Apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in portable terminal

• US 9,854,530 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Hee-Jun, Kim, Kwang-Choon, Kim, Nam-Woo, Kwon, Sung, Lee, Yu-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US15/346,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 370230, 370229, 370311, 370313, 455572, 455574, 4553431, 4553434
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• 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 apparatus and method for reducing power consumption of a portable terminal are provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for reducing power consumption generated in an idle state in order to solve a power consumption problem in a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a state determination unit which is configured independently from an application processor for controlling applications and which wakes up when entering an idle mode to allow the application processor to sleep, and thereafter determines a state of the portable terminal, and if it is determined that the portable terminal escapes from the idle mode, allows the application processor to wake up.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a first processor; and

a second processor configured to at least;

control to operate, while the first processor is in a sleep state, a sensor of the electronic device to continually obtain motion information of the electronic device, and

control to write the continually obtained motion information in the memory for processing by the first processor,

wherein the first processor is configured to read the written motion information from the memory based on the first processor being awakened, and to provide activity information for a user of the electronic device by processing the read motion information.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to control to perform an operation corresponding to the activity information.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the activity information comprises a pattern indicating a movement of the user of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the activity information for the user comprises activity information of the user while the first processor is in the sleep state.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a first processor; and

a second processor configured to at least;

control to operate a sensor of the electronic device to continually obtain motion information of the electronic device, and

control to write the continually obtained motion information in the memory for processing by the first processor,

wherein the first processor is configured to read motion information from the memory based on the first processor being awakened, and to provide activity information for a user of the electronic device by processing the read motion information,

wherein the motion information read by the first processor is written in the memory while the first processor is in a sleep state.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the sensor comprises one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the first processor is further configured to control to perform an operation corresponding to the activity information.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the activity information comprises a pattern indicating a movement of the user of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the activity information for the user comprises activity information of the user while the first processor is in the sleep state.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a first processor configured to at least;

control to operate, while a second processor of the electronic device is in a sleep state, a sensor of the electronic device to continually obtain motion information of the electronic device, and

control to write the continually obtained motion information in the memory for processing by the second processor; and

the second processor configured to at least;

control to read the written motion information from the memory based on the second processor being awakened, and

control to provide activity information for a user of the electronic device by processing the read motion information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the second processor is further configured to control to perform an operation corresponding to the activity information.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the activity information comprises a pattern indicating a movement of the user of the electronic device.

15. A method of an electronic device, comprising:

controlling, at a first processor of the electronic device, to continually operate, while a second processor of the electronic device is in a sleep state, a sensor of the electronic device to continually obtain motion information of the electronic device;

controlling, at the first processor, to write the continually obtained motion information in a memory for processing by the second processor;

controlling, at the second processor, to read the written motion information based on the second processor being awakened; and

controlling, at the second processor, to provide activity information for a user of the electronic device by processing the read motion information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

controlling, at the second processor, to perform an operation corresponding to the activity information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the activity information comprises a pattern indicating a movement of the user of the electronic device.