System and method for controlling energy usage in mobile applications

• US 7,440,751 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Boros, Andras
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/173,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20070004468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/574, 455/572, 455/405, 455/425, 455/423
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for controlling resource usage in an electronic device. An energy resource manager is used to monitor the energy usage by operations of an application or other software entity. When a new operation is to begin for the application, it is determined whether the energy cost for active operations for that application exceeds a predetermined energy cost quota. If the energy cost of the active operations does not exceed the quota, then the operation is allowed to proceed. If the energy cost of the active operations exceeds the quota, the operation is not permitted to proceed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling resource usage in an electronic device, comprising:

maintaining an energy cost account for a software entity to reflect a calculated energy cost of performed operations for the software entity over a quota measurement period;

monitoring whether the energy cost account exceeds a cost quota; and

taking a corrective action against the software entity if the software entity has exceeded the cost quota.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a start event indicating the start of a new energy-intensive operation for a particular software entity on the electronic device;

canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

if the particular software entity has no previously-created energy cost account, creating an energy cost account for the particular software entity;

updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for previously registered operations for the particular software entity;

determining whether the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account to the cost quota;

if the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the particular software;

if no correction action was initiated or if the initiated corrected action permitted the new operation to proceed;

registering the new operation; and

restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a termination event indicating the termination of an operation on the electronic device;

canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

if the software entity has indeed exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity;

unregistering the operation; and

restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a watchdog timer expired event indicating the termination of operation of a watchdog timer;

updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

if the software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity; and

restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically reinitiating new quota measurement period when the previous quota measurement period has expired; and

resetting the software entity'"'"'s energy cost account when reinitiating new quota measurement period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein those operations of the software entity that have been registered and running since the initiation of the most recent quota measurement period are calculated into energy cost account.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user to adjust duration of the quota measurement period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of the cost quota for the software entity is determined using a policy system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the size of the cost quota for the software entity is different than a cost quota for at least one other software entity.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising enabling a user to adjust a value of the cost quota.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein corrective action against the software entity that has exceeded the cost quota is determined using a policy system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising enabling a user to set a corrective action against software entity that has been exceeded its cost quota.

13. A computer program product, embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, for controlling resource usage in an electronic device when executed, comprising:

computer code for maintaining an energy cost account for a software entity to reflect a calculated energy cost of performed operations for the software entity over a quota measurement period;

computer code for monitoring whether the energy cost account exceeds a cost quota; and

computer code for taking a corrective action against the software entity if the software entity has exceeded the cost quota.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer code for receiving a start event indicating the start of a new energy-intensive operation for a particular software entity on the electronic device;

computer code for canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for, if the particular software entity has no previously-created energy cost account, creating an energy cost account for the particular software entity;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for previously registered operations for the particular software entity;

computer code for determining whether the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account to the cost quota;

computer code for, if the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the particular software;

computer code for, if no correction action was initiated or if the initiated corrected action permitted the new operation to proceed;

registering the new operation; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer code for receiving a termination event indicating the termination of an operation on the electronic device;

computer code for canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

computer code for determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

computer code for, if the software entity has indeed exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity;

computer code for unregistering the operation; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer code for receiving a watchdog timer expired event indicating the termination of operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

computer code for determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

computer code for, if the software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer code for automatically reinitiating new quota measurement period when the previous quota measurement period has expired;

computer code for resetting the software entity'"'"'s energy cost account when reinitiating new quota measurement period; and

computer code for enabling a user to adjust the duration of the quota measurement period.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the amount of the cost quota for the software entity is determined using a policy system, and wherein the size of the cost quota for the software entity is different than a cost quota for at least one other software entity.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein corrective action against the software entity that has exceeded the cost quota is determined using a policy system, and further comprising computer code for enabling a user to set a corrective action against software entity that has been exceeded its cost quota.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory unit operatively connected to the processor and including;

computer code for maintaining an energy cost account for a software entity to reflect a calculated energy cost of performed operations for the software entity over a quota measurement period;

computer code for monitoring whether the energy cost account exceeds a cost quota;

and computer code for taking a corrective action against the software entity if the software entity has exceeded the cost quota.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the memory unit further comprises:

computer code for receiving a start event indicating the start of a new energy-intensive operation for a particular software entity on the electronic device;

computer code for canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for, if the particular software entity has no previously-created energy cost account, creating an energy cost account for the particular software entity;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for previously registered operations for the particular software entity;

computer code for determining whether the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account to the cost quota;

computer code for, if the particular software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the particular software;

computer code for, if no correction action was initiated or if the initiated corrected action permitted the new operation to proceed;

registering the new operation; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the memory unit further comprises:

computer code for receiving a termination event indicating the termination of an operation on the electronic device;

computer code for canceling the operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

computer code for determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

computer code for, if the software entity has indeed exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity;

computer code for unregistering the operation; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the memory unit further comprises:

computer code for receiving a watchdog timer expired event indicating the termination of operation of a watchdog timer;

computer code for updating the energy cost account to reflect a calculated energy cost for active operations for the software entity;

computer code for determining whether the software entity has exceeded its cost quota by comparing the energy cost account and the cost quota;

computer code for, if the software entity has exceeded its cost quota, initiating corrective action against the software entity; and

computer code for restarting the operation of the watchdog timer.

24. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the memory unit further comprises:

computer code for automatically reinitiating a new quota measurement period when the previous quota measurement period has expired;

computer code for resetting the software entity'"'"'s energy cost account when reinitiating new quota measurement period; and

computer code for enabling a user to adjust duration of the quota measurement period.

25. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the amount of the cost quota for the software entity is determined using a policy system, and wherein the size of the cost quota for the software entity is different than a cost quota for at least one other software entity.

26. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein corrective action against the software entity that has exceeded the cost quota is determined using a policy system, and further comprising computer code for enabling a user to set a corrective action against software entity that has been exceeded its cost quota.