Method and electronic device for reducing current consumption by the electronic device

• US 9,703,353 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Yeung Seob, Kang, Ji Kwang, Kim, Tae Yoon, Lim, Chae Man, Oh, Tae Hoon, Son, Seoung Bum
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoynov, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US14/832,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0248 dependent on the time of the day, e.g. according to expected transmission activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• 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

An electronic device and a method for reducing current consumption in the electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a communication processor configured to collect an event associated with operation of an application while an application processor is in a sleep state, and a communication interface configured to transmit a message corresponding to the collected event to an external electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a communication processor configured to obtain transmission periods of a plurality of applications and calculate a common period based on the transmission periods while an application processor is in a sleep state; and

a communication interface configured to transmit messages associated with the plurality of applications, upon arrival of the common period, to an external electronic device corresponding to control by the communication processor.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication processor is further configured to register and manage application information including at least one of a type of the plurality of applications, the common period, and an address of the external electronic device to which the messages are to be transmitted.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication processor is further configured to check a message received from the external electronic device and activate the application processor corresponding to an attribute of the message in order to transfer the message to the application.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication processor is further configured to check a message received from the external electronic device and output the message to a display corresponding to an attribute of the message.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication processor comprises light-version applications installed therein, associated with the plurality of applications.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication processor comprises a processing module associated with the plurality of applications.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the messages comprises keep alive packets.

8. A method for reducing current consumption in an electronic device, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a communication processor, transmission periods of a plurality of applications and calculating a common period based on the transmission periods while an application processor is in a sleep state; and

transmitting messages associated with the plurality of applications, upon arrival of the common period to an external electronic device corresponding to control by the communication processor.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

registering and managing, by the communication processor, application-related information including at least one of a type of the plurality of applications, the common period, or an address of the external electronic device to which the messages are to be transmitted.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

checking, by the communication processor, a message received from the external electronic device;

activating the application processor corresponding to an attribute of the message; and

transferring the message to the application in the application processor.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

checking, by the communication processor, a message received from the external electronic device; and

outputting the message to a display corresponding to control by the communication processor corresponding to an attribute of the message.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising installing, by the communication processor, light-version applications associated with the plurality of applications.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising allocating a processing module associated with the plurality of applications to the communication processor.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the messages comprise keep alive packets.