Method for power management of data buses in electronic devices

• US 8,966,302 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sinha, Rajesh Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaman, Faisal M
• Application Number:
  US12/924,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for execution by a core of a peripheral component to provide power management for a data bus in a electronic device, such as a mobile electronic device. One method comprises determining whether a device in the peripheral component is inactive, transmitting a request for deactivation of at least one data channel to the device, receiving a command to deactivate the at least one data channel, determining whether any remaining devices in the peripheral component are active, and placing the peripheral component in a first low power mode wherein the core remains active in order to monitor a data bus clock.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a core of a peripheral component to provide power management for a data bus in an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining that a device in the peripheral component is inactive;

transmitting a request to deactivate at least one data channel to the device;

receiving a command to deactivate the at least one data channel;

determining whether all other devices in the peripheral component are inactive, based on whether one or more data channels between at least one of the other devices and the data bus are established, the determining of whether all other devices in the peripheral component are inactive being independent of data transmission via the one or more data channels, all of the other devices in the peripheral component are determined to be inactive when no data channels between the other devices and the data bus are established; and

placing the peripheral component in a first low power mode when no data channels between the other devices and the data bus are established, wherein the core remains active in the first low power mode in order to monitor a data bus clock.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the device is inactive comprises detecting an inactivity timeout for the at least one data channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the device is inactive comprises direct notification from the device that the device is inactive.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waking up the peripheral component in response to receipt of a command to activate at least one other data channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the data bus clock is paused; and

placing the core in a second low power mode, wherein the core is inactive in the second low power mode to further reduce power consumption.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the data bus clock is paused;

placing the core in a second low power mode, wherein the core is inactive in the second low power mode to further reduce power consumption;

waking up the peripheral component in response to resumption of the data bus clock; and

placing the peripheral component in a first low power mode, wherein the core remains active in the first low power mode in order to monitor the data bus clock.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the data bus clock is paused;

placing the core in a second low power mode, wherein the core is inactive in the second low power mode to further reduce power consumption;

waking up the peripheral component based on a self wake up thereof;

determining that the data bus clock is not paused after waking up the peripheral component; and

transmitting a request to activate at least one other data channel to the device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the data bus clock is paused;

placing the core in a second low power mode, wherein the core is inactive in the second low power mode so as to further reduce power consumption;

waking up the peripheral component based on a self wake up thereof;

determining that the data bus clock is paused after waking up the peripheral component;

requesting that the data bus clock be resumed; and

transmitting a request to activate at least one other data channel to the device.

9. A peripheral component, comprising:

core circuitry configured to

determine that a device in the peripheral component is inactive,

transmit a request to deactivate at least one data channel to the device,

receive a command to deactivate the at least one data channel,

determine whether all other devices in the peripheral component are inactive, based on whether one or more data channels between at least one of the other devices and the data bus are established, the determining of whether all other devices in the peripheral component are inactive being independent of data transmission via the one or more data channels, all of the other devices in the peripheral component are determined to be inactive when no data channels between the other devices and the data bus are established, and

placing the peripheral component in a first low power mode when no data channels between the other devices and the data bus are established, wherein the core remains active in the first low power mode in order to monitor a data bus clock.

10. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry further detects an inactivity timeout for the at least one data channel when determining whether the device in the peripheral component is inactive.

11. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry further receives direct notification from the device that the device is inactive.

12. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry is further configured to wake up the peripheral component in response to receipt of a command to activate at least one other data channel.

13. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry is further configured to detect that the data bus clock is paused, and place the core in a second low power mode in which the core circuitry is inactive to further reduce power consumption.

14. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry is further configured to detect that the data bus clock is paused, place the core circuitry in a second low power mode in which the core circuitry is inactive, wake up the peripheral component in response to resumption of the data bus clock, and place the peripheral component in a first low power mode in which the core circuitry remains active in order to monitor the data bus clock.

15. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry is further configured to detect that the data bus clock is paused, place the core circuitry in a second low power mode in which the core circuitry is inactive, wake the peripheral component based on a self wake up thereof, determine that the data bus clock is not paused after waking up the peripheral component, and transmit a request to activate at least one other data channel to the device.

16. The peripheral component of claim 9, wherein the core circuitry is further configured to detect that the data bus clock is paused, place the core circuitry in a second low power mode in which the core circuitry is inactive, wake up the peripheral component based on a self wake up thereof, determine that the data bus clock is paused after waking up the peripheral component, request that the data bus clock be resumed, and transmit a request to activate at least one other data channel to the device.