Texas Instruments Corporation

Scott Paul Gary

Robert John Cyran

Vijaya B P Sarathy

Scott E Smith

Edward Alan Anderson

Devendra Pradhan

An extremely low overhead method calculates CPU load in the presence of both CPU idling and frequency scaling. The method measures time the CPU is idled while waiting for a wakeup. This invention uses a feature in current DSPs with the capability of delaying ISR processing on wake from IDLE. Using this mechanism it is possible to determine the time before IDLE, the time immediately following CPU wakeup, and then run the wakeup ISR. The delta time can be accumulated and compared to total time to determine true CPU load.

Method for measuring utilization of a power managed CPU

Systems and methods for improved power profiling of embedded applications are presented. These inventions provide the ability to measure the power consumption of an embedded application at the task level as the application is executing on the target hardware. Methods and apparatus are provided to permit such measurements in both real-time and non-real-time.

System and method for power profiling of tasks

Methods and systems are provided for developing a power management strategy for an application as the application is developed. These methods and systems broadly provide for building the application incorporating a power management module operable to provide several power management methods, capturing power consumption data of the application as it is executed on a target system, accepting modifications to the application to use one or more of the power management methods, and repeating these steps as needed. A power scaling library may also be incorporated in the application and the application may be modified to use the dynamic frequency and voltage scaling functionality provided by the power scaling library.

Methodology for coordinating and tuning application power

Methods and systems are provided for dynamically managing the power consumption of a digital system. These methods and systems broadly provide for varying the frequency and voltage of one or more clocks of a digital system upon request by an entity of the digital system. An entity may request that the frequency of a clock of the processor of the digital system be changed. After the frequency is changed, the voltage point of the voltage regulator of the digital system is automatically changed to the lowest voltage point required for the new frequency if there is a single clock on the processor. If the processor is comprised of multiple processing cores with associated clocks, the frequency is changed to the lowest voltage point required by all frequencies of all clocks.

Methods and systems for performing dynamic power management via frequency and voltage scaling

A real-time operating system runs on a processor and dynamically manages the power state of individual circuits or resources with the processor. Thus, if a particular circuit is not needed, power to that circuit can be disabled. If a circuit is shut down, any configuration information or other type of data can be saved before powering off the circuit. Power can be re-enabled to the circuit on a responsive or predictive basis and the configuration information and/or data (collectively referred to as 'state' information) can be reloaded into the circuit.

Thread scheduling mechanisms for processor resource power management

Methods and systems are provided for dynamically managing power consumption in a digital system. These methods and systems broadly provide for permitting clients executing on a digital system to register for notification of power event and to request that power events occur. Registered clients are notified when a power event is requested and the requested power event is caused to occur. Power events are selected from a group comprising setpoint change, enter deep sleep mode, enter snooze mode, and change to power supply status. There may also be user-defined custom power events. If the requested power event is a setpoint change, a check is made to verify that each of the registered clients can operate at the requested setpoint. The digital system may be comprised of processor with a single processing core with a single clock or a processor with multiple processing cores and multiple clocks.

Methodology for managing power consumption in an application

A first data processor (GPP) can manage resources of a second data processor (DSP) by making a remote procedure call (RPC) to the second data processor to invoke on the second data processor a program that supports management of data processing resources of the second data processor. The second data processor executes the program in response to the remote procedure call.

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Scott Paul Gary