Portable electronic devices with power management capabilities

• US 8,171,322 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fiennes, Hugo, Yeh, Michael Victor, Li, Xingqun
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Xuxing
• Application Number:
  US12/135,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 713/322, 713/324, 713/323, 713/300, 710/260
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices

Abstract

An electronic device may operate in standby and active modes. A headset may be coupled to the electronic device. The electronic device may have audio codec circuitry. The audio codec circuitry may use general purpose input-output circuitry in handling button and headset activity during active mode. Processing circuitry may be used to reconfigure the audio codec in real time. When the electronic device is in the standby mode and activity is detected, the codec may be configured to provide an interrupt signal to a power management unit that wakes the device. When the electronic device is in active mode and no user inputs are received within a given period of time, the central processor in the electronic device may place the device in standby mode.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

processing circuitry;

a power management unit; and

an audio codec circuit coupled to the processing circuitry and the power management unit, wherein the audio codec circuit includes general-purpose input-output circuitry that receives input from a button and that directs the power management unit to transition from a standby mode of operation to an active mode of operation when button activity from the button is detected, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to place the device in the standby mode of operation to conserve power in response to a first interrupt from the audio codec circuit.

2. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to place the portable electronic device in the standby mode of operation when it is determined that standby mode criteria have been satisfied.

3. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to place the portable electronic device in the standby mode of operation when directed to enter the standby mode by a user request.

4. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to place the portable electronic device in the standby mode of operation when the portable electronic device has been inactive for a given inactivity period.

5. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a path between the audio codec circuit and the power management unit, wherein the audio codec circuit asserts a second interrupt on the path to direct the power management unit to transition from the standby mode of operation to the active mode of operation when the audio codec detects the button activity.

6. The portable electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the path comprises a first of two paths, wherein a second of the two paths is coupled between the audio codec and the processing circuitry, wherein the audio codec asserts the first interrupt on the second path.

7. The portable electronic device defined in claim 6 further comprising a bus between the processing circuitry and the audio codec circuit that conveys register settings for the audio codec circuit to configure the audio codec:

to assert the second interrupt on the first path when the button activity is detected by the audio codec circuit while the audio codec circuit is in active mode; and

to assert the first interrupt on the second path when the button activity is detected by the audio codec circuit while the audio codec circuit is in standby mode.

8. The portable electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising a connector that is used in connecting the audio codec circuit to an external headset having a headset button, wherein the button activity is detected by the audio codec circuit when a user operates the headset button.

9. The portable electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising a button that is coupled to the audio codec circuit.

10. The portable electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the audio codec circuit comprises a general purpose input-output circuit that is connected to a button, wherein the general purpose input-output circuit is used in detecting the button activity.

11. The portable electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the audio codec circuit comprises a general purpose input-output interface circuit that generates the first and second interrupts for the first and second paths.

12. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a button that is coupled to the general purpose input-output interface circuit, wherein the general purpose input-output circuit handles button activity from the button for the device.

13. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a bus between the processing circuitry and the audio codec circuit that conveys register settings for the audio codec.

14. A portable electronic device, comprising:

processing circuitry;

a power management unit;

an audio codec circuit coupled to the processing circuitry and the power management unit, wherein the audio codec circuit includes general-purpose input-output circuitry that receives input from a button and that directs the power management unit to transition from a standby mode of operation to an active mode of operation when button activity from the button is detected;

a bus between the processing circuitry and the audio codec circuit that conveys register settings for the audio codec, wherein the audio codec circuit comprises a general purpose input-output circuit that has associated registers and wherein the register settings conveyed over the bus are loaded into the registers to configure the general purpose input-output circuit.

15. A method for operating a portable electronic device having processing circuitry, a power management unit, and an audio codec with registers that control the operation of the audio codec, comprising:

with the processing circuitry, loading settings into the registers that configure the audio codec to provide a first interrupt to the power management unit when button activity is detected by the audio codec while the portable electronic device is in a standby mode of operation; and

with the processing circuitry, loading settings into the registers that configure the audio codec to provide a second interrupt to the processing circuitry when an event is detected by the audio codec while the portable electronic device is operating in an active mode of operation.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the event comprises an event that is indicative that the device is to enter the standby mode of operation.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the event comprises button activity, the method comprising:

with general purpose input-output circuit in the audio codec, directing the power management unit to transition to a standby mode in response to the button activity.

18. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the button activity comprises headset button activity, the method further comprising:

in response to the detected headset activity, asserting the first interrupt with the audio codec.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

powering down unused circuitry in the audio codec during the standby mode.

20. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the loaded settings in the registers configure the audio codec to provide the first interrupt to the power management unit when microphone activity is detected by the audio codec while the portable electronic device is in the standby mode, the method further comprising:

in response to the detected microphone activity, asserting the first interrupt with the audio codec.

21. The method defined in claim 15 further comprising:

when no user inputs are received by the portable electronic device within a given period of time, directing the power management unit to transition to a standby mode.

22. A method for minimizing power consumption in a portable electronic device that has audio codec circuitry, a headset jack, a power management unit, and processing circuitry, wherein the audio codec circuitry has a headset activity detection circuit that detects activity on the headset jack, has first and second outputs that are respectively coupled to the power management unit and the processing circuitry, and has a register that contains register data and wherein the audio codec circuitry asserts an interrupt signal on a given one of its outputs when it detects activity on the headset jack, the method comprising:

when placing the portable electronic device in a standby mode, providing register data to the register that configures the audio codec circuitry so that the interrupt signal is asserted on the first output and is received by the power management unit; and

when placing the portable electronic device in an active mode, providing register data to the register that configures the audio codec circuitry so that the interrupt signal is asserted on the second output and is received by the processing circuitry.

23. The method defined in claim 22 further comprising:

when the portable electronic device enters the standby mode, powering down the processing circuitry; and

when the portable electronic device enters the active mode, powering up the processing circuitry.

24. The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:

with the headset activity detection circuit, detecting activity on the headset jack, wherein detecting activity on the headset jack comprises detecting the coupling of a headset to the headset jack.

25. The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:

with the headset activity detection circuit, detecting activity on the headset jack, wherein detecting activity on the headset jack comprises detecting the decoupling of a headset from the headset jack.

26. The method defined in claim 23 wherein the headset jack receives a headset with a headset button, the method further comprising:

with the headset activity detection circuit, detecting activity on the headset jack, wherein detecting activity on the headset jack comprises detecting the decoupling of the headset from the headset jack, detecting the coupling of the headset to the headset jack, and, when the headset is coupled to the portable electronic device, detecting when the headset button is pressed.

27. The method defined in claim 23 wherein the audio codec circuitry has an input coupled to a button, wherein the audio codec circuitry asserts the interrupt signal on the given one of its outputs when it detects activity on the input that is coupled to the button, and wherein the headset jack receives a headset with a headset button, the method further comprising:

with the headset activity detection circuit, detecting activity on the headset jack, wherein detecting activity on the headset jack comprises;

detecting the decoupling of a headset from the headset jack;

detecting the coupling of the headset to the headset jack; and

when the headset is coupled to the portable electronic device, detecting when the headset button is pressed; and

with the audio codec circuitry, detecting when the button is pressed, wherein the audio codec circuitry asserts the interrupt signal on the given one of its outputs when it detects activity on the input coupled to the button.

28. The method defined in claim 27 further comprising:

when the power management unit receives the interrupt signal, configuring the portable electronic device to operate in the active mode, wherein configuring the portable electronic device to operate in the active mode comprising powering up the processing circuitry.

29. The method defined in claim 23 wherein the audio codec circuitry has an input coupled to a button, the method further comprising:

with the audio codec circuitry, detecting when the button is pressed; and

in response to detecting activity on the input coupled to the button, asserting the interrupt signal on the given one of the audio codec circuitry outputs.