System and method for microeconomic optimization of power usage in a device

A method for allocating power in a device having components, the method comprising:

• determining a plurality of operating modes for each component of the device;
• associating an operating value for each component in the device based on the operating mode;
• calculating an opportunity cost associated with a first operating mode and a next successive operating mode for each component such that the operating value is further based upon the opportunity cost calculated for the next successive operating mode;
• and
• iteratively allocating an amount of power to each component based on a comparison of each component's respective associated operating value at each respective operating mode.

A system, comprising:

• a power supply configured to supply a total amount of power W;
• a plurality of components, each component having a plurality of operating modes, each operating mode of each component associated with a performance value PVi and associated with an energy usage EUi;
• a processor configured to calculate a marginal value MVi according to:
• MVi=PVi*EUi/W
• the processor further configured to calculate an opportunity cost according to:
• OCi=PVj*EUi/W;
• wherein PVj is associated with the performance value of a next available operating mode for the component associated with the energy usage EUi;
• the processor still further configured to calculate a net value NetVi according to:
• netVi=MVi−OCi,iBest;
• wherein OCi,iBest is the opportunity cost associated with the operating mode of the component with the next highest marginal value;
• and
• a controller configured to distribute power to component that maximizes net value to the system.

A controller, comprising

• a plurality to control nodes configured to respectively enable power distribution from a power supply to one or more of a plurality of components, wherein each component is associated with a respective performance value;
• a calculator configured to calculate a net value for each component that is based on the component's respective performance value and an amount of energy required to operate the respective component;
• and
• a control unit configured to iteratively allocate energy to components having higher net values until the energy from the power supply is depleted.

An electronic device, comprising:

• a plurality of electronic components;
• a processor coupled to each of the plurality of components;
• a power management controller coupled to the processor and configured to:
• determine an operating mode of the device and determine a marginal value for operating each component in the determined operating margin in relation to operating each component in a different operating mode;
• assign performance values to each component based on the determined operating mode;
• iteratively determine an optimal distribution of power to each component based on the performance values of each component.

An audio/video receiver, comprising:

• a power supply having a fixed amount of energy available;
• a plurality of audio/video components, each component associated with a respective performance value and configured to be powered by the power supply;
• a processor configured to calculate a net value for each component that is based on the component's respective performance value and an amount of energy required to operate the respective component;
• and
• a controller configured to iteratively allocate energy to components having higher net values until the energy from the power supply is depleted.