Power management and control for a microcontroller

• US 6,665,802 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2000
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Ober, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, DENNIS
• Application Number:
  US09/516,447
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/323, 713/324
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• 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 power management system for a microcontroller. The power management system includes a power management state machine for controlling a power mode of a central processing unit (CPU) and each subsystem within the microcontroller. Each microcontroller subsystem is connected to the system through a configurable peripheral interface (FPI). Each FPI includes a software configuration register (SFR) that can be configured by an operating system or application program. The SFR for the various FPIs can be preconfigured to allow the response to each of the power modes of the power management state machine to be independently controlled for each subsystem.

Claims

1. A microcontroller management system, comprising:

a bus;

a power management subsystem configured to send a global power management command to one or more microcontroller subsystems through the bus, the global power management command to control power modes of the one or more microcontroller subsystems;

one or more bus interfaces corresponding to the one or more microcontroller subsystems, each bus interface coupling a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the bus, each bus interface to receive the global power management command, each bus interface including a register for configuring a response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystems to the global power management commands, the response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem being independent of responses of other ones of the one or more microcontroller subsystems to the global power management command; and

an application to configure each register to optimize the response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the global power management command.

2. The microcontroller management system of claim 1, wherein the power management subsystem includes a state machine for generating the power management command to control power modes of the one or more microcontroller subsystems.

3. The microcontroller management system of claim 1, wherein the application is an application program or an operating system.

4. The microcontroller management system of claim 2, wherein the power management command generated by the state machine is a SLEEP command, the SLEEP command being an assertion to a microcontroller subsystem to switch to a sleep mode configuration.

5. A microcontroller, comprising:

a CPU core;

a bus;

a plurality of peripheral devices, each peripheral device including a bus interface and configured to communicate with the CPU core through the bus; and

a management subsystem configured to generate and provide power management controls to each of the plurality of peripheral devices through the bus and a corresponding bus interface, the power management controls to control power modes of each of the peripheral devices,

wherein the power modes for each of the plurality of peripheral devices is configurable through each corresponding bus interfaces.

6. The microcontroller of claim 5, wherein the management subsystem is a modular management subsystem, the modular management subsystem to support addition of additional subsystems without a need for a new integrated circuit for the microcontroller to be designed.

7. The microcontroller of claim 5, wherein each bus interfaces includes a power management configuration registers, each power management configuration register to allow a corresponding peripheral device to respond independently to the power management controls.

8. The microcontroller of claim 7, wherein the management subsystem includes a state machine for controlling the power mode of each of the plurality of peripheral devices.

9. The microcontroller of claim 8, wherein the power mode comprises a SLEEP mode, a RUN mode, an IDLE mode, and a DEEP SLEEP mode.

10. The microcontroller of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of peripheral devices is fully operational as enabled by a corresponding configuration register during the RUN mode.

11. The microcontroller of claim 10, wherein the CPU core is stopped but local memory is accessible to one or more peripherals devices during the IDLE mode.

12. The microcontroller of claim 11, wherein the CPU core is stopped and may be unpowered, the local memory is accessible to enabled ones of the plurality of peripheral devices, and a clock PLL may be disabled during the SLEEP mode.

13. The microcontroller of claim 12, wherein the CPU core is stopped and may be unpowered, the local memory is unaccessible, and the PLL is disabled during the DEEP SLEEP mode.

14. The microcontroller of claim 8, wherein the state machine includes a configurable register to enable the state machine to be configured for device and application specific applications.

15. A method of providing power management functions in a microcontroller having one or more subsystems and a CPU core, the method comprising:

generating a global power management command in a power management subsystem, the global power management command to control power modes of each of the one or more subsystems;

sending the global power management command to each of the one or more subsystems through a bus;

individually configuring a response of each of the one or more subsystems to the global power management command through a corresponding registers in each of the one or more subsystems, and

configuring each of the one or more subsystems to support one of RUN, IDLE, SLEEP, and DEEP SLEEP power modes based on the individual response of each of the one or more subsystems.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the response of each of the one or more subsystems to the global power management command is individually configured by an application program or operating system.

17. The method according to of claim 15, wherein generating a global power management command comprises generating a global power management command through a power management state machine for controlling the power mode of the one or more subsystems.

18. The method according to of claim 17, wherein configuring each of the one or more subsystems to support one of RUN, IDLE, SLEEP, and DEEP SLEEP power modes comprises configuring each of the one or more subsystems independently of others of the one or more subsystems.

19. A System-on-Chip, comprising:

a modular power management system, the modular power management system including;

a bus;

a power management subsystem configured to send a global power management command to one or more microcontroller subsystems through the bus, the global power management command to control power modes of the one or more microcontroller subsystems; and

one or more bus interfaces corresponding the one or more microcontroller subsystems, each bus interface coupling a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the bus, each bus interface to receive the global power management command, each bus interface including a register for configuring a response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the global power management command, the response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem being independent of responses of other ones of the one or more microcontroller subsystems to the global power management

command;

wherein the modular power management system can support addition of additional subsystems without a need for a new integrated circuit for the System-on-Chip to be designed.

20. The System-on-Chip of claim 19, wherein an application program configures each register to optimize the response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the global power management command.

21. The System-on-Chip of claim 19, wherein an operating system configures each register to optimize the response of a corresponding microcontroller subsystem to the global power management command.

22. A power management subsystem for use in a microcontroller or System-on-Chip having one or more subsystems, the power management subsystem comprising:

a configuration unit configured to send a global power management command to a CPU and the one or more subsystems through a bus, the global power management command to control power modes of the CPU and the one or more subsystems, each of the one or more subsystems to respond independently to the global power management command; and

a register adapted to configure the configuration unit to support a specific application.

23.The power management subsystem of claim 22, wherein the power management subsystem includes a state machine for generating the power management command to control power modes of the CPU and the one or more subsystems.

23. The power management subsystem of claim 23, wherein the power modes include a RUN mode, an IDLE mode, a SLEEP mode, and a DEEP SLEEP mode.