Synchronizing multiple USB controllers to reduce power
US8806100B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 2006 |
| Grant date | Aug 12, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 8, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D10/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that reduce the power consumed by transactions initiated by a number of USB host controllers. Peripheral devices on a number of USB networks are accessed in a coordinated manner in order to reduce power dissipated by a CPU and other circuits when reading data needed by the host controllers. The resulting memory reads are temporally clustered. This allows the CPU to process a greater number of requests each time it leaves a low-power state. As a result, the CPU may possibly remain in a sleep state for a longer period of time, thus saving power. This is accomplished at the host controller level by synchronizing the time frames used by each host controller in a system. The synchronizing signal may be one or more bits of a frame count provided by one host controller to a number of other frame controllers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.