Integrated Phone Processor with Dynamic Power Modes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of telephone functionality into computer systems increases design, manufacturing, and operational demands due to additional circuitry and power consumption, requiring efficient power management across different modes of operation.
Innovation Solution
A computer system with integrated telephone functionality that operates in multiple modes, allowing for selective activation and deactivation of components to conserve power, featuring a processor with distinct functional units and a phone portion, enabling full-featured operation in one mode while reducing power consumption in others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If telephone functionality is integrated into computer systems, then communication capability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational state by switching between different modes (phone mode, computer mode, combined mode) based on current needs. In phone mode, only the phone portion and necessary processor functional units are activated, while in computer mode, additional functional units are enabled. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain communication capability while optimizing power consumption by activating only the necessary components for each operational context.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor is divided into multiple independent functional units that can be selectively activated. The phone portion has its own dedicated functional units that can operate independently from the main computer functional units. This segmentation allows the system to power down unnecessary functional units when they are not needed, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining the integrated communication capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional circuitry is included for telephone functionality, then telephony feature is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The phone portion and computer portion are merged into a single integrated system with a unified processor that contains both phone-specific functional units and general-purpose functional units. This merging allows the system to share common resources such as memory, power management circuits, and input/output interfaces, thereby reducing overall device complexity despite adding telephony features. The integrated architecture eliminates the need for separate phone and computer devices, simplifying the overall system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor is designed with multi-functional capabilities, where certain functional units can serve both phone operations and computer operations. For example, the same processor core and memory subsystem are used for both telephony and computing tasks. This universality reduces the need for dedicated separate circuitry for each function, thereby adding telephony features without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If full-featured operation is enabled, then functionality is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic power management by switching between different operational modes that activate different subsets of functional units. In phone mode, only the phone portion and minimal processor functional units are active. In computer mode, additional functional units are activated. In combined mode, all functional units are active to provide full functionality. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize power consumption based on the current operational requirements while maintaining the capability to access full functionality when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by adjusting which functional units are active based on the current mode. The power consumption parameter is directly controlled by selectively enabling or disabling functional units. This parameter change approach allows the system to trade off between functionality and power consumption by adjusting the activation state of different processor functional units according to current needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system including telephone functionality. The computer system includes a first keyboard and a first display. The computer system also includes a processor having at least a first functional unit and a second functional unit, and further includes a phone portion. The computer system may operate in a first mode, a second mode, or a third mode. In the first mode, only the phone portion is activated, and the phone portion provides a functionality of placing and receiving phone calls without being removed from the computer system. In the second mode, the phone portion and first functional unit of the processor are activated. In the third mode, each of the phone portion, the first functional unit, and the second functional unit are activated.