REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION IN MULTI-THREADED PROCESSOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20120287831A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Steven D., Chin, Tom, Shi, Guangming
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• 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

In a multi-threaded processor mobile device, power consumption is reduced by matching a number of active processing resources with the data rate capability of a serving base station. The number of active resources may be adjusted to increase the amount of time the mobile device is in an all-waits period, where its processors are all idle at the same time. Increasing the all-waits time increases power savings. The mobile device may reduce the number of active resources to reduce power consumption or may increase the number of active resources temporarily in order to increase an all-waits period. The mobile device may also operate in a low power state by adjusting its active resources and operating at a reduced data rate, which is communicated to a base station.

Claims

1. A method of controlling power consumption of a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a data rate of a base station serving the mobile device; and

dynamically changing a number of active resources in the mobile device based on the indicated data rate of the base station serving the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the active resources comprise active hardware threads of an interleaved multi-threaded (IMT) processor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reporting a reduced rate capability of the mobile device when the mobile device has a battery power below a threshold; and

reducing the number of active resources in accordance with the reduced data rate capability of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the dynamically changing is based on increasing a time in a low power state of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the dynamically changing comprises increasing an all-waits time.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the indication of the data rate is at least one of a radio access technology and a communication protocol category.

7. An apparatus for controlling power consumption of a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an indication of a data rate of a base station serving the mobile device; and

means for dynamically changing a number of active resources in the mobile device based on the indicated data rate of the base station serving the mobile device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the active resources comprise active hardware threads of an interleaved multi-threaded (IMT) processor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the means for dynamically changing is based on increasing a time in a low power state of the mobile device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the means for dynamically changing comprises means for increasing an all-waits time.

11. A computer program product for controlling power consumption of a mobile device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to receive an indication of a data rate of a base station serving the mobile device; and

program code to dynamically change a number of active resources in the mobile device based on the indicated data rate of the base station serving the mobile device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, in which the active resources comprise active hardware threads of an interleaved multi-threaded (IMT) processor.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, in which the program code to dynamically change is based on increasing a time in a low power state of the mobile device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, in which the program code to dynamically change comprises program code to increase an all-waits time.

15. An apparatus for controlling power consumption of a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured;

to receive an indication of a data rate of a base station serving the mobile device; and

to dynamically change a number of active resources in the mobile device based on the indicated data rate of the base station serving the mobile device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the active resources comprise active hardware threads of an interleaved multi-threaded (IMT) processor.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor is further configured:

to report a reduced rate capability of the mobile device when the mobile device has a battery power below a threshold; and

to reducing the number of active resources in accordance with the reduced data rate capability of the mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor configured to dynamically change is based on increasing a time in a low power state of the mobile device.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one processor configured to dynamically change comprises the at least one processor configured to increase an all-waits time.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the indication of the data rate is at least one of a radio access technology and a communication protocol category.