Distributed power management

• US 20040199796A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: ArrayComm LLC (Ygomi LLC)
• Inventors: Boros, Tibor
• Granted Patent: US 6,915,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3281 Power saving in PCMCIA card
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the invention, a method and apparatus are described for distributed power management. According to an embodiment of the invention, a method comprises monitoring one or more signals relating to the operation of each of a plurality of sub-modules; and managing power independently for each sub-module based on the monitored signals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring one or more signals relating to the operation of each of a plurality of sub-modules; and

managing power independently for each sub-module based on the monitored signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power is managed for each sub-module of the plurality of sub-modules by activating or deactivating a clock signal for the sub-module.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the clock signal for each sub-module is activated only for the duration of an operation of the sub-module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signals comprise a control signal or status signal for a sub-module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises an initiation signal for the sub-module.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or an enable signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the status signal comprises a completion signal from the sub-module.

8. A power management system comprising:

a plurality of power management units, each power management unit being associated with one of a plurality of sub-modules;

each power management unit to control the operation of a clock signal for the associated sub-module.

9. The power management system of claim 8, wherein each power management unit controls the operation of the clock for the associated sub-module independently from the operation of a clock for any other sub-module.

10. The power management system of claim 8, wherein the clock signal for each sub-module is activated only for the duration of an operation of the sub-module.

11. The power management system of claim 8, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules are connected in a chain.

12. The power management system of claim 8, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate sequentially.

13. The power management system of claim 8, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate in parallel.

14. The power management system of claim 8, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate partially in parallel as a pipeline.

15. The power management system of claim 8, wherein each power management unit monitors one or more signals relating to the operation of the associated sub-module.

16. The power management system of claim 15, wherein the one or more signals comprise a control signal or a status signal for the associated sub-module.

17. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the control signal comprises an initiation signal for the associated sub-module.

18. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or an enable signal.

19. The power management system of claim 17, wherein a status signal comprises a completion signal from the associated sub-module.

20. The power management system of claim 8, further comprising a power management unit master.

21. The power management system of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of power management units can provide a clock enable signal to the power management master unit.

22. The power management system of claim 21, wherein the power management unit master provides a clock signal to a sub-module upon receiving a clock enable signal from the power management unit associated with the sub-module.

23. A power management unit comprising:

one or more detectors to detect signals relating to the operation of a sub-module; and

an output to provide a signal related to the clocking of the sub-module.

24. The power management unit of claim 23, wherein the one or more detectors comprise a detector to detect an initiation signal for the sub-module.

25. The power management unit of claim 24, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or an enable signal for the sub-module.

26. The power management unit of claim 23, wherein the one or more detectors comprise a detector to detect a completion signal from the sub-module.

27. The power management unit of claim 23, wherein the power management unit operates independently from the operation of a second power management unit that is contained in a system with the power management unit.

28. The power management unit of claim 23, further comprising a delay unit to produce a delayed start signal to the sub-module.

29. The power management unit of claim 23, wherein the signal related to the clocking for the sub-module is a clock enable signal.

30. The power management unit of claim 29, wherein the clock enable signal is provided to a power management unit master.

31. The power management unit of claim 30, wherein the power management unit master provides a clock signal to the sub-module upon receiving the clock enable signal.

32. The power management unit of claim 31, wherein the clock signal for the sub-module is activated only for the duration of an operation of the sub-module.

33. The power management unit of claim 23, wherein the signal relating to clocking for the sub-module is a clock signal provided to the sub-module.

34. A power management system comprising:

a power management unit master; and

a plurality of power management unit slaves, each power management unit slave being associated with a corresponding sub-module of a plurality of sub-modules.

35. The power management system of claim 34, wherein each power management unit slave controls the operation of a clock signal for the associated sub-module.

36. The power management system of claim 35, wherein the power management unit master provides a clock signal to a sub-module upon receiving a clock enable signal from the power management slave associated with the sub-module.

37. The power management system of claim 35, wherein each power management unit slave controls the operation of the clock signal for the associated sub-module independently from the operation of a clock signal for any other sub-module of the plurality of sub-modules.

38. The power management system of claim 34, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules are connected in a chain.

39. The power management system of claim 34, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate sequentially.

40. The power management system of claim 34, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate in parallel.

41. The power management system of claim 34, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate partially in parallel as a pipeline.

42. The power management system of claim 34, wherein each power management unit slave monitors one or more signals relating to the operation of the sub-module associated with the power management unit slave.

43. The power management system of claim 42, wherein the one or, more signals comprise a control signal or a status signal for the sub-module.

44. The power management system of claim 43, wherein the control signal comprises an initiation signal for the sub-module.

45. The power management system of claim 44, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or an enable signal.

46. The power management system of claim 43, wherein a status signal comprises a completion signal from the sub-module.

47. A method comprising:

detecting an initiation signal for a sub-module;

activating a clock signal for the sub-module;

detecting a completion signal from the sub-module; and

deactivating the clock signal for the sub-module.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising providing a delayed start signal to the sub-module.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or and enable signal for the sub-module.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein activating the clock signal comprises enabling a clock enable signal.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein deactivating the clock signal comprises disabling the clock enable signal.

52. An interchangeable computer adapter card comprising:

a master control unit to control operations performed on the card;

a physical layer processor; and

a radio section to transmit and receive radio signals to and from the card, the radio section comprising a power management system, the power management system comprising;

a plurality of power management units, each power management unit being associated with one of a plurality of sub-modules;

each power management unit to control the operation of a clock signal for the associated sub-module.

53. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein each power management unit controls the operation of the clock for the associated sub-module independently from the operation of a clock for any other sub-module.

54. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein the clock signal for each sub-module is activated only for the duration of an operation of the sub-module.

55. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules are connected in a chain.

56. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate sequentially.

57. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate in parallel.

58. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein two or more of the plurality of sub-modules operate partially in parallel as a pipeline.

59. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein each power management unit monitors one or more signals relating to the operation of the associated sub-module.

60. The adapter card of claim 59, wherein the one or more signals comprise a control signal or a status signal for the associated sub-module.

61. The adapter card of claim 60, wherein the control signal comprises an initiation signal for the associated sub-module.

62. The adapter card of claim 61, wherein the initiation signal comprises a start signal or an enable signal.

63. The adapter card of claim 60, wherein a status signal comprises a completion signal from the associated sub-module.

64. The adapter card of claim 52, wherein the power management system further comprises a power management unit master.

65. The adapter card of claim 64, wherein each of the plurality of power management units can provide a clock enable signal to the power management master unit.

66. The adapter card of claim 65, wherein the power management unit master provides a clock signal to a sub-module upon receiving a clock enable signal from the power management unit associated with the sub-module.