ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF PERFORMING A POWER MANAGEMENT IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100287393A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ST Wireless SA
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Burchard, Artur T, Meijer, Rinze I.M.P.
• Application Number:
  US12/451,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287393A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/322
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic device is provided which comprises at least one functional unit (HB) for performing a processing. The functional unit (HB) receives a supply current (Isupply). The electronic device furthermore comprises a supply current monitor (SCM) for monitoring the supply current (Isupply) in order to determine an average supply current (Iavg). The electronic device furthermore comprises a characterization unit (CU) for determining a relation between the average supply current (Iavg) and an operating frequency of the functional unit. Furthermore, a slope calculation unit (SCU) is provided to determine the slope of the relation. Moreover, a power management unit (PMU) is provided to control the operation of the functional unit (HB) according to the results of the slope calculation unit (SCU) in order to control the power dissipation of the functional unit (HB).

Claims

1. Electronic device, comprising:

at least one functional unit for performing a processing, wherein the functional unit receives a supply current,

a supply current monitor for monitoring the supply current for the at least one functional unit to determine an average supply current,

a characterization unit for determining a relation between the average supply current and an operating frequency of the functional unit,

a slope calculation unit for determining the slope of the relation, and

a power management unit for controlling the operation of the functional unit according to the results of the slope calculation unit in order to control the power dissipation of the functional unit.

2. Electronic device according to claim 1, furthermore comprising:

an optimal energy calculation unit for determining whether the monitored average supply current corresponds to an operation of the functional block at an optimal energy point,

wherein the power management unit is adapted to control the operation of the functional unit according to the result of the optimal energy point calculation unit.

3. Electronic device according to the claim 2, wherein the optimal energy calculation unit is adapted to determine the optimal energy point by oscillating the supply voltage and/or the operating frequency of the functional unit.

4. Method of performing a power management in an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

performing a processing by at least one functional unit, wherein the functional unit receives a supply current,

monitoring the supply current to the at least one functional unit to determine an average supply current,

determining a relation between the average supply current and an operating frequency of the functional unit,

determining a slope of the relation, and

power managing the operation of the functional unit according to the results of the slope calculation in order to control the power dissipation of the at least one functional unit.