Methods and apparatuses for dynamic power control

• US 7,562,234 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Conroy, David G., Culbert, Michael, Cox, Keith Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US11/212,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• 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 1/3287 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: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for dynamically budgeting power usage in a data processing system. In one aspect, a data processing system, includes: one or more first components capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings; one or more second components; and one or more power usage sensors. The one or more power usage sensors are to determine information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system. The one or more first components and the one or more second components may include a computing element to determine one of the performance level settings of the one or more first components of the data processing system for a second time period subsequent to the first time period using the information on the power usage during the first time period.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

one or more first components capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings;

one or more second components coupled to the one or more first components; and

one or more power usage sensors coupled to the one or more first components and the one or more second components, the one or more power usage sensors to determine information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system;

wherein the data processing system comprises a computing element to determine an estimated power usage by the one or more second components in a second time period, which is subsequent to the first time period;

to compute a power usage indicator based on the information on the power usage during the first time period and the estimated power usage; and

to determine one of the performance level settings of the one or more first components of the data processing system for the second time period based on the power usage indicator, wherein the one of the performance settings is determined to limit the power usage indicator of the data processing system under a threshold in the second time period, wherein the threshold is associated with the information on the power usage during the first time period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first components, the one or more second components, and the one or more power usage sensors are within a housing for the data processing system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data processing system is portable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing element comprises one of:

a microcontroller; and

a Central Processing Unit (CPU) microprocessor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more first components comprises a microprocessor having a plurality of performance level settings at a plurality of core voltages and a plurality of core frequencies.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor comprises one of:

a Central Processing Unit (CPU) microprocessor; and

a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) microprocessor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the power usage indicator represents a function of power usage over a period of time including the first time period and the second time period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one of the performance level settings is determined from the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and the information on the power usage during the first time period.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more first components comprise a plurality of first components with independent adjustable performance level settings;

and a performance level setting of each of the plurality of first components is determined using the information on the power usage during the first time period, the threshold and the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components.

10. A machine readable medium storing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to manage power usage in the data processing system having one or more first components and one or more second components, the method comprising:

determining information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system;

determining an estimated power usage by the one or more second components in a second time period, which is subsequent to the first time period;

computing a power usage indicator based on the information on the power usage during the first time period and the estimated power usage; and

determining a performance level setting of the one or more first components of the data processing system for the second time period based on the power usage indicator, wherein the performance level setting is determined to limit the power usage indicator of the data processing system under a threshold in the second time period, wherein the threshold is associated with the information on the power usage during the first time period.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the power usage indicator is a function of a history of power usage in the data processing system.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the data processing system comprises one or more first components to be throttled in performance levels and one or more second components not to be throttled in performance levels;

and

wherein the performance level setting in the second time period is determined from the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and the information on the power usage during the first time period.

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more first components comprise a plurality of first components;

and a performance level setting of each of the plurality of first components is determined using the information on the power usage during the first time period, the threshold and the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein said determining the performance level setting comprises:

determining an allowable power budget in the second time period for the one or more first components of the data processing system based on the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and the information on the power usage during the first time period.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein the information on the power usage during the first time period comprises:

first information on power usage used by the one or more first components during the first time period; and

second information on power usage used by the one or more second components during the first time period.

16. The medium of claim 11, wherein the power usage indicator represents a function of power usage over a period of time including the first time period and the second time period.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein said determining the information on the power usage during the first time period comprises:

determining information indicating actual power usage at a plurality of time instances in the first time period.

18. A method to manage power usage in a data processing system having one or more first components and one or more second components, the method comprising:

determining information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system;

determining an estimated power usage by the one or more second components in a second time period, which is subsequent to the first time period;

computing a power usage indicator based on the information on the power usage during the first time period and the estimated power usage; and

determining a performance level setting of the one or more first components of the data processing system for a second time period based on the power usage indicator, which is subsequent to the first time period, wherein the performance level setting is determined to limit the power usage indicator of the data processing system under a threshold in the second time period, wherein the threshold is associated with the information on the power usage during the first time period.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the power usage indicator represents a function of power usage over a period of time including the first time period and the second time period.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first components to be throttled in performance levels and the one or more second components not to be throttled in performance levels:

wherein the performance level setting in the second time period is determined from the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and the information on the power usage during the first time period.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more first components comprise a plurality of first components;

and a performance level setting of each of the plurality of first components is determined using the information on the power usage during the first time period, the threshold and the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said determining the performance level setting comprises:

determining an allowable power budget in the second time period for the one or more first components of the data processing system based on the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and the information on the power usage during the first time period.

23. A data processing system, comprising:

one or more first components;

one or more second components coupled to the first components;

means for determining information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system;

means for determining an estimated power usage by the one or more second components in a second time period, which is subsequent to the first time period;

means for computing a power usage indicator based on the information on the power usage during the first time period and the estimated power usage;

and

means for determining a performance level setting of the one or more first components of the data processing system for the second time period based on the power usage indicator, wherein the performance level setting is determined to limit the power usage indicator of the data processing system under a threshold in the second time period, wherein the threshold is associated with the information on the power usage during the first time period.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the power usage indicator represents a function of power usage over a period of time including the first time period and the second time period.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more first components to be throttled in performance levels and the one or more second components not to be throttled in performance levels;

and

wherein the performance level setting in the second time period is determined from the threshold, the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and

the information on the power usage during the first time period.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more first components comprise a plurality of first components;

and a performance level setting of each of the plurality of first components is determined using the information on the power usage during the first time period, the threshold and the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said means for determining the performance level setting comprises:

means for determining an allowable power budget in the second time period for the one or more first components of the data processing system based on the threshold,

the estimated power usage used by the one or more second components, and

the information on the power usage during the first time period.