ELECTRONIC APPARATUS HAVING REDUCIBLE POWER CONSUMPTION IN THE READINESS STATE

• US 20110022863A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Roder, Annette, Klug, Karl, Brieskorn, Jurgen, Schaade, Stephan, Thoms, Mike, Ernst, Edmund
• Granted Patent: US 8,621,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/322
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Method for an electronic device (IT) that is controllable in at least one operating state (OP) and one standby state (SBY), with which a main processing unit (MPU) controls the operating state (OP) and a preprocessing unit (PPU) controls the standby state (SBY), such that, by means of the preprocessing unit (PPU), the main processing unit (MPU) and, to some extent, the functional units of the electronic device (IT) that are implemented by circuitry are switched by the control into at least one state having reduced energy consumption. An advantage can be seen in the fact that, by using a preprocessing unit (PPU), in the operating state of “standby” (SBY) the total energy consumption of the electronic device (IT) is reduced, both due to the significantly reduced energy consumption of a preprocessor (PPE) in the preprocessing unit (PPU) and to the units (MPU) that have been switched by the control into a state having reduced energy consumption, and the electronic device can therefore be operated more economically. An additional advantage is that the reduction of the energy consumption is achieved exclusively by circuitry measures and that no implementations must be included in the programs of the electronic device (IT).

Claims

1. A method for managing energy consumption of an electronic device of a communications network that is controllable in at least one operating state and one standby state comprising:

controlling the operating state with a main processing unit;

controlling the standby state with a preprocessing unit, wherein the preprocessing unit the main processing unit and at least one functional unit of the electronic device are switched into at least one state having reduced energy consumption;

monitoring input/activation/communications network interface units by the preprocessing unit when in the standby state; and

upon determining an indication for the need to change over to the operating state on one of the input/activation/communications network interface units, the main processing unit and the functional units of the electronic device, switching from a state having low energy consumption into a state not having low energy consumption.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the main processing unit and the preprocessing unit are represented by a main processor and a preprocessor, respectively

the preprocessor has reduced energy consumption relative to the main processor, and

the main processor is switched into a state having reduced energy consumption.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the standby state is recognized by at least one of the preprocessing unit and by the main processing unit, and wherein

the preprocessing unit switches

the main processing unit into a state having reduced energy consumption, and

to some extent, the functional units of the electronic device that are implemented by circuitry are switched into a state having reduced energy consumption to the extent that they are needed for maintaining the standby state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unit takes over functions of the main processing unit to the extent that is needed for a standby state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein energy is to the electronic device by at least one energy-generating unit that is not dependent upon a power supply system that powers at least one of the main processing unit and electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said at least one energy-generating unit is dimensioned in such a way that the generated energy is sufficient for supplying energy to the electronic device when it is in the standby state, wherein the energy-generating unit is switched to the electronic device during the initialization of the standby state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein for a reduction in energy consumption also in the operating state, the energy-generating unit is switched by the control from the power supply system to the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of an additional operating state and additional standby state is provided, wherein the electronic device is controlled in such a way by the main processing unit and the preprocessing unit that the main processing device and the functional units of the electronic device that are implemented by circuitry are supplied only with the amount of energy that is required for achieving the respective operating or standby states.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of functional units;

a main processing unit that controls an operating state of the electronic device;

a preprocessing unit that controls a standby state of the electronic device wherein when the electronic device is in a standby state, at least one of the functional units and the main processing unit are in a state having reduced energy consumption relative to their energy consumption in the operating state; and

at least one unit selected from the group consisting of an input unit, activation unit and communications interface unit, said at least one unit monitored by the preprocessing unit when the device is in the standby state, said preprocessing unit able to determine that a need exists to change from said standby state to said operating state, and upon detecting such a need, switching said device from the standby state to the operating state.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the preprocessing unit is implemented by a processor having low energy consumption.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the electronic device is implemented by a wired communications terminal of a communications network and the functional units are implemented by input and display devices, network interface units, and interface units for connecting additional devices and activation units.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, comprising an activation unit implemented by one of a unit for monitoring whether a handset of an Internet telephone device is off-hook or on-hook and an additional activation unit selected from the group consisting of motion detectors, proximity sensors, and light sensors.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the reduction in energy consumption is achieved by at least one of a reduction of the clock rate or the processing power of the main processing unit by inactivating at least one functional unit, and by at least one partial reduction in function of at least one functional unit.