METHOD FOR OPERATING A DEVICE HAVING A SWITCHABLE POWER SAVING MODE FOR REDUCING ITS POWER CONSUMPTION

• US 20190324518A1
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Jiao, Shi
• Granted Patent: US 11,275,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method for operating a device including a processing unit having a switchable power saving mode for reducing its power consumption. The method includes the following acts performed by the processing unit: determining if an application running in foreground is compatible with the power saving mode; and switching the power saving mode depending on whether the application running in foreground is determined compatible with the power saving mode.

Claims

1. A method for operating a device (1) comprising at least one processing unit (11) and a screen (13), said device (1) having a switchable power saving mode for reducing the device (1) power consumption, the method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps, performed by the processing unit (11):

determining (a) if an application running in foreground is compatible with the power saving mode;

switching (b) the power saving mode depending on whether the application running in foreground is compatible with the power saving mode.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the switching step (b) comprises switching on (b1) the power saving mode if the application running in foreground is determined compatible with the power saving mode.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switching step (b) comprises switching off (b2) the power saving mode if the application running in foreground is not determined compatible with the power saving mode.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the device comprises a battery (14) and wherein the step of switching off the power saving mode if the application running in foreground is not determined compatible with the power saving mode is only performed when a level of said battery is above a predetermined threshold.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the power saving mode comprises at least one switchable component, a component of the power saving mode being a screen power saving mode for reducing the power consumption due to the screen (13).

6. A method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the power saving mode comprises at least one switchable component, a component of the power saving mode being a CPU power saving mode for reducing the power consumption due to the processing unit (11).

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the device (1) comprises a plurality of processing units (11) and wherein switching on the CPU power saving mode comprises switching off at least one of said processing units (11) while keeping at least one of said processing units (11) switched on.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the power saving mode comprises a plurality of switchable components, the determining step (a) comprising determining if the application running in foreground is compatible with each switchable component of the power saving mode.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the switching step (b) comprises, for each component of the power saving mode, switching said component depending on whether the application running in foreground is compatible with said component.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein determining (a) if an application running in foreground is compatible with the power saving mode is performed when detecting a change of application running in foreground.

11. A method according to claim 10, comprising a previous step (a0) of monitoring which application is running in foreground so as to detect any change.

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein an application compatible with the power saving mode is an application which functions sensibly indistinguishably with or without the power saving mode.

13. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least one application compatible with the power saving mode presents at least one given tag in its code and determining step (a) comprises checking the code of the application running in the foreground for said tag.

14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein at least one list of applications compatible with the power saving mode is stored in a memory unit (12) and determining step (a) comprises identifying the application running in foreground and checking the list for said identified application.

15. A method according to claim 14, comprising a step of receiving from a user of the device, for at least one application stored in said memory unit (12), an indication about the compatibility of said application with the power saving mode, so as to build said list.

16. A method according to claim 10, comprising a step of receiving from a server (10) connected to the device (1) through a network (20), for at least one application stored in said memory unit (12), an indication about the compatibility of said application with the power saving mode, so as to build said list.

17. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the device (1) comprises a battery (14), the method being performed only when the processing unit (11) is powered by said battery (14).

19. A computer program product, comprising code instructions for executing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 for operating a device (1) comprising at least one processing unit (11) and a screen (13), the device (1) having a switchable power saving mode for reducing its power consumption.

20. A computer-readable medium, on which is stored a computer program product comprising code instructions for executing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 for operating a device (1) comprising at least one processing unit (11) and a screen (13), the device (1) having a switchable power saving mode for reducing its power consumption.

18. An electronic device (1) comprising at least one processing unit (11) and a screen (13), said electronic device (1) having a switchable power saving mode for reducing its power consumption, said processing unit (11) being configured to:

determine if an application running in foreground is compatible with the power saving mode;

switch the power saving mode depending on whether the application running in foreground is determined compatible with the power saving mode.