System and method of computer operating mode control for power consumption reduction
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. In a computer system comprising as hardware a plurality of system resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory device, and an input/output device, and as software, an operating system for managing and controlling said system resources, said system being operable in any one of at least three operating modes including a first-mode having a first power consumption level, a second-mode having a second power consumption level less than said first power consumption level, and a third-mode having a third power consumption level less than said second power consumption level;
- a method for controlling the operating mode of said computer system comprising;
while operating in said first mode, monitoring said computer to detect execution of a predefined code thread, and generating a first-mode to second-mode transition command signal in response to said detecting execution of a predefined code thread; and
changing said operating mode from said first-mode to said second-mode in response to said first-mode to second-mode transition command signal; and
while operating in said second mode, monitoring said computer to detect occurrence or non-occurrence of a second predefined event, and generating a second-mode to third-mode transition command signal in response to said second event detection; and
changing said operating mode from said second-mode to said third-mode in response to said second-mode to third-mode transition command signal;
said first operating mode characterized by maintaining clocking of said CPU at a first frequency;
said second operating mode characterized by clocking said CPU at a second frequency less than said first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of said CPU; and
said third operating mode characterized by maintaining operation only of said memory to preserve the integrity of data stored therein.
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Abstract
An activity sensing power reduction and conservation apparatus, system, and method for a computer system. The computer system has resources including a processor, a memory, and an input/output device, and an operating system for controlling the resources. At least one of the resources can be placed into in any one of three operating modes including a first mode having a first power consumption level, a second mode having a second power consumption level less than the first level, and a third mode having a third level less than the second level. The first mode may be characterized by maintaining clocking of the processor at a first clock frequency, the second mode by clocking the processor at a second clock frequency less than the first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of the processor, and the third mode by maintaining operation of the memory to preserve the integrity of any stored memory contents. During operation of the computer system in the first mode, activity is monitored to detect completion of idle threads executing on the system, and the processor clock is slowed or stopped to at least that one resource in response to the idle thread completion detection. During operation in the second mode where the processor clock is slowed or stopped, a slow or stop resource command is generated to slow or turn off clock signal to at least one of the resources in response to occurrence of a timeout condition indication received from a timer circuit.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. In a computer system comprising as hardware a plurality of system resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory device, and an input/output device, and as software, an operating system for managing and controlling said system resources, said system being operable in any one of at least three operating modes including a first-mode having a first power consumption level, a second-mode having a second power consumption level less than said first power consumption level, and a third-mode having a third power consumption level less than said second power consumption level;
- a method for controlling the operating mode of said computer system comprising;
while operating in said first mode, monitoring said computer to detect execution of a predefined code thread, and generating a first-mode to second-mode transition command signal in response to said detecting execution of a predefined code thread; and
changing said operating mode from said first-mode to said second-mode in response to said first-mode to second-mode transition command signal; andwhile operating in said second mode, monitoring said computer to detect occurrence or non-occurrence of a second predefined event, and generating a second-mode to third-mode transition command signal in response to said second event detection; and
changing said operating mode from said second-mode to said third-mode in response to said second-mode to third-mode transition command signal;said first operating mode characterized by maintaining clocking of said CPU at a first frequency; said second operating mode characterized by clocking said CPU at a second frequency less than said first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of said CPU; and said third operating mode characterized by maintaining operation only of said memory to preserve the integrity of data stored therein. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
- a method for controlling the operating mode of said computer system comprising;
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38. In a computer system comprising as hardware a plurality of system resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory device, and an input/output device, and as software, an operating system for managing and controlling said system resources, said system being operable in any one of at least three operating modes including a first-mode having a first power consumption level, a second-mode having a second power consumption level less than said first power consumption level, and a third-mode having a third power consumption level less than said second power consumption level;
- a method for controlling the operating mode of said computer system comprising;
while operating in said first mode, monitoring said computer to detect exceeding a threshold value for a statistical evaluation of active and idle process, and generating a first-mode to second-mode transition command signal in response to said detecting exceeding a threshold value for a statistical evaluation of active and idle process; and
changing said operating mode from said first-mode to said second-mode in response to said first-mode to second-mode transition command signal; andwhile operating in said second mode, monitoring said computer to detect occurrence or non-occurrence of a second predefined event, and generating a second-mode to third-mode transition command signal in response to said second event detection; and
changing said operating mode from said second-mode to said third-mode in response to said second-mode to third-mode transition command signal;said first operating mode characterized by maintaining clocking of said CPU at a first frequency; said second operating mode characterized by clocking said CPU at a second frequency less than said first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of said CPU; and said third operating mode characterized by maintaining operation only of said memory to preserve the integrity of data stored therein. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
- a method for controlling the operating mode of said computer system comprising;
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42. In a computer system comprising as hardware a plurality of system resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory device, and an input/output device, and as software, an operating system for managing and controlling the system resources, at least one of said system devices and resources being operable in any one of three operating modes including a first-mode having a first power consumption level, a second-mode having a second power consumption level less than said first power consumption level, and a third-mode having a third power consumption level less than said second power consumption level;
- a method for controlling the operating mode of the computer system comprising the steps of;
while operating in said first mode, monitoring said computer to detect completion of execution of all idle threads executing on said system, and generating a slow or stop processor clock command in response to said idle thread completion detection; while operating in said second mode wherein said CPU clock is slowed or stopped, receiving an interrupt from a timer circuit indicating occurrence of a predetermined timer time-out condition, and generating a slow or stop device command to slow or turn off clock signal to at least one of said devices in response to occurrence of said timeout condition; said first operating mode characterized by maintaining clocking of said CPU at a first clock frequency; said second operating mode characterized by clocking said CPU at a second clock frequency less than said first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of said CPU; and said third operating mode characterized by maintaining operation of said memory to preserve the integrity of memory contents stored therein. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
- a method for controlling the operating mode of the computer system comprising the steps of;
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48. A computer system including as hardware a plurality of system resources including a processing unit responsive to a processor clock signal, a memory device, and an input/output device, and an operating system for controlling operation of said computer system, at least one of said system devices and resources being operable in any one of at least three operating modes including a first-mode having a first power consumption level, a second-mode having a second power consumption level less than said first power consumption level, and a third-mode having a third power consumption level less than said second power consumption level;
- said computer system characterized in that said computer system further comprises;
idle thread execution completion detection means for monitoring said computer system to detect completion of execution of all idle threads executing on said system while operating in said first mode; processor clock speed control means for slowing or stopping said processor clock signal in response to said idle thread execution completion detection; a timer circuit generating a timer-timeout signal indicating occurrence of a predetermined timer time-out condition; a device controller receiving said timer-timeout signal while operating in said second mode wherein said processor clock is slowed or stopped and generating a slow or stop device signal to slow or turn off clock signal to at least one of said devices in response to occurrence of said timer timeout condition; said first operating mode characterized by maintaining clocking of said processor at a first clock frequency;
said second operating mode characterized by clocking said processor at a second clock frequency less than said first frequency or by not maintaining clocking of said processor; and
said third operating mode characterized by maintaining operation of said memory to preserve the integrity of memory contents stored therein.
- said computer system characterized in that said computer system further comprises;
Specification