Method and Device for Improving Battery Life of a Mobile Computing Device

• US 20100274507A1
• Filed: 04/27/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Black, Gregory R., Carlson, Mark J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3017 where the computing system is implementing multitasking multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/4432 Reducing the energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and device for extending the useful life of an energy storage device, for a mobile computing device is described. The method (150) can include the steps of: running (155) a first application in synchronous communication with a first application server; detecting (160) energy expenditure while running the first application; and synchronizing (165) a subsequent application based on the detected energy expenditure, by: continuing to communicate with the subsequent application if the detected energy expenditure is below a threshold, and discontinuing communication if the detected energy expenditure is above a threshold. Advantageously, this method can provide substantial energy savings in mobile computing device applications.

Claims

1. A method for lengthening the battery life of a mobile computing device, comprising the steps of:

running a first application in synchronous communication with an application server,

detecting energy expenditure while synchronizing the first application, and

synchronizing a second application based on the detected energy expenditure, by;

continuing to communicate if the detected energy expenditure is below a threshold, and discontinuing communication if the detected energy expenditure is above a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing the first application step includes communicating with an application server for a priority application, and the continuing step includes substantially immediately communicating for a lower priority application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuing step includes substantially immediately starting communication with the application server for the second application.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the continuing step includes substantially immediately starting communication with a second application server for the second application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting step includes at least one of measuring a device current, a battery current, a device power consumption, a battery power output, a device energy consumption, and a battery energy output, a device current per communication bit, a battery current per communication bit, device power consumption per communication bit, a battery power output per communication bit, a device energy consumption per communication bit, and a battery energy output per communication bit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the running step includes providing a mobile computing device in synchronous application server communication for the first application on a first synchronous communication interval, and in synchronous application server communication for the subsequent application on a second nominal synchronous communication interval equal to the first synchronous communication interval times a nominal integer number, and

the continuing step includes reducing the second synchronous communication interval to the first synchronization interval times an integer number less than the nominal integer number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the running step includes providing a mobile computing device in synchronous application server communication for the first application on a first synchronous communication interval, and in synchronous application server communication for the subsequent application on a second nominal synchronous communication interval equal to the first synchronous communication interval times a nominal integer number, and

the discontinuing step includes increasing the second synchronous communication interval to the first synchronization interval times an integer number greater than the nominal integer number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the running step includes synchronous communication including at least one of uploading application data from a mobile computing device to an application server and downloading application data to the mobile computing device from an application server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application includes at least one of email, social networking, photo uploading, news feed downloading, and data back-up.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising completing the running of the first application even if the detected energy expenditure is above the threshold.

11. A method for lengthening the battery life of a mobile computing device running at least a first and second application in synchronous communication with one or more application servers, comprising the steps of:

assigning a communication priority for at least one of a first and a second application,

starting communication for the first application,

measuring an energy expenditure concurrent with the started communication,

determining an energy cost threshold based on the measured expenditure,

continuing communicating for the second application if the assigned communication priority for the second application exceeds the determined energy cost threshold, and

ending communicating if the assigned communication priority for the second application is less than the determined energy cost threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first application is a higher priority application and the second application is a lower priority application.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of starting communication includes starting communication for the first application on a first application synchronization interval based on at least one of:

a default setting, a user controlled setting, an application server controlled setting, an application state, a present time, a present day, a present date, a state of a clock, and a state of a calendar.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the assigned communication priority is based on at least a time elapsed since a previous communication for the second application

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the assigned communication priority is also based on at least one of:

a default setting, a user controlled setting, an application server controlled setting, an application state, a present time, a present day, a present date, a state of a clock, and a state of a calendar.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of ending includes increasing the synchronization interval above a nominal interval which is based on at least one of:

a default setting, a user controlled setting, an application server controlled setting, an application state, a present time, a present day, a present date, a state of a clock, and a state of a calendar.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising running at least a first and second application in synchronous communication with one or more application servers, the synchronous communication includes at least one of uploading application data from a mobile computing device to an application server and downloading application data to a mobile computing device from the application server.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the first and second applications includes at least one of email, instant messaging, social networking, news feeding, gaming, media uploading, media downloading and data back-up.

19. A mobile computing device configured with an energy storage device, comprising:

a housing;

a controller coupled to the housing, the controller configured to run a first application in synchronous communication with a first application server, and a second application in synchronous communication with at least one of the first application server and a second application server;

memory coupled to the controller;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the controller for synchronizing application data between the mobile computing device and at least the first application server;

an energy expenditure detector configured to detect energy expended by the mobile computing device while synchronizing the first application data; and

a power saving module configured to control communication for a second application based on the detected energy expenditure, by;

continuing to synchronize for the second application if the detected energy expenditure is below a threshold, and discontinuing synchronization if the detected energy expenditure is above a threshold.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 19 wherein the energy expenditure detector comprises at least one of a current detector, a power detector and an energy detector.

21. The mobile computing device of claim 19 wherein the energy expenditure detector is configured to detect energy expended in at least one of the energy storage device, the mobile computing device, and the wireless transceiver.