METHOD FOR PERFORMING POWER CONSUMPTION CONTROL, AND ASSOCIATED APPARATUS

• US 20160041207A1
• Filed: 10/18/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Chao-Kuo, Wu, Jui-Chi
• Application Number:
  US14/886,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20160041207A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/46 wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is dc G05F1/625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for performing power consumption control is provided, where the method is applied to an electronic device. The method includes: sensing a current on a current path between a battery and at least one portion of the electronic device by performing sampling operations to generate a plurality of samples; performing calculation on the samples to monitor the current; and based upon the calculation, when it is detected that the current reaches a predetermined threshold, triggering the battery into a second mode from a first mode. In particular, performing the sampling operations to generate the plurality of samples further includes: utilizing an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to perform the sampling operations on a voltage difference corresponding to the current to generate the plurality of samples. For example, the voltage difference can be obtained by probing two terminals of a resistor or a Hall component. An associated apparatus is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for performing power consumption control, the method being applied to an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one current on at least one current path between a battery and at least one portion of the electronic device by performing sampling operations to generate a plurality of samples;

performing calculation on the samples to monitor the current; and

based upon the calculation, when it is detected that the current reaches a predetermined threshold, triggering the battery into a second mode from a first mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one current is a total current output from the battery or a total current input into the battery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery enters the second mode for reducing power consumption.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the sampling operations to generate the plurality of samples further comprises:

utilizing an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to perform the sampling operations on a voltage difference corresponding to the current to generate the plurality of samples.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the voltage difference is a difference between a first voltage level at a first terminal of at least one resistor and a second voltage level at a second terminal of the resistor.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the voltage difference is a difference between a first voltage level at a first terminal of at least one Hall component and a second voltage level at a second terminal of the Hall component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one current comprises a plurality of currents;

and the step of sensing the at least one current on the at least one current path between the battery and the at least one portion of the electronic device by performing the sampling operations to generate the plurality of samples further comprises;

sensing the currents on multiple current paths between the battery and multiple portions of the electronic device by performing the sampling operations to generate the samples, respectively.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected from a plurality of predetermined thresholds defined in at least one predetermined table;

and the method further comprises;

checking the electronic device to detect whether a specific condition of a plurality of predetermined conditions is satisfied; and

when it is detected that the specific condition is satisfied, utilizing a specific predetermined threshold corresponding to the specific condition as the predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of predetermined conditions is defined in the at least one predetermined table;

and the method further comprises;

retrieving condition information corresponding to at least one portion of the predetermined conditions from the at least one predetermined table, for use of checking the electronic device, in order to detect whether the specific condition is satisfied.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode comprises sleep status.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode comprises power off status.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

triggering a post processing operation to be performed within the electronic device, when it is detected that the current reaches a predetermined threshold.

13. An apparatus for performing power consumption control, the apparatus comprising at least one portion of an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a current sensing circuit capable of sensing at least one current on at least one current path between a battery and at least one portion of the electronic device by performing sampling operations to generate a plurality of samples; and

a control module capable of performing calculation on the samples to monitor the current, wherein based upon the calculation, when it is detected that the current reaches a predetermined threshold, the control module is capable of triggering the battery into a second mode from a first mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one current is a total current output from the battery or a total current input into the battery.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the post processing operation is utilized for reducing power consumption.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one current comprises a plurality of currents;

and the current sensing circuit is capable of sensing the currents on multiple current paths between the battery and multiple portions of the electronic device by performing the sampling operations to generate the samples, respectively.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected from a plurality of predetermined thresholds defined in at least one predetermined table;

and the control module comprises;

a condition detection unit capable of checking the electronic device to detect whether a specific condition of a plurality of predetermined conditions is satisfied;

wherein when it is detected that the specific condition is satisfied, the condition detection unit is capable of utilizing a specific predetermined threshold corresponding to the specific condition as the predetermined threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the plurality of predetermined conditions is defined in the at least one predetermined table;

and the condition detection unit is capable of retrieving condition information corresponding to at least one portion of the predetermined conditions from the at least one predetermined table, for use of checking the electronic device, in order to detect whether the specific condition is satisfied.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second mode comprises power off status or sleep status.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when it is detected that the current reaches a predetermined threshold, the control module is further capable of triggering a post processing operation to be performed within the electronic device.