SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100302456A1
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen TCL New Technology Limited (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen TCL New Technology Limited (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Testin, William John, Rumreich, Mark Francis
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for powering down particular circuits in an electronic device based on the usage habits of the user. An exemplary method comprises collecting usage data for a plurality of device functions of the electronic device, and reducing power consumption by circuitry associated with at least one of the plurality of device functions when the electronic device is in use if the usage data for the at least one of the plurality of device functions indicates that the at least one of the plurality of device functions is used less than at least another of the plurality of device functions.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic device, comprising:

collecting usage data for a plurality of device functions of the electronic device; and

reducing power consumption by circuitry associated with at least one of the plurality of device functions when the electronic device is in use if the usage data for the at least one of the plurality of device functions indicates that the at least one of the plurality of device functions is used less than at least another of the plurality of device functions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises an amount of time each of the plurality of device functions is used by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises a number of times each of the plurality of device functions is accessed by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises a number of times that the electronic device has been powered up.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein power is removed from the circuitry associated with the at least one of the plurality of device functions when the electronic device is in a particular mode of operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particular mode of operation is an Energy Star Run Mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuitry associated with the at least one of the plurality of inputs comprises a signal tuner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of device functions each comprises tuning an input signal from a different input source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting usage data comprises electronically monitoring a video switching state machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reducing power consumption is automatically repeated each time a required amount of the usage data is collected.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reducing power consumption occurs after the expiration of a specified time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reducing power consumption occurs after a specified number of video switching events.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reducing power consumption occurs after a specified number of times that the electronic device is powered up.

14. An electronic device that performs a plurality of device functions, the electronic device comprising:

circuitry associated with each of the plurality of device functions; and

a processor that is adapted to collect usage data for the plurality of device functions and to reduce power consumption by the circuitry associated with at least one of the plurality of device functions when the electronic device is in use if the usage data for the at least one of the plurality of device functions indicates that the at least one of the plurality of device functions is used less than at least another of the plurality of device functions.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the electronic device comprises a television.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the circuitry associated with the at least one of the plurality of device functions comprises a signal tuner.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the circuitry associated with the at least one of the plurality of device functions comprises a digital signal tuner.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of device functions each comprises tuning an input signal from a different input source.

19. The device of claim 14, further comprising a video switching state machine, wherein the processor is adapted to collect the usage data by monitoring the video switching state machine.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

means for collecting usage data for a plurality of device functions of the electronic device; and

means for reducing power consumption by circuitry associated with at least one of the plurality of device functions when the electronic device is in use if the usage data for the at least one of the plurality of device functions indicates that the at least one of the plurality of device functions is used less than at least another of the plurality of device functions.