APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20120185717A1
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Hee-Jun, Kim, Kwang-Choon
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of a portable terminal are provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption generated in an idle state in order to solve a power consumption problem in a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a state determination unit which is configured independently from an application processor for controlling applications and which wakes up when entering an idle mode to allow the application processor to sleep, and thereafter determines a state of the portable terminal, and if it is determined that the portable terminal escapes from the idle mode, allows the application processor to wake up.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a state determination unit configured independently from an application processor and configured to control applications, the state determination unit configured to wake up when entering an idle mode to allow the application processor to sleep, and thereafter determine a state of the portable terminal, and when it is determined that the portable terminal changes from the idle mode, allow the application processor to wake up.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the portable terminal remains in the idle mode, the state determination unit is configured to sleep with an interval of the specific period.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, after waking up, the state determination unit is further configured to obtain sensing information by operating a sensor configured to obtain the sensing information and determine a state of the portable terminal using the obtained sensing information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state determination unit is further configured to allow the application processor to wake up, and then end an operation of the sensor and transition to a sleep state.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a controller configured to decrease power consumption by ending an operation of a function being performed previously when a state for entering a low-power mode is determined.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to provide control such that the function being performed previously ends sequentially from an operation of a function having a large amount of power consumption.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the state determination unit is further configured to analyze the obtained sensing information and store sensing information used to determine a life pattern of a user of the portable terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensing information used to determine the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal is sensing information of which a sensing information value persistently changes in the obtained sensing information.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the state determination unit is further configured to provide the stored sensing information used to determine the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal to the application processor when entering the sleep mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, when the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal is determined, the controller is further configured to provide control such that an operation corresponding to the determined life pattern is performed.

5. (canceled)

12. A method of reducing power consumption in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

determining a state of the portable terminal after allowing a state determination unit, which is configured independently from an application processor for controlling applications, to wake up when entering an idle mode and allowing the application processor to sleep; and

if it is determined that the portable terminal changes from the idle mode, allowing the application processor to wake up.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, when it is determined that the portable terminal remains in the idle mode, allowing the state determination unit to sleep with an interval of the specific period.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the state of the portable terminal comprises:

operating a sensor for obtaining sensing information by the state determination unit;

obtaining the sensing information by the operated sensor; and

determining a state of the portable terminal using the obtained sensing information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein allowing the application processor to wake up comprises:

ending an operation of the sensor being operated by the state determination unit; and

allowing the state determination unit to sleep.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

decreasing power consumption by ending an operation of a function being performed previously when a state for entering a low-power mode is determined.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein decreasing the power consumption by ending the operation of the function being operated previously ends sequentially from an operation of a function having a large amount of power consumption.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the sensing information using the operated sensor comprises:

analyzing the obtained sensing information; and

storing sensing information used to determine a life pattern of a user of the portable terminal in the obtained sensing information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the sensing information used to determine the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal is sensing information of which a sensing information value persistently changes in the obtained sensing information.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein obtaining the sensing information by the operated sensor comprises:

providing the stored sensing information used to determine the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal to the application processor when the state determination units enters the sleep mode.

22. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

when the life pattern of the user of the portable terminal is determined, performing an operation corresponding to the determined life pattern.

16. (canceled)