Power control for mobile electronics using no-operation instructions
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorRobert T. Jackson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for regulating power in a mobile electronics device uses "hint" NOP instructions having a reserved field of bits that generate control signals to affect an increase or decrease in power dissipation. The control signals raise or lower the operating potential provided by a power supply and also adjust the frequency of a clock signal in accordance with the information provided by the NOP instruction. Power is reduced for code sequences that could be executed more slowly, or the device is otherwise idle, without affecting the user's perception of overall system performance.
Claims20
A system for regulating power comprising:
- a power supply for providing an operating potential coupled to a processor, the power supply having an adjustable operating potential adjusted in response to a first control signal;
- a signal generator for providing a clock signal coupled to the processor, the clock signal having an adjustable frequency that is adjusted in response to a second control signal;
- and
- a control circuit for responding to bits associated with a set of no-operation (NOP) instructions, execution of a first NOP instruction causing the control circuit to generate the first control signal and the second control signal.
A method of regulating power comprising the steps of:
- executing a first NOP instruction, the first NOP instruction causing a first set of control signals to be generated;
- (c) reducing an operating potential generated by a power supply in response to the first set of control signals;
- and
- (d) reducing a frequency of a clock signal generated by a signal generator in response to the first set of control signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.