Google Inc.

Google Technology Holdings LLC

Joseph H Swantek

Christian Flowers

Nathan M Connell

Jared S Suttles

Scott DeBates

Parikshit Dharawat

George Standish

Haitang Wang

Christian L Flowers

One disclosed method includes generating a rule set by an application running on a primary processor. The rule set specifies how the application handles events. The rule set is sent from the primary processor to a secondary processor and the primary processor is placed in sleep mode. The secondary processor may then handle at least one event corresponding to the application by executing the rule set while the primary processor is in sleep mode. In one embodiment, handling the event may include substituting for the application by the secondary processor by executing the rule set, and controlling a peripheral hardware device that is peripheral to the primary processor according to the rule set. Handling an event may also include waking the primary processor from sleep mode by the secondary processor and passing control back to the primary processor.

Apparatus and method for passing event handling control from a primary processor to a secondary processor during sleep mode

One disclosed method includes communicating with a kernel running on a primary processor, by a second processor, in response to detection of a state change; performing a hardware operation, in response to the state change, using the kernel without waking user space on the primary processor, where the user space remains suspended; and resuming a sleep mode of the primary processor by suspending the kernel after the hardware operation is completed. One example of a hardware operation is modification of display data on a touchscreen display. The method of operation may perform the hardware operation using the kernel without waking hardware drivers other than a hardware driver related to the hardware operation.

Apparatus and method for awakening a primary processor out of sleep mode

One disclosed method includes registering a graphics buffer with a kernel running on a first processor, storing the registered graphics buffer in memory initially without drawing the graphics buffer to a display, and passing the registered graphics buffer to a kernel display driver directly to draw the graphics buffer to the display, in response to a trigger. The method may further include informing a second processor of the registered graphics buffer and receiving the trigger by the kernel as a message from the second processor. The first processor may receive the trigger as a wake command from the second processor while the first processor is in sleep mode. A partial resume of the kernel is then performed while preventing activation of user space on the primary processor, and the graphics buffer is drawn on the display without using an operating system graphics pipeline of the user space.

Apparatus and method for managing graphics buffers for a processor in sleep mode

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Fox River Grove, IL, United States of America

Joseph H Swantek