System and method of computer operating mode clock control for power consumption reduction

• US 6,584,571 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: St Clair Intellectual Property Consultants Incorporated
• Original Assignee: St Clair Intellectual Property Consultants Incorporated
• Inventors: Fung, Henry Tat-Sang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US09/558,473
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/323, 713/340, 713/324, 713/310
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00317 Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00686 Automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00691 using robots
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00707 separated from the reactor apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• 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 power management unit for use in a computer system includes an activity monitor which monitors activity of the computer system and generates an activity indicator signal reflective of the monitored activity, a mode controller responsive to the activity indicator signal and having at least three operating modes, and a power switching circuit having a plurality of power control signal lines each for controlling one of the plurality of power control switches.

Claims

1. A power management unit for use in a computer system comprising a power supply, a plurality of computer system circuits including a CPU circuit, an input/output circuit, and a memory circuit, a computer system bus which couples the CPU circuit with said input/output circuit and said memory circuit, and a plurality of power control switches which couple the power supply to provide operating power to the plurality of computer system circuits, said power management unit comprises:

an activity monitor which monitors activity of the computer system and generates an activity indicator signal reflective of said monitored activity;

a mode controller responsive to the activity indicator signal and having at least three operating modes; and

a power switching circuit comprising;

a plurality of power control signal lines each for controlling one of said plurality of power control switches;

a memory cell associated with each of the plurality of control lines wherein each of the plurality of power control lines is associated with at least one bit stored in said memory cell, said at least one bit being alterable depending upon said mode of operation; and

power director means which in response to the mode of operation selectivity couples said plurality of power control lines to said memory cell associated with that power control line such that a signal is generated on the power control line that is dependent upon the state of the memory cell to which it is coupled, said power director means altering said at least one bit to change control data on that power control signal line in each of the three modes of operation, said plurality of switches are controlled by the power switching circuit and the power consumption of the computer system is controlled in response to the activity of the computer system.