Feature Mapping for Virtual Machine Power Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication devices with multiple features face power consumption issues due to increased computational and network loads, and existing virtualization techniques fail to systematically identify which features are unavailable when hardware components or virtual machines are disabled, leading to inconsistent system states.

Innovation Solution

A method that maps features to required virtual machines and hardware components, allowing for controlled activation or deactivation of these components based on user input, power levels, or usage criteria, ensuring a consistent user experience by maintaining a feature-oriented representation and using a state template to manage the on/off states of virtual machines and hardware components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If hardware components and virtual machines are disabled to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but the system state becomes inconsistent and features become unavailable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidsystem state consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by maintaining a pre-computed mapping between features, virtual machines, and hardware components before power management decisions are made. This mapping allows the system to predict which features will be unavailable before actually disabling components, enabling proactive user notification and alternative feature suggestions, thus maintaining system state consistency awareness before the contradiction manifests

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring the state of virtual machines and hardware components, and using the pre-established mappings to determine which features are affected. This feedback loop ensures that the system maintains awareness of the relationship between component states and feature availability, allowing it to respond appropriately to maintain consistency while managing power consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple features are provided on communication devices, then functionality and versatility are improved, but power consumption increases due to computational and network loads

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeature functionalityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by organizing features into distinct groups that can be independently managed through virtual machines. Each virtual machine can be selectively activated or deactivated based on power availability, allowing the system to provide multiple features when needed while consuming less power when fewer features are required, thus resolving the contradiction between versatility and energy usage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamics by making the activation state of virtual machines and hardware components adaptable based on power consumption requirements. The system can dynamically switch between providing full feature functionality and reducing power consumption by disabling unused virtual machines and components, allowing it to respond to changing power conditions while maintaining feature availability when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Use of energy by moving object

If virtual machines are used to organize features, then power consumption is reduced through selective activation, but computational overhead from the hypervisor increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidcomputational overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by activating only the specific virtual machines and hardware components needed to provide currently required features, rather than maintaining all virtual machines in an active state. This partial activation reduces both power consumption and the computational overhead burden on the hypervisor, as fewer virtual machines require management and resource allocation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10481950B2Method of operating features of a communication device and related communication device via mappings of features with corresponding virtual machines and hardware components

Publication Date: 2019.11.19 ORANGE SA

AI summary

A method is provided for operating a communication device offering a plurality of features by a plurality of virtual machines, which run on a virtualized representation of a plurality of hardware components. The method includes: obtaining a mapping between at least some features of the plurality of features and corresponding sets of virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines and hardware components of the plurality of hardware components which are required to enable the features; and upon deciding to activate or deactivate at least one group of features of the plurality of features, switching on or off virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines and hardware components of the plurality of hardware components depending on the mapping.