says.
Intrinsyc's power management support for the i.MX31 adds "predictive power management capabilities" to the i.MX31 processor's IEM and DVFS functionality, according to the company.
IEMIEM software controls and optimizes DVFS hardware techniques to increase energy savings in ARM processor-based system-on-chip (SoC) designs, according to ARM.
Conventional "On/Off" power management techniques reduce power consumption by putting the device to sleep when there is no work to do, ARM explains. Then, when processing activity is required, the processor comes out of sleep mode and runs at full speed, regardless of the performance level needed to get the work done (see diagram).
IEM saves power by scaling voltage and clock frequency
(Source: ARM Ltd.)
IEM software uses information provided by the operating system to create a profile of application execution on the system, according to ARM. Various algorithms are then used to classify the types of activity and analyze their processor utilization patterns, resulting in a prediction of future performance requirements. This information allows dynamically scaling CPU voltage and clock frequency.
Additionally, Intrinsyc's IEM implementation is compatible with
Soleus, the company's Windows CE-based software platform for low-cost feature phones, according to the company.
Kevin McIntyre, ARM's product manager for IEM, ARM, stated, "The need for longer battery life is critical in advanced multimedia mobile devices, particularly given the highly integrated nature of many devices. Many market-leading devices are built with Freescale's high-performance i.MX31 multimedia processor, including the innovative Toshiba gigabeat portable media player. Through its partnership with Intrinsyc, ARM will be able to deliver IEM technology to increase battery life by up to 25 percent for mobile entertainment devices on the Windows CE operating system."
Berardino Baratta, general manager of Freescale's multimedia applications division, stated, "This is the first time that Windows CE-based mobile multimedia entertainment devices that are powered by Freescale technology can benefit from ARM's Intelligent Energy Manager software."
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