TW201329706A - Electronic device, hibernation method and computer program product - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device comprising a non-volatile memory, a dynamic random access memory and a control unit. The dynamic random access memory comprises a standby area. The control unit loads a plurality of executed and cached program modules into the dynamic random access memory, and stores the executed and cached program modules which is not actively in use into the standby area. When the electronic device enters a hibernation mode, the control unit eliminates the data of the standby area of the dynamic random access memory to a predetermined degree, and stores the rest data of eliminated dynamic random access memory into the non-volatile memory.

Description

Electronic device, sleep method, and computer program product

The present invention relates to a method of dormancy, and more particularly to a method of quickly entering and leaving a sleep mode.

With the popularization of computer equipment prices, the number of desktop computers and portable computer devices owned by the consumer has gradually increased. However, in response to environmental considerations for energy conservation, and to extend the operating time of portable computers. Therefore, computer equipment has listed power consumption and management as an important consideration, such as providing standby and hibernation modes to save power, so that when users need to temporarily leave the computer, they can choose to put the computer into standby or sleep mode. Power saving purposes. When the user wakes up the computer again, it takes time to evoke the function of the computer and return the computer to its previous state.

The invention provides an electronic device comprising a non-volatile memory, a dynamic random access memory and a control unit. The DRAM includes a standby block. The control unit is configured to load the executed and prefetched plurality of program modules into the dynamic random access memory, and store the data and the code of the program module not used in the dynamic random access memory in the standby block. . Wherein, when the electronic device enters a sleep mode, the control unit clears the data in the standby block to a certain amount, and after clearing the data in the standby block, the remaining of the dynamic random access memory is cleared. Data is stored to non-volatile memory.

The present invention further provides a sleep method, which is applicable to an electronic device comprising: receiving a first instruction; and clearing, according to the first instruction, a memory capacity of a standby block in a dynamic random access memory to a predetermined amount, wherein the standby The block is used to store data and code of the program module that is not used in the dynamic random access memory; after clearing the memory capacity of the standby block in the dynamic random access memory to a certain amount, the block is cleared. The data in the DRAM is defined as a reply data and stored in a non-volatile memory; and the power supply is stopped to the DRAM and causes the electronic device to enter the sleep mode.

The invention also discloses a computer program product for loading by a machine and entering a sleep mode, the computer program product comprising a first code, when receiving an instruction, for reading a dynamic random memory Taking a memory capacity of one of the standby blocks in the memory; a second code for requesting the operating system of the machine to allocate the memory capacity of the standby block to the first code; a third code for releasing Or clearing the memory capacity allocated by the operating system of the machine to the standby block; a fourth code for loading the remaining data of the released or emptied DRAM into a non-volatile memory; and The fifth code, when the remaining data of the DRAM is loaded into the non-volatile memory, stops supplying power to the DRAM and causes the machine to enter the sleep mode.

The apparatus and method of use of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below. However, it is to be noted that many of the possible inventive concepts provided by the present invention can be implemented in various specific ranges. These specific examples are only intended to illustrate the apparatus and methods of use of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In a computer system (such as an electronic device using the Microsoft Windows operating system), its power management system can reduce power consumption by using the standby state defined by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). There are six states of S0~S5 defined in the advanced configuration and power interface: S0 power-on state represents the working state of the computer system. In the power-on state, the central processing unit CPU(s) of the computer executes commands, and the operating system and application program also Can be executed normally. In addition, in the power-on state, the central processing unit CPU and the hard disk, DVD drive and other computer devices can repeatedly enter and return from the low energy state; in the S1 power saving state, the central processing unit CPU stops working; in the S2 power saving state When the CPU of the central processing unit is turned off, no power is supplied; S3 standby state (Sleep), only memory power supply, also known as mounting to memory (Suspend to RAM), in the S3 state is a low wake time (Resume) time In the standby state (about 5 seconds or less), the computer system can be quickly restored to the working state (for example, the S0 state); the S4 sleep state (Hibernate) can also be called the Suspend to Disk, and It is a standby state with low power consumption and long wake-up delay time (for example, about 20 seconds or longer). The above S1~S4 are different power saving states or standby states, and the S5 state is the shutdown state. In the shutdown state S5, the software and the device of the computer are turned off, but some components are still charged, so that the computer can still be used by the keyboard. , clock, modem (phone wake up), LAN (Wake on LAN) and USB devices wake up. It should be noted that the power-on state, the standby state, the power-saving state, and the power-off state described in the present invention are not limited to the operating system of Microsoft Windows defined by ACPI. For example, the state in which the system is mounted to the memory defined by various power management programs in the Linux operating system or the Mac OS system can be regarded as the standby state (Sleep) of the case, and the system is mounted to the hard disk state. Can be seen as the sleep state of this case (Hibernate). It should be noted that in the present invention, the standby state (Sleep) and the sleep state (Hibernate) are collectively referred to as a sleep mode.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 100 disclosed in the present invention, wherein the electronic device 100 is suitable for the sleep method disclosed in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic device 100 includes a control unit 120 , a random access memory (RAM), a non-volatile memory 140, and a read-only memory 150. The control unit 120 can be Including an embedded controller, a chipset, and a single central processing unit (CPU) or a plurality of parallel central processing units (not shown) associated with a parallel processing environment. The read memory 150 is electrically coupled to the embedded controller. In addition, those skilled in the art can also implement the electronic device 100 on other system configurations, such as hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or Microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network computers, minicomputers, tablets, notebooks, mainframes, and the like.

When the electronic device 100 is powered on, the embedded controller in the control unit 120 reads the BIOS code in the read-only memory 150 to provide sufficient information of the electronic device 100 when the booting and the operating system switch, wherein the read-only memory The BIOS code in the body 150 is the core mechanism for controlling the entire boot process. The DRAM 130 is used to load a variety of programs and data for direct execution and operation by the control unit 120. It should be noted that the dynamic random access memory 130 of the present invention includes a standby block 160 for accessing data and code of a program module that is not used. The non-volatile memory 140 can include a flash ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electronic erasable programmable read-only memory, a scratchpad, a hard disk, and/or A computer readable storage medium of any other type known in the art for storing a program module executable by control unit 120. It should be noted that the non-volatile memory 140 can also be used to store the BIOS code and perform the functions of the read-only memory 150 described above. Generally, a program module includes a routine, a program, an object, a component, or a web service to perform an instant message conversion of a peer-to-peer communication system (instant). Message switch) function.

The chip group in the control unit 120 is electrically coupled between the components for transmitting control signals of the components in the electronic device 100. In one embodiment, the wafer set can be a North-South bridge integrated wafer or a South Bridge wafer. In addition, the chipset may further include a memory controller (not labeled, such as a DRAM controller) for dynamically random access memory 130. In addition, the control unit 120 is further configured to load the program module executed and prefetched in the non-volatile memory 140 into the dynamic random access memory 130, and the dynamic random access memory 130 is not included. The data and code of the used program module are stored in the standby block 160.

When the electronic device 100 enters a sleep mode, such as an S3 or S4 state defined by an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), the control unit 120 will enter the standby block 160 according to an instruction to enter the sleep mode. The data is cleared to a certain amount or all cleared, and after the data in the standby block 160 is cleared, the remaining data in the DRAM 130 is defined as a reply data and stored in the non-volatile memory 140. . The foregoing quantitative system is based on the principle of reducing the invalid prefetch data in the standby block 160, so as to reduce the data that needs to be reserved when the electronic device 100 enters the sleep mode, that is, the data needs to be reloaded when returning from the sleep mode to the normal operation. The information may be formulated by the designer, and the invention is not limited herein. It should be noted that, in the present invention, the control unit 120 is configured to clear the cache memory of the system of the electronic device 100 in the standby block 160, wherein the cache data can be read back from the file system at any time.

In addition, the sleep mode of the present invention places some components of the electronic device 100, such as the dynamic random access memory 130, the nonvolatile memory 140, and the display (not shown) in a stopped state, so that the electronic device 100 reduces the power. When the user wakes up the electronic device 100 again, the user quickly exits the sleep mode, and the display screen is completely restored to the screen when leaving. On the other hand, when the electronic device 100 enters the sleep mode, the operating state in the dynamic random memory 130 is stored in the non-volatile memory 140 and then the electronic device 100 is turned off. Therefore, when the user restarts the electronic device 100, the data previously stored in the non-volatile memory 140 is reloaded into the non-volatile memory 140, so that all the programs and files in use when the previous electronic device 100 is turned off are Restore to the monitor screen, that is, restore to the state before entering sleep mode.

Figure 2 is a flow chart showing a sleep method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The flow begins in step S200.

In step S200, the electronic device 100 receives a first command to trigger the electronic device 100 to enter a sleep mode, wherein the first command is a control signal that the electronic device 100 meets a predetermined condition, for example, a predetermined condition. The electronic device 100 can be idle for more than a predetermined time. The flow then proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the control unit 120 clears the memory capacity of the standby block 160 in the dynamic random access memory 130 to a predetermined amount according to the first instruction, wherein the standby block 160 is used to store the dynamic random access memory. There is no data and code of the program module used in the body 130. For example, the control unit 120 may require the operating system to allocate the memory capacity in the DRAM 130 to a program software. At this time, the operating system stores the DRAM 130 in the standby block 160. The data of the program module used and the memory capacity occupied by the code are assigned to the program software. After the memory capacity of the standby block 160 is allocated to the memory capacity of the program software to a certain amount, the operating system stops allocating the memory capacity of the dynamic random access memory 130 to the program software, and the program software is released. The memory capacity of the dynamic random access memory 130 allocated by the operating system, thereby achieving the effect of clearing the memory capacity of the standby block 160. It should be noted that in another embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic random access memory 130 clears all the data in the standby block 160. In addition, the DRAM 130 is configured to access the executed and prefetched complex program modules, and store the data and code of the program modules that are not used in the DRAM memory 130 on standby. In block 160. The flow then proceeds to step S204.

In step S204, after the control unit 120 clears the memory capacity of the standby block 160 in the dynamic random access memory 130 to a predetermined amount, the control unit 120 defines the remaining data in the dynamic random access memory 130 as a reply. The data is stored and stored in the non-volatile memory 140. The flow then proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the electronic device 100 stops supplying power to the dynamic random access memory 130, and causes the electronic device 100 to enter a sleep mode, such as S3 defined by the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). Or the S4 state. The flow then proceeds to step S208.

In step S208, the electronic device 100 receives a second command, wherein the second device is generated when the electronic device 100 meets a predetermined condition. For example, after the peripheral device of the electronic device 100 is enabled, the triggering electronic device 100 is generated by the sleep device. The mode returns to normal operation instructions. The flow then proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, according to the second instruction, the control unit 120 loads the reply data stored in the non-volatile memory 140 before entering the sleep mode into the dynamic random access memory 130. The flow then proceeds to step S212.

In step S212, the electronic device 100 is woken up by the sleep mode, and the electronic device 100 is returned to the state before the sleep according to the data in the dynamic random access memory 130. The flow ends in step S212.

Various embodiments of the invention have been described herein, but those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only by way of example and not limitation. Variations in form and detail may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the software code can enable the functions, fabrication, modeling, simulation, description, and/or testing of the apparatus and method described in the embodiments of the present invention, and can also be through a general program. Language (C, C++), Hardware Description Languages (HDL) (including Verilog HDL, VHDL, etc.), or other available programming languages or code. This software code can be configured on any known computer usable medium such as tape, semiconductor, disk, or optical disc (eg CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), internet, wired, wireless, or other Among the transmission methods of communication media. Furthermore, the apparatus and method of the present invention are implemented by a combination of a hardware and a soft body. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is defined by the scope of the appended claims. In particular, the present invention can be implemented in a processor device for use in a general purpose computer. In the following, the present invention is not limited to the scope of the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make a slight difference without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100. . . Electronic device

120. . . control unit

130. . . Dynamic random access memory

140. . . Nonvolatile memory

150. . . Read only memory

160. . . Standby block

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device disclosed in the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a sleep method of the present invention.

100. . . Electronic device

120. . . control unit

130. . . Dynamic random access memory

140. . . Nonvolatile memory

150. . . Read only memory

160. . . Standby block

Claims (10)

An electronic device comprising: a non-volatile memory; a dynamic random access memory comprising a standby block; and a control unit for loading the executed and prefetched plurality of program modules into the dynamic random access memory And storing the data and the code of the program module not used in the dynamic random access memory in the standby block; wherein when the electronic device enters a sleep mode, the control unit The data in the standby block is cleared to a predetermined amount, and after the data in the standby block is cleared, the remaining data in the cleared dynamic random access memory is stored in the nonvolatile memory. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the electronic device enters the sleep mode, the control unit clears all the data in the standby block. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory is used to store the program module, and the control unit loads the program module stored in the non-volatile memory into the above Executed in DRAM. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sleep mode is an S3 or S4 state defined by an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). A sleep method, applicable to an electronic device, comprising: receiving a first instruction; and clearing, according to the first instruction, a memory capacity of a standby block in a dynamic random access memory to a predetermined amount, wherein the standby The block is configured to store data and a program code of the program module not used in the dynamic random access memory; and clear the memory capacity of the standby block in the dynamic random access memory to the above quantized Deleting the data in the above-mentioned dynamic random access memory as a reply data, and storing the data in a non-volatile memory; and stopping the supply of power to the dynamic random access memory, and causing the electronic device to enter Sleep mode. The dormant method of claim 5, wherein the dynamic random access memory system is configured to access a plurality of program modules that are executed and prefetched, and the dynamic random access memory is not used. The data and code of the above program module are stored in the above-mentioned standby block. The dormancy method of claim 5, wherein the clearing the dynamic random access memory system clears all the data in the standby block. The sleep method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving a second instruction; loading the reply data stored in the non-volatile memory into the dynamic random access memory according to the second instruction And waking up the electronic device from the sleep mode, and returning the electronic device to a state before the sleep according to the reply data in the dynamic random access memory. The sleep method of claim 5, wherein the sleep mode is an S3 or S4 state defined by an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). A computer program product for loading by a machine and entering a sleep mode, the computer program product comprising: a first code, when receiving an instruction, for reading a dynamic random access memory a memory capacity of one of the standby blocks; a second code for requesting the operating system of the machine to allocate the memory capacity of the standby block to the first code; a third code for releasing Or clearing the memory capacity allocated by the operating system of the above machine to the standby block; a fourth code for loading the remaining data of the dynamic random access memory after being released or emptied into a non-volatile memory And a fifth code, when the remaining data of the dynamic random access memory is loaded into the nonvolatile memory, stopping supplying power to the dynamic random access memory and causing the device to enter the sleep mode.