Data flow control system and method for conserving power in a power managed system
First Claim
1. A method for conserving power in an information handling system, comprising:
- while a host unit is in a normal power state, evaluating activity criteria from time to time, wherein said activity criteria are indicative of activity on a bus of the host unit;
evaluating said activity criteria to determine whether one or more pending activities should be completed to fulfill the needs of a currently running process;
responsive to determining the one or more pending activities should be completed, maintaining the host unit in the normal power state until the one or more pending activities is completed;
responsive to said activity criteria indicating both a lack of current bus activity and a lack of the one or more pending activities that should be completed, transitioning the host unit to a reduced power state;
responsive to receiving data by a communication controller while said host unit is in said reduced power state, maintaining the data in a buffer associated with the communication controller; and
releasing the data from the buffer for processing responsive to the host unit transitioning from the reduced power state to the normal power state.
15 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for conserving power in a power managed information handling system are provided. While the host unit or central processing unit of the information handling system is in a reduced power state, the communication controller maintains received data in an associated buffer. The communication controller releases all or a portion of the buffered data during time intervals in which the host unit is in a normal operating mode. By buffering and releasing data in coordination with the reduced power state and normal operating state, respectively, of the host unit, power conservation in the information handling system may be enhanced by not causing the host unit to return to normal operation prematurely.
35 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for conserving power in an information handling system, comprising:
-
while a host unit is in a normal power state, evaluating activity criteria from time to time, wherein said activity criteria are indicative of activity on a bus of the host unit; evaluating said activity criteria to determine whether one or more pending activities should be completed to fulfill the needs of a currently running process; responsive to determining the one or more pending activities should be completed, maintaining the host unit in the normal power state until the one or more pending activities is completed; responsive to said activity criteria indicating both a lack of current bus activity and a lack of the one or more pending activities that should be completed, transitioning the host unit to a reduced power state; responsive to receiving data by a communication controller while said host unit is in said reduced power state, maintaining the data in a buffer associated with the communication controller; and releasing the data from the buffer for processing responsive to the host unit transitioning from the reduced power state to the normal power state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method for reducing power consumption in an information handling system, comprising:
-
evaluating activity criteria indicative of activity on one or more data buses coupled to a host unit of the information handling system to determine whether one or more pending activities should be completed to fulfill the needs of a process currently running on the host unit; responsive to determining that the one or more pending activities should be completed, maintaining the one or more data buses in normal state until the one or more pending activities is completed; quieting the one or more data buses; migrating the host unit to a reduced power state upon quieting the one or more data buses; maintaining the host unit in the reduced power state and the one or more data buses quiet for a selected period of time; and resuming operation of the information handling system in accordance with a user selected operating mode after the selected period of time has elapsed. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. An information handling system capable of existing in a reduced power state and a normal power state, comprising:
-
a host unit; a data bus operably coupled to the host unit; a communication controller operably coupled to the data bus and the host unit, the communication controller having a memory and operable to receive a volume of data; the information handling system being enabled, while the host unit is in the normal power state, to evaluate activity criteria from time to time, wherein said activity criteria are indicative of activity on the data bus; the information handling system being further enabled to evaluate said activity criteria to determine whether one or more pending activities should be completed to fulfill the needs of a currently running process; the information handling system being further enabled, responsive to determining the one or more pending activities should be completed, to maintain the host unit in the normal power state until the one or more pending activities is completed; the information handling system being further enabled, responsive to said activity criteria indicating both a lack of current bus activity and a lack of the one or more pending activities that should be completed, to transition the host unit to the reduced power state; and the communication controller being operable to maintain received data in said memory while said host unit is in said reduced power state. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification