Low power timing, configuring, and scheduling

Abstract

A device reduces its energy consumption using a relatively lower frequency and lower power secondary oscillator to maintain timing information when a higher frequency and higher power primary oscillator is inactivated. The secondary oscillator maintains timing information at a higher resolution than the period of the oscillator, so as to conserve synchronization when the higher frequency, higher power primary oscillator is inactivated. In some embodiments, a microsequencer is programmably configured to control an integrated radio receiver and transmitter using less power than an associated microprocessor would use to perform the same functions. In other embodiments, flexible event timing facilitates the merging of wake-up events to reduce the energy consumed by wake-up operations in the device.