Electronic system and method and apparatus for saving data thereof

• US 8,874,839 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getac Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Getac Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Chiu, Chia-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): BIRKHIMER, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US13/397,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/004 Error avoidance G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206

Abstract

An electronic system, and a method and an apparatus for saving data of the electronic system are provided. The electrical system includes a central processing unit (CPU), a temperature sensor, a first controller, a second controller, a first storage device and a second storage device. When the CPU enters a suspend mode and the first controller detects a temperature of the electronic system to be lower than a threshold value through the temperature sensor, the second controller notify the application program to trigger the CPU to enter a hibernation mode, and operation data is moved from the first storage device to the second storage device.

Claims

1. A method for saving data of an electronic system in a low temperature environment, wherein the electronic system comprises a first controller and a second controller, the method comprising:

the electronic system entering a suspend mode, and moving operation data to a first storage device;

detecting whether a temperature of the electronic system is lower than a first threshold value, if yes, the first controller storing a flag value as a first constant value;

the second controller generating an event to notify an application program when the second controller detects that the flag value is the first constant value; and

the application program triggering the electronic system to enter a hibernation mode according to the event, and moving the operation data to a second storage device.

2. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting whether the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the first threshold value comprises:

detecting whether the temperature of the electronic system being lower than the first threshold value lasts for a time value, if yes, storing the flag value as the first constant value.

3. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

prohibiting the electronic system from entering the suspend mode when the electronic system is in a normal operation mode and the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a second threshold value.

4. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step of prohibiting the electronic system from entering the suspend mode comprises:

the application program modifying a power schema of the electronic system to “

no entering of the suspend mode”

when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the second threshold value and the electronic system is in the normal operation mode; and

notifying a user a message of “

unsuitable to enter the suspend mode due to low temperature”

.

5. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the temperature of the electronic system comprises detecting a temperature of a main memory, a battery module, a hard disc drive or a printed circuit board in the electronic system.

6. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of triggering the electronic system to enter the hibernation mode comprises:

making the electronic system enter a normal operation mode, and then making the electronic system enter the hibernation mode.

7. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suspend mode is an S3 mode of an advanced configuration and power interface, and the hibernation mode is an S4 mode of the advanced configuration and power interface.

8. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first storage device is a memory, and the second storage device is a hard disc drive.

9. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the step of the electronic system entering the suspend mode, the method further comprises:

detecting whether a hybrid sleep option in which operation data is moved into both the first storage device and the second storage device is enabled, if yes, powering off the electronic system when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a third threshold value.

10. The method for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first controller is a keyboard controller, and the second controller is a basic input/output system.

11. An apparatus for saving data of an electronic system in a low temperature environment, comprising:

a temperature sensor, disposed in the electronic system;

a first controller, coupled to the temperature sensor, and sensing a temperature of the electronic system through the temperature sensor, wherein when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a first threshold value, the first controller stores a flag value as a first constant value;

a first storage device;

a second storage device;

a second controller, coupled to the first controller; and

an application program,

configured such that after the electronic system enters a suspend mode, the second controller generates an event to notify the application program when the second controller detects that the flag value is the first constant value, and the application program triggers the electronic system to enter a hibernation mode according to the event, and operation data is moved to the second storage device from the first storage device.

12. The apparatus for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 11, configured such that when the first controller detects that the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the first threshold value through the temperature sensor, the first controller further determines whether the temperature of the electronic system being lower than the first threshold value for a time value, if yes, the first controller stores the flag value as the first constant value.

13. The apparatus for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 11, configured such that when the electronic system is in a normal operation mode, and the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a second threshold value, the second controller prohibits the electronic system from entering the suspend mode.

14. The apparatus for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 13, configured such that when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the second threshold value and the electronic system is in the normal operation mode, the application program modifies a power schema of the electronic system to “

no entering of the suspend mode”

, and the application program notifies a user a message of “

unsuitable to enter the suspend mode due to low temperature”

.

15. The apparatus for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 11, configured such that when the flag value is the first constant value, the first controller makes the electronic system enter a normal operation mode, and then the application program makes the electronic system enter the hibernation mode.

16. The apparatus for saving data of the electronic system in the low temperature environment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a hybrid sleep option in which operation data is moved into both the first storage device and the second storage device, configured such that after the electronic system enters the suspend mode when the hybrid sleep option is enabled, the electronic system is powered off when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a third threshold value.

17. An electronic system, comprising:

a central processing unit, disposed in the electronic system;

a temperature sensor, disposed in the electronic system;

a first controller, coupled to the temperature sensor, and sensing a temperature of the electronic system through the temperature sensor, wherein when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a first threshold value, the first controller stores a flag value as a first constant value;

a first storage device;

a second storage device;

a second controller, coupled to the central processing unit and the first controller; and

an application program,

configured such that after the central processing unit enters a suspend mode, the second controller generates an event to notify the application program when the second controller detects that the flag value is the first constant value, and the application program triggers the central processing unit to enter a hibernation mode according to the event, and operation data is moved to the second storage device from the first storage device.

18. The electronic system as claimed in claim 17, configured such that when the first controller detects that the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the first threshold value through the temperature sensor, the first controller further determines whether the temperature of the electronic system being lower than the first threshold value lasts a time value, if yes, the first controller stores the flag value as the first constant value.

19. The electronic system as claimed in claim 17, configured such that when the electronic system is in a normal operation mode and the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a second threshold value, the second controller prohibits the electronic system from entering the suspend mode.

20. The electronic system as claimed in claim 19, configured such that when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than the second threshold value and the electronic system is in the normal operation mode, the application program modifies a power schema of the electronic system to “

no entering of the suspend mode”

, and the application program notifies a user a message of “

unsuitable to enter the suspend mode due to low temperature”

.

21. The electronic system as claimed in claim 17, configured such that when the flag value is the first constant value, the first controller makes the electronic system enter a normal operation mode, and then the application program makes the electronic system enter the hibernation mode.

22. The electronic system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a hybrid sleep option in which operation data is moved into both the first storage device and the second storage device, configured such that after the electronic system enters the suspend mode when the hybrid sleep option is enabled, the electronic system is powered off when the temperature of the electronic system is lower than a third threshold value.