Hierarchical Wearable Processing Unit Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable electronic devices face a tradeoff between processing power and battery life, with increased processing power leading to faster battery discharge and the need for frequent charging, which is inconvenient, especially when users are on the move.
Innovation Solution
A multi-processor hierarchical computing architecture that manages multiple processors with different performance levels, allowing tasks to be distributed across hierarchies based on processing requirements and power consumption, enabling seamless switching and efficient resource utilization to extend battery life while maintaining performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If processing power is increased to enhance device performance, then processing speed is improved, but battery life deteriorates due to higher energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The processing unit is segmented into multiple processors with different performance levels (high-performance processor and low-power processor). This segmentation allows the system to distribute tasks across processors based on their capabilities, enabling high-speed processing when needed while conserving battery life during normal operations by using the lower-power processor for routine tasks.
2Duration of action of moving object
If battery capacity is increased to extend battery life, then duration of action is improved, but device weight increases which is undesirable for wearable devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between different processing modes and processors based on task requirements. By using the low-power processor for routine operations and only activating the high-performance processor when computationally intensive tasks are needed, the system achieves extended battery life without requiring a larger battery, thereby avoiding increased device weight.
3Device complexity
If existing batteries are used with increased processing power, then device complexity is maintained, but discharge rate increases leading to frequent charging requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Different processors are assigned different quality characteristics - the high-performance processor handles computationally intensive tasks while the low-power processor handles routine operations. This local quality differentiation ensures that energy is consumed only when and where needed, reducing the overall discharge rate while maintaining the ability to handle high-performance tasks when required.
Data Source
AI summary
A hierarchical wearable processing unit (HWPU) (102) for WPUs (100) is described. According to an implementation of the present subject matter, the HWPU (102) may include a plurality of hierarchies (106). Each hierarchy (106) from amongst the plurality of hierarchies (106) is determined for a particular performance and power consumption. Further, the HWPU (102) may include a plurality of hosts (104). One or more hosts (104) from amongst the plurality of hosts (104) are associated with each of the plurality of hierarchies (106) based on the particular performance and power consumption of each of the hierarchies (106). Furthermore, the HWPU (102) may include a control unit (118) to configure each of the plurality of hierarchies (106) with functionalities based on allocation of dedicated hardware resources.