System on chip, method of managing power thereof, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317984-B2
Application number	US-201514983809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A system on chip includes an event manager configured to receive an event from an external source, an event analyzer configured to analyze the event received by the event manager to determine a voltage, a frequency, and power gating corresponding to the analyzed event, a power manager configured to set power on or off and to set a voltage, a clock manager configured to set a clock frequency, a power gating (PG) manager configured to set power gating, a main controller configured to include at least one modules and a central processing unit (CPU), and a wakeup controller configured to control the power manager, the clock manager, and the PG manager, to transmit power having a starting voltage and a clock signal having a starting clock frequency, and to transmit a power gating signal to apply power only to one of the at least one modules operating so as to start the main controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system on chip (SoC) powered by a power supply unit, comprising:
an event manager configured to receive an event from an external source;
an event analyzer configured to analyze the event received by the event manager to identify a voltage, a frequency, and power gating corresponding to the analyzed event;
a power manager configured to set power on or off, and to set a starting voltage;
a clock manager configured to set a starting clock frequency;
a power gating (PG) manager configured to set a power gating;
a main controller comprising at least one module and a central processing unit (CPU); and
a wakeup controller configured to control the power manager to set the starting voltage to the identified voltage, to control the clock manager to set the starting clock frequency to the identified frequency, to control the PG manager to set the power gating to the identified power gating, to transmit a clock signal having the starting clock frequency to the main controller, to transmit a control signal to the power supply unit, the control signal being configured to control the power supply unit to supply power having the starting voltage to the main controller, and to start the main controller by transmitting a power gating signal corresponding to the identified power gating to the main controller,
wherein a module corresponding to the event from among the at least one module, is powered by the power supply unit, based on the power gating signal, and
wherein the wakeup controller is configured to identify whether the power supplied to the main controller is stabilized with the starting voltage and, in response to identifying that the power is stabilized with the starting voltage, transmit the clock signal having the starting clock frequency to the main controller.

2. The SoC of claim 1 , further comprising:
a parameter storage unit configured to store preset information,
wherein the event analyzer is configured to analyze the event by using the preset information stored in the parameter storage unit.

3. The SoC of claim 2 , wherein the preset information comprises at least one selected from a minimum voltage, a minimum frequency, and power gating for performing an operation corresponding to each event.

4. The SoC of claim 1 , wherein the event is at least one selected from a timer event, a sensor event, a communication connection event, and a message event.

5. The SoC of claim 1 , wherein the main controller executes an operating system (OS) of the SoC by using the transmitted power and clock signal.

6. A method of managing power of a system on chip (SoC), the method comprising:
in response to an event being input from an external source, analyzing the input event to identify a voltage, a frequency, and power gating corresponding to the analyzed event;
setting a starting voltage to the identified voltage;
setting a starting clock frequency to the identified frequency;
setting a power gating to the identified power gating; and
starting a main controller by transmitting a control signal to a power supply unit, the control signal being configured to control the power supply unit to supply power having the starting voltage to the main controller;
identifying whether the power supplied to the main controller is stabilized with the starting voltage; and
transmitting a clock signal having the starting clock frequency, and a power gating signal corresponding to the set power gating to the main controller,
wherein the starting the main controller comprises supplying power to a module being required for the event from among a plurality of modules included in the main controller, based on the power gating signal, and
wherein the transmitting the clock signal comprises in response to identifying that the power is stabilized with the starting voltage, transmitting the clock signal having the starting clock frequency to the main controller.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
storing preset information,
wherein the analyzing the input event to determine the voltage, the frequency, and the power gating comprises analyzing the input event by using the stored preset information.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the event is at least one selected from a timer event, a sensor event, a communication connection event, and a message event.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the preset information comprises at least one selected from a minimum voltage, a minimum frequency, and power gating necessary for performing an operation corresponding to the input event.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the starting of the main controller further comprises executing an OS of the SoC through the main controller by using the supplied power and the transmitted clock signal.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a power supply unit;
a system on chip (SoC), the SoC being configured to control the electronic device and comprising:
an event manager configured to receive an event from an external source;
an event analyzer configured to analyze the event received by the event manager to identify a voltage, a frequency, and power gating corresponding to the analyzed event;
a power manager configured to set power on or off and to set a starting voltage;
a clock manager configured to set a starting clock frequency;
a power gating (PG) manager configured to set a power gating;
a main controller configured to comprise at least one module and a CPU; and
a wakeup controller configured to control the power manager to set the starting voltage to the identified voltage, to control the clock manager to set the starting clock frequency to the identified frequency, to control the PG manager to set the power gating to the identified power gating, to transmit a clock signal having the starting clock frequency to the main controller, transmit a control signal to the power supply unit, the control signal being configured to control the power supply unit to supply power having the starting voltage to the main controller, and start the main controller by transmitting a power gating signal corresponding to the set power gating to the main controller,

wherein a module corresponding to the event from among the at least one module, is powered by the power supply unit, based on the power gating signal, and
wherein the wakeup controller is configured to identify whether the power supplied to the main controller is stabilized with the starting voltage and, in response to identifying that the power is stabilized with the starting voltage, transmit the clock signal having the starting clock frequency to the main controller.

12. A method of managing power, comprising:
receiving a task request corresponding to a task, the task corresponding to a task voltage, a task clock frequency, a task clock gating, and a task power gating;
identifying, by a low power controller, the task voltage, the task clock frequency, the task clock gating, and the task power gating corresponding to the task;
waking, by the low power controller, a main controller from a system sleep state, the waking comprising:
transmitting a control signal to a power supply unit, the control signal being configured to control the power supply unit to supply power having the task voltage to the main controller;
transmitting a clock signal having the task clock frequency to the main controller;
transmitting a clock gating signal corresponding to the task clock gating to the main controller;
transmitting a power gating signal corresponding to the task power gating to the main controller; and
supplying power to a module being required for performing the task from among a plurality of modules included in the

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Tae-Woo
• Lee Dong-Jin
• Cho Ki-Seon

Classifications

• G06F1/329 Primary

  by task scheduling · CPC title

• G06F1/3234

  Power saving characterised by the action undertaken · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/3243 Primary

  Power saving in microcontroller unit · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title