Method and electronic device capable of saving power

• US 8,244,313 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Foxconn Communication Technology Corp. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Mien-Chih, Huang, Pin-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/551,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20100248794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/556.1, 455/2.01, 455/414.1, 455/3.06, 455/418, 455/420, 455/425, 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/552.1, 455/574, 455/13.4, 455/9, 381/58, 381/120, 348/570, 348/E07.001, 348/738, 348/71.3, 348/730, 713/320, 713/321, 710/14
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing

Abstract

A method and an electronic device capable of saving power are disclosed. The electronic device includes a power save system, a media player application and an audio interface. The audio interface includes an audio driver module, and an audio processor. The power save system includes a monitor unit, and a control unit. The monitor unit monitors the current mode of the media player application. If the media player application is in the mute mode, the control unit transmits a power-save signal to switch off the audio processor to save power of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for saving power in an electronic device, the electronic device comprising an audio processor, an audio driver module, and a media player application having mute and non-mute modes, the method comprising:

transmitting audio streams to the audio driver module by the media player application;

monitoring a current mode of the media player application;

transmitting a mode signal indicative of the current mode of the media player application;

transmitting a power-save signal to the audio processor and instructing the audio driver module to cancel the audio streams in response to monitoring that the media player application is in the mute mode; and

switching off the audio processor according to the power-save signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching on the audio processor upon monitoring the media player application is in the non-mute mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering the audio streams by the audio driver module.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the audio driver module to transmit the rendered audio streams to the audio processor upon monitoring that the media player applications is in the non-mute mode.

5. An electronic device capable of saving power, the electronic device comprising:

an audio driver module;

a media player application having mute and non-mute modes, and to transmit audio streams to the audio driver module;

an audio processor;

a monitor unit to monitor a current mode of the media player application, and to transmit a mode signal indicative of the current mode of the media player application; and

a control unit to transmit a power-save signal to switch off the audio processor and to instruct the audio driver module to cancel the audio streams when the media player application is in the mute mode.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein, upon monitoring that the media player application is in the non-mute mode, the control unit transmits an operational signal to the audio processor to switch on the audio processor.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the electronic device further comprises an audio driver module to render audio streams from the media player application.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein, upon monitoring that the media player application is in the non-mute mode, the control unit transmits the operational signal to the audio driver module to instruct the audio driver module to transmit the rendered audio streams to the audio processor.

9. A storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method for saving power in an electronic device, the electronic device comprising an audio processor and an audio driver module, and a media player application having mute and non-mute modes, wherein the method comprises:

transmitting audio streams to the audio driver module by the media player application;

monitor the current mode of the media player application;

transmitting a mode signal indicative of the current mode of the media player application;

transmitting a power-save signal to the audio processor and instructing the audio driver module to cancel the audio streams in response to monitoring that the media player application is in the mute mode; and

switch off the audio processor according to the power-save signal.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises,

switch on the audio processor upon monitoring that the media player application is in non-mute mode.

11. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

render the audio streams by the audio driver module.

12. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

instruct the audio driver module to transmit the rendered audio streams to the audio processor upon monitoring the media player application is in the non-mute mode.