SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DEFERRING POWER CONSUMPTION BY POST-PROCESSING SENSOR DATA

• US 20150293575A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Hildreth, Evan Robert, Forutanpour, Babak, Hampson, Terence William
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a battery-level of an electronic device and conserving the battery charge of the electronic device are disclosed. The battery consumption of an electronic device may be reduced when the user or the device learns via user input or determines via prediction that the battery will be depleted before the next possible charge cycle. Reducing battery consumption could be accomplished by accessing an application requiring less power consumption and/or delaying post-processing of sensor data related to that application, for example a camera application. Prediction of battery life could include determining the time to the next expected battery charge and delaying the processing of sensor data until the electronic device is plugged in and charging or has reached a predetermined charge level.

Claims

1. A system for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

a memory component configured to store sensor data;

a processor coupled to the memory component, the processor configured to retrieve the sensor data from the memory component and perform processing of the sensor data in at least two operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation mode; and

a control module stored in the memory component, the control module including instructions configured to operate the processor to

determine a low power condition that is based on at least one of a threshold battery charge level below which the electronic device will enter the low power operation mode or a threshold time after which the device will enter the low power operation mode; and

operate the device in the low power operation mode based on whether the low power condition occurs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein operating the device in the low power operation mode comprises storing sensor data in the memory component and performing less processing of the sensor data than when the device is operated in the normal power operation mode.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging device in communication with the processor and configured to generate image data, the imaging device comprising at least one imaging sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to accept user preferences for a low power operation mode of the electronic device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to, when in the low power operation mode, store the sensor data in the memory component for later processing.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control module is further configured to store the sensor data for delayed high quality post-processing during a later charging cycle of the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a light-field or plenoptic camera.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a heart rate monitor application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating an audio application.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a mobile device.

12. A method for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

storing sensor data in a memory component of the electronic device;

retrieving the sensor data from the memory component and performing processing of the sensor data in at least two operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation;

determining a low power condition that is based on at least one of a threshold battery charge level below which the electronic device will enter the low power operation mode or a threshold time after which the device will enter the low power operation mode; and

operating the device in the low power operation mode based on whether the low power condition occurs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein operating the device in the low power operation mode comprises storing the sensor data in the memory component and performing less processing of the sensor data than when the device is operated in the normal power operation mode.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising accepting user preferences for a low power operation mode of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing the sensor data in the memory component for later post-processing during low power operation of the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing the sensor data in the memory component of the electronic device for delayed post-processing during a later charging cycle of the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a light-field or plenoptic camera.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a heart rate monitor application.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating an audio application.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a mobile device.

22. An apparatus for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

means for storing sensor data;

means for retrieving the sensor data from the memory component and performing processing of the sensor data in at least two operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation;

means for determining a low power condition that is based on at least one of a threshold battery charge level below which the electronic device will enter the low power operation mode or a threshold time after which the device will enter the low power operation mode; and

means for operating the device in the low power operation mode based on whether the low power condition occurs.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one physical computer processor to perform a method of deferring power operation of an electronic device, the method comprising:

storing sensor data in a memory component of the electronic device;

retrieving the sensor data from the memory component and performing processing of the sensor data in at least two operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation;

determining a low power condition that is based on at least one of a threshold battery charge level below which the electronic device will enter the low power operation mode or a threshold time after which the device will enter the low power operation mode; and

operating the device in the low power operation mode based on whether the low power condition occurs.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein operating the device in the low power operation mode comprises storing sensor data in the memory component and performing less processing of the sensor data than when the device is operated in the normal power operation mode.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising accepting user preferences for the low power operation mode of the electronic device.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising storing the sensor data in the memory component for delayed high quality post-processing during a later charging cycle of the electronic device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a light-field or plenoptic camera.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a heart rate monitor application.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating an audio application.