Coordinating power states in a hybrid information handling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354942-B2
Application number	US-201213343814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2012
Priority date	Jan 5, 2012
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

Systems, methods and products directed toward coordinating power states in a hybrid information handling device are described herein. One aspect includes a method including: providing a primary operating environment and a secondary operating environment in an information handling device; ascertaining a trigger event for switching between the primary operating environment and the secondary operating environment; providing power state transitioning responsive to the trigger event; and placing one of the primary operating environment and the secondary operating environment in a working state while one of the primary operating environment and the secondary operating environment is in a sleeping state. Other embodiments are described herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling device comprising:
one or more processors;
a memory that stores instructions executable by the one or more processors to:
provide a primary user operating system environment and a secondary user operating system environment;
wherein the primary user operating system environment and the secondary user operating system environment are supported by separate hardware platforms, wherein each of the separate hardware platforms comprise a processor and memory;
ascertain a trigger event for switching between said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment;
provide a power state transitioning signal responsive to said trigger event, wherein the power state transitioning signal comprises information for transitioning a power state of one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment; and
place one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a working state while one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment is in a sleeping state.

2. The information handling device of claim 1 , further comprising an embedded controller that signals one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment responsive to said trigger event;
wherein to signal further comprises signaling with said embedded controller to transition a power state of one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment.

3. The information handling device of claim 2 , wherein responsive to said signaling, one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment is placed in a working state, and the other of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment is placed in a sleeping state.

4. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said information handling device maintains said primary user operating system environment in a working state and maintains said secondary user operating system environment in a working state.

5. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said information handling device maintains said primary user operating system environment in a working state and maintains said secondary user operating system environment in a sleeping state.

6. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said information handling device maintains said primary user operating system environment in a sleeping state and maintains said secondary user operating system environment in a working state.

7. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said information handling device maintains both said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a sleeping state.

8. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said primary user operating system environment is implemented on a primary environment platform.

9. The information handling device of claim 1 , wherein said secondary user operating system environment is implemented on a secondary environment platform.

10. The information handling device of claim 9 , wherein the secondary environment platform comprises a system on chip architecture.

11. A method comprising:
providing a primary user operating system environment and a secondary user operating system environment in an information handling device;
wherein the primary user operating system environment and the secondary user operating system environment are supported by separate hardware platforms, wherein each of the separate hardware platforms comprise a processor and memory;
ascertaining a trigger event for switching between said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment;
providing a power state transitioning signal responsive to said trigger event, wherein the power state transitioning signal comprises information for transitioning a power state of one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment; and
placing one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a working state while one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment is in a sleeping state.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising signaling to, with an embedded controller, one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment responsive to said trigger event;
wherein to signal further comprises signaling with said embedded controller to transition a power state of one or more of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, responsive to said signaling, placing one of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a working state, and placing the other of said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a sleeping state.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, responsive to said trigger event, maintaining both said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment in a working state.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, responsive to said trigger event, maintaining said primary user operating system environment in a working state and maintaining said secondary user operating system environment in a sleeping state.

16. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising, responsive to said trigger event, maintaining said primary user operating system environment in a sleeping state and maintaining said secondary user operating system environment in a working state.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein said primary user operating system environment is implemented on a primary environment platform.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein said secondary user operating system environment is implemented on a secondary environment platform.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the secondary environment platform comprises a system on chip architecture.

20. A computer program product comprising:
a storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code being executable by a processor and comprising:
program code that provides a primary user operating system environment and a secondary user operating system environment in an information handling device;
wherein the primary user operating system environment and the secondary user operating system environment are supported by separate hardware platforms, wherein each of the separate hardware platforms comprise a processor and memory;
program code that ascertains a trigger event for switching between said primary user operating system environment and said secondary user operating system environment;
program code that provides a power state transitioning signal responsive to said trigger event, wherein the power state transitioning signal comprises information for transitioning a power state of one or more of said primary user operating system environm

Assignees

• Rutledge James S
• Stewart Aaron M
• Perrin Steven R
• Kelso Scott E
• Kawano Seiichi
• Yamazaki Mitsuhiro
• Kluttz Karen R
• Roper Matthew P
• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Rutledge James S
• Stewart Aaron M
• Perrin Steven R
• Kelso Scott E
• Kawano Seiichi
• Yamazaki Mitsuhiro
• Kluttz Karen R
• Roper Matthew P

Classifications

• G06F9/5094 Primary

  where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria (power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206) · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

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

• Y02B60/142

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02B60/1282

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title