Systems and methods for managing power consumption in a flow-based user experience

• US 8,108,013 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Thompson, Timothy J., Owens, Howard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US11/956,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20090156270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/343.5, 455/571, 455/343, 455/1, 455/412.1, 455/566, 455/567
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• 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

Methods and systems are provided for managing electrical power consumption in a mobile phone or other portable communications device having a battery and a display. A series of views forming a flow are retrieved from a memory or other digital storage device for presentation on the display. For each of the views in the flow, performance information relating to the portable communications device is determined while the view is displayed, and this information is stored in the digital storage medium. Upon subsequent retrieval of each view from the digital storage medium, configuring the operation of the portable communications device in response to the stored performance information to thereby manage the electrical power consumption of the portable communications device.

Claims

1. A method for managing electrical power consumption in a portable communications device having a battery, a digital storage medium and a display, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a series of views from the digital storage device for presentation on the display;

for each of the series of views retrieved from the digital storage device, determining performance information relating to the performance of the portable communications device while the view accesses resources of the portable communications device, and then storing the determined performance information for the view in the digital storage medium; and

upon subsequent retrieval of each view from the digital storage medium, powering down at least some of the resources not used by the view in response to the previously-stored performance information to thereby manage the electrical power consumption of the portable communications device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance information comprises a representation of a minimum power level that achieves an expected level of quality.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance information comprises a representation of processor usage.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance information comprises at least one of a listing of modules used by the view and a listing of modules not used by the view.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance information comprises at least one of a listing of data sources accessed by the view and a listing of data sources not accessed by the view.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the series of views are inter-related in a predetermined manner to form a flow.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance information comprises at least one of a listing of resources used by the view and a listing of resources not used by the view.

8. A system for managing electrical power consumption in a portable communications device having a battery and a display, the system comprising:

a database comprising a plurality of views, wherein each of the views is configured to produce an image on the display and has an associated data field configured for storing performance information about the performance of the portable communications device when the view is active, wherein the performance information comprises at least one of a listing of resources used by the view and a listing of resources not used by the view; and

a flow player configured to retrieve a series of the views from the database to thereby form a flow, to produce the image associated with each view on the display, to measure the performance information for each of the views while each view is active and to store each view with the associated data fields in the database when the view is complete; and

a power management module configured to communicate with the flow player and to configure the portable communications device in response to the performance information associated with the current view to thereby manage electrical power consumption in the portable communications device, wherein the power management module is configured to power down at least some of the resources not used by the view when the view is subsequently active.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the flow player is further configured to process the performance information obtained from the view and to provide an instruction to the power management module based upon the performance information.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the power management module is configured to communicate with the flow player to thereby adjust a performance level of the portable communications device in response to the performance information associated with the current view.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the power management module is a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling module.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising an experience manager configured for managing the execution of the flow player on the portable communications device.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a second flow player that is managed by the experience manager to execute a second flow formed by a second series of the views stored in the database.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising an operating system having a power management module configured to adjust an amount of power from the battery that is consumed by the portable communications device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the power management module is configured to communicate with the flow player and the second flow player via the experience manager to thereby adjust the amount of power in response to the performance information associated with at least one of the current views.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the experience manager is further configured to adjust the amount of power consumed by the portable communications device in response to the predicted consumption of power.

17. A portable communications device comprising:

a battery configured to provide electric power;

a user input device configured to receive user inputs;

a display configured to receive a portion of the electric power from the battery;

a digital storage device configured to receive a second portion of the electric power from the battery and to store a plurality of views, wherein each view comprises an image for presentation on the display; and

a controller configured to receive a third portion of the electric power from the digital storage device and to present a series of views forming a flow on the display in response to user inputs received from the input device, wherein the controller is further configured to determine performance information about the portable communications device while each view is active, to store the performance information with the view on the digital storage device, and, upon subsequent retrieval of the view from the digital storage device, to configure the portable communications device in response to the stored performance information to thereby power down at least some of the resources of the portable communications device that are not used by the view when the view is subsequently active and to thereby manage the amount of electric power provided by the battery.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the portable communications device is selected from the group consisting of a mobile telephone, a portable computer and a personal digital assistant.