US Patent 10409744 Low-latency wake-up in a peripheral device

A processor in a peripheral device can include a wait-for-event mechanism, through which the processor can enter low-power mode and be woken from lower-power mode with an event. Using an event, rather than an interrupt, allows the processor to wake without the latency incurred by an interrupt handling routine. In various implementations, the processor may be configured to execute a sequence of instructions that include a wait-for-event instruction. The wait-for-event instruction can be called when the processor is idle. The wait-for-event instruction may initiate a low-power mode for the processor, wherein the processor suspends executing the sequence of instructions. The processor may further be configured to receive, at an event input, an event signal. The event signal may cause the processor to exit the low-power mode and to resume executing the sequence of instructions from the point at which the processor suspended executing the sequence of instructions.