JP2000222285A - Memory power managing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the effect of power saving by precisely controlling power consumption by managing the arrangement of data in a memory from the viewpoint of power consumption. SOLUTION: This device has a memory information managing means 14 for managing the segment information of the memory, a data arrangement managing means 11 for managing the arrangement of data into a memory means and a power managing means 13 for managing the supply of power to the memory and on the basis of segment information from the memory information managing means 14 and the information of data arrangement in the memory from the data arrangement managing means 11, the power managing means 13 instructs the rearrangement of data in the memory to the data arrangement managing means 11 so as to stop the supply of power to the segment, where data are not stored, in the memory after the end of rearrangement of data in the memory.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a memory (main memory) used in a personal computer or a portable terminal device.
And a memory power management device capable of saving power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In information devices such as personal computers in recent years, CPU performance has been improved, and user operations using a graphical user interface have become common. Regarding data to be handled, image data is often handled instead of so-called text data. For this reason, the amount of memory mounted on the personal computer has been dramatically increased as compared with the related art. On the other hand, many of such information devices are commercially available as portable devices that can be easily carried. In such a case, it is necessary to operate on a battery, so that it is required to reduce power consumption as much as possible.

Conventionally, various techniques for reducing the power consumption of a memory have been conceived. As a method of reducing the power consumption by managing the power supply to the memory, the memory is managed and used in units of a plurality of units. There is known a method of saving power by stopping power supply to a memory unit that has not been operated.

[0004]

However, regarding the management of the arrangement in the memory, such as how to arrange data in the memory, the OS (operating system) manages the operation completely independent of the power consumption of the memory. In addition, in the above-described conventional method, if the memory unit is not used by accident, the power supply to that part of the memory unit may be stopped and the power consumption may be reduced. It was a reality that did not rise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems. By managing the data arrangement in a memory from the viewpoint of power consumption, it is possible to control power consumption more finely, and to save power. The purpose is to improve the effect.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a memory power management device comprising: a memory information management unit for managing segment information of a memory; a data allocation management unit for managing an arrangement of data in the memory unit; Power management means for managing the power supply, the power management means, based on the segment information from the memory information management means and the in-memory data arrangement information from the data arrangement management means, the memory arrangement management means Instructed to relocate the data in the memory, and after the relocation of the data in the memory, the power supply to the segments in which the data in the memory is not stored is stopped, and the power management Manage memory data layout from the viewpoint and supply power to segments that do not store data The effect of power saving by stopping very high.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A memory power management device according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises: a memory means for storing data;
A memory information management unit that manages segment information of a memory; a data arrangement management unit that manages arrangement of data in the memory unit; and a power management unit that manages power supply to the memory. Based on the segment information from the memory information management means and the in-memory data arrangement information from the data arrangement management means,
Memory power management instructing the memory information management means to relocate data in the memory, and stopping power supply to a segment in which data in the memory is not stored after the relocation of the data in the memory is completed. The device has a high power saving effect by managing data arrangement in a memory from the viewpoint of power management and stopping power supply to a segment in which data is not stored.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory power management apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a data attribute management unit for managing an attribute of data to be arranged in the memory, The management means is a memory power management device for instructing the data arrangement management means to relocate data based on the information of the data attribute management means, and performs the data arrangement of the memory according to the attribute of the data. This has an effect that more efficient power management can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the memory power management apparatus according to the second aspect, the types of data managed by the memory attribute management means are at least program data and work data. A memory power management device characterized by comprising two types of data, wherein data is managed for each type of data, and a voltage is applied to a memory segment in which work data is stored by lowering a voltage or the like. Power consumption can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory power management device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the memory access monitoring unit monitors data access to each segment in the memory. The power management means receives a report from the memory access monitoring means that access to a specific segment is within a predetermined time, and stores the data of the specific segment in an external storage such as an HDD to a memory allocating means. Means for instructing the device to save, and stopping the power supply to the saved segment after the saving is completed. Saves data temporarily and stops power supply to that segment, further saving power It can be enhanced to become.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the memory power management device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the multi-task operation means capable of simultaneously operating a plurality of tasks; An operation task determining means for determining which task of the plurality of tasks is currently operating, and a task-specific data placement monitoring means for monitoring which segment of the memory is used for data used in the task, The power management unit acquires segment information in which the data of the task determined to be operating by the operation task determining unit is arranged from the task-specific data arrangement monitoring unit and obtains segment information other than the segment in which the operating task is arranged. Instructs the memory allocating means to save the segment data to external storage means such as an HDD, and saves the segment after the saving is completed. A memory power management device characterized by stopping power supply to a device, and temporarily saves data loaded in a segment other than a segment in which data relating to a currently operating task is stored in an external storage device and stores the data in a part thereof. Since the power supply is stopped, the effect of power saving can be further enhanced.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 11 is a data arrangement management means, 12 is a memory (main memory), 13 is a power management means,
14 is a memory information management means, 15 is an HDD (hard disk), and 16 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

The data arrangement management means 11 controls reading and writing of data from and to the memory 12 from the CPU 16 and the HDD 15 and the arrangement of data in the memory 12. Data is rearranged according to an instruction from the power management unit 13.

The memory information management means 14 includes a memory 1
2 and a memory size capable of independently controlling power supply control (hereinafter, this management target is referred to as a memory segment or simply a segment) is acquired from the memory 12 and held.

The power management means 13 stores the memory 1 based on the segment information of the memory information management means 14 and the data arrangement information of the memory 12 from the data arrangement management means 11.
It instructs the data arrangement management means 11 to relocate the data in the section 2 and stops the power supply to a specific segment of the memory 12.

Hereinafter, the operation of the memory power management apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the data structure of the memory size information of the memory 12;
Is the segment size. This data is acquired by the memory information management means 14 from the memory 12 and stored. In the example of FIG.
(MB) and 32 (MB) are stored in the segment size 52, respectively. The segment size is a minimum unit capable of controlling power supply independently. In this example, it means that the power supply can be controlled (on / off) in units of 32 MB. In this example, the total memory size is 128 MB. There are four segments.

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a table for managing the data arrangement in the memory 12, wherein 61 is a data management number, 62 is an arrangement segment number, 63 is a data size (in MB), and 64 is a data type. , 65 are task numbers. The data management number 61 is a number for managing data on the memory 12, and the data arrangement of the memory 12 is managed on a data unit basis. Hereinafter, the data to be managed is referred to as management data. The allocation segment number 62 indicates which segment in the memory 12 the management data is allocated. It is assumed that the segment numbers are assigned in order from the smallest address on the memory. The data size 63 is
Indicates the size of management data. The data type 64 is “C
S "and" DS ". When the management data is execution data such as a program," CS ",
If it is other data, the symbol "DS" is attached. The task number 65 indicates which task the management data is used for. FIG.
In the data management number 61, eight data are now loaded on the memory 12, and corresponding to each data management number 61, an arrangement segment number 62, a data size 63, a data type 64, a task number 65 are stored. For example, looking at data in which “1” is stored in the data management number 61, “1”, “16”, “CS”, and “1” are stored as corresponding data. This means that the management data with the data management number 61 of “1” is loaded on the memory of the segment number “1”, the data size is “16 MB”, and the data type is “CS” (execution program). , The task number is “1”. Similarly, it can be seen that corresponding data is stored for the other seven management data.

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a table for managing power supply to each segment of the memory 12, where 71 is a segment number, and 72 is a power ON / OFF corresponding to the segment number. , 73 store the presence or absence of data, and 74 store the free size. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, when looking at data in which “1” is stored in the segment number 71, “ON”, “Yes”, “0”
Are respectively stored. This means that
It can be seen that the power of the segment number “1” is ON, data exists, and the remaining free size is “0” MB. Corresponding data is stored for each of the other three segments.

If the arrangement of data on the memory 12 and the state of power control are as described above, the power management means 13 performs power control according to the following procedure.

(Step 1) Search for a segment having an empty size.

In the case of this example, 12M is added to the segment "2".
It can be seen that there is a free space of B.

(Step 2) A search is made for a segment in which data is stored and whose stored data size is equal to or smaller than Step 1.

In the case of this example, since the data size of the segment "3" is 12 MB, the segment "3" corresponds.

(Step 3) The data of the segment searched in step 2 is moved to a free area of the segment searched in step 1.

In the case of this example, the data of the segment "3" is moved to the free area of the segment "2".

The operations of steps 1 to 3 are executed until there is no corresponding segment.

(Step 4) Power supply to the segment for which data has been lost is stopped.

In the case of this example, the power supply to the segment "3" is stopped.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the data structure of the data arrangement management table in the memory and the memory when the above operation is completed and the rearrangement of the data in the memory 12 and the stop of the power supply are completed. It is a data structure figure of a segment power supply management table.

As described above, according to the memory power management device of the first embodiment, since the data arrangement in the memory is managed from the viewpoint of power consumption, the power consumption can be controlled finely. And the effect on power saving is great.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, steps 11 to 16 are the same as those in FIG. Reference numeral 21 denotes a data attribute management unit for managing the data type 64 described in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, attention is paid to the data attribute of the management data, and the management data to which the same data attribute belongs is arranged in a segment on the memory 12 as much as possible, and it is not necessary to always keep the management data on the memory 12. By saving the data on the segment storing the data having the data attribute in an external storage device such as the HDD 15, the power supply to the segment is stopped and the power saving effect is further improved. . The operation of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 shows a data arrangement management table in the memory, and FIG. 7 shows a memory segment power supply management table.
It is assumed that it is configured as follows. The power management means 13
The data type 64 is instructed to the data arrangement management means 11 to arrange the management data having the same data attribute as much as possible in the segment on the memory 12 in a combined form. In response to this, the data arrangement management unit 11 instructs the data attribute management unit 21 to perform data arrangement according to the data attribute. The data attribute management means 21 receives this and changes the data arrangement. In the example of FIG. 6, the management data having the data attribute of “CS” are the data management numbers “1”, “3”, and “6”, and their data size is 24 MB in total. It is arranged in one segment. Management data having a data attribute of “DS” includes data management numbers “2”, “4”, “5”,
Since they are "7" and "8" and their data size is 40 MB in total, they are arranged in the second and third segments in ascending order of the data management number. 10 and 11
Are an in-memory data arrangement management table and a memory segment power supply management table in a state where the above arrangement is completed. In this case, in FIG. 11, in this state, the values of the power supply ON / OFF 72 corresponding to the segment numbers 71 of “2” and “3” are still “ON” and “ON”, and the value of the empty size 74 is Are "4" and "20".
When the above rearrangement is completed, the data of the segment having the attribute “DS” is saved in the HDD. The saved data is managed as shown in FIG. 14, and when there is an access request for the management data, it is loaded again on the main memory. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 141 denotes an HDD saved data number, which is a management number of data saved in the HDD.
61 to 65 are the same as those in FIG.
For example, when there is an access request to the data whose data management number 61 is “4” after the data is saved to the HDD,
The table in FIG. 61 is searched, and the HDD save data number 14
The data in which 1 is “2” is completely loaded onto the memory 12 again. After the evacuation is completed, the power management unit 13 stops supplying power to the evacuated segment. In FIG.
It can be seen that the power supply to the segments “2” and “3” is stopped after the completion of the saving (flag “OFF”).

As described above, according to the memory power management apparatus of the second embodiment, the arrangement of data in the memory is managed by focusing on the attribute of data.
Further, the power consumption can be controlled finely, and the effect on power saving is great.

(Third Embodiment) In this embodiment, the management data other than the running task is saved as much as possible in an external storage device such as the HDD 15 by using the operation flag task of the management data. In this configuration, power supply to the segments is stopped to improve the power saving effect. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
11 to 16 are the same as those in FIG. 41 is a task-specific data arrangement monitoring unit, and 42 is an operation task determining unit. FIG. 12 shows an in-memory data arrangement management table used in the present embodiment, which has a structure in which an operation task flag 66 is added as compared with the data structure shown in FIGS. The operation task flag 66 stores “1” when the task using the management data is a running task, and stores “0” when it is not.
It is managed in 2. Task-specific data arrangement monitoring means 41
Monitors the operation task flag 66 and reports to the power management apparatus that the management data used by the inactive task has been loaded into the segment. FIG. 13 is a structural diagram of a memory segment power supply management table used in the present embodiment. Each data in FIGS. 12 and 13 assumes the same data arrangement as FIGS. 8 and 9 described in the first embodiment as an initial state. At this time, in FIG. 12, the management data in which “1” is stored in the operation task flag 66 is only the data management numbers “1” and “2”, and the other management data is used by the running task. Not indicate. The task-specific data arrangement monitoring means 41 reports this to the power management means 13. In response to this, the power management unit 13 instructs the data allocation management unit 11 to save all data on the segment in which the operation task flag 66 does not include “1” to the external storage device such as the HDD 15. . The data arrangement management means 11 saves the data in the HDD 15 correspondingly. After the saving is completed, the power management unit 13 stops the power supply to all the saved segments of the data. In FIG. 13, the left side of “→” indicates a state before data saving, and the right side thereof indicates a state after data saving. In this example, the power supply of the segment number “2” changes from “ON” to “OFF”, and finally the power supply becomes “O”.
It can be seen that the state of "N" is only the part of the segment number "1".

As described above, according to the memory power management apparatus of the third embodiment, power is supplied only to the segment in the memory where the active task is stored. Power consumption can be controlled finely, and the effect on power saving is great. In the present embodiment, the task-specific data arrangement monitoring means 41 only monitors task-specific data, but is similar to the second embodiment in which data is rearranged according to data attributes. By adding a means for rearranging data for each task in the above method, the effect of power saving is further enhanced.

Although the memory power management device of the present invention has been described with reference to the first to third embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the data arrangement in the memory can be omitted. The present invention extends to a configuration in which rearrangement or monitoring is performed from the viewpoint of power. For example, as shown in FIG.
The present invention also includes a method of stopping the power supply to the segment while evacuating to 15 or the like.

[0041]

As described above in detail, according to the memory power management apparatus of the present invention, the arrangement of data in the memory is managed from the viewpoint of power consumption, so that the power consumption of the memory is controlled finely. This has the effect of saving memory power.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a memory power management device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a data structure diagram of memory size information;

FIG. 6 is a data structure diagram of an in-memory data arrangement management table according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a data structure diagram of a memory segment power supply management table according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a data structure diagram of an in-memory data arrangement management table after relocation of in-memory data according to the first embodiment is completed.

FIG. 9 is a data structure diagram of a memory segment power supply management table after the relocation of data in the memory according to the first embodiment is completed.

FIG. 10 is a data structure diagram of an in-memory data arrangement management table after relocation of in-memory data according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a data structure diagram of a memory segment power supply management table after completion of relocation of data in a memory according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a data structure diagram of an in-memory data arrangement management table after relocation of in-memory data according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a data structure diagram of a memory segment power supply management table after completion of relocation of data in a memory according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a data structure diagram of a management table of management data saved in an external storage device;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Data allocation management means 12 Memory 13 Power management means 14 Memory information management means 21 Data attribute management means 31 Memory access monitoring means 41 Task-specific data allocation monitoring means 42 Operation task determination means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Memory means for storing data, memory information management means for managing segment information of a memory, data arrangement management means for managing the arrangement of data in the memory means, and management of power supply to the memory Power management means, and the power management means, based on segment information from the memory information management means and in-memory data placement information from the data placement management means, A memory power management device for instructing relocation of data in a memory, and stopping power supply to a segment in which data in the memory is not stored after the relocation of the data in the memory is completed. 2. A data attribute management means for managing an attribute of data to be arranged in a memory, wherein the power management means instructs the data arrangement management means to relocate data based on information of the data attribute management means. The memory power management device of claim 1, wherein 3. The memory power management device according to claim 2, wherein the types of data managed by the memory attribute management means include at least two types of data: program data and work data. 4. A memory access monitoring means for monitoring data access to each segment in the memory, wherein the power management means reports from the memory access monitoring means that access to a specific segment is within a predetermined time. And instructing the memory arranging means to save the data of the specific segment to an external storage means such as an HDD, and stopping power supply to the evacuated segment after completion of the saving. Item 3. The memory power management device according to Item 2. 5. Multi-task operation means capable of simultaneously operating a plurality of tasks, operation task determination means for determining which of the plurality of tasks is currently operating, and data used in the tasks are stored in a memory. A task-specific data arrangement monitoring means for monitoring which segment is assigned to the power management means, wherein the power management means stores segment information in which data of the task determined to be operating by the operation task determination means is assigned to the task; Instructs the memory allocating unit to save the data of the segment other than the segment where the running task is obtained from the separate data allocation monitoring unit to the external storage unit such as the HDD, and supplies power to the evacuated segment after the saving is completed. The memory power management device according to claim 1, wherein the memory power management device stops the operation.