opened, the keyboard is accessible and the display is visible, whereas when the lid is closed the keyboard and display are hidden and protected. The computer system includes a processor disposed within the housing and having a first operational mode in which it executes instructions and a second operational mode in which it is in a reduced power suspend state from which it can automatically exit in response to a predetermined condition. The system includes an arrangement responsive to closing of the lid when the processor is in its first operational state for switching the processor to its second operational state.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer system which includes a housing, a lid supported on said housing for movement between open and closed positions, a processor provided in said housing and having a first operational mode in which said processor executes instructions and a second operational mode in which said processor is halted in a reduced power state from which said processor can automatically exit in response to a predetermined condition, first means responsive to movement of said lid to said closed position when said processor is in said first operational mode for switching said processor to said second operational mode, and second means responsive to movement of said lid away from said closed position for switching said processor from said second operational mode to said first operational mode, said processor thereafter continuing in said first operated mode from a point at which said first operational mode was discontinued for said switching to said second operational mode;

wherein said first means further responses to movement of said lid to said closed position by enabling said second means to respond to movement of said lid, and said second means responds to movement of said lid away from said closed position by disabling said second means from responding to movement of said lid.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a computer system which includes a housing;

a lid supported on said housing or movement between open and closed positions, a processor provided in said housing and having a first operational mode in which said processor executes instructions and a second operational mode in which said processor is halted in a reduced power state from which said processor can automatically exit in response to a predetermined condition;

means responsive to movement of said lid to said closed position when said processor is in said first operational mode for switching said processor to said second operational mode;

means responsive to movement of said lid away from said closed position for switching said processor from said second operational mode to said first operational mode, said processor thereafter continuing in said first operational mode from a point at which said first operational mode was discontinued for said switching to said second operational mode;

wherein said means for switching said processor from said second operational mode to said first operational mode includes switch means or producing a signal having first and second states respectively indicating that said lid is in said open and closed positions, said signal being applied to one input of an exclusive OR gate, and delay means for applying to a second input of said exclusive OR gate an inverted and delayed version of said signal, said exclusive OR gate having an output connected to a trigger input of a monostable multivibrator, and said monostable multivibrator having an output which is coupled to an input of said processor, said processor being responsive to an output signal from said monostable multivibrator for effecting said switching from said second operational mode to said first operational mode.

3. An apparatus of claim 2, wherein said switch means includes a switch coupled to said lid and having an output, a first resistor connected between said output of said switch and a source of power, a first capacitor coupled between said output of said switch and ground, and a first inverter having an input coupled to said output of said switch and having an output, said output of said first inverter being said signal having said first and second states, and wherein said delay means includes a second resistor having first and second ends respectively connected to said output of said first inverter and an input of a second inverter, a third resistor having first and second ends respectively connected to an output of said second inverter and said second input of said exclusive OR gate, and a second capacitor connected between said second input of said exclusive OR gate and ground.

4. An apparatus of claim 3, including a flip-flop having a clock input and arranged to alternate between first and second states in response to the application of successive clock pulses thereto, and having an output coupled to a reset input of said monostable multivibrator, and including means for permitting said processor to selectively apply clock pulses to said clock input of said flip-flop in order to selectively enable and disable said monostable multivibrator.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a computer system which includes a housing, a lid supported on said housing for movement between open and closed positions, a main processor provided in said housing and having a first operational mode in which said main processor executes instructions and a second operational mode in which said main processor is halted in a reduced power state from which said main processor can automatically exit in response to a predetermined condition, and means responsive to movement of said lid to said closed position when said main processor is in said first operational mode for switching said main processor to said second operational mode, wherein said means responsive to movement of said lid includes a further processor which is responsive to the position of said lid and which notifies said main processor when said lid is moved to said closed position.

6. An apparatus of claim 5, including means responsive to movement of said lid away from said closed position for switching said main processor from said second operational mode to said first operational mode, said main processor thereafter continuing in said first operational mode from a point at which said first operational mode was discontinued for said switching to said second operational mode.

7. An apparatus of claim 6, including means responsive to a condition other than the position of said lid for initiating a switch rom said second operational mode to said firs operational mode, and further means responsive to said lid being in said closed position for terminating a switch from said second operational mode to said first operational mode and for returning said main processor to said second operational mode.

8. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said computer system includes a plurality of peripherals operationally coupled to said processor, and means for permitting said main processor to selectively switch each said peripheral between a normal operational state and a reduced power step, wherein as said main processor is switched from said first operational mode to said second operational mode said min processor saves an internal state of each said peripheral and switches each said peripheral from said normal operational state to said reduced power state, and wherein said main processor is switched from said second operational mode to said first operational mode said main processor switches each said peripheral from said reduced power steate to said normal operational state and restores to said peripherals said saved internal stares thereof.

9. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first operational mode includes an unprotected mode in which said main processor has a predetermined set of operational capabilities and a protected operational mode in which said main processor can perform a first subset of said operational capabilities and is inhibited from performing a second subset of said operational capabilities different from said first subset, means responsive to closing of said lid for forcing said main processor to said unprotected mode and for causing said main processor to execute a predetermined program which effects said switching of said main processor to said second operational mode, and including means responsive to opening of said lid for shifting said main processor from said second operational mode to said unprotected mode and or causing said main processor to then execute a program which concludes by instructing said main processor to operate in one of said protected mode and said unprotected mode in which said main processor was operating at the time the lid was closed.

10. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said means responsive to movement of said lid to said closed position includes means for causing said main processor to save state information from said further processor and to thereafter place said further processor in a reduced power mode in which said further processor is halted;

and wherein said means responsive to movement of said lid away from said closed position includes means for restoring said further processor to a normal operational mode and for the after restoring stow said further processor said state information saved therefrom.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein said means responsive to movement of said lid away from said closed position is responsive to a further condition for switching said processor to said first operational mode, and includes means responsive to restoration to said further processor of said state information for requesting that said further processor indicate whether said lid is presently in said closed position and then, if said further processor indicates said lid is closed, for obtaining and storing state information from said further processor, placing said further processor back in said reduced power mode and then switching said main processor back to said second operational mode.

12. An apparatus of claim 5, wherein said computer system includes a keyboard supported on said housing and a display supported on said lid, said keyboard and display being exposed when said lid is in said open position and being covered when said lid is in said closed position.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a computer system which includes a housing, a lid supported on said housing for movement between open and closed positions, a processor having a first operational mode in which said processor executes instructions and a second operational mode in which said processor is halted in a reduced power state from which said processor can automatically exit in response to a predetermined condition, means for permitting an operator to select one of first and second events to occur when said lid is moved to said closed position, said first event being switching of said processor from said first operational mode to said second operational mode.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein said computer system includes a display which is exposed and hidden when said lid is respectively open and closed, and including a backlight for illuminating said display, said second event being turning off of said back light.

15. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein said computer system includes means for generating an audible sound, said second event being generation of said audible sound.