System for distributed power management in portable computers
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring, collecting and acting upon power-related data in a portable computer including a main processor having a first set of multiple operational states, said main processor controlling a plurality of independently controllable power planes, a service processor coupled to the main processor, said service processor having a second set of multiple operational states and configured to manage peripheral devices, and a battery microcontroller coupled to the service processor, said battery microcontroller having a third set of multiple operational states and configured to manage power input from one or more power sources, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) determining power consumption for each of the plurality of independently controllable power planes for each of said first set of multiple operational states;
b) transitioning the main processor from a first zero power state to a first normal power state upon user activation of an on/off switch;
c) immediately transitioning the main processor to a first idle power state when the main processor has completed all necessary processing functions which require the main processor to remain fully powered and operational;
d) transitioning the main processor to a first standby power state when there is no processing activity for a first time duration while the main processor is in said first idle power state; and
e) transitioning the main processor to a first zero power state upon expiration of a second time duration while the main processor is in a first standby power state, thereby removing power from the portable computer except for the battery microcontroller.
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Abstract
A system and method for managing power in a portable, pen-based notebook computer. The system and method provides for minimizing power consumption by collecting and interpreting power related data of various processing elements while hiding many of the details from the end-user. The system monitors, collects, and acts upon power-related data in a portable computer to maximize the amount of time the portable computer can be used between battery re-charging with minimal user intervention. The system has a plurality of independently controllable power planes which are selectively powered so that the portable computer consumes the minimum power necessary to perform a particular function and a plurality of central processing units (CPUs) operating asynchronously with respect to each other. The present invention is further comprised of an on/off glue logic for monitoring battery condition, user invoked functions, and system state and power management for controlling the operation of each of the CPUs as a function of the conditions sensed.
116 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring, collecting and acting upon power-related data in a portable computer including a main processor having a first set of multiple operational states, said main processor controlling a plurality of independently controllable power planes, a service processor coupled to the main processor, said service processor having a second set of multiple operational states and configured to manage peripheral devices, and a battery microcontroller coupled to the service processor, said battery microcontroller having a third set of multiple operational states and configured to manage power input from one or more power sources, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) determining power consumption for each of the plurality of independently controllable power planes for each of said first set of multiple operational states; b) transitioning the main processor from a first zero power state to a first normal power state upon user activation of an on/off switch; c) immediately transitioning the main processor to a first idle power state when the main processor has completed all necessary processing functions which require the main processor to remain fully powered and operational; d) transitioning the main processor to a first standby power state when there is no processing activity for a first time duration while the main processor is in said first idle power state; and e) transitioning the main processor to a first zero power state upon expiration of a second time duration while the main processor is in a first standby power state, thereby removing power from the portable computer except for the battery microcontroller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification