APPARATUS AND METHOD OF REPRODUCING AUDIO DATA USING LOW POWER

• US 20130103392A1
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Do Hyung, LEE, Shi Hwa, SON, Chang Yong, LEE, Kang Eun
• Granted Patent: US 9,378,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/16 Vocoder architecture

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reproducing audio data using low power are provided. The apparatus may reproduce the audio data by determining a power mode based on a memory resource of an internal memory, and an amount of a memory required for reproducing the audio data, controlling a power based on the determined power mode, and decoding the audio data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reproducing audio data, the apparatus comprising:

a top system to transfer the audio data;

an audio input buffer to store the audio data received from the top system;

an audio output buffer to store decoded audio data; and

a power controlling unit to control a power supplied to the top system based on at least one of an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed, and an amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power controlling unit increases an amount of time in which the top system is temporarily powered down when at least one of a size of the audio output buffer and a speed of an operation clock increases.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power controlling unit temporarily powers down the top system by interrupting power supplied to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a power-down reference amount.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top system comprises:

a central processing unit to determine audio decoding information corresponding to the audio data; and

a memory to store at least one of the audio data, sound effect information, and the audio decoding information.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the memory by re-supplying the power to the memory based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the central processing unit by re-supplying the power to the central processing unit based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the central processing unit wakes up the memory and the central processing unit is powered down again.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a size of the audio output buffer is greater than a size of the audio input buffer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio decoding unit to decode the audio data;

an audio converting unit to convert the decoded audio data to an audio output signal,

wherein the power controlling unit is disposed between the audio output buffer and the audio converting unit.

12. A method of reproducing audio data, the method comprising:

storing, in an audio input buffer, audio data received from a top system;

storing decoded audio data in an audio output buffer; and

controlling a power supplied to the top system based on at least one of an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed, and the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling comprises increasing an amount of time required in which the top system is temporarily powered down when at least one of a size of the audio output buffer and a speed of an operation clock increases.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling comprises temporarily powering down the top system by interrupting power supplied to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a power-down reference amount.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling comprises waking up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling comprises waking up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a size of the audio output buffer is greater than a size of the audio input buffer.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

decoding the audio data; and

converting the decoded audio data to an audio output signal.

19. An apparatus for reproducing audio data, the apparatus comprising:

a top system to transfer audio data; and

a mode determining unit to determine a power mode of the audio data based on a memory resource and an amount of a memory required for reproducing the audio data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mode determining unit adjusts a size of an audio input buffer and a size of an audio output buffer based on the determined power mode.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mode determining unit adjusts a speed of an operation clock to be increased or decreased based on the determined power mode.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

an audio input buffer to store the audio data when the determined power mode corresponds to a first mode;

a power controlling unit to control a power supplied to the top system based on an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed;

an audio decoding unit to decode the audio data; and

an audio output buffer to store the decoded audio data.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the power controlling unit increases an amount of time in which the top system is temporarily powered down in proportion to a size of the audio input buffer.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the controlling unit wakes up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

an audio input buffer to store the audio data when the determined power mode corresponds to a second mode;

an audio decoding unit to decode the audio data;

an audio output buffer to store the decoded audio data; and

a power controlling unit to control a power supplied to the top system based on at least one of an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed and the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power controlling unit increases an amount of time in which the top system is temporarily powered down when at least one of a size of the audio output buffer and a speed of an operation clock increases.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power controlling unit powers down the top system by interrupting the power supplied to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a power-down reference amount.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power controlling unit wakes up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

30. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a speed of an operation clock of a first mode is slower than a speed of an operation clock of a second mode, among power modes.

31. A method of reproducing audio data, the method comprising:

transferring audio data; and

determining a power mode of the audio data based on a memory resource and an amount of a memory required for reproducing the audio data.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the determining comprises adjusting a size of an audio input buffer and a size of an audio output buffer based on the determined power mode.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the determining comprises adjusting a speed of an operation clock to be increased or decreased based on the determined power mode.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

storing, in an audio input buffer, the audio data received from a top system when the determined power mode corresponds to a first mode;

controlling a power supplied to the top system based on an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed;

decoding the audio data; and

storing the decoded audio data in an audio output buffer.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the controlling comprises increasing an amount of time in which the top system is temporarily powered down in proportion to a size of the audio input buffer.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the controlling comprises waking up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

storing, in an audio input buffer, the audio data received from a top system when the determined power mode corresponds to a second mode;

decoding the audio data;

storing the decoded audio data in an audio output buffer; and

controlling a power supplied to the top system based on at least one of an amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed and the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the controlling comprises increasing an amount of time in which the top system is temporarily powered down when at least one of a size of the audio output buffer and a speed of an operation clock increases.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the controlling comprises powering down the top system by interrupting the power supplied to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a power-down reference amount.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the controlling comprises waking up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer that is consumed to a wake-up reference amount.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the controlling comprises waking up the top system by re-supplying the power to the top system based on a result of comparing the amount of audio data stored in the audio input buffer that is consumed to a reference amount of input buffer.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein a speed of an operation clock of a first mode is slower than a speed of an operation clock of a second mode, among power modes.

43. A method of reproducing audio data received from a top system, the method comprising:

storing decoded audio data in an audio output buffer;

temporarily powering down the top system when an amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer reaches a predetermined power-down reference threshold; and

restoring power to the top system when the amount of audio data stored in the audio output buffer reaches a predetermined wake-up reference threshold.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the predetermined power-down reference threshold indicates when the audio output buffer is substantially filled with the decoded audio data and the predetermined wake-up reference threshold indicates when the audio output buffer is substantially empty of decoded audio data.