PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND POWER CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20160162002A1
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Liang, Yu-Hsin, Bei, Jing-Jo
• Granted Patent: US 9,690,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a power management unit, a sense module, a receiver module and an application processor. The sense module powered by a first operating voltage from the power management unit provides a first control signal in response to a sense event when the portable electronic device is in a sleep mode. The receiver module is powered by a second operating voltage from the power management unit in response to the first control signal. When the receiver module is powered by the second operating voltage, the receiver module obtains and recognizes an input event and provides a second control signal when the input event is recognized. The application processor is powered by a third operating voltage from the power management unit in response to the second control signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a power management unit configured to provide a first operating voltage, a second operating voltage and a third operating voltage;

a sense module powered by the first operating voltage and configured to obtain a sense event and provide a first control signal in response to the sense event when the portable electronic device is in a sleep mode;

a receiver module powered by the second operating voltage in response to the first control signal, wherein when the receiver module is powered by the second operating voltage, the receiver module is configured to obtain and recognize an input event and to provide a second control signal when the input event is recognized; and

an application processor powered by the third operating voltage in response to the second control signal.

2. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sense module comprises:

a sensor configured to detect the sense event and provide a sense signal according to the sense event; and

a sensor processor coupled to the sensor and configured to provide the first control signal according to the sense signal,

wherein the sensor and the sensor processor are powered by the first operating voltage.

3. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is a motion sensor or a touch sensor.

4. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver module comprises:

a microphone configured to obtain the input event and provide an input signal according to the input event, wherein the input event is a voice command;

an analog to digital converter configured to convert the input signal into a digital signal; and

a digital signal processor configured to determine whether the digital signal comprises the voice command and provide the second control signal to the application processor when the digital signal comprises the voice command,

wherein the microphone, the analog to digital converter and the digital signal processor are powered by the second operating voltage.

5. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the application processor is configured to perform an application procedure corresponding to the voice command.

6. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver module comprises:

a camera configured to obtain the input event and provide an input signal according to the input event, wherein the input event is an image;

an image signal processor configured to provide image data according to the input signal; and

a digital signal processor configured to determine whether the image data comprises a facial image and provide the second control signal to the application processor when the image data comprises the facial image,

wherein the image capturing device, the image signal processor and the digital signal processor are powered by the second operating voltage.

7. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the application processor is configured to perform an unlock procedure when the facial image is a specific user'"'"'s facial image.

8. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the facial image is a specific user'"'"'s facial image, the portable electronic device enters an active mode directly from the sleep mode.

9. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when no input event is obtained by the receiver module, the sense module controls the power management unit to stop proving the second operating voltage.

10. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver module further comprises a light sensor for detecting illumination, a microphone for detecting a voice command and a camera for detecting an image,

wherein an audio signal is provided by the microphone according to the voice command when the sense module detects that the illumination is smaller than or equal to a specific lux, and

wherein an image signal is provided by the camera according to the image when the sense module detects that the illumination is larger than the specific lux.

11. A power control method of a portable electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a sense module, a receiver module and an application processor, comprising:

providing a first operating voltage to power the sense module;

providing a first control signal by the sense module in response to a sense event when the portable electronic device is in a sleep mode;

providing a second operating voltage to power the receiver module in response to the first control signal;

obtaining and recognizing an input event by the receiver module and providing a second control signal by the receiver module when the input event is recognized; and

providing a third operating voltage to power the application processor in response to the second control signal.

12. The power control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sense module further comprises a sensor and a sensor processor, and the method further comprises:

detecting the sense event and providing a sense signal according to the sense event by the sensor; and

providing the first control signal according to the sense signal by the sensor processor,

wherein the sensor and the sensor processor are powered by the first operating voltage.

13. The power control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sensor is a motion sensor or a touch sensor.

14. The power control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receiver module further comprises a microphone, an analog to digital converter and a digital signal processor, and the method further comprises:

obtaining the input event and providing an input signal according to the input event by the microphone, wherein the input event is a voice command;

converting the input signal into a digital signal by the analog to digital converter;

determining whether the digital signal comprises the voice command by the digital signal processor; and

providing the second control signal to the application processor by the digital signal processor when the digital signal comprises the voice command,

wherein the microphone, the analog to digital converter and the digital signal processor are powered by the second operating voltage.

15. The power control method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

performing an application procedure corresponding to the voice command by the application processor.

16. The power control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receiver module further comprises a camera, an image signal processor and a digital signal processor, and the method further comprises:

obtaining the input event and providing an input signal according to the input event by the camera, wherein the input event is an image;

providing an image data according to the input signal by the image signal processor;

determining whether the image data comprises a facial image by the digital signal processor; and

providing the second control signal to the application processor by the digital signal processor when the image data comprises the facial image,

wherein the image capturing device, the image signal processor and the digital signal processor are powered by the second operating voltage.

17. The power control method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising

performing an unlock procedure by the application processor when the facial image is a specific user'"'"'s facial image.

18. The power control method as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the facial image is a specific user facial image, the portable electronic device enters an active mode directly from the sleep mode.

19. The power control method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

stopping providing the second operating voltage when no input event is obtained by the receiver module.