A Compilation Framework for Power and Energy Management on Mobile Computers

Power and energy management is crucial for mobile devices that rely on battery power. In addition to voice recognition, image understanding is an important class of applications for mobile environments. We propose a new compilation strategy for remote task mapping, and report experimental results for a face detection and recognition system. Our compilation strategy generates two versions of the input program, one to be executed on the mobile device (client), and the other on a machine connected to the mobile device via a wireless network (server). Compiler supported check-pointing is used to allow the client to monitor program progress on the server, and to request checkpoint data in case of anticipated server and/or network failure. The reported results have been obtained by actual power measurements, not simulation. Experiments show energy savings of up to one order of magnitude on the mobile machine. A prototype implementation of the discussed compilation framework is underway, and preliminary results are reported.