Latency-Sensitive Task Scheduling via Core Usage Metrics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Computing devices face challenges in managing latency-sensitive tasks efficiently, as processor cores become heavily loaded, leading to task stalls and perceived performance issues when interrupts are not timely resumed.

Innovation Solution

Scheduling latency-sensitive tasks based on processor core usage metrics, identifying heavily loaded cores, and reassigned tasks to more available cores to prevent suspension and ensure seamless execution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a processor core is used to execute multiple tasks including latency-sensitive tasks, then the processor can handle more workloads, but the task execution time increases and latency-sensitive tasks may be suspended

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessor workload capacityVSAvoidtask execution time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments tasks by identifying latency-sensitive tasks and routing them to dedicated interrupt--free processor cores, while non-latency-sensitive tasks are executed on cores that can handle interrupts. This segmentation separates time-critical operations from general workloads, ensuring that latency-sensitive tasks are not suspended by interrupt handling while still utilizing multiple processor cores for overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If interrupts are serviced immediately when received, then system responsiveness is improved, but latency-sensitive tasks experience suspension and execution delays

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem responsivenessVSAvoidtask execution continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces dedicated interrupt- free processor cores as intermediaries that handle latency-sensitive tasks exclusively. These cores act as mediators between the interrupt handling system and time-critical operations, isolating latency-sensitive tasks from interrupt interruptions while maintaining system responsiveness through proper interrupt routing to appropriate cores.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If processor cores are assigned statically to tasks, then task scheduling is simplified, but processor core utilization efficiency decreases when cores become heavily loaded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescheduling mechanism complexityVSAvoidprocessor core utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic task routing where the scheduler monitors processor core load conditions and dynamically assigns latency-sensitive tasks to interrupt- free cores when available. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to changing workload conditions, maintaining simple scheduling logic for non-latency-sensitive tasks while providing specialized handling for time-critical operations when processor resources permit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2885707B1Latency sensitive software interrupt and thread scheduling
Publication Date: 2020.01.01 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2885707B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2885707B1 patent drawingFigure 2a
  • EP2885707B1 patent drawingFigure 2b

AI summary

Various embodiments provide an ability to schedule latency-sensitive tasks based, at least in part, upon one or more processor cores usage metrics. Some embodiments gather information associated with whether one or more processor cores are in a heavily loaded state. Alternately or additionally, some embodiments gather information identifying latency-sensitive tasks. Task(s) can be (re)assigned to different processor core(s) for execution when it has been determined that an originally assigned processor core has exceeded a usage threshold.