Systems and methods for dynamic voltage scaling of communication bus to provide bandwidth based on whether an application is active

• US 7,392,411 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATI Technologies Incorporated (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ATI Technologies Incorporated (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shakkarwar, Rajesh G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao; Chun
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, ALBERT C
• Application Number:
  US10/423,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 710/104, 713/300, 713/320
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamic power management of electronic devices are disclosed. In one form, a system employing dynamic power management for electronic devices includes a central processing unit operable to process information via a communication bus. The system includes a clock generator and a voltage generator coupled to the processing unit and operably associated with the communication bus having multiple operating voltage levels. The clock generator and communication bus are operated at variable clock rates and voltage levels to ensure bandwidth requirements are satisfied for communicating and processing information. In this manner, power consumption of the system may be dynamically managed while providing sufficient bandwidth for the system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication bus operable to communicate information;

control logic configured to determine a bandwidth for the communication bus based on whether an application is active;

an operating characteristic associated with the communication bus and alterable in response to the bandwidth to communicate the information via the communication bus; and

a first variable reference voltage generator coupled to the control logic and operable to be altered based on the bandwidth to provide an operating voltage level of the communication bus.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first variable clock generator operably associated with the communication bus and the control logic, the clock generator operable to provide a clock for the communication bus, the clock having a frequency based on the bandwidth.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first component coupled to a first portion of the communication bus and operable to communicate the information;

a second component coupled to a second portion of the communication bus; and

wherein the control logic is further configured to determine the bandwidth based on a type of the first component and a type of the second component.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an operating characteristic for each of the first component and the second component, the operating characteristics stored within a memory associated with the communication bus for determining a voltage level and a clock level to provide the bandwidth.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first component comprises a data controller unit and the second component comprises an IO device.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the first component comprises a data controller and the second component comprises a graphics device.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the first component comprises a graphics device module and the second component comprises a memory device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the operating characteristic includes a voltage level between 0.5 volts and 5.0 volts.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the operating characteristic includes a first operating characteristic providing a clock having a frequency less than 100 GHz and a second operating characteristic providing a clock having a frequency greater than 33 MHz.

10. A method comprising:

determining a first bandwidth needed to support communicating information between one or more electronic devices based on whether an application is active, the one or more electronic devices including a first electronic device;

determining an operating characteristic of first electronic device; and

altering the operating characteristic of communication bus configured to communicate the information to provide an operating level sufficient to provide the bandwidth, wherein altering the operating characteristic includes altering an operating voltage level and a clock associated with the communication bus.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting a second bandwidth in response to a change in bandwidth needed to support communicating the information based on a change in activity of the first application; and

altering the operating characteristic to provide the second bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting a coupling of a second electronic device to the communication bus;

determining a second bandwidth needed to support both the first electronic device and the second electronic device; and

altering the operating characteristic to support the second bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

accessing a file including an operating characteristics and status of the one or more electronic devices; and

determining a second bandwidth based on the operating characteristics and status of the one or more electronic devices; and

altering the operating characteristic to support the second bandwidth.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the operating characteristic comprises a voltage level.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

altering an operating state of a graphics processor;

determining a second bandwidth based on the altered operating state; and

altering the operating characteristic to support the second bandwidth.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein altering the operating characteristic further includes disabling a number of data lines associated with the communication bus.

16. A system comprising:

a processor operable to process information communicated via a communication bus, the communication bus including a multi-state operating level to support communicating the information;

a memory device including a reference identifying an alterable operating voltage of the communication bus to provide sufficient bandwidth to communicate the information,

a clock generator operably associated with the processor and the communication bus and a clock reference stored within the memory relative to the operating voltage reference and alterable to provide the bandwidth, the clock reference based on whether the first application is active.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a data controller coupled to the processor and the memory device, the data controller including a first communication bus coupled to the processor and a second communication bus coupled to the memory device; and

the first and second communication buses operable to employ variable voltage levels and clock speeds for communicating the information.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising a bandwidth dependent voltage generator operable to provide one of plural operating reference voltage levels based on the bandwidth to communicate the information via the communication bus.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising a universal serial bus.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising a graphics processing module coupled to the communication bus and operable to process graphic information using one or more processors.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the system comprises a graphics device.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the system comprises an integrated circuit.

23. A system for optimizing operating conditions of an electronic device comprising:

means for determining bandwidth needed to support communicating information between one or more electronic devices based on whether an application is active;

means for determining an operating characteristic of at least one electronic device; and

means for altering the operating characteristic of at least one electronic device to provide an operating level sufficient to provide the bandwidth wherein altering the operating characteristic includes altering an operating voltage level and a clock associated with a communication bus operable to communicate the information.

24. A computer readable medium embodying a program of computer instructions, the computer instructions comprising instructions to:

determine bandwidth needed to support communicating information between one or more electronic devices based on whether an application is active;

determine an operating characteristic of the at least one electronic device; and

alter the operating characteristic of the at least one electronic device to provide an operating level sufficient to provide the bandwidth wherein altering the operating characteristic includes altering an operating voltage level and a clock associated with a communication bus operable to communicate the information.