Always-On Sensor Component for Fast SOC Wake-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices often operate in low power modes to conserve energy, but existing systems face challenges in efficiently managing power consumption while maintaining standby functionality, particularly in capturing and processing sensor data without waking up the entire System on a Chip (SOC).
Innovation Solution
An always-on component within the SOC remains powered to capture sensor data, buffer it in memory, and process it selectively, waking up only the necessary components to reduce power consumption and latency during transitions between power states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the SOC is powered down to eliminate leakage current losses, then energy consumption is reduced, but the device cannot capture or process sensor data during standby mode
Solution Approach 1:
The SOC is divided into multiple power domains with independent power control. The first power domain contains wake-up logic and essential control circuits that remain powered during standby, while the second power domain contains the main processing units that can be powered down. This segmentation allows the system to maintain minimal standby functionality with drastically reduced power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The wake-up logic in the first power domain is designed to detect wake-up events and initiate the power-up sequence before the main processing units are activated. This preliminary action ensures that the system can respond to wake-up events quickly and efficiently, transitioning from standby to full operation without delay.
2Productivity
If the entire SOC is powered up to process sensor data, then data processing capability is improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The SOC architecture separates processing functions into different power domains. The first power domain handles wake-up detection and initial processing, while the second power domain handles main data processing. This allows the system to activate only the necessary processing power based on the current operational state, avoiding unnecessary power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of fully powering up the entire SOC for every wake-up event, the system activates only the minimum necessary components in the second power domain based on the specific processing needs. This partial action approach reduces power consumption while maintaining adequate processing capability for the current task.
3Speed
If the SOC transitions quickly from sleep to active state, then responsiveness is improved, but power management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power management system is segmented into hierarchical levels with the first power domain controlling wake-up events and the second power domain managing main processing activation. This segmentation allows for streamlined wake-up sequences while maintaining comprehensive power management control, reducing the perceived complexity from the perspective of wake-up operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The first power domain performs preliminary wake-up detection and preparation actions before activating the second power domain. This preliminary action simplifies the overall power management by pre-processing wake-up events and preparing the system for rapid transition, reducing the complexity of the main power-up sequence.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, a system on a chip (SOC) includes a component that remains powered when the remainder of the SOC is powered off. The component may include a sensor capture unit to capture data from various device sensors, and may filter the captured sensor data. Responsive to the filtering, the component may wake up the remainder of the SOC to permit the processing. The component may store programmable configuration data, matching the state at the time the SOC was most recently powered down, for the other components of the SOC, in order to reprogram them after wakeup. In some embodiments, the component may be configured to wake up the memory controller within the SOC and the path to the memory controller, in order to write the data to memory. The remainder of the SOC may remain powered down.