Method for performing system power control within an electronic device, and associated apparatus

Abstract

A method for performing system power control within an electronic device and an associated apparatus are provided. The method includes the steps of: utilizing a power consumption index generator positioned in a specific subsystem to generate a power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem, where the electronic device includes a plurality of subsystems, and the specific subsystem is one of the plurality of subsystems; and triggering a power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the power consumption index. For example, the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem may represent a power consumption value of the specific subsystem, and the method may further include: comparing the power consumption value of the specific subsystem with a peak power threshold to determine whether the power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches the peak power threshold to generate a determining result, for triggering the power limiter protection operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for performing system power control within an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:
 utilizing a power consumption index generator positioned in a specific subsystem to generate a power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem, wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of subsystems, and the specific subsystem is one of the plurality of subsystems; and   triggering a power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the power consumption index.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem represents a power consumption value of the specific subsystem; and the method further comprises:
 comparing the power consumption value of the specific subsystem with a peak power threshold to determine whether the power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches the peak power threshold to generate a determining result; and   triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device comprises:
 reducing an operational frequency of at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by hardware-masking a clock signal supplied to the at least one component.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device comprises:
 reducing an operational frequency of at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by performing dynamic frequency scaling on a clock signal supplied to the at least one component.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device comprises:
 reducing a supply voltage supplied to at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by performing dynamic voltage scaling on the supply voltage.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device comprises:
 delaying a power-on request and/or a clock-on request from a non-critical component within the electronic device according to the power consumption index; and/or   delaying a power-on request and/or a clock-on request from a non-critical application installed on the electronic device according to the power consumption index.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem indicates a specific status of the specific subsystem, and the specific status is a predefined status within a plurality of predefined statuses of the specific subsystem; and the method further comprises:
 determining a power consumption value of the specific subsystem according to the specific status indicated by the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem;   comparing the power consumption value of the specific subsystem with a peak power threshold to determine whether the power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches the peak power threshold to generate a determining result; and   triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 utilizing another power consumption index generator positioned in another subsystem to generate another power consumption index corresponding to the other subsystem, wherein the other subsystem is another of the plurality of subsystems;   determining whether power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches a peak power threshold according to the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem and according to the other power consumption index corresponding to the other subsystem to generate a determining result; and   triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 raising an interrupt request (IRQ) according to the power consumption index, to trigger the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 asserting a specific signal according to the power consumption index, to trigger the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device.   
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for performing system power control within an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a plurality of subsystems, the apparatus comprising:
 a power consumption index generator, positioned in a specific subsystem of the plurality of subsystems, capable of generating a power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem; and   a processing circuit, coupled to the power consumption index generator, capable of triggering a power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the power consumption index.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem represents a power consumption value of the specific subsystem; and the processing circuit is capable of comparing the power consumption value of the specific subsystem with a peak power threshold to determine whether the power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches the peak power threshold to generate a determining result, and triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein during the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device, the processing circuit is capable of reducing an operational frequency of at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by hardware-masking a clock signal supplied to the at least one component. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein during the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device, the processing circuit is capable of reducing an operational frequency of at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by performing dynamic frequency scaling on a clock signal supplied to the at least one component. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein during the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device, the processing circuit is capable of reducing a supply voltage supplied to at least one component within the electronic device for a predetermined time period by performing dynamic voltage scaling on the supply voltage. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein during the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device, the processing circuit is capable of delaying a power-on request and/or a clock-on request from a non-critical component within the electronic device according to the power consumption index; and/or the processing circuit is capable of delaying a power-on request and/or a clock-on request from a non-critical application installed on the electronic device according to the power consumption index. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem indicates a specific status of the specific subsystem, and the specific status is a predefined status within a plurality of predefined statuses of the specific subsystem; and the processing circuit is capable of determining a power consumption value of the specific subsystem according to the specific status indicated by the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem, and is capable of comparing the power consumption value of the specific subsystem with a peak power threshold to determine whether the power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches the peak power threshold to generate a determining result, and is capable of triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is capable of utilizing another power consumption index generator positioned in another subsystem to generate another power consumption index corresponding to the other subsystem, wherein the other subsystem is another of the plurality of subsystems;
 and the processing circuit is capable of determining whether power consumed by the specific subsystem reaches a peak power threshold according to the power consumption index corresponding to the specific subsystem and according to the other power consumption index corresponding to the other subsystem to generate a determining result, and is capable of triggering the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device according to the determining result.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is capable of raising an interrupt request (IRQ) according to the power consumption index, to trigger the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is capable of asserting a specific signal according to the power consumption index, to trigger the power limiter protection operation for the electronic device.