Technical Field
Embodiments described herein relate to the field of digital systems and, more particularly, to improved performance is systems that include power management mechanisms.
Description of the Related Art
Digital systems of various types often include, or are connected to, a display for the user to interact with the device. The display can be incorporated into the device. Examples of incorporated displays include the touchscreen on various smart phones, tablet computers, or other personal digital assistants. Another example of the incorporated display is a laptop with the screen in the lid. The display can also be connected to the device via a cable. Examples of the connected display include various desktop computers and workstations having a separate display that resides on the desk in front of the user. Some desktops also have an incorporated display (e.g., various iMac® computers from Apple Inc.). The display provides a visual interface that the user can view to interact with the system and applications executing on the system. In some cases (e.g., touchscreens), the display also provides a user interface to input to the system. Other user input devices (e.g., keyboards, mice or other pointing devices, etc.) can also be used.
Increasingly, devices use power management in order to reduce power consumption. In some cases the devices may rely on power supplied by a battery and power management techniques may prolong the operating time of the device before recharging of the battery is required. In other cases, power management may be utilized to reduce power consumption for ecological reasons. In yet other cases, power management may be performed for a combination of the foregoing reasons, or other reasons. Whatever the reason for using power management, it is often the case the there is a tradeoff between power consumption and performance as a reduction in power consumption often results in a reduction in performance. Consequently, improved methods for determining when and how to utilize power management are desirable.