AR/VR Power State Control for Thermal and UX Tradeoffs
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Solution Overview
Problem
AR/VR wearable devices face challenges in power, performance, and thermal management due to their unique form-factor, high performance demands, and heavy usage, leading to inadequate battery life and uncomfortable thermals, with traditional smartphone/mobile device power-management techniques failing to provide effective solutions.
Innovation Solution
Adaptive cross-layer power, thermal, and performance management within AR/VR display devices, utilizing a central service to reconfigure power states of individual subsystems and adjust application performance modes to optimize resource usage and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional smartphone/mobile device power-management techniques are used in AR/VR wearable devices, then device complexity is reduced, but power consumption and thermal management become inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The power management system is segmented into multiple independent components including a power manager that monitors system state, a thermal manager that controls thermal conditions, and an application manager that coordinates application behavior. Each component operates independently but communicates through defined interfaces, allowing granular control over power consumption without requiring complete system redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The power management system dynamically adjusts operational parameters based on real-time system state including temperature, battery level, and application requirements. The system transitions between different power modes and thermal states adaptively, enabling optimal power consumption management that responds to changing conditions rather than using static configurations.
2Productivity
If high performance modes are maintained continuously, then user experience quality is improved, but power consumption and thermal generation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial performance action by delivering high performance only when and where needed rather than continuously. The power manager selectively enables high-performance modes for specific applications or time periods based on system state, allowing sufficient performance delivery while avoiding excessive power consumption that would occur with continuous high-performance operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters dynamically based on system state. When thermal conditions or battery levels indicate constrained resources, the system adjusts performance parameters such as CPU frequency, graphics rendering quality, and display refresh rates. This parameter adaptation allows the system to maintain acceptable performance while reducing power consumption during resource-constrained periods.
3Use of energy by moving object
If power states of subsystems are frequently reconfigured, then power and thermal management is improved, but system stability and performance consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The power manager performs preliminary assessments of system state and application requirements before reconfiguring power states. By evaluating current temperature, battery level, and performance needs in advance, the system determines whether reconfiguration is necessary and appropriate. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary or premature state changes that would disrupt system stability while still enabling timely power management adjustments when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the power manager continuously monitors system state changes and adjusts power configurations accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that reconfigurations are responsive to actual system conditions rather than occurring arbitrarily. The feedback mechanism maintains stability by only triggering reconfigurations when system state thresholds are crossed or performance requirements change, preventing unnecessary disruptions.
Data Source
AI summary
Adaptive cross-layer power, thermal, and performance management within augmented and/or virtual reality (AR/VR) display devices is described. AR/VR experiences use extensive system resources to provide high quality user experience (UX). Application performance modes (e.g., Application Resource Bundles “ARBs”) may be registered and for each mode, applications may request specific performance from the underlying hardware/firmware/software subsystems. As system state changes, a central service may periodically reconfigure power states of individual subsystems resulting in power, thermal, and performance tradeoffs. As the power states are reconfigured, the central service may change the application performance modes to allow applications to adapt their UX to the new system state allowing applications to build custom behaviors and provide enhanced UX over a variety of states.