A
system for
dynamic power management in a distributed architecture
system on
chip, comprising a means for dynamically defining the feasibility of entering a low
power mode of operation based on the status of components of the
system, a means for entering or exiting safely from a low power state based on said feasibility, a means for decreasing the power centric communication between various processors and a means for increasing the low
power mode time. Thus a framework is proposed in the instant invention wherein all the device drivers dynamically maintain the information on the feasibility of a low power transition at any point of time. Thus whenever an opportunity to enter a low
power mode comes up one has to just check this feasibility variable to determine whether the low power mode entry is viable or not. For ensuring the safe transition to a low power mode, a stalling
machine is proposed in case of DSPs. For further saving power, a power centric
communication channel is established between various processors and to reduce the load on this
communication channel techniques like quad-ring buffer and DSP feedback are proposed.