Code profiling in embedded ULE applications

• US 9,274,920 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor B.V. (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor B.V. (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Roovers, Wik
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Xi D
• Application Number:
  US13/629,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20140096118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software

Abstract

Mobile electronic devices and related methods to achieve an enhanced security level are disclosed. A security module is deeply embedded in a non-open companion chip of the mobile device, wherein the companion chip controls vital functions of the mobile device. Any security technology can be provided by the security module. The security module can, in case of a security violation, disable all vital functions of the companion chip without requiring communicating to other components of the mobile device. The vital functions deployed in the companion chip comprise e.g. system power management or audio functions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to perform code profiling for processing ultra-low energy (ULE) devices having a low duty cycle comprising the steps of

(1) providing an ULE processing device, having one or more functions with a low duty cycle, comprising a timer, wherein an external memory is connected to the device, and wherein for each function one or more global variables are assigned;

(2) starting code profiling including initialization and start of timer, wherein initialization and start of timer is performed in the ULE device only;

(3) calling functions of the ULE device by a main function of the ULE device, determine the duration each function was active and put the duration results into a first of the one or more related global variables, wherein the one or more global variables are declared in a profiling code itself, and, in case a function was called multiple times, the durations of each call are incremented in its global variable;

(4) writing by the ULE device at the end of the code profiling only, after all function calls are done, the values of the one or more global variables to the memory just before the ULE device is going to sleep mode; and

(5) reading out the values from the memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the results read out from the memory are used for code optimization.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the external memory is a non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said non-volatile memory is an EEPROM.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the one or more global variables is used to count the number every function is called.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the one or more global variables is used to measure when a function was active.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two local variables are used for each function, wherein a local variable is only valid in the function call it is declared in.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a first of the at least two local variables of a function is used to store an actual timer value at the start of the function.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a second of the local variables of a function is used to store an actual timer value at the end of the function.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the values of two local variables are used to determine the duration a function was active and the result is added to a content of the related global variable.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the functions can also be called by interrupt functions.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the functions can also be called by messages.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the functions can also be called by function calling means.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein only a part of the functions of the device are called, wherein a related global variable is set to zero.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein code profiling of the main function is performed wherein related global variables have be calculated between related functions are called.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the low duty cycle is in an order of magnitude of about 1 wake-up time/1000 sleep-time.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing device is an Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) device.

18. An ultra-low energy (ULE) processing device to perform code profiling for functions having low duty cycle comprising:

a timer;

an external memory connected to the processing device; and

a micro-controller configured to at least perform initialization of the profiling, including initialization and start of the timer, wherein initialization and start of the timer is performed in the ULE processing device only, calling, as required, the functions having low duty cycle, determining duration between start and end of each function, storing, if applicable added-up, duration values to global variables assigned to each function, wherein the global variables are declared in a profiling code itself, stopping timer after all function calls are done, writing global variable values to the external memory only at the end of the code profiling, and going to sleep mode.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein results read out from the memory are used for code optimization.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein the external memory is a non-volatile memory.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein said non-volatile memory is an EEPROM.

22. The device of claim 18 wherein one of the one or more global variables is used to count the number every function is called.

23. The device of claim 18 wherein one of the one or more global variables is used to measure when a function was active.

24. The device of claim 18 wherein at least two local variables are used for each function, wherein a local variable is only valid in the function call it is declared in.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein a first of the at least two local variables of a function is used to store an actual timer value at the start of the function.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein a second of the local variables of a function is used to store an actual timer value at the end of the function.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein the values of two local variables are used to determine the duration a function was active and the result is added to a content of the related global variable.

28. The device of claim 18 wherein the functions can also be called by interrupt functions.

29. The device of claim 18 wherein the functions can also be called by messages.

30. The device of claim 18 wherein the functions can also be called by function calling means.

31. The device of claim 18 wherein only a part of the functions of the device are called, wherein a related global variable is set to zero.

32. The device of claim 18 wherein code profiling of the main function is performed wherein related global variables have be calculated between related functions are called.

33. The device of claim 18 wherein the low duty cycle is in an order of magnitude of about 1 wake-up time/1000 sleep-time.

34. The device of claim 18 wherein the processing device is an Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) device.