System and method for deferring power consumption by post-processing sensor data

• US 9,665,157 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Forutanpour, Babak, Hampson, Terence William, Hildreth, Evan Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Neveln, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/253,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20150293575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a battery-level of an electronic device and conserving the battery charge of the electronic device are disclosed. The battery consumption of an electronic device may be reduced when the user or the device learns via user input or determines via prediction that the battery will be depleted before the next possible charge cycle. Reducing battery consumption could be accomplished by accessing an application requiring less power consumption and/or delaying post-processing of sensor data related to that application, for example a camera application. Prediction of battery life could include determining the time to the next expected battery charge and delaying the processing of sensor data until the electronic device is plugged in and charging or has reached a predetermined charge level.

Claims

1. A system for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

a memory component configured to store data including instructions to operate an imaging device in at least two sensor data processing operational modes including a normal power operation mode and a low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation mode;

a processor coupled to the memory component, the processor configured to

receive raw sensor data from the imaging device;

determining whether a low power condition exists by

determining whether a charge of a battery powering the electronic device is below a first threshold level, and

predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below a second threshold level within a determined timeframe;

in response to determining a low power condition of the system exists, operate the electronic device in the low power operation mode, and in the low power mode store the raw sensor data in the memory component without processing the raw sensor data; and

in response to determining a low power condition does not exist, operate the electronic device in the normal power mode, and in the normal power mode;

perform processing of the raw sensor data, and

store the processed sensor data in the memory component.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging device in communication with the processor and configured to generate sensor data, the imaging device comprising at least one imaging sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to accept user preferences for a low power operation mode of the electronic device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store the sensor data for delayed high quality post-processing during a later charging cycle of the electronic device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application on the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that a low power condition exists based on a threshold battery charge level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein in the normal power mode, processing of the raw sensor data includes demosaicing the raw sensor data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on location information indicating where the electronic device is located.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on historical charging patterns of the electronic device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is further based on historical usage records of the electronic device.

12. A method for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

receiving raw sensor data;

performing processing of the raw sensor data in one of at least two sensor data processing operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation, by at least;

determining whether a low power condition exists by

determining whether a charge of a battery powering the electronic device is below a first threshold level, and

predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below a second threshold level within a determined timeframe;

in response to determining a low power condition of the system exists, operating the electronic device in the low power operation mode, and in the low power mode storing the raw sensor data in the memory component without processing the raw sensor data; and

in response to determining a low power condition does not exist, operating the electronic device in the normal power mode, and in the normal power mode

processing the raw sensor data; and

storing the processed sensor data in the memory component.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising accepting user preferences for a low power operation mode of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the sensor data in the memory component of the electronic device for delayed post-processing during a later charging cycle of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application on the electronic device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that a low level power condition exists.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the low level power condition is based on a threshold battery charge level.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein in the normal power mode, processing the raw sensor data includes demosaicing the raw sensor data.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on location information indicating where the electronic device is located.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on historical charging patterns of the electronic device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is further based on historical usage records of the electronic device.

23. An apparatus for deferring power consumption of an electronic device, comprising:

means for storing data;

means for receiving raw sensor data from an imaging device;

means for performing processing of the raw sensor data in a determined mode of at least two sensor data processing operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation, the means for performing processing of the sensor data using the low power operation mode when a low power condition exits,

means for determining whether a low power condition exists by

determining whether a charge of a battery powering the electronic device is below a first threshold level, and

predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below a second threshold level within a determined timeframe;

wherein operating in the low power operation mode includes storing the raw sensor data in the means for storing data without processing the raw sensor data; and

wherein operating in the normal power operation mode includes

processing the raw sensor data; and

storing the processed sensor data in the means for storing data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein in the normal power mode, processing the raw sensor data includes demosaicing the raw sensor data.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one physical computer processor to perform a method of deferring power operation of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving raw sensor data;

accessing instructions for performing processing of the raw sensor data in at least two sensor data processing operational modes including a sensor data processing normal power operation mode and a sensor data processing low power operation mode, the low power operation mode consuming less power than the normal power operation;

determining whether a low power condition exists by

comparing whether a charge of a battery powering the electronic device is below a first threshold level, and

determining whether the charge of the battery will be below a second threshold level within a determined timeframe;

in response to determining a low power condition of the system exists, operating the electronic device in the low power operation mode, and in the low power mode storing the raw sensor data in the memory component without processing the raw sensor data; and

in response to determining a low power condition does not exist, operating the electronic device in the normal power mode, and in the normal power mode

processing the raw sensor data, and

storing the processed sensor data in the memory component.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising accepting user preferences for the low power operation mode of the electronic device.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the low power operation mode includes operating a camera application for a stereoscopic camera.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein in the normal power mode, processing the raw sensor data includes demosaicing the raw sensor data.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on location information indicating where the electronic device is located.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on historical charging patterns of the electronic device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein predicting whether the charge of the battery will be below the second threshold level within the determined timeframe is based on historical usage data of the electronic device.