Anticipatory power management for battery-powered electronic device

• US 8,407,500 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bae, Ji H
• Application Number:
  US12/966,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/324, 713/340, 320/127, 320/132
• US Class Current: 713/320
• 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 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• 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 and apparatus for managing power consumption of a battery-powered electronic device are disclosed. According to one embodiment, power management can take action to reduce power consumption to accommodate estimated power requirements. According to another embodiment, power management can notify a user when a power deficiency is anticipated. According to still another embodiment, power management can advise a user to charge a battery of the battery-powered electronic device. According to still another embodiment, a user can influence power management by user selections.

Claims

1. A method for managing power utilization by a multi-function electronic device powered by a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for activation of a supported function of the multi-function electronic device;

identifying an impending device usage, the identifying of the impending device usage being based at least in part on the user request to activate the supported function, wherein the identifying estimates or predicts a duration of the impending device usage;

obtaining a power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage;

obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery;

determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and

reducing power consumption of the multi-function electronic device during at least the impending device usage by disabling one or more other supported functions of the multi-function electronic device when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate charge capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user request initiates the impending device usage.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the multi-function electronic device reduces power consumption so that the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the reduced power needs for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more supported functions are operable on the multi-function electronic device, and wherein at least a plurality of the one or more supported functions are software applications, each of the software applications provide the multi-function electronic device with different capabilities when such software application is operating.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the multi-function electronic device supports a plurality of functions selected from the group of:

media playback, voice communications, data transfer, or workout data capture.

6. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the obtaining of the battery characteristic obtains an available battery power of the battery, and

wherein the determining of whether the battery has adequate capacity comprises comparing the power estimate to the available battery power.

7. A method as recited in claim 6,

wherein the portable electronic device supports a plurality of functions selected from the group of:

media playback, voice communications, data transfer, or workout data capture.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the multi-function electronic device is a handheld portable electronic device.

9. A method for managing power utilization by a multi-function electronic device powered by a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for activation of a supported function of the multi-function electronic device;

identifying an impending device usage, the identifying of the impending device usage being based at least in part on the user request to activate the supported function wherein the identifying comprises receiving an indication of a duration of the impending device usage based on a user input;

obtaining a power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage;

obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery;

determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and

reducing power consumption of the multi-function electronic device during at least the impending device usage by disabling one or more other supported functions of the multi-function electronic device when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate charge capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the user request initiates the impending device usage.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the multi-function electronic device reduces power consumption so that the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the reduced power needs for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein one or more supported functions are operable on the multi-function electronic device, and wherein at least a plurality of the one or more supported functions are software applications, each of the software applications provide the multi-function electronic device with different capabilities when such software application is operating.

13. A method for managing power utilization by a multi-function electronic device powered by a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for activation of a supported function of the multi-function electronic device;

identifying an impending device usage, the identifying of the impending device usage being based at least in part on the user request to activate the supported function;

obtaining a power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage;

obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery;

determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and

reducing power consumption of the multi-function electronic device during at least the impending device usage by disabling one or more other supported functions of the multi-function electronic device when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate charge capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and

presenting a warning if the battery has inadequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the user request initiates the impending device usage.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the multi-function electronic device reduces power consumption so that the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the reduced power needs for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein one or more supported functions are operable on the multi-function electronic device, and wherein at least a plurality of the one or more supported functions are software applications, each of the software applications provide the multi-function electronic device with different capabilities when such software application is operating.

17. A method for managing power utilization by a multi-function electronic device including a display and powered by a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a user request for activation of a supported function of the multi-function electronic device;

identifying an impending device usage, the identifying of the impending device usage being based at least in part on the user request to activate the supported function;

obtaining a power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage;

obtaining a battery characteristic associated with the battery;

determining, based on the battery characteristic, whether the battery has adequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage; and

reducing power consumption of the multi-function electronic device during at least the impending device usage by disabling one or more other supported functions of the multi-function electronic device when the determining determines that the battery has inadequate charge capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage, wherein the reducing of the power consumption of the multi-function electronic device comprises;

presenting a power adjustment screen on the display, the power adjustment screen providing at least one user-selectable power saving option, and

reducing the power consumption of the multi-function electronic device in accordance with the user-selectable power saving option when the user-selectable option is selected.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting a warning if the battery has inadequate capacity to satisfy the power estimate for the multi-function electronic device to complete the impending device usage.