KR20230114004A - Electronic apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

In response to initiation of a process to run, the electronic device identifies a predicted amount of memory expected to be used by the process, identifies a currently available amount of memory, and uses the memory based on the identified amount and the identified predicted amount. and a processor that determines whether to additionally secure the available capacity of the memory, selectively performs an additional securing operation of the available capacity of the memory according to the determination result, and allocates the memory to the process in response to a memory allocation request of the process. .

Description

Electronic device and its control method {ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an electronic device for allocating memory to a running process and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, by terminating a previous process that previously allocated memory in consideration of the current capacity of memory, the available capacity of memory for a new process It relates to an electronic device that secures and a control method thereof.

In order to execute a process, an electronic device that basically includes electronic components such as a CPU, a chipset, and a memory for calculation may be classified into various types depending on information to be processed or usage. For example, electronic devices include an information processing device such as a PC (personal computer) or server that processes general-purpose information, an image processing device that processes image data, an audio device that processes audio, and performs household chores. There are household appliances to do. The image processing device may be implemented as a display device that displays processed image data as an image on a display panel provided therewith. These various types of electronic devices are communicatively connected to each other and may perform either a role of a server or host providing a predetermined service or a role of a client receiving the service.

An electronic device implements various functions by allocating a memory to a process and storing and executing data of the corresponding process in an allocated storage area of the memory. However, while the electronic device allocates memory for various processes while operating, since the storage area of the memory is limited, at some point, the available capacity of the memory, that is, the memory that secures the available capacity is secured for the execution of subsequent processes. An action needs to be performed. A certain type of operating system of an electronic device tends to have as many processes reside in memory as possible and release memory as late as possible upon termination of a process. This is to make maximum use of the memory of the idle resource. In this case, the electronic device secures sufficient memory capacity by performing a memory swap or terminating some of the processes allocated to the memory when the capacity of the memory falls below a preset threshold while several processes are running. .

However, in this case, since a memory securing operation is performed in the middle of a process being executed, a process operation delay may occur due to a load of a CPU or the like. For example, a case in which the process is a video playback player and displays video by playing video content may be considered. If the resources of the electronic device, including the CPU, are consumed to perform the memory securing operation, the resources allocated to the video playback process are reduced, which causes video playback to be interrupted, video playback to be delayed, or video resolution to be lowered. However, it may be difficult to reproduce video content normally.

Therefore, there is a need for an electronic device that provides smooth operation by preventing deterioration in the performance of various running processes while securing available memory capacity.

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in response to the initiation of a memory and a process to be executed, identifies a predicted usage of the memory expected to be used by the process, identifies a currently usable capacity of the memory, Based on the identified capacity and the identified predicted usage, it is determined whether to additionally secure the capacity of the memory, and according to the determination result, an operation of additionally securing the capacity of the memory is selectively performed, and a processor allocating the memory to the process in response to a memory allocation request of the process.

In addition, the processor performs the additional securing operation based on the identified predicted usage exceeds the identified capacity, and based on the identified predicted usage does not exceed the identified capacity, the processor Additional securing operations may not be performed.

In addition, the processor may not perform the additional securing operation based on not being able to identify the estimated usage amount of the memory.

Also, the processor may identify the estimated usage amount based on the memory usage history of the process.

In addition, the processor may identify an average of maximum memory usages of the process in the memory usage history as the predicted usage.

In addition, the processor may identify the highest value among maximum memory usages of the process in the memory usage history as the predicted usage.

In addition, the processor may perform the additional securing operation by pre-allocating the memory and terminating one or more other processes that are running.

The processor may further include a storage, and the processor may perform the additional securing operation by moving data of the memory pre-allocated to one or more other running processes to the storage.

The processor may further include an interface unit communicating with an external device and a storage storing information on the predicted usage amount, wherein the processor uses update information received from the external device through the interface unit to store the information stored in the storage. can be updated.

The processor may further include a user input unit and a storage in which information on the predicted amount of usage is stored, and the processor may update the information stored in the storage according to a user input through the user input unit.

In addition, a control method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of identifying a predicted usage amount of a memory that is expected to be used in the process in response to the start of a process to be executed, and determining the currently usable capacity of the memory. determining whether to additionally secure the capacity of the memory based on the identified capacity and the identified predicted usage, and selectively performing an additional securing operation of the capacity of the memory according to the determination result and allocating the memory to the process in response to the memory allocation request of the process.

1 is a configuration block diagram of an electronic device.
2 is a flowchart showing a control method of an electronic device.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of securing additional memory when a process is executed in an electronic device.
4 is a block diagram illustrating examples in which an electronic device acquires information about a predicted usage amount of a process.
5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to derive a predicted usage amount of a process based on a process usage history.
6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method of selecting those to be terminated from other processes.
7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a case in which an electronic device allocates memory with a limit greater than the predicted usage amount identified for a process.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments described with reference to each drawing are not mutually exclusive configurations unless otherwise specified, and a plurality of embodiments may be selectively combined and implemented in one device. A combination of these plurality of embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and applied by a person skilled in the art in implementing the spirit of the present invention.

If there are terms including ordinal numbers, such as the first element and the second element in the embodiment, these terms are used to describe various elements, and the term distinguishes one element from other elements. As used to do, these components are not limited in meaning by terms. Terms used in the embodiments are applied to describe the corresponding embodiments and do not limit the spirit of the present invention.

In addition, when the expression "at least one" among a plurality of components in the present specification appears, this expression refers to not only the entire plurality of components, but also each one or these excluding the rest of the plurality of components. refers to all combinations of

1 is a configuration block diagram of an electronic device.

As shown in FIG. 1 , this embodiment relates to an electronic device 1 . The electronic device 1 may be implemented as various types of devices, for example, an information processing device including a PC, a server, and the like; fixed display devices including TVs, monitors, digital signage, electronic blackboards, electronic photo frames, and the like; It is a mobile device including a smart phone, tablet device, portable multimedia player, and the like; It is an image processing device including a set-top box, an optical media player, and the like; household appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, clothing management devices, air conditioners, and the like; A gateway, hub, host device, or slave device that builds an IoT (internet of things) environment; It may be implemented as a wearable device that can be worn by a person.

The electronic device 1 includes various hardware elements for operation. In this embodiment, a case in which the electronic device 1 is implemented as a display device will be described. However, as described above, since the electronic device 1 can be implemented as various types of devices, the configuration described below is only one of various implementation examples.

The electronic device 1 may include an interface unit 10 . The interface unit 10 includes an interface circuit for the electronic device 1 to communicate with various types of external devices and to transmit/receive data. The interface unit 10 includes at least one of one or more wired interface units 11 for wired communication connection or one or more wireless interface units 12 for wireless communication connection according to a connection method.

The wired interface unit 11 includes a connector or port to which a cable of a predefined transmission standard is connected. For example, the wired interface unit 11 includes a port connected to a terrestrial or satellite broadcasting antenna or a cable of cable broadcasting to receive a broadcasting signal. Alternatively, the wired interface unit 11 provides a port to which cables of various wire transmission standards such as HDMI, DP (DisplayPort), DVI, component, composite, S-Video, and Thunderbolt are connected to connect to various image processing devices. include Alternatively, the wired interface unit 11 includes a USB standard port for connection with a USB device. Alternatively, the wired interface unit 11 includes an optical port to which an optical cable is connected. Alternatively, the wired interface unit 11 includes an audio input port to which an external microphone is connected, and an audio output port to which a headset, earphone, external speaker, etc. are connected. Alternatively, the wired interface unit 11 includes an Ethernet port connected to a gateway, router, hub, or the like to access a wide area network.

The wireless interface unit 12 includes a bidirectional communication circuit including at least one of components such as communication modules and communication chips corresponding to various types of wireless communication protocols. For example, the wireless interface unit 12 includes a Wi-Fi communication chip that performs wireless communication with an AP (Access Point) according to a Wi-Fi method, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, WirelessHD, WiGig, NFC, etc. It includes a communication chip that performs wireless communication, an IR module for IR communication, and a mobile communication chip that performs mobile communication with a mobile device.

The electronic device 20 may include a display unit 20 . The display unit 20 forms a screen for displaying the image signal processed by the processor 270 as an image. The display unit 20 includes a display panel, and various design methods may be applied to the structure of the display panel. For example, the display unit 20 may include a display panel having a light-receiving structure such as a liquid crystal and a backlight providing light to the display panel. Alternatively, the display unit 20 may include a display panel having a self-emitting structure such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Alternatively, the display unit 20 may have a structure in which a plurality of micro LED modules are combined in a tile form to form a large screen.

The electronic device 1 may include a user input unit 30 . The user input unit 30 includes various types of user input interface-related circuits prepared to be manipulated by the user in order to perform user input. The user input unit 30 can be configured in various forms according to the type of the electronic device 1, for example, a mechanical button or electronic button of the electronic device 1; various types of sensors; touchpad; a touch screen installed on the display unit 20; There are external input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a remote controller that are separated from the electronic device 1 and connected through the interface unit 10 .

The electronic device 1 may include a storage unit 40 . The storage unit 40 has a storage space for storing digitized data. The storage unit 40 stores data to be processed by the processor 50 and includes one or more memories 41 having volatile properties that cannot preserve data unless power is supplied. The memory 41 includes a buffer, random access memory (RAM), and the like. In addition, the storage unit 140 includes one or more storages 42 having non-volatile properties capable of preserving data regardless of whether or not power is provided. The storage 42 includes a flash-memory, a hard-disc drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), and a read only memory (ROM).

The electronic device 1 may include a processor 50 . The processor 50 includes one or more hardware processors implemented as a CPU, chipset, buffer, circuit, etc. mounted on a printed circuit board, and may be implemented as a system on chip (SOC) depending on a design method. When the electronic device 1 is a display device, the processor 50 includes modules corresponding to various processes such as a demultiplexer, a decoder, a scaler, an audio digital signal processor (DSP), and an amplifier to display video content as an image. do. Here, some or all of these modules may be implemented as an SOC. For example, modules related to image processing, such as a demultiplexer, a decoder, and a scaler, may be implemented as an image processing SOC, and an audio DSP may be implemented as a separate chipset from the SOC.

The processor 50 executes various software programs including the operating system 60 for the operation of the electronic device 1 . For example, original data of the operating system 60 is stored in the storage 42, and the operating system 60 is executed by storing this data in the memory 41 according to booting of the electronic device 1. Various types of applications are executed on the operating system 60, and the processor 50 performs calculation processing for the execution of these programs. When a predetermined function is requested in the electronic device 1, data of a process 62 related to the corresponding function is stored in the memory 41 and executed by the operating system 60 or an application.

The electronic device 1 includes a memory management module 61 for managing the storage space of the memory 41 . The memory management module 61 may be part of the operating system 60 or may be middleware or an application running on the operating system 60 . The memory management module 61 is executed by the arithmetic processing of the processor 50 . The memory management module 61, for example, when a request to execute the process 62 occurs, receives a memory 41 allocation request from the process 62, and data corresponding to the process 62 is stored. The memory 41 is allocated to the corresponding process 62 so that it can be stored in the storage space of the memory 41 . When allocating the memory 41 to the process 62, the memory management module 61 selects currently available storage space (that is, storage space not used by other processes) among the entire storage space of the memory 41. Allocated to the corresponding process (62).

Here, the allocation of the memory 41 to the process 62 will be described. In order for the process 62 to be executed, data of the process 62 must be stored in the memory 41 so that the processor 50 can operate. Upon initiation of execution of the process 62 , the data of the process 62 stored in the storage 42 is stored into the memory 41 . Prior to storing the above data in the memory 41, the memory management module 61 first designates a storage space to be allocated to the process 62 from among available storage spaces in the memory 41. After that, the data of the process 62 is stored in the above-designated storage space of the memory 41 . In this way, an operation in which the memory management module 61 designates a storage space of the memory 41 for storing data of the process 62 corresponds to allocation of the memory 41 for the corresponding process 62 .

In this way, in the process from the start point of execution of the process 62 to the point at which the memory 41 allocation request for the process 62 is received, the memory 41 is allocated, and the process 62 is executed, The processor 50 may perform an operation of additionally securing usable storage space of the memory 41 (ie, additionally securing the available capacity of the memory 41) using the memory management module 61. . Hereinafter, these embodiments will be described.

2 is a flowchart showing a control method of an electronic device.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the following operations are performed by the processor 50 of the electronic device 1 .

In step 210, the electronic device 1 detects the start event of the process 62. During operation, the electronic device 1 may receive a request for starting execution of a new process 62 .

In step 220, the electronic device 1 identifies the predicted amount of memory 41 used in the process 62. The predicted usage is related to the maximum usage of the memory 41 predicted to be used while the process 62 is running, after the memory 41 is allocated for the process 62 . A detailed description of the predicted usage amount will be described later.

In step 230, the electronic device 1 identifies the currently usable capacity of the memory 41. That is, the electronic device 1 identifies the capacity of the storage space that is not yet used among the entire storage space of the memory 41 .

In step 240, the electronic device 1 determines whether to additionally secure the available capacity of the memory 41 based on the identified available capacity and the identified predicted usage. For example, the electronic device 1 performs the above determination according to a result of mutually comparing the available capacity and the predicted usage, which will be described in detail later.

If the determination result in step 250 is to additionally secure the available capacity of the memory 41 (“Yes” in step 250), the electronic device 1 performs an additional securing operation in step 260 and proceeds to step 270. On the other hand, if the determination result in step 250 is not to additionally secure the available capacity of the memory 41 (“No” in step 250), the electronic device 1 does not perform an additional securing operation and proceeds to step 270.

In step 270, the electronic device 1 allocates the memory 41 to the process 62 in response to the memory allocation request of the process 62. Thus, the data of the process 62 is stored in the allocated storage space of the memory 41, and the process 62 is executed.

The process 62 launches (i.e., an execution start event), process 62 requests memory 41 allocation, memory 41 allocation to process 62, and execution of process 62 proceeds in sequence. In this sequence, the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment performs an operation of additionally securing the available capacity of the memory 41 based on the predicted usage amount of the memory 41 by the process 62. It is performed before the memory 41 allocation request of the occurrence occurs. In this way, the electronic device 1 can prevent performance from being delayed when the process 62 is executed by additionally securing the capacity of the memory 41 for the process 62 in advance. As an example of delay in the performance of the process 62, there is a case where the video and audio are out of sync during video content playback, the video is cut off, or the video quality is degraded.

As a result, the electronic device 1 can provide a smooth operation by achieving additional securing of the available capacity of the memory 41 and prevention of performance delay of the process 62 .

On the other hand, the processor 50 of the electronic device 1 identifies the predicted usage of the memory 41 expected to be used in the process 62 as described above, or the availability of the memory 41 for the process 62 Machine learning, neural network, Alternatively, it may be performed using at least one of deep learning algorithms.

For example, the processor 50 of the electronic device 1 may perform functions of a learning unit and a recognizing unit together. The learning unit may perform a function of generating a learned neural network, and the recognizing unit may perform a function of recognizing (or inferring, predicting, estimating, or judging) data using the learned neural network. The learning unit may create or update a neural network. The learning unit may acquire learning data to generate a neural network. For example, the learning unit may acquire learning data from the storage unit of the electronic device 1 or from the outside. The learning data may be data used for learning of the neural network, and the neural network may be trained by using data on which the above operations are performed as learning data.

The learning unit may perform pre-processing on the acquired training data before training the neural network using the training data, or may select data to be used for learning from among a plurality of training data. For example, the learning unit may process the learning data into a form of data suitable for learning by processing the learning data in a preset format, filtering, or adding/removing noise. The learning unit may generate a neural network set to perform the above operation using the preprocessed training data.

A learned neural network may be composed of a plurality of neural networks (or layers). Nodes of a plurality of neural network networks have weights, and the plurality of neural network networks may be connected to each other so that an output value of one neural network network is used as an input value of another neural network network. Examples of neural network networks include Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Deep Neural Network (DNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM), Deep Belief Network (DBN), Bidirectional Recurrent Deep Neural Network (BRDNN), and It may include models such as Deep Q-Networks.

Meanwhile, the recognizer may obtain target data to perform the above operation. The target data may be acquired from a storage unit of the electronic device or from the outside. The target data may be data to be recognized by a neural network. Before applying the target data to the learned neural network, the recognizer may perform preprocessing on the acquired target data or select data to be used for recognition from among a plurality of target data. For example, the recognizer may process the target data into a form of data suitable for recognition by processing the target data into a preset format, filtering, or adding/removing noise. The recognizer may obtain an output value output from the neural network by applying the preprocessed target data to the neural network. The recognition unit may obtain a probability value or a reliability value together with the output value.

Hereinafter, specific operations of the electronic device 1 will be described.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of securing additional memory when a process is executed in an electronic device.

1, 2 and 3, the processor 50 of the electronic device 1 includes a foreground task 310, a memory management task 320, and a rear task ( The three operations of the background task) 330 can be performed in parallel (the names of each task are given for convenience, and each name does not limit the characteristics of the embodiment). In forward task 310, execution of process 62 is initiated at an initial time T0. In the memory management task 320, management of the memory 41 related to each process of the front task 310 and the back task 330 is performed, and for example, an additional securing operation of the memory 41 is selectively performed. In terms of software, the memory management task 320 may be executed by, for example, the memory management module 61 . In the back task 330, an operation related to one or more other processes already assigned to and executing the memory 41 at the initial time point T0 is performed.

Prior to the initial point in time T0, process 62 is not running, and one or more other processes are running (step 400). At this time, execution of the process 62 is started according to the launching event of the process 62, that is, the execution request of the process 62 (step 410; corresponding to step 201 of FIG. 2). As described above, before the process 62 is executed, the memory 41 is allocated to the process 62 (i.e., the available storage space of the memory 41 is allocated to the process 62), and the allocation The data of the process 62 is stored in the storage space of the memory 41.

The electronic device 1 identifies the predicted usage amount of the memory 41 that is expected to be used in the process 62 (step 420; corresponds to step 220 of FIG. 2). Such predicted usage may be identified in various ways, which will be described in detail later.

The electronic device 1 determines whether the current available capacity of the memory 41 is greater than the identified predicted usage amount (step 430; corresponding to steps 230, 240 and 250 of FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the case of comparing the identified predicted usage amount and the current available capacity of the memory 41 will be described, but other methods are also possible. In general, the memory 41 requires storage space for normal performance of the electronic device 1, and the electronic device 1 has a preset capacity in consideration of the above reasons from the current available capacity of the memory 41. It may be deducted, and the identified predicted usage amount and the deducted capacity may be compared.

If the current available capacity of the memory 41 is greater than the identified predicted usage amount (“Yes” in step 430; corresponding to “No” in step 250 of FIG. 2), the electronic device 1 proceeds to step 480. On the other hand, if the current available capacity of the memory 41 is not greater than the identified predicted usage ("No" in step 430; corresponding to "Yes" in step 250 of FIG. 2), the electronic device 1 adds the memory 41 A securing operation is performed (corresponding to step 260 in FIG. 2). As an example of an additional securing operation of the memory 41, the electronic device 1 selects another process to be terminated from among other processes (step 440), and transmits an end signal of the selected other process to the rear task 330 (step 450). step). The electronic device 1 terminates the selected other process according to the termination signal (step 460). When another process is terminated, the storage space of the memory 41 allocated to the terminated other process can be used again (ie, added to the available capacity of the memory 41).

The additional securing operation of the memory 41 is not limited to the above example. For example, the electronic device 1 may perform a memory swap as an additional securing operation of the memory 41 . The electronic device 1 additionally secures the available capacity of the memory 41 by moving data of other processes stored in the memory 41 to a storage medium other than the memory 41, for example, the storage 42 You may. After the data of another process is moved to the storage 42, the storage space of the memory 41 in which the corresponding data was stored can be used again.

The electronic device 1 determines again whether the current available capacity of the memory 41 is greater than the identified predicted usage amount (step 470). If the current available capacity of the memory 41 is greater than the identified predicted usage amount (“Yes” in step 470), the electronic device 1 proceeds to step 480. On the other hand, if the current available capacity of the memory 41 is not greater than the identified predicted usage amount (“No” in step 470), the electronic device 1 proceeds to step 440 and resumes the additional securing operation of the memory 41.

The electronic device 1 receives a memory 41 allocation request for the process 62 at time T1 (step 480). In response to the memory 41 allocation request, the electronic device 1 allocates the memory 41 to the process 62 so that the process 62 is executed (step 490; corresponding to step 270 of FIG. 2).

As such, when the process 62 is launched for execution, the electronic device 1 additionally secures the memory 41 for the process 62 before a memory 41 allocation request for the process 62 is received. do Accordingly, while the process 62 is executed later, execution delay of the process 62 due to insufficient capacity of the memory 41 can be prevented.

Meanwhile, in step 420, it is also possible that the electronic device 1 cannot identify the predicted memory usage amount of the process 62 due to various reasons. For example, the electronic device 1 identifies the predicted amount of usage of the process 62 using previously stored information, but the information about the process 62 may not be searched for, and access to the information is It may be blocked for various reasons. In this case, the electronic device 1 may proceed to step 480 without performing an additional securing operation of the memory 41 .

Hereinafter, a method for the electronic device 1 to identify the predicted amount of memory 41 to be used in the process 62 will be described.

4 is a block diagram illustrating examples in which an electronic device acquires information about a predicted usage amount of a process.

As shown in FIG. 4, the processor 50 of the electronic device 1 or the memory management module 61 driven by the processor 50 obtains information 500 stored in the storage 42, By searching the acquired information 500 , it is possible to identify the predicted amount of memory 41 that the process will use. This information 500 may have various formats such as a table and a list, and records the estimated usage amount corresponding to each of a plurality of processes. To this end, the electronic device 1 stores the maximum amount of memory 41 used for each process in a preset file at the end of each process.

In this information 500, each process is distinguished by a unique name or ID. According to an example of this embodiment, the predicted usage amount of the first process is 50MB, the predicted usage amount of the second process is 200MB, and the predicted usage amount of the third process is 70MB. For example, if the process to be launched is the second process, the processor 50 or the memory management module 61 can identify that the predicted usage amount of the second process is 200MB by searching the information 500 .

Such information 500 is generated based on various methods and stored in the storage 42 . As one example, the information 500 may be stored in the storage 42 in the manufacturing stage of the electronic device 1 and released as a product. The manufacturer of the electronic device 1 derives the optimal predicted usage for each process through various experiments and simulations, and stores the information 500 reflecting the result in the storage 42 of the electronic device 1 before product release. can

As one example, when the electronic device 1 can communicate with the server 2 through the interface unit 10, information 500 is transmitted from the server 2 through the interface unit 10 to the electronic device 1. ) can be passed on. As various software programs such as an operating system and applications installed in the electronic device 1 are updated, the predicted usage of various processes may be different before and after the update. Since the electronic device 1 can receive periodically updated information 500 from the server 2, optimal management of the memory 41 becomes possible. Even when the information 500 is stored in the manufacturing step of the electronic device 1, which is the example described above, the electronic device 1 receives new information 500 provided from the server 2 and replaces the previously stored information 500. can also be updated.

As one example, the electronic device 1 may directly receive the predicted usage amount of a specific process from the user through the user input unit 30 . To this end, the electronic device 1 displays a UI provided so that the user can easily input the predicted usage amount corresponding to the process, and stores the value input through the UI in the storage 42 as the predicted usage amount of the corresponding process. can Even when the information 500 is stored in the manufacturing stage of the electronic device 1 or provided to the electronic device 1 from the server 2, the electronic device 1 stores the storage 42 through the user input unit 30. The information 500 previously stored in may be provided to be modified.

As one example, the electronic device 1 may obtain the information 500 generated by the AI 510 when the AI 510 is installed. The AI 510 may be mounted on the electronic device 1 or may be mounted on an external device such as a server capable of communicating with the electronic device 1 . Alternatively, the electronic device 1 may directly acquire the predicted usage amount of a specific process from the AI 510 without storing the information 500 acquired from the AI 510 in the storage 42 .

As one example, the electronic device 1 may directly transmit the estimated usage amount of the corresponding process 62 from the target process 62 . For example, when the process 62 is launched, the memory management module 61 may receive the estimated usage amount from the corresponding process 62 through an application programming interface (API). In this case, the electronic device 1 can identify the estimated usage amount of the process 62 without the information 500 .

As one example, information 500 may be generated based on a memory use history 520 of a process performed in the electronic device 1 . For example, when the first process was executed multiple times in the past, the maximum amount of the memory 41 actually used by the first process is recorded each time and stored as the memory usage history 520 . The electronic device 1 may derive an estimated usage amount of the first process based on the past maximum usage amount of the first process stored in the memory usage history 520 and record it in the information 500 .

Hereinafter, an example in which the electronic device 1 derives the predicted usage amount of a process based on the memory usage history 520 of the process will be described.

5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for an electronic device to derive a predicted usage amount of a process based on a process usage history.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the memory usage history 520 of a process stores a history of maximum usage of the memory 41 for each of a plurality of processes. For example, in the memory usage history 520 of a process, when the first process has a maximum usage of 40 MB for the first round, a maximum usage of the second round for 50 MB, a maximum usage for the third round for 60 MB, and a maximum usage for the fourth round for 50 MB, The device 1 may calculate the predicted usage amount of the first process in various ways based on these values.

As an example, the electronic device 1 may calculate an average of maximum amounts of usage as the predicted usage amount when the first process is executed a plurality of times. For example in this embodiment, as (40+50+60+50)/4=50, the predicted usage amount of the first process is calculated as 50MB.

As one example, the electronic device 1 may calculate the highest value among maximum amounts of usage as the predicted usage amount when the first process is executed multiple times. For example, in this embodiment, since 60 is the highest value among the four values 40, 50, 60, and 50, the estimated usage amount of the first process can be calculated as 60 MB.

In addition to this, the electronic device 1 may calculate the predicted usage amount of the process from the memory usage history 520 of the process using various methods.

Hereinafter, a method of selecting another process to be terminated from among other processes will be described.

6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method of selecting those to be terminated from other processes.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 , the electronic device 1 selects one or more other processes to be terminated from among a plurality of other currently running processes when a process is launched. Here, various methods are provided for the electronic device 1 to select other processes to be terminated in order to additionally secure the memory 41 .

The electronic device 1 may refer to history information or logs 600 related to the execution of various other processes. This log 600 is a record of the execution of various other processes, for example, the execution time of each process (the time when the process is allocated to the memory 41 and executed), other processes for each process, applications, operating systems, hardware It includes information about the number of times accessed by various resources of the electronic device 1, such as the current usage of the memory 41 being used by each process. The electronic device 1 selects other processes to be terminated based on the information of the log 600 .

As one example, the electronic device 1 may select another process to be terminated based on the execution time of each of a plurality of other processes. This criterion may be the order of the oldest execution point. As in the present embodiment, when selecting two other processes from among five other processes #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, the electronic device 1 has a relatively old execution time # 2, #4 can be selected.

As one example, the electronic device 1 may select another process to be terminated based on the number of accesses of each of a plurality of other processes. This criterion may be in order of a small number of accessed times. Among the five other processes in this embodiment, the electronic device 1 may select #1 and #4 having a relatively small number of accessed times.

As one example, the electronic device 1 may select another process to be terminated based on the current memory 41 usage of each of a plurality of other processes. This criterion may be, for example, an order of increasing usage of the memory 41 . Among the five other processes in this embodiment, the electronic device 1 may select #3 and #5, which currently have a relatively large amount of memory 41 used.

In addition to the examples described above, various methods may be applied to the selection of other processes. For example, each other process may have a priority or an exceptional condition for each process ID. Some of the processes may not be terminated because they are essential to the operation of the electronic device 1, and there may be processes of relatively high importance and processes of low importance even though they are not essential to the operation of the electronic device 1. In this case, regardless of various conditions described above (execution time, number of times accessed, current memory 41 usage, etc.), the electronic device 1 has a relatively low priority or importance according to a preset priority or importance. You can select other processes with . as targets to be terminated.

On the other hand, when the electronic device 1 identifies the estimated memory 41 usage for the corresponding process in response to the launch of the process, the identified predicted usage may be accepted as it is as in the previous embodiment, or may be limited by placing an upper limit. may be Hereinafter, these embodiments will be described.

7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a case in which an electronic device allocates memory with a limit greater than the predicted usage amount identified for a process.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 , the electronic device 1 allocates the storage space 700 of the memory 41 when the process 62 is launched. In the storage space 700, there is a space 710 allocated to an already running process (other processes) and a free space 720 not allocated to any process, and the electronic device 1 is newly assigned to the free space 720. Allocates a process 62 to be launched. As described in the previous embodiment, the electronic device 1 identifies the predicted usage W1 of the storage space 700 of the memory 41 for the process 62 .

C1 of FIG. 7 shows a case where the identified predicted usage amount W1 is allocated to the storage space 730 as it is. According to the foregoing embodiment, the electronic device 1 may allocate the storage space 730 to the process 62 if it is within the range allowed by the free space 720 .

However, depending on the design method, an upper limit may be assigned to the allocated capacity of the memory 41 in the electronic device 1 . C2 in FIG. 7 shows this case. In this case, if the identified predicted usage exceeds the set upper limit, only the capacity up to the upper limit is allocated and no capacity beyond that is allocated. If the identified predicted usage amount W1 of the process 62 exceeds the upper limit value W2 (W1>W2), the capacity W3 in W1 that exceeds W2 is excluded and only the capacity up to the upper limit value W2 is allocated for the process 62 (W2 =W1-W3).

Meanwhile, in the previous embodiment, the case of selecting one or more other processes to be terminated from among a plurality of other processes has been described. Here, depending on the design method, a method of selecting one or more other processes to be terminated may be different in correspondence to the preset operation mode of the electronic device 1 .

A plurality of modes are provided in the electronic device 1, and it can automatically or manually shift to any one mode according to factors such as a current state of the electronic device 1, an event, or a user input. For example, the electronic device 1 may be provided with mode 0 in which no other processes are terminated, mode 1 in which some of the other processes may be terminated, and mode 2 in which all other processes may be terminated.

When the electronic device 1 is in mode 0, the additional securing operation of the memory 41 as described above is not performed because other processes cannot be terminated. When the process 62 is launched, the electronic device 1 allocates the memory 41 to the process 62 without an additional securing operation of the memory 41 .

When the electronic device 1 is in mode 1, some of the other processes can be terminated and others cannot be terminated, so during the additional securing operation of the memory 41, those to be terminated are selected from among other processes set to be terminated. do.

When the electronic device 1 is in mode 2, since all other processes can be terminated, the electronic device 1 can select other processes to be terminated as described in the foregoing embodiment.

The operation of the device as described in the above embodiments may be performed by artificial intelligence built into the device. Artificial intelligence can be applied to various systems by utilizing machine learning algorithms. An artificial intelligence system is a computer system that implements human-level or human-level intelligence, and a machine, device, or system autonomously learns and judges, and the recognition rate and judgment accuracy are improved based on the accumulation of experience. Artificial intelligence technology consists of machine learning technology using an algorithm that classifies and learns the characteristics of input data by itself, and element technologies that mimic functions such as recognition and judgment of the human brain by utilizing algorithms.

Elemental technologies include, for example, linguistic understanding technology that recognizes human language and text, visual understanding technology that recognizes objects as human eyes, reasoning and prediction technology that logically infers and predicts information by judging information, and human experience. It includes at least one of a knowledge expression technology for processing information into knowledge data and a motion control technology for controlling autonomous driving of a vehicle or movement of a robot.

Here, linguistic understanding is a technology for recognizing and applying human language or text, and includes natural language processing, machine translation, dialogue system, question and answering, voice recognition and synthesis, and the like.

Inference prediction is a technique of logically predicting by judging information, and includes knowledge and probability-based inference, optimization prediction, preference-based planning, and recommendation.

Knowledge representation is a technology that automatically processes human experience information into knowledge data, and includes knowledge construction such as generation and classification of data, knowledge management such as utilization of data, and the like.

Methods according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. Such computer readable media may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. For example, computer readable media, whether removable or rewritable, include non-volatile storage devices such as USB memory devices, or memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, memory chips, integrated circuits, or For example, it may be stored in an optically or magnetically recordable and machine-readable storage medium such as a CD, DVD, magnetic disk, or magnetic tape. It will be appreciated that a memory that may be included in a mobile terminal is one example of a machine-readable storage medium suitable for storing a program or programs including instructions implementing embodiments of the present invention. Program instructions recorded on this storage medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and usable to those skilled in the art of computer software. Alternatively, the present computer program instructions may be implemented by a computer program product.

1: electronic device
40: storage unit
41: memory
42: storage
50: processor

Claims (15)

In electronic devices,
memory,
in response to initiation of a process to run, identify a predicted usage of the memory that is expected to be used by the process;
identify a currently available capacity of the memory;
Based on the identified capacity and the identified predicted usage, it is determined whether or not to additionally secure the capacity of the memory, and selectively perform an additional securing operation of the capacity of the memory according to the determination result;
and a processor allocating the memory to the process in response to a memory allocation request of the process. According to claim 1,
The processor performs the additional securing operation based on the identified predicted usage exceeding the identified capacity, and based on the identified predicted usage does not exceed the identified capacity, the additional securing An electronic device that does not perform an action. According to claim 2,
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor does not perform the additional securing operation based on not being able to identify the predicted usage amount of the memory. According to claim 1,
The processor identifies the predicted usage based on the memory usage history of the process. According to claim 4,
The processor identifies an average of maximum memory usages of the process in the memory usage history as the predicted usage. According to claim 4,
The processor identifies a highest value among maximum memory usages of the process in the memory usage history as the predicted usage. According to claim 1,
The processor performs the additional securing operation by pre-allocating the memory and terminating one or more other processes being executed. According to claim 1,
Including more storage;
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor performs the additional securing operation by moving data of the memory pre-allocated to one or more other running processes to the storage. According to claim 1,
an interface unit communicating with an external device;
Further comprising a storage in which information about the predicted usage is stored,
The processor updates the information stored in the storage using update information received from the external device through the interface unit. According to claim 1,
a user input unit;
Further comprising a storage in which information about the predicted usage is stored,
The processor updates the information stored in the storage according to a user input through the user input unit. In the control method of the electronic device,
in response to initiation of a process to run, identifying a predicted usage of memory expected to be used by the process;
identifying a currently usable capacity of the memory;
Determining whether to additionally secure the capacity of the memory based on the identified capacity and the predicted usage, and selectively performing an additional securing operation of the capacity of the memory according to the determination result; ,
and allocating the memory to the process in response to a memory allocation request of the process. According to claim 11,
Allocating the memory to the process,
performing the additional reserving operation based on the identified predicted usage amount exceeding the identified capacity; and
and not performing the additional securing operation based on the identified predicted usage amount not exceeding the identified available usage amount. According to claim 12,
Allocating the memory to the process,
The control method of the electronic device further comprising not performing the additional securing operation based on not being able to identify the predicted memory usage. According to claim 11,
The step of identifying the predicted usage of the memory,
A control method of an electronic device for identifying the estimated usage amount based on the memory usage history of the process. According to claim 14,
Identifying the predicted usage based on the memory usage history of the process,
and identifying an average of maximum memory usages of the process in the memory usage history as the predicted usage.

Images