Technology/Business Opportunity
Non-Confidential Description
University of California - Santa Cruz Campus
ADAPTIVE DISK SPINDOWN FOR POWER CONSERVATION
BACKGROUND: The disk sub-system on portable computers consumes a major portion of the available energy. Spinning the disk down when it is not in use can save energy, but spinning the disk back up incurs a large energy cost. An intelligent procedure is therefore needed to decide when to spin down the disk.
DESCRIPTION: Scientists at the University of California have developed a simple and efficient adaptive disk spindown algorithm that has shown excellent performance on real data. This new algorithm promises to extend the battery life of portable computers by 25-30% compared to algorithms currently in use.
APPLICATIONS: This algorithm will be extremely useful to extend battery life in all portable computers using hard disk drives, such as laptop and notebook computers.
ADVANTAGES: This algorithm will increase the utility and perceived value of any disk drive or portable computer, and features many advantages:
- Extends battery life by 25-30% over current spin-down schemes
- Simple and efficient algorithm
- Applicable to a wide variety of systems
INQUIRIES TO: Kathy Willis, Licensing Associate
Tel: (510) 748-6600
Fax: (510) 748-6639
Email: kathy.willis@ucop.edu
REFERENCE: UC Case 96-147