PREcup-1: An embedded system platform for prototyping ECU power management

This paper presents an embedded system platform for investigating power management methods relevant to future automotive systems. The platform is built around an ARM Cortex A8 System on Chip (SoC). It allows for measuring the power consumption of the SoC and its peripherals. The SoC has a defined set of power states, namely frequency and voltage operating points, as well as retention and off-modes. During runtime, the power states are managed by a novel Linux-based scheduler. It allows the execution of plans combining both timed software and power state switches. The design is evaluated using a single ECU and its local scheduling.