Providing a user with feedback regarding power consumption in battery-operated electronic devices

• US 8,280,456 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hackborn, Dianne K., Rice, Daniel S., Yamasani, Amith, Parks, Jason B., Millar, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US12/541,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 455/115, 455/419, 455/574, 348/189, 713/340
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing a user with feedback regarding power consumption in a battery-operated electronic device. In one aspect, a method performed by data processing apparatus includes identifying, using the data processing apparatus, usage of a hardware component of a battery-operated electronic device that includes the data processing apparatus, attributing the usage of the hardware component to the hardware component or to a software application that uses the hardware component, recording, using the data processing apparatus, a power consumption resulting from the usage, and presenting power consumption feedback to a user using the data processing apparatus. The power consumption feedback identifies the hardware component or the software application of the electronic device and the power consumption resulting from the usage.

Claims

1. A method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

identifying, using the data processing apparatus, usage of a hardware component of a battery-operated electronic device that includes;

multiple hardware components, including the data processing apparatus, and multiple software applications;

attributing a power consumption resulting from the usage of the hardware component to multiple aspects of the battery-operated electronic device, wherein attributing the power consumption resulting from the usage of the hardware component includes attributing the power consumption to the hardware component and a software application that uses the hardware component;

recording, using the data processing apparatus, the attributed power consumption and

presenting, using the data processing apparatus, power consumption feedback to a user,

the power consumption feedback identifying;

the hardware component,

the software application that uses the hardware component, and

the attributed power consumption.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring usage of the hardware component by the software application; and

converting the usage of the hardware component into a power consumption that is attributed to the software application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the hardware component comprises a wireless transceiver; and

converting the usage of the hardware component into the power consumption comprises identifying a range of signal strengths during the usage of the wireless transceiver.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the hardware component comprises a display; and

converting the usage of the hardware component into the power consumption comprises identifying a brightness state of the display during the usage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a start of a new period; and

clearing a record of power consumption for the previous period in response.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transferring information in the record of power consumption for the previous period into a long term record of power consumption in response to the identification of the start of the new period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the power consumption feedback to the user comprises displaying a presentation that identifies 5 software applications and indications of amounts of power consumed by the identified software applications.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the power consumption feedback to the user comprises displaying a presentation that identifies different classes of periods and indications of average amounts of power consumed during operation within the different classes.

9. A battery-operated electronic device comprising:

a battery; and

a collection of hardware components including a display screen and a data processing unit configured to;

execute a plurality of different applications,

identify usage of a hardware component by an application,

attribute a power consumption resulting from the usage of the hardware component by the application to the hardware component and the application,

record the attributed power consumption, and

present, using the display screen, an accounting of power, the accounting of power identifying the hardware component, the application, and the attributed power consumption.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a power measurement unit, the power measurement unit implemented in hardware and for measuring a parameter characterizing power consumed by a first hardware component of the collection of hardware components.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the power measurement unit comprises an ammeter.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the display screen presents an accounting of power consumed by individual hardware components in the collection.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a data storage device, the data storage device storing:

a structured collection of information characterizing power consumed by the different applications during a present, period; and

a structured collection of information characterizing power consumed by the different applications over a long term, the long term being longer than the present period.

14. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the data processing unit is configured to monitor activities performed using hardware components in the collection by the different applications and to, calculate power consumption estimates attributable to respective ones of the different applications.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, further comprising one or more persistent data storage devices storing conversion rules for estimating power consumptions by the different applications.

16. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring activities performed by applications executed by a data processing apparatus of a battery-operated electronic device;

estimating power consumptions for the activities;

for an activity, attributing the estimated power consumption to one or more hardware components of the battery-operated electronic device and to an application that uses the one or more hardware components to perform the activity;

recording information characterizing the estimated power consumption in association with information identifying the application that performed the activity and in association with information identifying the one or more hardware components used by the applications to perform the activity; and

presenting a user with an accounting of the estimated power consumption on a display screen of the battery-operated electronic device based on the recorded information, the accounting identifying the estimated power consumption, the application that performed the activity, and the one or more hardware components used by the applications to perform the activity.

17. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring activities performed by applications executed by a data processing apparatus of a battery-operated electronic device;

estimating power consumptions for the activities, wherein estimating the power consumptions comprises;

identifying that a first application holds a lock on a hardware component, the lock maintaining the hardware component in an active state; and

attributing additional power consumed during the lock to the first application;

the operations further comprising;

recording information characterizing the power consumptions in association with information identifying the applications that performed the activities; and

presenting a user with an accounting of the estimated power consumption by the applications on a display screen of the battery-operated electronic device based on the recorded information,

wherein the lock comprises a wake lock; and

wherein estimating the power consumptions for the activities further comprises;

identifying that a second application holds the wake lock at the same time that the first application holds the wake lock; and

attributing additional power consumed during the wake lock in part to the first application and in part to the second application.

18. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring activities performed by applications executed by a data processing apparatus of a battery-operated electronic device;

estimating power consumptions for the activities including identifying that the first application requests that a hardware sensor be active;

recording information characterizing the power consumptions in association with information identifying the applications that performed the activities; and

presenting a user with an accounting of the estimated power consumption by the applications on a display screen of the battery-operated electronic device based on the recorded information.