US 7,065,659 B2 · Power management architecture for defining component power states under a global power state and maintaining a power state floor for a specified component if a power state for the specified component under a new global power state is below the power state floor

Abstract

A method and power management infrastructure are disclosed that facilitate implementing application power requirements-derived device power state schemes, on a computing device comprising a plurality of component devices managed by device drivers. The disclosed power management framework includes a set of global power state definitions specifying, for each global power state, default power states for the component devices. The infrastructure also includes a power manager. The power manager includes an application interface including a function for registering device-specific requirements associated with particular applications executing on the computing device. The power manager also includes a device power state set function facilitating issuing a device-specific command setting a power state of a specified component device. The power manager executes decision logic for detecting that the power state requirement for a device exceeds a current power state, and in response invokes the device power state set function to set the component device's power state to the required power state.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A power management framework, embedded as computer instructions and data structures in a computer storage medium, for managing consumption of power by a computing device comprising a plurality of component devices managed by device drivers, the power management framework comprising:

a set of global power state definitions, wherein each global power state definition specifies a default power state for each of the plurality of component devices managed by device drivers;
and
a power manager including:
an application interface including a function facilitating registering a required power state for a specified one of the plurality of component devices managed by the device drivers, wherein the required power state comprises a power state floor for the specified component device,
a device driver interface including a device power state set function facilitating issuing a device-specific command setting a power state of the specified component device to the power state floor, and
logic for detecting that a new global power state is pending wherein a new power state for the specified component device is less than the power state floor of the specified one of the plurality of component devices, and in response, maintaining the power state floor of the specified component device while entering the new global power state.

3 more elements

A method for implementing application power requirements-derived device power state schemes, on a computing device comprising a plurality of component devices managed by device drivers, a set of global power state definitions, wherein each global power state definition specifies a default power state for each of the plurality of component devices managed by device drivers, and a device driver interface including a device power state set function for issuing a device-specific command for setting a power state of the specified component device to a specified power state, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a set of device-specific power states under a selected one of the set of global power state definitions;
registering, via an application interface, a required power state for a specified one of the plurality of component devices managed by the device drivers, wherein the required power state comprises a power state floor for the specified component device;
detecting entry of a new global power state, wherein a corresponding new power state for the specified component device is less than the power state floor of the specified one of the plurality of component devices;
and
maintaining the power state floor of the specified component device while in the new global state.

2 more elements

A computing device for implementing application power requirements-derived device power state schemes, the computing device comprising:

a plurality of component devices managed by device drivers;
and
a power manager comprising:
a set of global power state definitions, wherein each global power state definition specifies a default power state for each of the plurality of component devices managed by device drivers, the global power state definitions established by an original equipment manufacturer;
a device driver interface including a device power state set function facilitating issuing a device-specific command setting a power state of the specified component device to a specified power state;
a global power states register for establishing a set of device-specific power states under a selected one of the set of global power state definitions;
a power states requirement interface for registering, via an application interface, a required power state for a specified one of the plurality of component devices managed by the device drivers, the required power state comprising a power state floor for the specified component device;
and
a power states arbiter for detecting that the power state requirement is less than the power state floor, and in response, maintaining the power state floor of the specified component device while entering a new global state.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Power management architecture for defining component power states under a global power state and maintaining a power state floor for a specified component if a power state for the specified component under a new global power state is below the power state floor

Life of this patent

Power management architecture for defining component power states under a global power state and maintaining a power state floor for a specified component if a power state for the specified component under a new global power state is below the power state floor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28