Adaptive power management in a computing system

• US 6,654,895 B1
• Filed: 11/08/1999
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gabel, Doug, Henkhaus, Ralph, Stewart, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barqadle, Yasin
• Application Number:
  US09/436,298
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/323, 713/322, 713/320, 713/321, 710/15, 710/16, 710/18
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A software application for executing on a computing system that monitors a user'"'"'s behavior and adapts the power management policies to the user'"'"'s preferences in an automated manner. The software application records a time of day whenever the computing system transitions from a current power state to a new power state as a result of an action initiated by a user, such as when the user activates the computing system. The software application includes a pattern-detection software module to detect a usage pattern within the recorded times and predicts when the user is likely to activate the computing system. Based on this prediction, the software application automatically transitions the computing system to a higher power state prior to the predicted startup time, thereby allowing the computing system to be “instantly” available for use when accessed by the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

repeatedly recording a time of day when a computing system transitions from a current power state to a new power state as a result of an action initiated by a user;

recording the current power state and the new power state;

detecting a usage pattern as a function of the recorded times; and

transitioning the computing system from a current power state to a new power state based on the detected usage pattern, including transitioning the computer system from the current power state to a higher power state below the new power state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a usage pattern includes predicting, as a function of the recorded times, a startup time when the user is likely to activate the computing system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transitioning the power state includes automatically transitioning the computing system to the a higher power state at the beginning of a warm-up period prior to the predicted startup time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the warm-up period has a duration that is user configurable.

5. The method of claim 3 and further including maintaining a user-configurable setting specifying whether to transition the computing system to the higher power state.

6. The method of claim 2 further including transitioning the computing system to a lower power state when the user fails to activate the computing system within a timeout period after the predicted startup time.

7. The method of claim 6 and further including increasing the duration of the timeout period upon successive failures by the user to activate the computing system.

8. The method of claim 6, and further including maintaining a user-configurable setting specifying whether to transition the computing system to the lower power state when the user fails to activate the computing system within a timeout period after the warm-up period.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein transitioning the computing system to the new power state occurs in response to a wake event generated by a real-time clock.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transitioning the computing system from a first sleeping state to a second sleeping state.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

offering a user selection option to transition the computing system from the current power state to the new power state based on the detected usage pattern.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the current power state and the new power state further comprises:

recording the current power state and the new power state to a storage device.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a usage pattern as a function of the recorded times further comprises:

performing an analysis of the recorded times on a basis selected from a periodic basis and each time the computing system is activated.

10. A computing system comprising:

a storage device; and

a software application for executing on the computing system to repeatedly record a time of day, a current power state, and a new power state to the storage device when the computing system transitions from the current power state to the new power state as a result of an action initiated by a user, wherein the software application includes a pattern-detection software module to detect a usage pattern within the recorded times, including transitioning the computer system from the current power state to a higher power state below the new power state.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein as a function of the recorded times the pattern-detection module predicts a startup time that indicates when the user is reasonably likely to power up the computing system.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the software application automatically transitions the computing system to the a higher power state at the beginning of a warm-up period prior to the predicted startup time.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the warm-up period has a duration that is user configurable.

14. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the software application maintains a user-configurable setting specifying whether to transition the computing system to the higher power state at the beginning of the warm-up period.

15. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the software application is a module within an operating system.

16. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the software application is executed by an operating system of the computing system.

17. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the software application transitions the computing system to a lower power state when the user fails to activate the computing system within a timeout period after the predicted startup time.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the shutdown period has a duration that is user configurable.

19. The computing system of claim 17, Wherein recording the software application increases the duration of the timeout period upon successive failures by the user to activate the computing system.

20. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the software application maintains a user-configurable setting specifying whether to transition the computing system to the lower power state when the user fails to activate the computing system within a timeout period after the warm-up period.

21. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the pattern-detection module is field replaceable.

22. The computing system of claim 12 and further including a real-time clock, wherein the software application configures the real-time clock to trigger a wake event, and further wherein the software application automatically transitions the computing system to the higher power state in response to the wake event.

30. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the software application is to record the current power state and the new power state to the storage device.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to manage power by performing the method of:

repeatedly recording a time of day, a current power state, and a new power state when the computing system transitions from the current power state to the new power state as a result of an action initiated by a user;

detecting a usage pattern as a function of the recorded times; and

transitioning the computing system from a current power state to a new power state based on the detected pattern, including transitioning the computer system from the current power state to a higher power state below the new power state.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to predict, as a function of the recorded times, a startup time when the user is likely to activate the computing system.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to automatically transition to the a higher power state at the beginning of a warm-up period prior to the predicted startup time.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to transition the computing system from a first sleeping state to a second sleeping state.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to offer a user selection option to transition the computing system from the current power state to the new power state based on the detected usage pattern.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to record the current power state and the new power state to a storage device.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further including computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to perform an analysis of the recorded times on a basis selected from a periodic basis and each time the computing system is activated.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the computer-executable instructions to cause a computer to detect a usage pattern as a function of the recorded times are included in a field replaceable software module.