Battery-powered device with reduced power consumption based on an application profile data
View Patent ↗A device includes a processor that is operative to process a data stream such as executable code, encoded video or other suitable data stream, and has a plurality of processor portions. The device further includes a power management controller coupled to the processor portions that controls power consumption of the processor portions based on application profile data associated with the data stream. The application profile data may be included with executable code or provided separately and may directly indicate usage/nonusage of portions of the processor or the data stream may have inherent application profile data in the header that indirectly identifies usage of the processor portions.
1. A wireless mobile device comprising:
a network interface operative to receive application profile data included within a received data stream transmitted to the wireless mobile device, the received data stream comprising executable code;
a power management controller operative to evaluate the application profile data included within the received data stream and to operative to set parametric settings of identified portions of a processor identified within the data stream to reduce power consumption of the processor based on the application profile data; and
wherein the application profile data comprises header information identifying which portions of the processor can be controlled during runtime of the executable code.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor comprises a video decoder, the data stream comprises encoded video and wherein the header information is used by the power management controller to determine which parametric settings of the video decoder are to be controlled.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the application profile data is derived prior to runtime.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the application profile data is used to set parametric settings of portions of a processor to reduce power consumption of the processor at least one of: (i) prior to runtime of the executable code, (ii) during initialization of the executable code and (iii) during runtime of the executable code.
5. The device of claim 1 comprising an application profiler and wherein the application profile data is derived by the application profiler during runtime of the executable code.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the application profile data is generated during application development.
7. A battery-powered device comprising:
a battery;
a processor having a plurality of processor portions and operative to execute code, and operatively coupled to the battery; and
a power management controller operatively coupled to the processor portions and operative to control power consumption of the processor portions based on application profile data included with the code, that identifies usage of the processor portions during runtime of an application, wherein the power management controller is operative to reduce power draw from the battery by varying parametric settings of the processor voltage and transistor back bias voltage associated with the processor portions.
8. A method for reducing power consumption by a battery powered device comprising:
executing code that includes application profile data identifying usage of portions of a first processor during runtime of an application;
in response to the application profile data identifying usage of portions of the first processor, controlling power consumption of the identified first processor portions during runtime; and
wherein controlling power consumption includes varying parametric settings of the identified portions, wherein the parametric settings include the set comprising clocking frequency, power supply voltage, and transistor back bias voltage.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the application profile data is included as header information in the code.
10. The method of claim 8 comprising generating the application profile data by a second processor and wherein the second processor provides the application profile data for the first processor.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein the application profile data is received from a wireless network.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein the identifying data is based on recording register values associated with first processor portions.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein the application profile data that identifies usage of portions of the first processor includes data representing parametric settings of the processor portions.
14. A battery-powered device comprising:
memory operative to store executable code;
a first processor, having a plurality of processor portions, operatively coupled to the memory and operative to execute the code; and
a power management controller operatively coupled to the first processor and operative to control power consumption of the first processor portions based on application profile data, included with the code, that identifies usage of the portions during runtime of the code.
15. The device of claim 14 wherein the power management controller is comprised of a second processor and is coupled to the memory and operative to derive the application profile data during runtime.
16. The device of claim 15 further comprising a wireless network interface operatively coupled to the power management controller and operative to receive the application profile data from a wireless network.
17. The device of claim 15 wherein the first processor comprises a graphics processing core and wherein the power management controller is operative to vary parametric settings of the first processor portions.
18. The device of claim 17 wherein the parametric settings include at least one of clocking frequency, power supply voltage, and transistor back bias voltage associated with the processor portions.
19. The device of claim 14 wherein the application profile data that identifies usage of the first processor portions is included as header information in the code.
20. A network element comprising:
a memory containing data representing application profile data and corresponding executable code; and
a network interface operatively coupled to the memory and operative to send the application profile data wherein the data stream comprises executable code and wherein the application profile data comprises header information identifying which portions of a processor can be controlled during runtime of the executable code and executable code to a wireless mobile device, wherein the network element is operative to determine a wireless mobile device type and select a corresponding application profile data and executable code based on the wireless mobile device type.
21. A computer readable medium that stores instructions which when executed adapt a device to:
execute code that includes application profile data identifying usage of portions of a first processor during runtime of an application; and
in response to the application profile data identify usage of portions of the first processor, controlling power consumption of the identified first processor portions during runtime;
wherein controlling power consumption includes varying parametric settings of the identified portions, wherein the parametric settings include the set comprising clocking frequency, power supply voltage, and transistor back bias voltage.