Patent Publication Number: US-2021191494-A1

Title: Application priority based power management for a computer device

Description:
FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the technical field of computing, and more particularly to power management for a computer device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     As integrated circuit (IC) fabrication technology improves, more and more functionalities and components are being integrated onto a computer device. Additional components and functionalities, together with increased performance demand, may consume more power and generate more heat for the computer device. Power management for a computer device is of increasing importance. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example computer device including a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example power information stored in a control register to be used by a power control unit to control a power consumption by one or more processors to operate an application, in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates another example computer device including a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example process for a power control unit of a computer device to control a power consumption by one or more processors to operate an application based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example computer device suitable for use to practice various aspects of the present disclosure, in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a storage medium having instructions for practicing methods described with references to  FIGS. 1-5 , in accordance with various embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an environment in which various embodiments described with references to  FIGS. 1-6  may be practiced. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Many applications may be operated on one or more processors of a computer device. One application may have power consumption operational characteristics different from another application. For example, some applications may benefit from a “turbo” mode with increased power to the one or more processors to operate the applications. Some other applications, e.g., embedded applications, or Internet of Things (IoT) applications, may be operated on a fixed power resources, e.g., voltage or frequency. Increased power resources or consumption may provide little or no extra benefit to those embedded applications or IoT applications. Many current power management products and solutions control the power resources or consumption based on worst case conditions with regard to power consumption demand for various applications, which may fail to take into consideration of different operational characteristics for power consumption for different applications, and fail to achieve better power management for the computer device. 
     Power management for a computer device based on application priority as disclosed herein may classify different applications into different priority classes, and determine to control a power consumption for the application to be operated on one or more processors based on the application priority class. In doing so, the power management schemes disclosed herein may provide more power resources to important applications to improve the performance, while providing lower power resources to less important applications to keep the power consumption of the computer device low. In embodiments, the computer device may be a standalone computer device, an IoT device, a vehicle-embedded computer device (VECD), such as an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving vehicle (hereinafter, simply ADV) system, an engine/electronic control unit (ECU), an in-vehicle navigation system, and the like, or any other computer device. 
     In embodiments, a computer device may include one or more processors, and a power control unit coupled to the one or more processors. The power control unit may receive a first power information and a second power information. The first power information may include a first priority information for a first application to be operated on the one or more processors, and the second power information may include a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, where the first priority information may be different from the second priority information. The power control unit may determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information for the first application to be operated on the one or more processors, and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information for the second application to be operated on the one or more processors. 
     In embodiments, a method for controlling a power source to a computer device with one or more processors may be disclosed. The method may include receiving a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on the one or more processors, and receiving a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, where the first priority information may be different from the second priority information. Afterwards, the method may include determining to control a first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application, and determining to control a second power consumption of the one or more processors based on the second power information for the second application. 
     In embodiments, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to operate a power control unit of a computer device may be disclosed. In response to execution of the instructions by the power control unit, the power control unit may receive a first power information and a second power information. The first power information may include a first priority information for a first application to be operated on one or more processors of the computer device, and the second power information may include a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, where the first priority information may be different from the second priority information. The power control unit may further determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information for the first application, and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information for the second application. 
     In the description to follow, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Operations of various methods may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order than the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted, split or combined in additional embodiments. 
     For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A or B” and “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). 
     The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. 
     As used hereinafter, including the claims, the term “module” or “routine” may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. 
     Where the disclosure recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second or third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated. 
     The terms “coupled with” and “coupled to” and the like may be used herein. “Coupled” may mean one or more of the following. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements indirectly contact each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other, and may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements that are said to be coupled with each other. By way of example and not limitation, “coupled” may mean two or more elements or devices are coupled by electrical connections on a printed circuit board such as a motherboard, for example. By way of example and not limitation, “coupled” may mean two or more elements/devices cooperate and/or interact through one or more network linkages such as wired and/or wireless networks. By way of example and not limitation, a computing apparatus may include two or more computing devices “coupled” on a motherboard or by one or more network linkages. 
     As used herein, the term “circuitry” refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable device (FPD), (for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high-capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable System on Chip (SoC)), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc., that are configured to provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionality. 
     As used herein, the term “processor circuitry” may refer to, is part of, or includes circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically carrying out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations; recording, storing, and/or transferring digital data. The term “processor circuitry” may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and/or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, and/or functional processes. 
     As used herein, the term “interface circuitry” may refer to, is part of, or includes circuitry providing for the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term “interface circuitry” may refer to one or more hardware interfaces (for example, buses, input/output (I/O) interfaces, peripheral component interfaces, network interface cards, and/or the like). 
     As used herein, the term “computer device” may describe any physical hardware device capable of sequentially and automatically carrying out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations, equipped to record/store data on a machine readable medium, and transmit and receive data from one or more other devices in a communications network. A computer device may be considered synonymous to, and may hereafter be occasionally referred to, as a computer, computing platform, computing device, etc. The term “computer system” may include any type interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the term “computer system” and/or “system” may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled with one another. Furthermore, the term “computer system” and/or “system” may refer to multiple computer devices and/or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled with one another and configured to share computing and/or networking resources. Examples of “computer devices”, “computer systems”, etc. may include cellular phones or smart phones, feature phones, tablet personal computers, wearable computing devices, an autonomous sensors, laptop computers, desktop personal computers, video game consoles, digital media players, handheld messaging devices, personal data assistants, an electronic book readers, augmented reality devices, server computer devices (e.g., stand-alone, rack-mounted, blade, etc.), cloud computing services/systems, network elements, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-car entertainment (ICE) devices, an Instrument Cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDTs), Electronic Engine Management System (EEMS), electronic/engine control units (ECUs), electronic/engine control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or “smart” appliances, machine-type communications (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and/or any other like electronic devices. Moreover, the term “vehicle-embedded computer device” may refer to any computer device and/or computer system physically mounted on, built in, or otherwise embedded in a vehicle. 
     As used herein, the term “network element” may be considered synonymous to and/or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, router, switch, hub, bridge, radio network controller, radio access network device, gateway, server, and/or any other like device. The term “network element” may describe a physical computing device of a wired or wireless communication network and be configured to host a virtual machine. Furthermore, the term “network element” may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functions for data and/or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. The term “network element” may be considered synonymous to and/or referred to as a “base station.” As used herein, the term “base station” may be considered synonymous to and/or referred to as a node B, an enhanced or evolved node B (eNB), next generation nodeB (gNB), base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), roadside unit (RSU), etc., and may describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and/or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. As used herein, the terms “vehicle-to-vehicle” and “V2V” may refer to any communication involving a vehicle as a source or destination of a message. Additionally, the terms “vehicle-to-vehicle” and “V2V” as used herein may also encompass or be equivalent to vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communications, or V2X communications 
     As used herein, the term “channel” may refer to any transmission medium, either tangible or intangible, which is used to communicate data or a data stream. The term “channel” may be synonymous with and/or equivalent to “communications channel,” “data communications channel,” “transmission channel,” “data transmission channel,” “access channel,” “data access channel,” “link,” “data link,” “carrier,” “radiofrequency carrier,” and/or any other like term denoting a pathway or medium through which data is communicated. Additionally, the term “link” may refer to a connection between two devices through a Radio Access Technology (RAT) for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example computer device  100  including a power control unit  101  to control power consumptions by one or more processors, e.g., a processor  103 , to operate different applications, e.g., an application  141  and an application  143 , based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. For clarity, features of the computer device  100  may be described below as an example for understanding an example computer device that may include a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. It is to be understood that there may be more or fewer components included in the computer device  100 . Further, it is to be understood that one or more of the devices and components within the computer device  100  may include additional and/or varying features from the description below, and may include any devices and components that one having ordinary skill in the art would consider and/or refer to as the devices and components of a computer device. 
     In embodiments, the computer device  100  may include the power control unit  101 , the processor  103 , and the power source  107 . In addition, the computer device  100  may include an operating system  105  for the processor  103 . The power control unit  101  may be provided with a first power information  111 , where the first power information  111  may include a first priority information  113 , and optional additional information. The power control unit  101  may be provided with a second power information  121 , where the second power information  121  may include a second priority information  123 , and optional additional information. The first priority information  113  may be different from the second priority information  123 . The processor  103  may be configured to hold a first power information  133 , and a second power information  135 , which may each be stored in a control register. In addition, the processor  103  may operate the first application  141 , and the second application  143 . The operating system  105  may include a scheduler  151 . In embodiments, except for the teachings of the present disclosure, power control unit  101 , the processor  103 , the operating system  105 , and the power source  107  may be any power control unit, processor, operating system, or power source that one having ordinary skill in the art would consider and/or refer to as a power control unit, a processor, an operating system, or a power source, respectively. In addition, there may be other devices or components, such as an input device, memory, a display device, not shown in  FIG. 1  for the computer device  100 . 
     In embodiments, the first power information  133  may be assigned by the scheduler  151  of the operating system  105 , and may include power resource information for the first application  141 . Similarly, the second power information  135  may be assigned by the scheduler  151 , and may include power resource information for the second application  143 . The power control unit  101  may receive the first power information  133  from a control register in the processor  103 , and may store the received first power information as the first power information  111 . Similarly, the power control unit  101  may receive the second power information  135  from a control register in the processor  103 , and may store the received second power information as the second power information  121 . More details of the first power information  111  or the second power information  121  may be shown in  FIG. 2 . The power control unit  101  may determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information  111  for the first application  141 , and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information  121  for the second application  143 . More details of the operations by the power control unit  101  may be shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In embodiments, the power source  107  may be a direct current (DC) power source or an alternating current (AC) power source to provide power to one or more components of the computer device  100 , e.g., the processor  103 . In some embodiments, the power source  107  may include one or more battery packs. The power source  107  may be coupled to components of the computer device  100  through a voltage regulator, not shown. Even though only one power source  107  is shown, additional power sources may be utilized. In some embodiments, the power control unit  101  may determine to control the power consumption based on the power information for the application by controlling the power source  107  to supply the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 . 
     In embodiments, the computer device  100  may be a system on chip (SoC), integrating the power control unit  101 , the processor  103 , cache, random access memory (RAM), peripheral functions, or other functions onto one chip. In some embodiments, the power source  107  may be integrated with the processor  103  and the power control unit  101  as well. Alternatively, the computer device  100  may be a system integrated on a same circuit board to include the power control unit  101 , the processor  103 , and other components. The computer device  100  may be for various applications such as wireless communication, digital signal processing, security, and other applications. For example, the computer device  100  may be a VECD, such as a VECD shown in  FIG. 7 , an ECU, an in-vehicle navigation system, a wearable device, a smartphone, a computer tablet, a laptop, a game controller, a set-top box, an infotainment console, an IoT device, or others. 
     In embodiments, the processor  103  may be a central processing unit (CPU). In some embodiments, the processor  103  may be a programmable device that may execute a program, e.g., the application  141  or the application  143 . In embodiments, the processor  103  may be a microcontroller, a 16-bit processor, a 32-bit processor, a 64-bit processor, a single core processor, a multi-core processor, a digital signal processor, an embedded processor, or any other processor. In addition, the processor  103  may include multiple cores. The processor  103  may operate at an operating frequency or a voltage. In some embodiments, the power control unit  101  may determine to control the power consumption based on the power information  111  for the application  141  by controlling the processor  103  to operate the first application  141  at a certain operating frequency or a voltage. In general, higher operating frequency or voltage by the processor  103  to operate the first application  141  may consume more power. 
     In embodiments, the operating system  105  may be any system software that manages hardware or software resources for the computer device  100 , and may provide services to applications, e.g., the application  141  or the application  143 . The operating system  105  may be Windows®, Android OS, iOS, Linux, a real-time operating system (RTOS), an automotive infotainment operating system, among others. For example, the operating system  105  may be a real-time operating system such as VxWorks, PikeOS, eCos, QNX, MontaVista Linux, RTLinux, Windows CE, or other operating system. 
     In embodiments, an application, e.g., the application  141  or the application  143 , may be a thread of a program, or a component of a process, which may be a smallest sequence of programmed instructions that may be managed independently by the scheduler  151  of the operating system  105 . The application  141  may be used an example for the description below. Any description for the application  141  may be equally applicable to the application  143 . In some embodiments, the application  141  may include multiple threads executing concurrently on the processor  103 . In embodiments, the application  141  may include a thread of a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling an instrument panel, a thread of a program for controlling a camera, a thread of a program for controlling a sensor, or any other programs. 
     In embodiments, different applications may have different power consumption operational characteristics. The scheduler  151  included in the operating system  105  may maintain a list of power classes or application classes, and may further assign an individual application, such as the application  141 , a power class or an application class. The first priority information  113  included in the first power information  111  may indicate such a power class for the application  141 . The scheduler  151  may further assign to an application, e.g., the application  141 , other computational resource or power resources, which may be shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     In embodiments, the application  141  may be of a quality of service (QoS) application class when the application  141  may utilize a fixed power supply, e.g., a fixed voltage or a fixed frequency power supply. For example, when the application  141  may be for an embedded computer device or an IoT device, the application  141  may be of a quality of service application class. When an embedded computer device or an IoT device may consume power at a frequency or voltage below a fixed frequency or voltage power supply, the embedded computer device or the IoT device may not be able to operate the application  141  to meet a quality of service specified for the application  141 . On the other hand, when the embedded computer device or the IoT device may consume a power with a frequency or voltage higher than a fixed frequency or voltage power supply, there is little or no benefit to gain for the performance of the application  141  operated by the embedded computer device or the IoT device. 
     As another example, the application  141  may be of a quality of service application class for a network computer device, where the quality of service for the application  141  may be specified for a worst case traffic that the network computer device may encounter. If the network computer device may consume power at a frequency or voltage below a fixed frequency or voltage power supply, the network computer device may not be able to operate the application  141  to meet a quality of service specified for the application  141 . On the other hand, there is no reason for the network computer device to consume a power with a frequency or voltage higher than a fixed frequency or voltage power supply to operate the application  141 , since there is little to no benefit to gain for the performance of the application  141 . 
     As yet another example, the application  141  may be of a quality of service application class when the application  141  may be a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, or an entertainment task, e.g., video or audio playback, for in-vehicle infotainment, operated by an in-vehicle automotive system. If the in-vehicle automotive system may consume power at a frequency or voltage below a fixed frequency or voltage power supply, the in-vehicle automotive system may not be able to operate the entertainment task of the application  141 . On the other hand, there is no reason for the in-vehicle automotive system to consume power at a frequency or voltage higher than a fixed frequency or voltage power supply to operate the application  141 , since there is little to no benefit to gain to operate the application  141  with more power. The 
     In embodiments, the application  141  may be of a mission critical application class, which may be operated constantly for important or fundamental functions of the computer device  100 . For example, the application  141  may be a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling an instrument panel, or an autonomous driving task, operated by an in-vehicle automotive system. For an application of a mission critical application class, the application  141  may be allocated a guaranteed minimal computational resources and power resources, e.g., a minimal voltage or operating frequency for the processor  103 , below which the application  141  may not be able to perform the desired task, e.g., an autonomous driving task, or controlling an instrument panel. In addition, the application  141  may benefit from more computational resources or power resources above the guaranteed minimal computational resources and power resources. For example, when the in-vehicle automotive system may consume more computational resources or power resources for the application  141 , e.g., the autonomous driving task, or controlling an instrument panel, the application  141  may be able to perform autonomous driving task more accurately, and processing more information to make better decisions. Hence, the in-vehicle automotive system may consume power at a maximal allowable frequency or voltage, without impacting other tasks, to operate the application  141  when the application  141  may be of a mission critical application class. 
     In embodiments, the application  141  may be of a responsiveness application class, which may be operated in response to some external factors, and may last for a limited period of time when the external factors exist. For example, the application  141  may be a thread of a program for controlling a camera, or a thread of a program for controlling a sensor of a vehicle. An application of the responsiveness application class may have shorter duration. For example, a driver of a vehicle may activate a left turn light and may start to turn left. For a short time, the side camera or sensor of the vehicle may be turned on at full resolution, and the application  141  may control the camera or a sensor in the turning process. The application  141  may be of a responsiveness application class because it is in operation in response to the driver&#39;s left turn action. When the application  141  may be of a responsiveness application class, the application  141  may have similar power consumption operational characteristics as for a mission critical application class. The application  141  may be allocated a guaranteed minimal computational resources and power resources, e.g., a minimal voltage or operating frequency of the processor  103 , and may further consume power at a maximal allowable frequency or voltage, without impacting other tasks. The power resource assigned to the application  141  may end when the vehicle finishes the left turn performed by the driver. 
     In embodiments, the application  141  may be of a background application class when the application  141  may play a supportive role to operate in the background. For example, the application  141  may be a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, operated by an in-vehicle automotive system as a background application. As a background application class, the application  141  may not have a firm deadline and may be operative at different times when spare computation resource and power resource is available. For example, the application  141  may be operated by the computer device  100  at a lowest possible frequency or voltage allowable by the power control unit  101  or the processor  103 , without impacting any other applications operated by the processor  103 . 
     In embodiments, the application  141  may be of a user experience application class when the application  141  may be allocated a flexible computational resources and power resources, and may dynamically adjust the power resource as long as power budget exists from the power source  107 . As a user experience application class, the application  141  may not have a guaranteed minimal computational resources and power resources, e.g., a minimal voltage or operating frequency, different from an application of a mission critical application class or a responsiveness application class. As a user experience application class, the application  141  may benefit from more computational resources and power resources, further different from an application of quality of service application class. In addition, the application  141  may benefit from more than a lowest possible frequency or voltage allowable by the processor  103 , hence different from an application of background application class. 
     The different power classes or application classes described above, e.g., a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class, are for examples only and are not limiting. There may be other additional or different kinds of power classes or application classes for the application  141 . In some embodiments, the power classes or application classes may be represented by numeral values instead of descriptive terms, to represent the relative importance between different applications, so that the control unit  101  may assign different power resource based on the power classes or application classes. In embodiments, an application may belong to multiple application class, with the highest or most power sensitive class being controlling. 
     In embodiments, the power control unit  101  may determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information  111  for the first application  141  to be operated on the processor  103 , and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information  121  for the second application  143  to be operated on the processor  103 . The power control unit  101  may determine to control the first power consumption based on the first power information  111  for the first application  141  by controlling the power source  107  to supply the processor  103 , or by controlling an operating frequency or a voltage of the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 . More details of the operations of the power control unit  101  may be illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example power information  211  stored in a control register to be used by a power control unit to control a power consumption by one or more processors to operate an application, in accordance with various embodiments. The power information  211  may be similar to the power information  111 , the power information  121 , the power information  133 , or the power information  135 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The power information  211  may be stored in a control register to be used by the power control unit  101  to control a power consumption by the processor  103  to operate the application  141  or the application  143 . 
     In embodiments, the power information  211  may include a priority information  213  and an optional additional information  215 . The power information  211  may be stored in a 64-bit, 32-bit control register, or other size. The priority information  213  may take 12 bits, or 8 bits, while the additional information  215  may take up 52 bits, or 56 bits, or other number of bits according to the classes of applications operated on the computer device. In addition, the priority information  213  may be located at the most significant bits of the control register, the least significant bits of the control register, or somewhere in between. 
     In embodiments, the priority information  213  may be similar to the priority information  113 , or the priority information  123 , to operate the application  141  or the application  143 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . In embodiments, the priority information  213  may indicate that the application may be of a power class selected from a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. In some other embodiments, the priority information  213  may be assigned as a numeral value instead of a detailed name. For example, the priority information  213  may be an integer value between 1 to 10, or any other suitable range according to the applications operated on the computer device. 
     In embodiments, the additional information  215  may include a minimal allowable voltage, a maximal allowable voltage, a minimal allowable frequency, or a maximal allowable frequency for the application to be operated, as discussed for the various application classes. The additional information  215  may be further divided into multiple parts. As shown, the additional information  215  may be divided into five parts, a part S 2 , a part S 3 , a part S 4 , a part S 5 , and a part S 6 , each representing different parameters. For example, the part S 2  may represent a guaranteed minimal computational resources and power resources that cannot be violated for an application of a mission critical application class. The part S 3  may represent a maximal computational resources and power resources that there is no reason to exceed for the application. The part S 4  may represent an energy performance preference that has no hard restrictions. The part S 5  may represent a desired computational resource and power resource allocation for the application. The part S 6  may represent a time window for the power information  211 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates another example computer device  300  including a power control unit  301  to control power consumptions by one or more processors, e.g., a processor  303 , a processor  304 , or a processor  306 , to operate different applications based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. The power control unit  301  and the processor  303  may be similar to the power control unit  101  and the processor  103  as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In embodiments, the computer device  300  may be for various applications such as wireless communication, digital signal processing, security, and other applications. For example, the computer device  100  may be a VECD, such as a VECD shown in  FIG. 7 , an ECU, an in-vehicle navigation system, a wearable device, a smartphone, a computer tablet, a laptop, a game controller, a set-top box, an infotainment console, an IoT device, or others. 
     In embodiments, the power control unit  301 , the processor  303 , the processor  304 , and the processor  306  may be integrated onto a SoC  310 . In addition, the computer device  300  may further include additional SoC, e.g., a SoC  320 , and a SoC  330 , which may be similar to the SoC  310 . For example, the SoC  320  or the SoC  330  may also include a power control unit and one or more processors. The computer device  300  may also include an embedded controller  308 , and an operating system  305 . 
     In embodiments, the power source  307  may be a direct current (DC) power source or an alternating current (AC) power source to provide power to one or more components of the computer device  300 . In some embodiments, the power source  307  may include one or more battery packs. The power source  307  may be coupled to components of the computer device  300  through a voltage regulator, not shown. Even though only one power source  307  is shown, additional power sources may be utilized. For example, each of the processors, e.g., the processor  303 , the processor  304 , or the processor  306  may have corresponding power source. In addition, each SoC, e.g., the SoC  310 , the SoC  320 , and the SoC  330 , may have its corresponding power source. In some embodiments, the power control unit  301  may determine to control the power consumption based on the power information for the application by controlling the power source  307  to supply the processor  303 . 
     In embodiments, the power control unit  301  may include a power information  311 . The power information  311  may be similar to the power information  111  as shown in  FIG. 1 , and may include a priority information. The power control unit  101  may also include additional power information, not shown. The processor  303  may include a power information  333 , which may be similar to the power information  133  and may be stored in a control register. In addition, the processor  103  may operate one or more applications. 
     In embodiments, the operations of the power control unit  301 , the processor  303 , and the operating system  305  may perform similar operations as described for the power control unit  101 , the processor  103 , and the operating system  105 , as demonstrated for  FIG. 1 . For example, the power information  333  may be assigned by a scheduler of the operating system  305 , and may include power resource information for an application to be operated by the processor  303 . The power control unit  301  may receive the first power information  333  from a control register in the processor  303 , and may store the received first power information as the first power information  311 . The power control unit  301  may determine to control a power consumption based on the power information  311  for an application. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example process  400  for a power control unit of a computer device to control a power consumption by one or more processors to operate an application based on power information, in accordance with various embodiments. In embodiments, the process  400  may be a process performed by the power control unit  101  in  FIG. 1 , or the power control unit  301  in  FIG. 3 , based on a power information in the power information  111  or the power information  121  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The power information  111  or the power information  121  may have a format of the power information  211  as shown in  FIG. 2 . In embodiments, the process  400  may be a process performed by the power control unit of a VECD shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The process  400  may start at an interaction  401  or an interaction  411 . During the interaction  401 , the power control unit may receive a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on one or more processors. For example, at the interaction  401 , the power control unit  101  may receive the first power information  111  including the first priority information  113  for the first application  141  to be operated on the processor  103 . 
     Similarly, during the interaction  411 , the power control unit may receive a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on one or more processors. For example, at the interaction  411 , the power control unit  101  may receive the second power information  121  including the second priority information  123  for the second application  143  to be operated on the processor  103 . 
     During an interaction  403 , the power control unit may determine to control a first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application. For example, at the interaction  403 , the power control unit  101  may determine to control a first power consumption of the processor  103  based on the first power information  111  for the first application  141 . 
     Similarly, during the interaction  413 , the power control unit may determine to control a second power consumption of the one or more processors based on the second power information for the second application. For example, at the interaction  413 , the power control unit  101  may determine to control a second power consumption of the processor  103  based on the second power information  121  for the second application  143 . 
     In embodiments, when the first priority information  113  included in the first power information  111  for the first application  141  is to indicate that the first application  141  is of a quality of service application class, the power control unit  101  may determine to consume a fixed frequency power as indicated by the first power information  111  to operate the first application  141 , which may be indicated by the additional information included in first power information  111 , to the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 . 
     In embodiments, when the first priority information  113  included in the first power information  111  for the first application  141  is to indicate that the first application  141  is of a mission critical application class, the power control unit  101  may determine to consume power at a maximal allowable frequency, which may be indicated by the additional information included in the first power information  111 , to the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 . 
     In embodiments, when the first priority information  113  included in the first power information  111  for the first application  141  is to indicate that the first application  141  is of a background application class, the power control unit  101  may determine to consume power at a lowest possible frequency allowable by the power control unit  101  to operate the first application  141 , which may be indicated by the additional information included in the first power information  111 , to the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 . 
     In addition, the power control unit  101  may perform other power management operations for the processor  103 . For example, the power control unit  101  may detect a power, thermal, or current limit for the processor  103 . Once such a power, thermal, or current limit is detected, the power control unit  101  may uniformly scale the power resources for all the applications operated by the processor  103  by a similar ratio. Additionally and alternatively, the power control unit  101  may selectively reduce the power resource or consumption to the processor  103  to operate different applications. 
     For example, when the first priority information  113  included in the first power information  111  for the first application  141  is lower than the second priority information  123  included in the second power information  121  for the second application  143 , the power control unit  101  may reduce the first power consumption by the processor  103  to operate the first application  141 , before the power control unit  101  is to reduce the second power consumption by the processor  103  to operate the second application  143 . In embodiments, when the first priority information  113  is to indicate that the first application  141  is of a background application class, the first priority information  113  may have a lower priority compared to the second priority information  123 , when the second priority information  123  is to indicate that the second application is of a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. Similarly, when the first priority information  113  is to indicate that the first application  141  is of a user experience application class, the first priority information  113  may have a lower priority compared to the second priority information  123 , when the second priority information  123  is to indicate that the second application is of a mission critical application class. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example computer device  500  that may be suitable as a device to practice selected aspects of the present disclosure. The device  500  may be an example of the computer device  100 , or the computer device  300 , as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , or a VECD shown in  FIG. 7 . As shown, the device  500  may include one or more processors  502 , each having one or more processor cores, or and optionally, a hardware accelerator  503  (which may be an ASIC or a FPGA). In alternate embodiments, hardware accelerator  503  may be part of processor  502 , or integrated together on a SOC. Additionally, the device  500  may include a memory  504 , which may be any one of a number of known persistent storage medium, and mass storage  506 . In addition, the  500  may include input/output devices  508 . Furthermore, the device  500  may include communication interfaces  510  and  514 . Communication interfaces  510  and  514  may be any one of a number of known communication interfaces. The elements may be coupled to each other via system bus  512 , which may represent one or more buses. In the case of multiple buses, they may be bridged by one or more bus bridges (not shown). In addition, the device  500  may include a power control unit  505 , which may be an example of the power control unit  101 , or the power control unit  301 , as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 . 
     Each of these elements may perform its conventional functions known in the art. In particular, the power control unit  505  may be employed to store and host execution of programming instructions implementing the operations associated with controlling a power consumption based on power information for an application to be operated on the one or more processors, as described in connection with  FIGS. 1-4 , and/or other functions, collectively referred to as computational logic  522  that provides the capability of the embodiments described in the current disclosure. The various elements may be implemented by assembler instructions supported by processor(s)  502  or high-level languages, such as, for example, C, that can be compiled into such instructions. Operations associated with controlling a power consumption based on power information for an application to be operated on the one or more processors not implemented in software may be implemented in hardware, e.g., via hardware accelerator  503 . Aspect of operations associated with controlling a power consumption based on power information for an application to be operated on the one or more processors not implemented in software, as described in connection with  FIGS. 1-4 , may be implements in the hardware accelerator. 
     The number, capability and/or capacity of these elements  502 - 522  may vary, depending on the number of other devices the device  500  is configured to support. Otherwise, the constitutions of elements  502 - 522  are known, and accordingly will not be further described. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as methods or computer program products. Accordingly, the present disclosure, in addition to being embodied in hardware as earlier described, may take the form of an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.” 
     Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible or non-transitory medium of expression having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.  FIG. 6  illustrates an example computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that may be suitable for use to store instructions that cause an apparatus, in response to execution of the instructions by the apparatus, to practice selected aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium  602  may include a number of programming instructions  604 . Programming instructions  604  may be configured to enable a device, e.g., device  500 , in response to execution of the programming instructions in a power control unit, to perform, e.g., various operations associated with the power control unit  101 , or the power control unit  301 , as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 . 
     In alternate embodiments, programming instructions  604  may be disposed on multiple computer-readable non-transitory storage media  602  instead. In alternate embodiments, programming instructions  604  may be disposed on computer-readable transitory storage media  602 , such as, signals. Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     The present disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. As used herein, “computer-implemented method” may refer to any method executed by one or more processors, a computer system having one or more processors, a mobile device such as a smartphone (which may include one or more processors), a tablet, a laptop computer, a set-top box, a gaming console, and so forth. 
     Embodiments may be implemented as a computer process, a computing system or as an article of manufacture such as a computer program product of computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program instructions for executing a computer process. 
     The corresponding structures, material, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements are specifically claimed. The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The embodiment are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an environment  700  in which various embodiments described with references to  FIGS. 1-6  may be practiced. Environment  700  includes a vehicle  701 , a wireless access node  703 , and a cloud computing service  705  (also referred to as “cloud  705 ”, “the cloud  705 ”, and the like). The vehicle  701  may be an ADV having a VECD  711  with a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. For illustrative purposes, the following description is provided deployment scenarios including the vehicle  701  in a two dimensional (2D) freeway/highway/roadway environment. However, the embodiments described herein are also applicable to any type of vehicle, such as trucks, buses, motorcycles, boats or motorboats, and/or any other motorized devices with a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. For example, water vehicles such as boats, ferries, barges, hovercrafts, etc., may interact and/or communications in a same or similar manner as the vehicle  701  (e.g., using V2X circuitry and infrastructure), and such vehicles may also implement a power control unit to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. The embodiments described herein may also be applicable to three dimensional (3D) deployment scenarios where the vehicle  701  may be implemented as flying objects, such as aircraft, drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and/or to any other like motorized devices. 
     The vehicle  701  may be any type of motorized vehicle or device used for transportation of people or goods, which may be equipped with controls used for driving, parking, passenger comfort and/or safety, etc. The terms “motor”, “motorized”, etc., as used herein may refer to devices that convert one form of energy into mechanical energy, and may include internal combustion engines (ICE), compression combustion engines (CCE), electric motors, and hybrids (e.g., including an ICE/CCE and electric motor(s)). 
     Although  FIG. 7  shows only a single vehicle  701 , the vehicle  701  may represent a plurality of individual motor vehicles of varying makes, models, trim, etc., which may be collectively referred to herein as the “vehicle  701 .” In embodiments, the vehicle  701 , as alluded to earlier, may include the VECD  711  (e.g., the computer device  100  shown and described with regard to  FIG. 1  or the computer device  300  shown in  FIG. 3 ). The VECD  711  may be any type of computer device that is mounted on, built into, or otherwise embedded in a vehicle and is capable of controlling power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. In some embodiments, the VECD  711  may be a computer device used to control one or more systems of the vehicle  701 , such as an ECU, ECM, embedded system, microcontroller, control module, EMS, OBD devices, DME, MDTs, etc. 
     The VECD  711  may include one or more processors (having one or more processor cores and optionally, one or more hardware accelerators), memory devices, communication devices, etc. that may be configured to carry out various functions according to the various embodiments discussed here. For example, the VECD  711  may be the computer device  500  shown in  FIG. 5 , and may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium, e.g., the computer-readable medium  602  as shown in  FIG. 6 , or may be pre-configured with the logic (e.g., with appropriate bit streams, logic blocks, etc.), to control power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information. The various methods, procedures, processes, etc. for controlling power consumptions by one or more processors to operate different applications based on power information is discussed infra with regard to  FIGS. 1-6 . 
     The data obtained by the VECD  711  may include sensor data from one or more sensors embedded in the vehicle  701 , data packets from other VECD  711 s included in other vehicles  701  (not shown), data packets and/or data streams from cloud  705  and/or network infrastructure (e.g., core network elements of a cellular communications network, etc.), navigation signaling/data from on-board navigations systems (e.g., global navigation satellite system (GNSS), global positioning system (GPS), etc.), and/or the like. In embodiments, the VECD  711  may also include, or operate in conjunction with communications circuitry and/or input/output (I/O) interface circuitry in order to obtain the data for the various sources. 
     The communications circuitry of the vehicle  701  may communicate with the cloud  705  via the wireless access node  703 . The wireless access node  703  may be one or more hardware computer devices configured to provide wireless communication services to mobile devices (for example, VECD  711  in vehicle  701  or some other suitable device) within a coverage area or cell associated with the wireless access node  703 . The wireless access node  703  may include a transmitter/receiver (or alternatively, a transceiver) connected to one or more antennas, one or more memory devices, one or more processors, one or more network interface controllers, and/or other like components. The one or more transmitters/receivers may be configured to transmit/receive data signals to/from one or more mobile devices via a link (e.g., link  707 ). Furthermore, one or more network interface controllers may be configured to transmit/receive with various network elements (e.g., one or more servers within a core network, etc.) over another backhaul connection (not shown). In embodiments, the VECD  711  may generate and transmit data to the wireless access node  703  over link  707 , and the wireless access node  703  may provide the data to the cloud  705  over backhaul link  709 . Additionally, during operation of the vehicle  701 , the wireless access node  703  may obtain data intended for the VECD  711  from the cloud  705  over link  709 , and may provide that data to the VECD  711  over link  707 . The communications circuitry in the vehicle  701  may communicate with the wireless access node  703  in accordance with one or more wireless communications protocols as discussed herein. 
     As an example, the wireless access node  703  may be a base station associated with a cellular network (e.g., an eNB in an LTE network, a gNB in a new radio access technology (NR) network, a WiMAX base station, etc.), an RSU, a remote radio head, a relay radio device, a smallcell base station (e.g., a femtocell, picocell, home evolved nodeB (HeNB), and the like), or other like network element. In embodiments where the wireless access node is a base station, the wireless access node  703  may be deployed outdoors to provide communications for the vehicle  701  when the vehicle  701  is operating at large, for example when deployed on public roads, streets, highways, etc. 
     In some embodiments, the wireless access node  703  may be a gateway (GW) device that may include one or more processors, communications systems (e.g., including network interface controllers, one or more transmitters/receivers connected to one or more antennas, and the like), and computer readable media. In such embodiments, the GW may be a wireless access point (WAP), a home/business server (with or without radio frequency (RF) communications circuitry), a router, a switch, a hub, a radio beacon, and/or any other like network device. In embodiments where the wireless access node  703  is a GW, the wireless access node  703  may be deployed in an indoor setting, such as a garage, factory, laboratory or testing facility, and may be used to provide communications for while parked, prior to sale on the open market, or otherwise not operating at large. 
     In embodiments, the cloud  705  may represent the Internet, one or more cellular networks, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) including proprietary and/or enterprise networks, Transfer Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP)-based network, or combinations thereof. In such embodiments, the cloud  705  may be associated with network operator who owns or controls equipment and other elements necessary to provide network-related services, such as one or more base stations or access points (e.g., wireless access node  703 ), one or more servers for routing digital data or telephone calls (for example, a core network or backbone network), etc. Implementations, components, and protocols used to communicate via such services may be those known in the art and are omitted herein for the sake of brevity. 
     In some embodiments, the cloud  705  may be a system of computer devices (e.g., servers, storage devices, applications, etc. within or associated with a data center or data warehouse) that provides access to a pool of computing resources. The term “computing resource” may refer to a physical or virtual component within a computing environment and/or within a particular computer device, such as memory space, processor time, electrical power, input/output operations, ports or network sockets, and the like. In these embodiments, the cloud  705  may be a private cloud, which offers cloud services to a single organization; a public cloud, which provides computing resources to the general public and shares computing resources across all customers/users; or a hybrid cloud or virtual private cloud, which uses a portion of resources to provide public cloud services while using other dedicated resources to provide private cloud services. For example, the hybrid cloud may include a private cloud service that also utilizes one or more public cloud services for certain applications or users, such as providing obtaining data from various data stores or data sources. In embodiments, a common cloud management platform (e.g., implemented as various virtual machines and applications hosted across the cloud  705  and database systems) may coordinate the delivery of data to the VECD  711  of vehicle  701 . Implementations, components, and protocols used to communicate via such services may be those known in the art and are omitted herein for the sake of brevity. 
     Thus various example embodiments of the present disclosure have been described including, but are not limited to: 
     Example 1 may include a computer device, comprising: one or more processors; a power control unit coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the power control unit is to: receive a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on the one or more processors, and a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, wherein the first priority information is different from the second priority information; determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information for the first application to be operated on the one or more processors, and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information for the second application to be operated on the one or more processors. 
     Example 2 may include the computer device of example 1, wherein the first priority information is to indicate that the first application is of a power class selected from a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. 
     Example 3 may include the computer device of example 1, wherein the first power information further includes a minimal allowable voltage, a maximal allowable voltage, a minimal allowable frequency, or a maximal allowable frequency. 
     Example 4 may include the computer device of example 1, wherein the first application includes a thread of a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling an instrument panel, a thread of a program for controlling a camera, or a thread of a program for controlling a sensor. 
     Example 5 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the power control unit is to determine to control the first power consumption based on the first power information for the first application by controlling a power source to supply the one or more processors to operate the first application, or by controlling an operating frequency or a voltage of the one or more processors to operate the first application. 
     Example 6 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the first power information including the first priority information for the first application is assigned by a scheduler of an operating system for the computer device, the first power information is stored in a control register in the one or more processors, and the power control unit is to receive the first power information from the control register. 
     Example 7 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the power control unit is to determine for the one or more processors to consume a fixed frequency power as indicated by the first power information to operate the first application, and wherein the first priority information of the first power information is to indicate that the first application is of a quality of service application class. 
     Example 8 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the power control unit is to determine for the one or more processors to consume power at a maximal allowable frequency as indicated by the first power information to operate the first application, wherein the first priority information of the first power information is to indicate that the first application is of a mission critical application class. 
     Example 9 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the power control unit is to determine for the one or more processors to consume power at a lowest possible frequency allowable by the power control unit to operate the first application, wherein the first priority information of the first power information is to indicate that the first application is of a background application class. 
     Example 10 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the computer device is an in-vehicle automotive system, a wearable device, a smartphone, a computer tablet, a laptop, a game controller, a set-top box, an infotainment console, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. 
     Example 11 may include the computer device of any one of examples 1-4, wherein the power control unit is further to: detect a power, thermal, or current limit for the one or more processors; reduce the first power consumption to operate the first application before the power control unit is to reduce the second power consumption to operate the second application, wherein the first priority information included in the first power information for the first application is lower than the second priority information included in the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 12 may include the computer device of example 11, wherein the first application is of a background application class, and the second application is of a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class; or the first application is of a user experience application class, and the second application is of a mission critical application class. 
     Example 13 may include a method for controlling a power consumption by a power control unit of a computer device with one or more processors, comprising: receiving a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on the one or more processors; receiving a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, wherein the first priority information is different from the second priority information; determining to control a first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application; and determining to control a second power consumption of the one or more processors based on the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 14 may include the method of example 13, wherein the first priority information is to indicate that the first application is of a power class selected from a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. 
     Example 15 may include the method of any one of examples 13-14, wherein the first application includes a thread of a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling an instrument panel, a thread of a program for controlling a camera, or a thread of a program for controlling a sensor. 
     Example 16 may include the method of any one of examples 13-14, wherein the first power information further includes a minimal allowable voltage, a maximal allowable voltage, a minimal allowable frequency, or a maximal allowable frequency. 
     Example 17 may include the method of any one of examples 13-14, wherein the determining to control the first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application includes determining to control the first power consumption based on the first power information by controlling a power source to supply the one or more processors to operate the first application, or by controlling an operating frequency or a voltage of the one or more processors to operate the first application. 
     Example 18 may include the method of any one of examples 13-14, wherein the first power information including the first priority information for the first application is assigned by a scheduler of an operating system for the computer device, and the first power information is stored in a control register in the one or more processors. 
     Example 19 may include the method of any one of examples 13-14, further comprising: detecting a power, thermal, or maximal current limit for the one or more processors; reducing the first power consumption of the one or more processors to operate the first application before reducing the second power consumption of the one or more processors to operate the second application, wherein the first priority information included in the first power information for the first application is lower than the second priority information included in the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 20 may include the method of example 19, wherein the first application is of a background application class, and the second application is of a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class; or the first application is of a user experience application class, and the second application is of a mission critical application class. 
     Example 21 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that cause a power control unit of a computer device, in response to execution of the instructions by the power control unit, to operate the power control unit to: receive a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on one or more processors of the computer device, and a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, wherein the first priority information is different from the second priority information; determine to control a first power consumption based on the first power information for the first application, and to control a second power consumption based on the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 22 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of example 21, wherein the first priority information is to indicate that the first application is of a power class selected from a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. 
     Example 23 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of examples 21-22, wherein the first power information further includes a minimal allowable voltage, a maximal allowable voltage, a minimal allowable frequency, or a maximal allowable frequency. 
     Example 24 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of examples 21-22, wherein the first application includes a thread of a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling instrument panel, a thread of a program for controlling a camera, or a thread of a program for controlling a sensor. 
     Example 25 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of any one of examples 21-22, wherein the first power information including the first priority information for the first application is assigned by a scheduler of an operating system for the computer device. 
     Example 26 may include one or more computer-readable media having instructions for a computer device to handle errors, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors, to perform the method of any one of examples 13-20. 
     Example 27 may include an apparatus for controlling a power consumption by a power control unit of a computer device with one or more processors, comprising: means for receiving a first power information including a first priority information for a first application to be operated on the one or more processors; means for receiving a second power information including a second priority information for a second application to be operated on the one or more processors, wherein the first priority information is different from the second priority information; means for determining to control a first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application; and means for determining to control a second power consumption of the one or more processors based on the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 28 may include the apparatus of example 27, wherein the first priority information is to indicate that the first application is of a power class selected from a quality of service application class, a background application class, a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class. 
     Example 29 may include the apparatus of example 27, wherein the first application includes a thread of a program for gathering data, a thread of a program for downloading traffic information, a thread of a program for in-vehicle infotainment, a thread of a program for assisted driving, a thread of a program for controlling an instrument panel, a thread of a program for controlling a camera, or a thread of a program for controlling a sensor. 
     Example 30 may include the apparatus of any one of examples 27-29, wherein the first power information further includes a minimal allowable voltage, a maximal allowable voltage, a minimal allowable frequency, or a maximal allowable frequency. 
     Example 31 may include the apparatus of any one of examples 27-29, wherein the means for determining to control the first power consumption of the one or more processors based on the first power information for the first application includes means for determining to control the first power consumption based on the first power information by controlling a power source to supply the one or more processors to operate the first application, or by controlling an operating frequency or a voltage of the one or more processors to operate the first application. 
     Example 32 may include the apparatus of any one of examples 27-29, wherein the first power information including the first priority information for the first application is assigned by a scheduler of an operating system for the computer device, and the first power information is stored in a control register in the one or more processors. 
     Example 33 may include the apparatus of any one of examples 27-29, further comprising: means for detecting a power, thermal, or maximal current limit for the one or more processors; and means for reducing the first power consumption of the one or more processors to operate the first application before reducing the second power consumption of the one or more processors to operate the second application, wherein the first priority information included in the first power information for the first application is lower than the second priority information included in the second power information for the second application. 
     Example 34 may include the apparatus of example 33, wherein the first application is of a background application class, and the second application is of a user experience application class, a mission critical application class, or a responsiveness application class; or the first application is of a user experience application class, and the second application is of a mission critical application class. 
     Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments described herein be limited only by the claims.