Prioritizing power-consuming applications of an electronic device powered by a battery

• US 8,004,234 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Walrath, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Application Number:
  US12/898,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/114, 320/115, 320/132
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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 1/3287 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 power management system comprises a power management module configured to receive a requested duration for powering an electronic device by a battery, the power management module configured to control use of power-consuming elements of the electronic device based on a prioritization of the power-consuming elements to enable powering of the electronic device by the battery for at least the requested duration.

Claims

1. A method executed by a portable computer, comprising:

prioritizing, by the portable computer, software applications that execute with power-consuming elements in the portable computer;

receiving a desired time to use the portable computer while the portable computer is powered by a battery; and

selecting, by the portable computer and based on prioritization of the software applications, to stop usage of one of the power-consuming elements to enable use of the portable computer for the desired time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired time is input as number of hours to use the portable computer while the portable computer is powered by the battery.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired time indicates use of the portable computer while powered by the battery until a particular time of day.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prioritizing the software applications as having a high priority and a low priority;

closing the software applications having the low priority in response to receiving the desired time to use the portable computer while powered by the battery.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically closing, by the portable computer, a software application to enable the portable computer to run for the desired time;

automatically re-opening, by the portable computer, the software application when an estimated duration of running the portable computer with the software application being open is longer than the desired time with the software application being closed.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

iteratively turning off one of the software applications at a time until the portable computer can remain powered by the battery for the desired time.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically placing a wireless application in sleep or hibernation to reduce power consumption of the portable computer so the portable computer operates by the battery with the desired time.

8. A method executed by a portable electronic device, comprising:

obtaining priorities for software applications that execute on the portable electronic device that includes a battery and power-consuming elements;

obtaining a desired time to operate the portable electronic device while the portable electronic device is powered by the battery; and

changing, by the portable electronic device and based on the priorities for the software applications, an amount of power delivered to one or more of the power-consuming elements to enable the portable electronic device to operate for the desired time.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

turning off software applications having a low priority; and

turning on software applications having a high priority.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

identifying which of the software applications have a fixed priority level and which of the software applications have a variable priority level.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

raising a level of priority of a software application in response to the software application being opened while the portable electronic device is powered by the battery.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

lowering a level of priority of a software application in response to the software application being closed while the portable electronic device is powered by the battery.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a message from a network;

prioritizing the software applications based on the message received from the network.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

prioritizing the software applications based on whether a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device is plugged into the portable electronic device.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

estimating a battery power duration time for the portable electronic device to operate by the battery;

comparing the battery power duration time with the desired time;

turning off one of the power-consuming elements when the battery power duration time is less than the desired time.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

power-consuming elements;

a battery to power the power-consuming elements; and

a processor that executes software applications and adjusts power supplied to the power-consuming elements based on priorities assigned to the software applications and based on a desired duration of time for the electronic device to operate while being powered by the battery.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor estimates a duration of time for the electronic device to be powered by the battery and turns off one of the power-consuming elements having a lower priority and leaves on another of the power-consuming elements while the electronic device is powered by the battery.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor re-evaluates adjustment of power being supplied to the power-consuming elements when the battery is replaced with another battery.