DORMANCY MODE CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS OF PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20130316769A1
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Taehwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for controlling a dormancy mode of the portable terminal by minimizing the dormancy mode entry delay of the display in power-off state are provided. The method includes starting, when the application processor and the communication processor stop data communication in display power-off state, a dormancy mode timer, checking, when the dormancy mode timer expires, a dormancy mode flag indicating communication channel state, and entering, when the dormancy mode flag indicates a communication channel connection release state, the dormancy mode, wherein the dormancy mode timer counts a number of segments constituting a maximum standby time for entering the dormancy mode.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a dormancy mode in a portable terminal including an application processor and a communication processor, the method comprising:

starting, when the application processor and the communication processor stop data communication in display power-off state, a dormancy mode timer;

checking, when the dormancy mode timer expires, a dormancy mode flag indicating a communication channel state; and

entering, when the dormancy mode flag indicates a communication channel connection release state, the dormancy mode,

wherein the dormancy mode timer counts a number of segments constituting a maximum standby time for entering the dormancy mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the application processor when the dormancy mode flag indicates a communication channel connection maintenance state, whether a dormancy mode timer expiration counter is equal to the number of segments; and

restarting, when the dormancy mode timer expiration counter is not equal to the number of segments, the dormancy mode timer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising entering, when the dormancy mode timer expiration counter is equal to the number of segments, the dormancy mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the communication processor, whether a communication channel connection release message is received; and

maintaining, when no communication channel connection release message is received, the dormancy mode flag indicating a communication channel connection maintenance state.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising changing, when the communication channel connection release message is received, the dormancy mode flag to indicate the communication channel connection release state.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring, when the dormancy mode timer starts, a wake-lock for preventing the application processor from entering the dormancy mode until the dormancy mode timer expires.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1.

7. An apparatus for controlling a dormancy mode of a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a communication processor which controls radio communication with a base station; and

an application processor configured to;

communicate data with the communication processor and starts, when the application processor and the communication processor stop data communication in display power-off state, a dormancy mode timer,

check, when the dormancy mode timer expires, a dormancy mode flag indicating a communication channel state, and

enter, when the dormancy mode flag indicates communication channel connection release state, the dormancy mode,

wherein the dormancy mode timer counts a number of segments constituting a maximum standby time for entering the dormancy mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the application processor is further configured to:

determine, when the dormancy mode flag indicates a communication channel connection maintenance state, whether a dormancy mode timer expiration counter is equal to the number of segments,

restart, when the dormancy mode timer expiration counter is not equal to the number of segments, the dormancy mode timer, and

enter, when the dormancy mode timer expiration counter is equal to the number of segments, the dormancy mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application processor is further configured to increment, when the dormancy mode timer expires and the dormancy mode flag indicates the communication channel connection maintenance state, the dormancy mode timer by 1.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the application processor is further configured to:

determine whether a communication channel connection release message is received to maintain,

when no communication channel connection release message is received, the dormancy mode flag indicating communication channel connection maintenance state and change, when the communication channel connection release message is received, the dormancy mode flag to indicate the communication channel connection release state.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the application processor is further configured to enable, when the dormancy mode timer starts, a wake-lock for preventing the application processor from entering the dormancy mode until the dormancy mode timer expires.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the application processor comprises:

a wake-lock processor which configures a wake-lock for preventing the terminal from entering a sleep mode before expiration of the dormancy mode timer; and

a dormancy mode processor which controls starting the dormancy mode timer and entering the dormancy mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication processor transmits to the application processor a communication channel connection release message indicating release of a communication channel connection, the communication channel connection release message being received from the base station or generated by the application processor when determined that the communication channel connection with the base station is released.