JP7145718B2 - Information processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device.

Information processing apparatuses are known that control the operating frequency of a processor according to an application program or according to a user's operation speed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2014-182512 A JP 2015-043165 A

The start-up processing time from the start of the application program start-up process to the end of the start-up process varies depending on factors such as the size of the configuration file read at start-up and the number of function addition programs (add-ins) read at start-up. . In addition, depending on the application program, there are those whose load constantly fluctuates during operation, and those whose load suddenly fluctuates when the scene changes, such as in a game. The technique of controlling the operating frequency of the processor according to the type of application and the operation speed by the user has room for improvement in terms of fluctuations in boot processing time and load fluctuations.

One aspect of the technology disclosed herein aims to provide an information processing apparatus capable of more preferably controlling the operating frequency of a processor.

One aspect of the technology disclosed is exemplified by the following information processing device. The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores an operation time from the start of activation processing to the end of activation processing of an activity, which is a processing unit in an application program, in association with identification information of the activity, and measures the operation time of the activity. a measurement unit that stores the measured operating time in the storage unit in association with identification information of the activity; and a control unit that controls an operating frequency of a processor, wherein is stored in the storage unit, the operating frequency of the processor is increased during the operating time.

This information processing apparatus can more preferably control the operating frequency of the processor.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a smartphone according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing exchange of information of each component illustrated in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an action history table stored in the action history saving area. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS hierarchical structure. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the smartphone according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the activation processing time of an activity is long. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a smartphone according to the second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing exchange of information of each component illustrated in FIG. FIG. 10 is an example of a governor selection table stored in the parameter storage area. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a load table stored in the parameter save area. FIG. 12 is a graph showing an example of correspondence between CPU power consumption and operating frequency. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an action history table stored in an action history saving area according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram generated by the governor adjustment unit; FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation history saving processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of governor table selection processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the second embodiment.

Embodiments will be described below. The configuration of the embodiment shown below is an example, and the disclosed technology is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. The information processing apparatus according to this embodiment has, for example, the following configuration.

(Configuration of information processing device)
a storage unit that stores activation processing time from the start of activation processing to the end of activation processing of an activity, which is a processing unit in an application program, in association with identification information of the activity;
a measurement unit that measures a startup processing time of the activity, associates the measured startup processing time with identification information of the activity, and stores the measured startup processing time in the storage unit;
A control unit that controls the operating frequency of the processor,
When the activation processing time corresponding to the activated activity is stored in the storage unit, the control unit increases the operating frequency of the processor during the activation processing time.
Information processing equipment.

A processor is, for example, an integrated circuit that performs arithmetic processing such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Microprocessor Unit (MPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or the like. For example, when an application program has a graphical user interface (GUI), one activity is from the start of drawing each window screen to the transition to the next window screen or the end of the window screen. The activation processing time from the start of activity activation processing to the end of activation processing differs for each activity. For pre-installed application programs, it is possible to measure the startup processing time for each activity and store it in the storage unit before shipping the product. Can not.

In this embodiment, the acquisition unit acquires the activation processing time from the start of activation processing to the end of activation processing of the activated activity, and stores the acquired activation processing time in the storage unit. When the activation processing time of the activated activity is stored in the storage unit, the control unit can shorten the activation processing of the activity by increasing the operating frequency of the processor during the activation processing time. Increasing the operating frequency of the processor may include maximizing the operating frequency within a configurable range of the processor or increasing the minimum operating frequency of the processor.

This embodiment may have the following features. When the identification information of the activity whose operation time is measured is stored in the storage unit, the measurement unit updates the operation time associated with the activity in the storage unit to the measured operation time. With this feature, even if the activation processing time of the activity varies, the period during which the operating frequency of the processor is increased can follow the varied activation processing time.

This embodiment may have the following features. The storage unit further stores control information of the processing capacity of the processor for each load of the activity, the measurement unit further measures the load from the end of the activation process to the end of the activity, The measured load is associated with the identification information of the activity and stored in the storage unit, the control unit further selects the control information based on the measured load, and according to the selected control information, the Control the processor.

In the control information, for example, the load factor of the processor and the operating frequency of the processor are associated with each other, and a plurality of pieces of control information are prepared according to the load of the activity. The control unit selects control information based on the activity load measured by the measurement unit. The control unit, for example, sets the processor to the operating frequency associated with the current load factor of the processor in the control information. Through such processing, it is possible to maintain a favorable balance between the operating frequency and power consumption of the processor according to the load during operation of the activity.

This embodiment may have the following features. The measurement unit measures the load based on an operating frequency at which a rate of increase in power consumption with respect to an increase in operating frequency of the processor is higher than a predetermined value. The power consumption of the processor does not increase linearly as the operating frequency increases, but the rate of increase in power consumption increases at a certain operating frequency. With such features, control information can be selected according to the characteristics of the operating frequency and power consumption of the processor.

The present embodiment will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a smartphone according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing exchange of information of each component illustrated in FIG. A smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment includes an application processor 10 , a storage unit 11 , a clock controller 12 , a power control unit 13 , a battery 14 , a communication unit 15 , a display unit 16 and an input unit 17 .

The storage unit 11 is exemplified as a storage unit accessed by the application processor 10 . The storage unit 11 includes Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). Storage unit 11 includes operation history storage area 112 . Various application programs 113 and an operating system (OS) 114 are also stored in the storage unit 11 .

The storage unit 11 may include an auxiliary storage unit that stores various programs and various data in a readable and writable recording medium. Auxiliary storage is also called external storage. The auxiliary storage unit is, for example, Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Solid State Drive (SSD), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or the like. Further, the auxiliary storage unit is, for example, a Compact Disc (CD) drive device, a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) drive device, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc (BD) drive device, or the like.

The operation history storage area 112 stores the load from the start of activation processing of the activity of the application program 113 to the end of the activation processing for each activity. Here, an activity is a processing unit of the application program 113 . For example, if the application program 113 has a graphical user interface (GUI), one activity is from the start of drawing each window screen to the transition to the next window screen. Also, if the activity is a window screen, the state of completion of activation processing is the state in which drawing of the window screen is completed. In addition, the state of completion of activation processing may be a state in which the activity has transitioned to a state in which operation instructions from the user or the like can be accepted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an action history table stored in the action history saving area. In the action history table 1121 stored in the action history saving area 112, "activity name" and "start processing time" are associated with each other. The "activity name" stores the name of the activity. The information stored in the "activity name" is not limited to the name as long as it identifies the activity. The "activity name" may store, for example, an ID that uniquely identifies the activity. The "start processing time" stores the processing time from the start of activity start processing to the end of start processing. The operation history storage area 112 is an example of a “storage unit”.

Application programs 113 are various programs executed by CPU 101 . Examples of the application programs 113 include Internet browsers, mail clients, Social Networking Service (SNS) clients, games, and the like. When the application program 113 is activated by the user, it transmits a activation notification to the OS 114 . Also, when the application program 113 is terminated by the user, it transmits a termination notification to the OS 114 .

The OS 114 is basic software that provides input/output processing of the smartphone 1, process schedule management, an interface between hardware and software, and the like. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an OS hierarchical structure. FIG. 4 also illustrates the hierarchy of hardware indicating the CPU 101 and the like and the hierarchy of the application program 113 executed on the OS 114 .

OS 114 includes kernel 1141 and system services 1142 . The kernel 1141 abstracts the hardware of the smartphone 1 and makes hardware resources available to software such as the application program 113 . Also, the kernel 1141 enables control of processes, control of the operating frequency of the CPU 101, and the like.

The system service 1142 executes processing such as activation of the application program 113 . When the system service 1142 receives the activation notification from the application program 113, it notifies the kernel 1141 of the start of activation of the application. Further, the system service 1142 starts activation processing of the application program 113 concerned. The activation process includes, for example, drawing process of the window screen of the application program 113 . When the system service 1142 completes the activation process of the application program 113 , it sends a completion notification indicating that the application program 113 has been activated to the kernel 1141 . Further, when the system service 1142 receives a termination notification from the application program 113, it notifies the kernel 1141 of termination of the application program 113 concerned.

The clock controller 12 sets the operating frequency (clock frequency) of the CPU 101 . The clock controller 12 sets the operating frequency of the CPU 101 according to the instruction from the frequency control unit 105 .

The power control unit 13 controls power supplied from the battery 14 to the application processor 10 . The power control unit 13 controls power supplied to the application processor 10 according to instructions from the frequency control unit 105 . The battery 14 is a secondary battery that supplies power to each part of the smartphone 1 including the application processor 10 .

The communication unit 15 is an interface of the computer network. The communication unit 15 communicates with an external device via a computer network. The communication unit 15 is, for example, a Network Interface Card (NIC).

The display unit 16 is an output unit that outputs data processed by the CPU 101 and data stored in the storage unit 11 . The display unit 16 is, for example, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Plasma Display Panel (PDP), an Electroluminescence (EL) panel, an organic EL panel, or the like.

The input unit 17 receives an operation instruction or the like from a user or the like. The input unit 17 is, for example, a keyboard, pointing device, touch panel, or the like.

The application processor 10 performs various controls of the smart phone 1 . Application processor 10 is a System on a Chip (SoC) that includes integrated circuits that perform various processes. Integrated circuits include Large Scale Integrated Circuit (LSI), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLD)
including. PLDs include, for example, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The application processor 10 includes, for example, a CPU 101, a scheduler 102, a governor adjustment section 103, a governor control section 104, a frequency control section 105 and a voltage control section .

The CPU 101 is also called a microprocessor unit (MPU) or processor. The CPU 101 is not limited to a single processor, and may have a multiprocessor configuration. Also, a single CPU 101 connected by a single socket may have a multi-core configuration. The CPU 101 executes an application program 113 stored in the storage unit 11, for example. The operating frequency of the CPU 101 is changed according to instructions from the clock controller 12 .

The CPU 101 operates as the scheduler 102 , the governor adjustment unit 103 , the governor control unit 104 , the frequency control unit 105 and the voltage control unit 106 by executing the kernel 1141 of the OS 114 stored in the storage unit 11 .

A scheduler 102 schedules each process executed by the CPU 101 . Scheduling controls the system resources allocated to each process. System resources are, for example, processor time for the CPU 101 to execute processes, a communication band used for communication by processes, and the like. In scheduling, priority may be set for each process. In this case, the scheduler 102 preferentially allocates system resources to processes with high priority.

The governor adjustment unit 103 refers to the operation history storage area 112 and acquires the activation processing time from the start of activity activation processing to the end of activation processing. The governor adjustment unit 103 notifies the governor control unit 104 of the acquired startup processing time. The governor adjustment unit 103 is an example of a "measurement unit".

The governor control unit 104 controls the frequency control unit 105 so that the frequency of the CPU 101 is set to the maximum clock within the settable range (hereinafter also referred to as the maximum clock) during the activation processing time notified from the governor adjustment unit 103. do. In this control, for example, the governor control unit 104 notifies the frequency control unit 105 of the maximum clock. Governor control unit 104 is an example of a “control unit”.

The frequency control unit 105 receives specification of the clock frequency from the governor control unit 104 . The frequency control unit 105 notifies the clock controller 12 of the specified clock frequency, and causes the clock controller 12 to supply the specified clock frequency.

The voltage control section 106 controls the voltage supplied by the power control section 13 . The voltage control section 106 may monitor the remaining amount of the battery 14 .

(processing flow)
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the smartphone according to the first embodiment; FIG. An example of the processing flow of the smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 5 .

At T<b>1 , the governor adjustment unit 103 acquires the activity name of the application program 113 started from the system service 1142 of the OS 114 . At T2, the governor adjustment unit 103 determines whether the activity name acquired at T1 is stored in the operation history table 1121 or not. If it is stored (YES in T2), the process proceeds to T3. If not stored (NO in T2), the process proceeds to T5.

At T3, the governor adjustment unit 103 acquires the activation processing time associated with the activity name acquired at T1 from the operation history table 1121 . At T4, the governor adjustment unit 103 notifies the governor control unit 104 of the startup processing time acquired at T3. The governor control unit 104 controls the frequency control unit 105 so that the operation clock of the CPU 101 is set to the maximum clock during the notified startup processing time. The frequency control unit 105 controls the clock controller 12 to set the operating clock of the CPU 101 to the maximum clock during the notified startup processing time.

At T5, the governor adjustment unit 103 measures the activation processing time of the application program 113 activated at T1. The start processing time is measured, for example, by measuring the time from when the system service 1142 notifies the start notification to when the completion notification is notified.

At T6, the governor adjustment unit 103 associates the activity name obtained at T1 with the activation processing time measured at T5 and stores them in the operation history table 1121. FIG. If an activity name with the same name has already been registered in the operation history table 1121, the activation processing time associated with the activity name may be updated to the activation processing time measured at T5.

<Action and effect of the first embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an example of fluctuations in the operating clock and load factor when an activity is activated. The vertical axis in FIG. 6 indicates the operating frequency or load factor of the CPU 101, and the horizontal axis indicates time. Also, the maximum clock within the settable range of the CPU 101 is indicated by "MAX", and the minimum clock within the settable range of the CPU 101 is indicated by "MIN". FIG. 6A shows an example of when an activity is started for the first time, and FIG. 6B shows an example of a case where the period during which the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock is extended from the start of activity start processing to the end of start processing. . In FIG. 6A, the activation processing time from the start of activity activation processing to the completion of activation processing is 1000 ms. Also, in FIG. 6B, the activation processing time from the start of activity activation processing to the completion of activation processing is 900 ms. As can be understood by comparing FIGS. 6A and 6B, by extending the period during which the activity operates at the maximum clock from the start of the activation process to the end of the activation process, the activation processing time of the activity can be shortened. In addition, since the period during which the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock is until the end of the activation process, it is possible to suppress an increase in the power consumption of the CPU 101 compared to the case where the CPU 101 continues to operate at the maximum clock while the activity is running. .

In the first embodiment, when the activation processing time of the activated activity is not stored in the operation history table 1121, the activation processing time of the activity is measured and the measured activation processing time is stored in the operation history table 1121. When the activity is activated next time, the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock during the activation processing time stored in the operation history table 1121 . Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to shorten the activation processing time even for an activity whose activation processing time is unknown.

The activation processing time of an activity fluctuates depending on the increase or decrease in the file size read in the activation processing of the application program 113, the increase or decrease in the number of add-ons to be incorporated, and the like. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the activation processing time of an activity is long. FIG. 7A shows an example of a case where, as a result of the activation processing time becoming longer, the activity activation processing time becomes longer than the maximum clock operation period during which the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock. Further, FIG. 7B shows an example of a case where the maximum clock operation time in which the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock is extended in accordance with the lengthened startup processing time. In the first embodiment, the activation processing time is measured and stored in the operation history table 1121 even for an activity whose activation processing time has already been stored in the operation history table 1121 . Therefore, according to the first embodiment, even if the startup processing time varies as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the startup processing time stored in the operation history table 1121 is updated to the changed startup processing time. be done. Therefore, it is possible to operate the CPU 101 at the maximum clock during the varied startup processing time, and the startup processing time can be shortened as shown in FIG. 7B.

In the first embodiment, the operating frequency of the CPU 101 during the boot processing time is set to the maximum clock to shorten the boot processing time. Processing time may be shortened.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the CPU 101 operates at the maximum clock during activity activation processing. In the second embodiment, the operating clock of the CPU is set in accordance with the load fluctuation after completion of the activation process of the activity. Constituent elements common to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. A second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a smartphone according to the second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing exchange of information of each component illustrated in FIG. A smartphone 1a according to the second embodiment differs from the smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a parameter storage area 111, an operation history storage area 112a, a governor adjustment unit 103a, and a governor control unit 104a.

The parameter storage area 111 stores various parameters used for governor control. FIG. 10 is an example of a governor selection table stored in the parameter storage area. The governor selection table 1111 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes items of "governor parameter", "pattern", "maximum frequency", "minimum frequency" and "CPU parameter". "Governor parameter" stores a number that uniquely identifies a set of maximum frequency, minimum frequency, and CPU parameter associated with each load (high load, medium load, and low load in the example of FIG. 10). . The “pattern” stores a state indicating the load state of the CPU 101 . In the example of FIG. 10, "pattern" stores one of "high load", "medium load", and "low load". The maximum frequency for driving the CPU 101 is stored in the "maximum frequency". The minimum frequency for driving the CPU 101 is stored in the "minimum frequency". That is, the frequency of the CPU 101 can transition between the frequency stored in the "minimum frequency" and the frequency stored in the "maximum frequency". An ID for identifying a load table applied to the CPU 101 is stored in the "CPU parameter". The load table will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a load table stored in the parameter save area. A load table 1112 is prepared for each “pattern” stored in the governor selection table 1111 . FIG. 11A shows an example of the load table 1112a used when the "pattern" in the governor selection table 1111 is "high load". FIG. 11B shows an example of the load table 1112b used when the "pattern" in the governor selection table 1111 is "low load". The load table 1112 includes items of "operating frequency" and "load". "Operating frequency" stores the clock frequency for operating the CPU 101 . The load factor of the CPU 101 is stored in the "load". The load factor is indicated by percentage (%), for example. The load table 1112 is an example of "control information".

In the second embodiment, the classification of “high load”, “medium load” and “low load” is determined in consideration of power consumption of the CPU 101 . The power consumption of the CPU 101 varies depending on the operating frequency. FIG. 12 is a graph showing an example of correspondence between CPU power consumption and operating frequency. In the graph of FIG. 12, the vertical axis indicates the power consumption of the CPU 101, and the horizontal axis indicates the operating frequency. As can be understood by referring to FIG. 12, the power consumption of the CPU 101 does not change in proportion to the operating frequency of the CPU 101, but increases at a certain operating frequency. In this embodiment, this boundary is called a change point R, and the classification of "high load", "middle load", and "low load" is determined in consideration of this change point R. The change point R may be determined by testing at the time of designing the smartphone 1a or the like.

The operation history storage area 112a stores the operation time and load information for each activity in association with each other. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an action history table stored in an action history saving area according to the second embodiment. The activity history table 1121a stores "activity name", "operating time" and "load information" in association with each other. The “activity name” is the same as that of the action history table 1121, so the explanation is omitted. "Operating time" is the time from the completion of activation processing of an activity to the end of the activity. "Load information" stores information indicating the load of the activity. The "load information" exemplified in FIG. 13 stores information indicating the load of the activity in three levels of "high load", "medium load", and "low load".

The governor adjustment unit 103a measures the operating time of the activity being executed and the load of the activity during the operating time. In the load measurement, the governor adjustment unit 103a may generate, for example, a histogram indicating the frequency of the activity load for each operating frequency of the CPU 101. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a histogram acquired by the governor adjustment unit; In FIG. 14 , the vertical axis indicates the ratio of the operating frequency of the CPU 101 in the activity being executed, and the horizontal axis indicates the operating frequency of the CPU 101 . In FIG. 14, the operating frequency ratio is acquired at intervals of 0.1 GHz, but the acquisition interval is not limited to 0.1 GHz. Since the operating frequencies that can be set differ depending on the type of CPU, the governor adjustment unit 103a may obtain the operating frequency ratio for each of the operating frequencies that can be set for the CPU.

The governor adjustment unit 103a determines the activity load based on the generated histogram. For example, in the generated histogram, if the CPU 101 operates frequently in the range below the change point R, the governor adjustment unit 103a determines that the CPU 101 operates in the range beyond the change point R. If the frequency of operation of the CPU 101 is high, it may be determined to be "high load", and if the frequency of operation of the CPU 101 at each operating frequency is about the same, it may be determined to be "medium load". In addition, the governor adjustment unit 103a changes the criteria for determining "high load", "medium load", and "low load" depending on whether the purpose is to reduce power consumption or to improve processing speed. You may The governor adjustment unit 103a associates the operation time of the activity and the load of the activity with the activity name and stores them in the operation history table 1121a.

Also, the governor adjustment unit 103a acquires the "load information" of the activity for which the activation process has been completed from the operation history table 1121a. The governor adjustment unit 103a notifies the acquired "load information" to the governor control unit 104a.

The governor control unit 104 a refers to the parameter storage area 111 to obtain the governor table corresponding to the “load information” notified from the governor adjustment unit 103 . The governor control unit 104a controls the frequency control unit 105 according to the acquired governor table.

(processing flow)
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation history saving processing according to the second embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same processes as in FIG. 5, and the description thereof is omitted. An example of the operation history saving process according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 15 .

At T11, the governor adjustment unit 103a acquires the activation processing end time of the activity. The activation processing end time can be said to be the time when the activity becomes operable by the user. As described above, the governor adjustment unit 103a can detect the end of the activation process of the activity by the completion notification from the system service 1142. FIG.

At T12, the governor adjustment unit 103a acquires information on the operating frequency of the CPU 101. FIG. Information on the operating frequency may be obtained by associating the operating frequency with the duration of the operating frequency. The governor adjustment unit 103a acquires information that, for example, 0.8 GHz continues for 3 seconds, 1.0 GHz continues for 2 seconds, 1.3 GHz continues for 5 seconds, and 0.9 GHz continues for 1 second. The acquired information may be stored in the storage unit 11, for example.

At T13, the governor adjustment unit 103a determines whether or not the activity has ended. The governor adjustment unit 103a can detect the end of the activity by being notified of the end from the system service 1042, for example. When the activity ends (T1
3 YES), the process proceeds to T14. If the activity has not ended (NO in T13), the process proceeds to T12.

At T14, the governor adjustment unit 103a acquires the end time of the activity. At T15, the governor adjustment unit 103a calculates the operating time of the activity based on the activation process end time acquired at T11 and the activity end time acquired at T14. The governor adjustment unit 103a generates a histogram indicating the frequency of the operating frequency of the CPU 101 based on the calculated operating time and the information acquired at T12. That is, the governor adjustment unit 103a may generate a histogram based on how long the CPU 101 has operated at what operating frequency during the operating time.

At T16, the governor adjustment unit 103a measures the load of the activity based on the generated histogram and considering the change point R. At T17, the governor adjustment unit 103a associates the load of the activity determined at T16 with the activity name, and stores them in the operation history table 1121a.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of governor table selection processing according to the second embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same processes as in FIG. 5, and the description thereof is omitted. An example of the governor table selection process according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

At T21, the governor adjustment unit 103a determines whether or not the activity name obtained at T1 is stored in the operation history table 1121a. If it is stored (YES in T21), the process proceeds to T22. If not stored (NO in T21), the process proceeds to T25.

At T22, the governor adjustment unit 103a acquires load information associated with the activity name acquired at T1 from the operation history table 1121a. The governor adjustment unit 103a notifies the acquired load information to the governor control unit 104a.

At T23, the governor control unit 104a selects a governor table by referring to the parameter storage area 111 based on the load information notified at T22. At T24, the governor control unit 104a controls the clock frequency supplied to the CPU 101 by controlling the frequency control unit 105 according to the governor table selected at T23.

At T25, the governor control unit 104a selects a default governor table. Which governor table to use as the default governor table should be determined in advance. For example, as the default governor table, a governor table whose “load information” is “medium load” may be adopted. At T26, the operation history saving process described with reference to FIG. 15 is executed.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the activity load is measured in a state in which the user can operate after the start-up process is completed, and the governor table is selected based on the measured load. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the governor table associates the load factor with the operating frequency according to the activity load. That is, when an activity with a high load is being executed, the operating speed of the activity can be improved by increasing the operating frequency of the CPU 101 while the load on the CPU 101 is low. Also, when a low-load activity is being executed, power consumption is reduced by suppressing an increase in the operating frequency of the CPU 101 until the load on the CPU 101 increases to some extent.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the second embodiment. In FIG. 17, the vertical axis indicates the operating frequency of the CPU 101, and the horizontal axis indicates time. FIG. 17 illustrates a transition state from low load activity 1 to high load activity 2 at time t. In FIG. 17, the dotted line illustrates the transition of the operating frequency before applying the second embodiment, and the solid line illustrates the transition of the operating frequency after applying the second embodiment. As can be understood by referring to FIG. 17, the variation in operating frequency is greater before applying the second embodiment than after applying the second embodiment. That is, by applying the second embodiment, it is possible to shift the operating frequency in the low load activity 1 to a low state and to shift the operating frequency in the high load activity 2 to a high state. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to maintain a good balance between the operation speed of the activity after the activation of the activity is completed and the power consumption of the smartphone 1a.

In the second embodiment, the load is measured not for each application program 113 but for each activity, which is a processing unit within the application program 113, and a governor table is selected. Therefore, for example, a governor table suitable for each activity can be applied to the application program 113, such as a game program, in which the load fluctuates sharply for each scene.

In the second embodiment, the information stored in the "load information" of the operation history table 1121a is exemplified in three levels of "high load", "medium load", and "low load". The information provided is not limited to such information. The information stored in the "load information" may be, for example, the load factor of the CPU 101, a histogram of the operating clock of the CPU 101, or a governor parameter selected according to the activity load.

Although each embodiment has been described above using a smartphone, the application target of the technology disclosed herein is not limited to smartphones. The disclosed technology is suitable for portable information processing devices equipped with various batteries, such as notebook personal computers, tablet computers, and wearable computers.

The embodiments and modifications disclosed above can be combined. For example, by combining the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the CPU 101 may be driven at the maximum clock during the activation process of the activity, and the governor table suitable for the activity may be applied after the activation process is finished. . Through such processing, it is possible to maintain a suitable balance between the operation speed of the activity and the power consumption of the smartphone while shortening the activation processing time of the activity.

<<Computer-readable recording medium>>
An information processing program that causes a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter referred to as a computer or the like) to implement any of the functions described above can be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. By causing a computer or the like to read and execute the program of this recording medium, the function can be provided.

Here, a computer-readable recording medium is a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer, etc. Say. Examples of such recording media that can be removed from a computer or the like include flexible discs, magneto-optical discs, Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disc-ReWriterable. (CD-RW), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), Blu-ray Disc (BD), Digital Audio Tape (DAT), 8 mm tape, and memory cards such as flash memory. In addition, there are a hard disk, a ROM, and the like as recording media fixed to a computer or the like.

1, 1a... Smartphone 10... Application processor 101... CPU
102... Scheduler 103, 103a... Governor adjustment unit 104, 104a... Governor control unit 105... Frequency control unit 106... Voltage control unit 11... Storage unit 111... Parameter storage area 1111... Governor selection table 112... Operation history storage area 1121, 1121a... Operation history table 113... Application program 114... OS
1141... Kernel 1142... System service 12... Clock controller 13... Power control unit 14... Battery 15... Communication unit 16... Display unit 17... Input unit

Claims (6)

a storage unit that stores an operation time from the start of activation processing to the end of activation processing of an activity, which is a processing unit in an application program, in association with identification information of the activity;
a measurement unit that measures the operating time of the activity, associates the measured operating time with identification information of the activity, and stores it in the storage unit;
A control unit that controls the operating frequency of the processor,
When the operating time corresponding to the activated activity is stored in the storage unit, the control unit increases the operating frequency of the processor during the operating time.
Information processing equipment. The process by which the control unit increases the operating frequency of the processor includes maximizing the operating frequency of the processor within a settable range,
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The process by which the control unit increases the operating frequency of the processor includes increasing the minimum operating frequency of the processor,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. When the identification information of the activity whose operation time is measured is stored in the storage unit, the measurement unit updates the operation time associated with the activity in the storage unit to the measured operation time.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The storage unit further stores control information of the processing capacity of the processor for each load of the activity,
The measurement unit further measures the load from the end of the activation process to the end of the operation of the activity, stores the measured load in the storage unit in association with the identification information of the activity,
The control unit further selects the control information based on the measured load, and controls the processor according to the selected control information.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The measurement unit measures the load based on an operating frequency at which a rate of increase in power consumption with respect to an increase in the operating frequency of the processor is higher than a predetermined value.
The information processing device according to claim 5 .

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