Firmware Wake Event Handling Without OS Wake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power management systems, such as ACPI, require operating systems to handle wake events, leading to increased power consumption when transitioning between sleep and wake modes, as they necessitate full system wake-up for event processing, which is inefficient and consumes more power.
Innovation Solution
A firmware environment is enabled to independently handle wake events, allowing specific hardware components to be woken or kept in a low power state, reducing overall power consumption by processing events without returning the entire system to a higher power state, utilizing reserved memory and I/O data collected during pre-boot initialization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the operating system handles wake events by transitioning to wake mode, then wake events can be processed, but power consumption increases due to full system wake-up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wake event handling function from the full operating system. The firmware environment captures and processes wake events independently, while the operating system remains in sleep mode. This segmentation allows wake event processing without requiring full system wake-up, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining processing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The firmware environment acts as an intermediary between hardware components and the operating system. It intercepts wake events at the firmware level, processes them independently using reserved memory and I/O data, and only wakes the operating system when necessary. This intermediary role enables event processing without full system wake-up, resolving the power consumption contradiction.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the firmware handles wake events independently, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases due to firmware-level event handling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The firmware environment performs preliminary actions during pre-boot initialization by capturing I/O data and establishing communication protocols with hardware components. This preliminary setup enables the firmware to handle wake events independently without requiring complex real-time decision-making during event processing, thus reducing operational complexity while maintaining low power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses reserved memory as a copy mechanism to store I/O data and wake event information. Instead of maintaining complex in-memory data structures during sleep mode, the firmware copies essential data to reserved memory regions, simplifying the firmware's operational complexity while enabling independent wake event handling and power savings.
3Productivity
If the operating system transitions to wake mode for event processing, then all system components are activated, but functionality is reduced due to inability to maintain low power states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling different components to be in different power states simultaneously. The firmware environment and selected hardware components can be awake to process wake events, while the operating system and other components remain in sleep mode. This local wake-up capability maintains event processing productivity without requiring full system wake-up, thus reducing overall power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for re-instantiating a firmware environment that includes one or more firmware functions available at pre-boot time when transitioning the computing device from a wake state to a sleep state. A network event received by the computing device while in a sleep state may be handled by the firmware environment independent of the operating system and without returning the entire computing device to the wake state.