Method and apparatus for optimizing performance and battery life of electronic devices based on system and application parameters

Abstract

An electronic device (e.g., computer system, etc.) employing dynamic power management of the present invention adjusts power consumption in accordance with an analysis of parameters and events occurring over one or more time-periods. Preferably, the electronic device monitors microprocessor, operating system, peripheral and / or device-level events and adjusts run-time parameters, such as microprocessor clock frequency and voltage, to reduce power consumption with minimal perceived degradation in performance.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 333,535, entitled “Performance and Battery Life Optimization Based on System and Application Parameters” and filed Oct. 11, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to processing systems or devices and, more particularly, to adjustment of power used during operation of those devices. [0004] 2. Discussion of the Related Art [0005] Portable and autonomously powered electronic devices (e.g., computer systems, telephones, PDAs, etc.) are becoming more and more sophisticated, while at the same time, becoming smaller. These devices, whether powered by batteries, fuel cells, solar power, or some other power source, are capable of performing functions that have been traditionally relegated to large desktop and server computer...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention aims to reduce power consumption in electronic devices, which will extend their operating life. It achieves this by adjusting the operating frequency and / or voltage of the device based on an analysis of individual or a combination of low-level parameters, such as instructions-per-cycle, thread zones, and interrupt density, as well as environmental parameters, such as weather conditions, physical location, orientation, motion, time-of-day, and received wireless radio signal strength. The analysis can be conducted over plural time-periods, with each parameter providing a fixed or adjustable scaling or voting factor in determining if a specified power-saving threshold is achieved. The invention monitors microprocessor, operating system, peripheral, and device-level events and adjusts run-time parameters to reduce power consumption with minimal perceived degradation in performance."

Problems solved by technology

While the technology for portable electronic devices has progressed rapidly, improvements in battery capacity and energy density have not been as rapid.

As a result, a gap has developed between the processing capabilities of portable electronic devices and the battery life of those devices.

This gap has constrained the “autonomy” of portable electronic devices, reducing the amount of time between battery recharge or replacement, and thus limiting the true portability of these devices.

Often, designers of portable electronic devices must delicately balance battery parameters such as size, weight, and cost against the portability and operational characteristics of the device.

However, reducing clock frequency may also reduce instruction-processing performance.

By way of example, a display backlight may be turned off or the computer system itself may be disabled in response to a user not providing any input to the computer system for several minutes.

In particular, the related art techniques provide some straightforward capabilities to reduce power consumption through various optimizations; however, the power reduction achieved is limited.

Further, the related art techniques monitor individual or a few basic parameters to reduce power, thereby providing a simplistic approach that may enter a power conserving state at an inopportune time and consequently adversely affect performance.

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