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Save Energy in Embedded Systems with Intel® Power Management Technologies

With intelligent Intel® power management technologies, you can design systems that automatically adjust the power state to use only the energy required by the workload. It’s a recipe for reducing power consumption and therefore energy costs – unmatched efficiency that’s available to you in many of Intel’s latest embedded processors and chipsets.

How it works: Global and system-level power states—defined by the advanced configuration power interface (ACPI) specification—vary by degree of sleep state and operating performance. Additional processor-level power states—defined by Intel and built into embedded Intel® processors and chipsets—further optimize performance and power consumption of an entire system. Implemented together, ACPI power states and Intel power management technologies enable the system to move automatically between various levels of sleep and operating modes to match the performance requirements of the workload.

Power management usage scenarios

Embedded systems have periods of downtime, when power consumption can be lowered to match reduced performance demands. Intel® power management technologies can apply various power states to efficiently balance performance and power consumption in your embedded applications. The following usage scenarios explain how this works:

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Print imaging

Many print imaging machines are multi–function systems that print, copy, scan, and receive/transmit faxes. These systems are rarely in a continuous state of use but must remain ready to process jobs as they are received. In the following chart, notice how the system’s power state varies according to the performance demands of the business.

Business closed Printer in a systems power savings state.
Business opens, printer idle/waits for job Printer in a processor power savings state.
Customer activates printer and is ready to submit job Printer in a processor performance ready power state getting ready for new job
Printer processes the job System goes into active mode

Retail

Similar to the print imaging business, retail cash registers/POS systems need only consume power when they are performing tasks. There is a lot of “downtime” in a retail machine, and therefore opportunities to reduce power consumption accordingly. Consider the various power states and power consumption levels associated with the different performance demands of the retail system as noted in the following chart.

Store closed POS terminal/register in a systems power savings state.
Store opens; cashier waits for customers POS terminal/register in a processor power savings state.
Customer arrives and cashier begins checkout POS terminal/register in a processor performance power state while performing simple arithmetic and between scans
Customer asks for item lookup, cashier performs inquiry System goes into active mode to perform tasks
Cashier completes sale/transaction POS terminal/register returns to processor power savings state while waiting for user input

Gaming

Gaming systems often sit idle on the casino floor and need only “wake up” when engaged for play. In this example, power states can be programmed to adjust quickly and automatically, responding to user activity with an instant change. After a few moments of inactivity, the system can revert to the power savings state to conserve energy.

Gaming machine sits idle, waits for player Processor power savings state means the machine is ready to “wake up” in an instant.
Player tells gaming machine: “I want to play” Game system moves quickly from processor performance ready power state to active mode
Gaming proceeds Machine stays in full processor performance/active mode
Player stops playing Game system moves back to power savings state to await the next user

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