Computer State Transition Reducing Power and Startup Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer startup methods are inefficient, particularly in reducing power consumption and startup time, due to the need for extensive device detection and fixed hardware configurations, which impede fast BIOS startup and OS loading, especially for systems with varying architectures.
Innovation Solution
A computer state transition method that transitions the system from a suspend-on-RAM state to a specific power-saving state with reduced power consumption and faster recovery, involving the storage of configuration information in memory and PCH state information in NVRAM, and controlling power supply to maintain only essential components, allowing for quicker restoration of the OS and applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the system uses S3 mode (suspend-on-RAM) for fast recovery, then the startup time is reduced, but the power consumption increases because devices like memory and PCH remain powered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system components into two groups: essential components (memory and memory controller) that remain powered, and non-essential components (PCH and other devices) that are powered down. This segmentation allows the system to achieve lower power consumption while maintaining fast recovery capability for essential data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by maintaining different power states for different components based on their importance. The memory and memory controller are kept in a high-power state to ensure fast recovery, while the PCH and other devices are placed in a low-power state, creating localized quality differences in power consumption across system components.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the system uses S4 mode (suspend-to-disk) to reduce power consumption, then the power consumption is reduced, but the startup time increases due to data reading from hard disk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing system state information in the memory and NVRAM before entering the power-saving mode. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the system needs to recover, the data is already in the fast-access memory, eliminating the need to read from the slower hard disk during startup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the system state information in the memory and NVRAM that can be quickly accessed during recovery. Instead of relying on the original data stored on the hard disk, the system maintains a replicated copy in faster storage media, enabling rapid restoration without the bottleneck of disk reading.
3Reliability
If device detection and hardware configuration detection are performed during startup, then system reliability is ensured, but the startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs device detection and hardware configuration detection in advance, before the system enters the power-saving state. The detected information is stored in the memory and NVRAM, so that during startup, the system can directly use this pre-detected information without performing detection again, thus reducing startup time while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer startup method, a startup apparatus, a state transition method, and a state transition apparatus are described. When the computer is in a suspend-to-RAM (STR) state, the power consumption is a first power consumption. When the computer transitions from the suspend-to-disk (STD) state to the startup state, the time consumption is a first time consumption. The state transition method includes, when the computer is in the startup state, obtaining a first power state transition command to instruct the computer to transition from the startup state to a specific state; and to respond to the first power state transition command, making the computer to be in the specific state.