Audio data processing in a low power mode

• US 8,359,410 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Corlett, Barry, Lindahl, Aram, Schell, Steve, Conroy, David Gerard, Warren, Neil David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nam, Hyun
• Application Number:
  US13/222,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 710/22, 713/189
• US Class Current: 710/22
• 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 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/124 where hardware is a sequential transfer control unit, e.g. microprocessor, peripheral processor or state-machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1064 Restricting content processing at operating system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• 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

A media processing system and device with improved power usage characteristics, improved audio functionality and improved media security is provided. Embodiments of the media processing system include an audio processing subsystem that operates independently of the host processor for long periods of time, allowing the host processor to enter a low power state while the audio data is being processed. Other aspects of the media processing system provide for enhanced audio effects such as mixing stored audio samples into real-time telephone audio. Still other aspects of the media processing system provide for improved media security due to the isolation of decrypted audio data from the host processor.

Claims

1. A method of processing audio data in a hand-held electronic device, comprising:

sending a quantity of audio data from a host subsystem comprising a host processor and a memory device to an electronic storage in an audio subsystem, the quantity being large enough to allow the host subsystem to enter and exit a low power mode;

entering the host subsystem into the low power mode;

processing the audio data stored in the electronic storage of the audio subsystem via an audio processor of the audio subsystem;

sending the processed audio data to an output device coupled to the audio subsystem;

transferring second audio data from a communications device coupled to the audio subsystem to the electronic storage of the audio subsystem while the host processor is in the low power mode;

processing the second audio data stored in the electronic storage of the audio subsystem using the audio processor of the audio subsystem while the host processor is in the low power mode; and

sending the processed second audio data to the output device coupled to the audio subsystem.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

causing the host subsystem to exit the low power mode; and

sending an additional quantity of audio data from the host subsystem to the electronic storage in the audio subsystem, the quantity being large enough to allow the host subsystem to enter and exit the low power mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity of audio data sent from the host subsystem to the electronic storage in the audio subsystem provides approximately ten to thirty seconds worth of audio data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the audio data from the host subsystem to the electronic storage in the audio subsystem comprises using a memory controller of the host subsystem.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the memory controller comprises a DMA controller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity of audio data represents between at least approximately 10 to 30 seconds of audio data.

7. A method of processing audio data in a hand-held electronic device, comprising:

loading a first block of a first audio data via a host processor into a first memory in a host subsystem;

loading a first DMA transfer instruction via the host processor into a second memory in the host subsystem, wherein the DMA transfer instruction describes the first block of the first audio data loaded into the first memory;

entering the host processor into a low power state;

transferring a first portion of the first block of the first audio data in the first memory into an audio subsystem according to the first DMA transfer instruction;

entering a DMA controller into a low power state;

transferring second audio data from a communications device coupled to the audio subsystem to an electronic storage of the audio subsystem while the host processor and the DMA controller are in the low power state;

processing the second audio data stored in the electronic storage of the audio subsystem using an audio processor of the audio subsystem while the host processor and the DMA controller are in the low power state; and

sending the processed second audio data to an output device coupled to the audio subsystem.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

resuming normal operation of the DMA controller;

transferring a second portion of the first block of the first audio data in the first memory into the audio subsystem according to the DMA transfer instruction; and

re-entering the DMA controller into the low power state.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising:

resuming normal operation of the host processor;

loading a second block of the first audio data into the first memory;

loading a second DMA transfer instruction into the second memory, wherein the DMA transfer instruction describes the second block of audio data loaded into the first memory; and

re-entering the host processor into the low power state.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second memories comprise non-volatile memories.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second non-volatile memories are part of the same non-volatile memory device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first memory comprises one or more data registers of the host processor, and wherein the first block of the first audio data is transferred directly from the data registers of the host processor to the audio subsystem based on the first DMA transfer instruction.

13. A system comprising:

an audio subsystem comprising an audio processor; and

a host subsystem comprising a host processor, a memory controller, a volatile memory, and a non-volatile memory configured to store a first audio data;

wherein the host processor is configured to load a first block of the first audio data from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory and create a first transfer instruction in the volatile memory, and to enter a low power state after the creation of the first transfer instruction, and wherein the memory controller is configured to transfer a first portion of the first block of the first audio data from the volatile memory to the audio subsystem in accordance with the first transfer instruction and to enter a lower power state thereafter, wherein the first transfer instruction describes the first block of the first audio data loaded in the volatile memory; and

wherein the audio processor is configured to process second audio data received from a communications device coupled to the audio processor and route the second audio data to an output device while the host processor and the memory controller are in the low power state.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein after the transfer of the first portion of the first block of the first audio data, the memory controller is configured to exit the low power state, transfer a second portion of the first block of the first audio data in the volatile memory into the audio subsystem according to the first transfer instruction, and re-enter the low power state thereafter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the host processor is configured to exit the low power state after the entire first block of the first audio data is transferred to the audio subsystem, load a second block of the first audio data from the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory, create a second transfer instruction in the volatile memory, and enter the low power state, wherein the second transfer instruction describes the second block of the first audio data loaded into the volatile memory.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory controller is configured to transfer a first portion of the second block of the first audio data from the volatile memory to the audio subsystem in accordance with the second transfer instruction and to enter a lower power state thereafter.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory controller comprises a DMA memory controller, and wherein the first transfer instruction comprises a DMA transfer instruction.

18. The system of claim 13, comprising an initialization path that allows the transmission of a trusted program code from the host subsystem to the audio subsystem, wherein the initialization path configured to be inoperable after the transmission of the trusted program code.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications device comprises a telephone communications device coupled to the audio processor, the audio processor configured to route telephone audio data comprising the second audio data between the telephone communications device and the output device.