A Methodology Based on Formal Methods for Predicting the Impact of Dynamic Power Management

One of the major issues in the design of a mobile computing device is reducing its power consumption. A commonly used technique is the adoption of a dynamic power management policy, which modifies the power consumption of the device based on certain run time conditions. The introduction of the dynamic power management within a battery-powered device may not be transparent, as it may alter the overall system behavior and efficiency. Here we present a methodology that can be used in the early stages of the system design to predict the impact of the dynamic power management on the system functionality and performance. The predictive methodology, which relies on formal methods to compare the properties of the system without and with dynamic power management, is illustrated through the application of its various phases to a simple example of power-manageable system.