User activity response dynamic frequency scaling processor power management system and method

• US 8,996,595 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gargash, Norman Scott, Salsbery, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US13/719,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• US Class Current: 708/104
• 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 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method of executing a dynamic clock and voltage scaling (DCVS) algorithm in a central processing unit (CPU) is disclosed and may include monitoring CPU activity and determining whether a workload is designated as a special workload when the workload is added to the CPU activity.

Claims

1. A method of performing dynamic clock and voltage scaling (DCVS) operations on a mobile telephone computing device, the method comprising:

associating a DCVS algorithm with a processor of the mobile telephone computing device;

detecting a new workload in the processor;

determining in the processor whether the new workload is an impulse workload corresponding to an event having a known starting point at a beginning of a busy cycle, an unknown end, and an unknown load;

executing the DCVS algorithm in the processor when it is determined that the new workload is not an impulse workload;

determining in the processor whether the new workload includes at least one of a predetermined solution and frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload, wherein determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying a database;

setting a current operating frequency of the processor to a maximum operating frequency when it is determined that the new workload does not include frequency requirements;

setting the current operating frequency of the processor to an aggregate of the frequency requirements included in the new workload and preexisting frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload includes frequency requirements; and

executing the DCVS algorithm in the processor from the current operating frequency, wherein the response of the DCVS algorithm varies for different impulse workloads.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the DCVS algorithm in the processor from the current operating frequency comprises:

executing the DCVS algorithm in the processor from the maximum operating frequency and reducing the operating frequency of the processor in discrete steps.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining in the processor whether the new workload includes frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload comprises determining in the processor whether a memory of the mobile telephone computing device stores historical values generated from previous executions of other impulse workloads.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to the new workload in response to determining that the new workload is an impulse workload; and

querying the database to determine whether the database includes a record associated with the assigned unique identifier,

wherein determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying the database in response to determining that the database includes a record associated with the unique identifier.

5. A mobile telephone computing device, comprising:

means for associating a dynamic clock and voltage scaling (DCYS) algorithm with a processor of the mobile telephone computing device;

means for detecting a new workload in the processor;

means for determining whether the new workload is an impulse workload corresponding to an event having a known starting point at a beginning of a busy cycle, an unknown end, and an unknown load;

means for executing the DCYS algorithm when it is determined that the new workload is not an impulse workload;

means for determining whether the new workload includes at least one of a predetermined solution and frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload, wherein the means for determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises means for determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying a database;

means for setting a current operating frequency of the processor to a maximum operating frequency when it is determined that the new workload does not include frequency requirements;

means for setting the current operating frequency of the processor to an aggregate of the frequency requirements included in the new workload and preexisting frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload includes frequency requirements; and

means for executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency, wherein the response of the DCVS algorithm varies for different impulse workloads.

6. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 5, wherein means for executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency comprises:

means for executing the DCVS algorithm from the maximum operating frequency and reducing the operating frequency in discrete steps.

7. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 5, wherein means for determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload comprises means for determining whether a memory of the mobile telephone computing device stores historical values generated from previous executions of other impulse workloads.

8. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 5, further comprising:

means for assigning a unique identifier to the new workload in response to determining that the new workload is an impulse workload; and

means for querying the database to determine whether the database includes a record associated with the assigned unique identifier,

wherein means for determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises means for determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying the database in response to determining that the database includes a record associated with the unique identifier.

9. A mobile telephone computing device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

associating a dynamic clock and voltage scaling (DCVS) algorithm with the processor;

detecting a new workload in the processor;

determining whether the new workload is an impulse workload corresponding to an event having a known starting point at a beginning of a busy cycle, an unknown end, and an unknown load;

executing the DCVS algorithm when it is determined that the new workload is not an impulse workload;

determining whether the new workload includes at least one of a predetermined solution and frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload, wherein determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying a database;

setting a current operating frequency of the processor to a maximum operating frequency when it is determined that the new workload does not include frequency requirements;

setting the current operating frequency of the processor to an aggregate of the frequency requirements included in the new workload and preexisting frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload includes frequency requirements; and

executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency, wherein the response of the DCVS algorithm varies for different impulse workloads.

10. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency comprises:

executing the DCVS algorithm from the maximum operating frequency and reducing the operating frequency in discrete steps.

11. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload comprises determining whether a memory of the mobile telephone computing device stores historical values generated from previous executions of other impulse workloads.

12. The mobile telephone computing device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to the new workload in response to determining that the new workload is an impulse workload; and

querying the database to determine whether the database includes a record associated with the assigned unique identifier, and

wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying the database in response to determining that the database includes a record associated with the unique identifier.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor on a mobile telephone computing device to perform operations comprises:

associating a dynamic clock and voltage scaling (DCYS) algorithm with the processor;

detecting a new workload in the processor;

determining whether the new workload is an impulse workload corresponding to an event having a known starting point at a beginning of a busy cycle, an unknown end, and an unknown load;

executing the DCYS algorithm when it is determined that the new workload is not an impulse workload;

determining whether the new workload includes at least one of a predetermined solution and frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload, wherein determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying a database;

setting a current operating frequency of the processor to a maximum operating frequency when it is determined that the new workload does not include frequency requirements;

setting the current operating frequency of the processor to an aggregate of the frequency requirements included in the new workload and preexisting frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload includes frequency requirements; and

executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency, wherein the response of the DCVS algorithm varies for different impulse workloads.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that executing the DCVS algorithm from the current operating frequency comprises:

executing the DCVS algorithm from the maximum operating frequency and reducing the current operating frequency in discrete steps.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements when it is determined that the new workload is an impulse workload comprises determining whether a memory of the mobile telephone computing device stores historical values generated from previous executions of other impulse workloads.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to the new workload in response to determining that the new workload is an impulse workload; and

querying the database to determine whether the database includes a record associated with the assigned unique identifier, and

wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining whether the new workload includes frequency requirements comprises determining whether an existing processor frequency level is associated with the new workload based on a result of querying the database in response to determining that the database includes a record associated with the unique identifier.