Battery power monitoring and audio signal attenuation

• US 9,119,159 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Silverstein, Roy B., Ramakrishnan, Dinesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): TON, DAVID L
• Application Number:
  US13/206,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20120177226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 381/104, 381/106, 381/107, 381/58, 381/55, 381/120, 381/323, 455/343.5, 455/574, 455/234.1, 455/234.2, 455/249.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/001 Digital control of analog signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/007 Control dependent on the supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• 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

To reduce the risk of brown outs and resets in a mobile station using a far-field speaker, a voltage level of a battery and a level of an input audio signal are monitored. When the level of the audio signal increases past a threshold level, and the voltage level of the battery falls below a threshold voltage, an attenuation is determined and applied to the audio signal. The applied attenuation reduces the volume of the audio signal, which reduces the risk of a brown out or a reset due to insufficient voltage in the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for attenuating audio signals in a mobile device, comprising:

determining a battery voltage level of a battery of the mobile device;

determining an audio signal level of an audio signal, wherein determining the audio signal level is performed if the battery voltage level is below a first threshold;

comparing the audio signal level to a threshold;

determining whether to attenuate the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and based upon the comparison; and

selecting, from a plurality of different attenuation rates, an attenuation rate to apply to the audio signal based on the determined battery voltage level, wherein a change in the audio signal level is associated with a change in the battery voltage level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level comprises attenuating the audio signal if the battery voltage level is below the first threshold, and if the audio signal level is above a second threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the battery voltage level is performed if the audio signal level is above the second threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the audio signal is not attenuated if the battery voltage level is above the first threshold, or if the audio signal level is below the second threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a target attenuation of the audio signal based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a maximum attenuation.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining an attenuation increase based on the target attenuation and a current attenuation.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the attenuation increase based on a step rate.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the audio signal at the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein attenuating the audio signal prevents a brown out of the battery voltage or a reset of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the battery voltage level is only performed if a far-field speaker is in use.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level comprises:

calculating a limit threshold based on the battery voltage level;

determining an attenuation increase if the audio signal level is above the limit threshold; and

determining an attenuation decrease if the audio signal level is not above the limit threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating the limit threshold further comprises calculating the limit threshold based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a threshold battery voltage level.

13. An apparatus for attenuating audio signals in a mobile device, comprising:

means for determining a battery voltage level of a battery of the mobile device;

means for determining an audio signal level of an audio signal, wherein the means for determining the audio signal level performs if the battery voltage level is below a first threshold;

means for comparing the audio signal level to a threshold;

means for determining whether to attenuate the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and based upon the comparison; and

means for selecting, from a plurality of different attenuation rates, an attenuation rate to apply to the audio signal based on the determined battery voltage level, wherein a change in the audio signal level is associated with a change in the battery voltage level.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level attenuates the audio signal if the battery voltage level is below the first threshold, and if the audio signal level is above a second threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for determining the battery voltage level determines the battery voltage level if the audio signal level is above the second threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for attenuating the audio signal only attenuates the audio signal if the battery voltage level is above the first threshold, or if the audio signal level is below the second threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for determining a target attenuation of the audio signal based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a maximum attenuation.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for determining an attenuation increase based on the target attenuation and a current attenuation.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for determining the attenuation increase determines the attenuation increase based on a step rate.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for receiving the audio signal at the mobile device.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for attenuating the audio signal prevents a brown out of the battery voltage or a reset of the mobile device.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining the battery voltage level only determines the battery voltage if a far-field speaker is in use.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level comprises:

means for calculating a limit threshold based on the battery voltage level;

means for determining an attenuation increase if the audio signal level is above the limit threshold; and

means for determining an attenuation decrease if the audio signal level is not above the limit threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for calculating the limit threshold calculates the limit threshold based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a threshold battery voltage level.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a computer to:

determine a battery voltage level of a battery of the computer;

determine an audio signal level of an audio signal, wherein determining the audio signal level is performed if the battery voltage level is below a first threshold;

compare the audio signal level to a threshold;

determine whether to attenuate the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and based upon the comparison; and

select, from a plurality of different attenuation rates, an attenuation rate to apply to the audio signal based on the determined battery voltage level, wherein a change in the audio signal level is associated with a change in the battery voltage level.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level comprises attenuating the audio signal if the battery voltage level is below the first threshold, and if the audio signal level is above a second threshold.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein determining the battery voltage level is performed if the audio signal level is above the second threshold.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the audio signal is not attenuated if the battery voltage level is above the first threshold, or if the audio signal level is below the second threshold.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to determine a target attenuation of the audio signal based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a maximum attenuation.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to determine an attenuation increase based on the target attenuation and a current attenuation.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to determine the attenuation increase based on a step rate.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that cause the computer to receive the audio signal at the computer.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein attenuating the audio signal prevents a brown out of the battery voltage or a reset of the computer.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein determining the battery voltage level is only performed if a far-field speaker is in use.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions that cause the computer to attenuate the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level further comprises instructions that cause the computer to:

calculate a limit threshold based on the battery voltage level;

determine an attenuation increase if the audio signal level is above the limit threshold; and

determine an attenuation decrease if the audio signal level is not above the limit threshold.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein calculating the limit threshold further comprises calculating the limit threshold based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a threshold battery voltage level.

37. An apparatus for attenuating input audio signals, comprising:

a voltage level determiner for determining a battery voltage level of a battery of the apparatus; and

an attenuation determiner for;

determining an audio signal level of an audio signal, wherein determining the audio signal level is performed if the battery voltage level is below a first threshold;

comparing the audio signal level to a threshold;

determining whether to attenuate the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and based upon the comparison; and

selecting, from a plurality of different attenuation rates, an attenuation rate to apply to the audio signal based on the determined battery voltage level, wherein a change in the audio signal level is associated with a change in the battery voltage level.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein attenuating the audio signal based on the battery voltage level and the audio signal level comprises attenuating the audio signal if the battery voltage level is below the first threshold, and if the audio signal level is above a second threshold.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein determining the battery voltage level is performed if the audio signal level is above the second threshold.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the audio signal is not attenuated if the battery voltage level is above the first threshold, or if the audio signal level is below the second threshold.

41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the attenuation determiner further determines a target attenuation of the audio signal based on the battery voltage level, a mapping of battery voltage levels to target attenuations, and a maximum attenuation.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the attenuation determiner further determines an attenuation increase based on the target attenuation and a current attenuation.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the attenuation determiner further determines the attenuation increase based on a step rate.

44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the attenuation determiner further receives the audio signal at the apparatus.

45. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein attenuating the audio signal prevents a brown out of the battery voltage or a reset of the apparatus.

46. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein determining the battery voltage level is only performed if a far-field speaker is in use.