# US 8,788,861 B2 · Connected standby sleep state for increased power savings

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- Number: US 8,788,861 B2
- Document ID: US8788861B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/888,614
- Filed: 2013-05-07
- Published: 2013-09-12
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-30
- Assignees: Intel Corporation
- Applicants: Intel Corporation
- Inventors: Jawad Haj-Yihia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788861B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/3234: Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
- G06F 1/3243: {Power saving in microcontroller unit}
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Power consumption and dissipation during sleep states of processors is reduced using a novel connected standby sleep state. In the connected standby sleep state a dedicated power plane is used to maintain processor context. To conserve power, unnecessary components on the processor are powered down, including all of the clock components, and wakeup sources previously directed to the processor are directed to a platform control hub. The platform control hub sustains certain architectural functions for the processor during connected standby sleep state, and manages the wakeup logic for returning the processor to the preceding sleep state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a processor including a plurality of processing cores, a cache memory, and an integrated voltage regulator to be a dedicated power plane to enable the cache memory to store a context of the processor when the processor is in a connected standby sleep state;
a platform control hub coupled to the processor;
an external voltage regulator; and
an embedded controller;
wherein the processor is to enter the connected standby sleep state from a deep sleep state upon:
powering of the cache memory with the dedicated power plane, the dedicated power plane separate from a sustain power plane that powers the cache memory in the deep sleep state;
powering down of remaining components powered by the sustain power plane and powering down of the sustain power plane;
redirection of wakeup sources for handling processor wakeup and context restore to the platform control hub; and
transference of at least one architectural function from the processor to the platform control hub.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises an electronic tablet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to exit the connected standby sleep state upon the platform control hub:
receipt of a wakeup source;
powering up of the sustain power plane;
assertion of a sustain power good signal; and
powering of the cache memory with the sustain power plane.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wakeup sources for handling processor wakeup and context restore include any one of:
a timer event;
a platform environment control interface wake signal; and
an interrupt occurring on the platform control hub.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the timer event is an expiration of a time to next event signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the sustain power plane comprises:
a wake logic to handle processor wakeup and context restore;
an input/output (I/O) interface between the processor and the platform control hub, the external voltage regulator and the embedded controller; and
an electrostatic discharge clamp.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the I/O interface between the processor and the platform control hub is to support any one of a reference clock signal, a platform reset signal (PLTRST), a power good (PWRGOOD) signal, and a thermal trip signal (THERMTRIP).

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the I/O interface between the processor and the external voltage regulator is a serial voltage identification (SVID) interface.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, further comprising a serial interface coupled between the processor and the platform control hub.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, which if performed by a machine cause the machine to perform a method comprising:
transferring power delivery to a cache memory storing a context of a processor in a deep sleep state from a sustain power plane to a dedicated power plane of the processor, wherein the dedicated power plane is active and the sustain power plane is inactive in a connected standby sleep state;
redirecting wakeup sources for the processor to a platform control hub;
powering down the sustain power plane;
gating a reference clock operating in the processor;
entering the connected standby sleep state; and
awaiting an arrival of a wakeup source for the processor in the platform control hub while in the connected standby sleep state.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises responsive to the arrival of the wakeup source, powering up the sustain power plane, returning power delivery to the cache memory to the sustain power plane from the dedicated power plane, and ungating the reference clock.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises powering down:
interfaces between the processor and the platform control hub;
interfaces between the processor and an embedded controller; and
interfaces between the processor and an external voltage regulator.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises powering down:
an electrostatic discharge clamp; and
a wakeup component, wherein functions of the wakeup component are temporarily maintained in the platform control hub when the sustain power plane is powered down.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises powering down:
debugging signals from the processor, the debugging signals including one or more of a catastrophic error signal and a test access port signal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the wakeup sources for the processor include any one or more of:
a timer event for a timer set based on a time to next event signal;
a platform environment control interface wake signal from an embedded controller; and
an interrupt occurring on the platform control hub.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises powering a memory interface via the sustain power plane, the memory interface to interface to a memory coupled to the processor.

### Claim 17

A processor comprising:
at least one processing core;
a cache memory to store a context of the processor in a deep sleep state; and
a wake logic to handle a wake event for the processor, wherein after entry into the deep sleep state, the processor is to:
transfer the cache memory to be powered from a dedicated power plane of the processor instead of a sustain power plane of the processor;
redirect wakeup sources for the processor to a platform control hub coupled to the processor; and
power down the sustain power plane, and gate a reference clock to enable the platform control hub to await an arrival of at least one redirected wakeup source, to enable the processor to enter a connected standby sleep state.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The processor of claim 17, wherein responsive to the arrival of the at least one redirected wakeup source, the platform control hub is to:
power up the sustain power plane;
return the cache memory to the sustain power plane from the dedicated power plane; and
ungate the reference clock.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The processor of claim 17, further comprising components to be powered by the sustain power plane comprising:
an electrostatic discharge clamp; and
a wakeup component, wherein functions of the wakeup component are temporarily maintained in the platform control hub when the sustain power plane is powered down.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The processor of claim 17, wherein the dedicated power plane comprises an integrated voltage regulator coupled to the cache memory and further coupled to an interface to a memory.