Abstract:
A portable electronic device comprising a storage unit, an application processor and a wireless communication chip is provided. The storage unit stores multimedia data. The application processor coupled to the storage unit accesses the multimedia data stored in the storage unit and executes at least one application program. The wireless communication chip includes a WiFi/WiMax module and a digital signal processor integrated thereinto. The WiFi/WiMax module is configured to receive an audio stream data from a remote station, and the digital signal processor is configured to process the audio stream data from the WiFi/WiMax module or the multimedia data from the application processor and generate an audio output signal according to the processed audio stream data or the processed multimedia data. The wireless communication chip is configured to output the audio output signal.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention relates to a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device for playing audio signals. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    To keep up with the bustling pace of modern human living, a variety of portable electronic devices which are compact have been developed. Taking portable communication devices such as a smartphone for example, it is not only equipped with all the functions of a traditional communication device, but it also allows users to achieve purposes such as writing documents, receiving and sending e-mails, surfing the internet, playing multimedia files or communicating by instant message software through various applications of an operating system built therein. In other words, the portable communication device not only can be used for making phone calls, but also has all kinds of diversified functions like a small personal computer. 
         [0005]    A portable electronic device with multiple functions may have an audio output apparatus used to provide audio output and a display used to display images and information of the multiple functions. When a portable electronic device is operated, various application programs, such as a video and audio player program, a video game program and a real-time speech communication program for establishing speech communication on a computer network, can be executed by a processor. 
         [0006]    In a conventional portable electronic device, a central processing unit (CPU) has a digital signal processor (DSP) integrated thereinside and is used to perform algorithms of coding and decoding for audio signals. Therefore, when a multimedia file (e.g. an mp3 file) is played, the DSP has to perform the application programs corresponding to the multimedia file, thereby the CPU is also enabled to perform the corresponding application programs. Furthermore, when a wireless communication module (e.g. WiFi) of the conventional portable electronic device is enabled to perform the application programs corresponding to the multimedia files, loading of the DSP is increased and the power consumption of the CPU is also increased in the conventional portable electronic device. 
         [0007]    Therefore, it is important to decrease power consumption while a portable electronic device plays multimedia data. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    A portable electronic device is provided. An embodiment of a portable electronic device comprises: a storage unit configured to store multimedia data; an application processor coupled to the storage unit and configured to access the multimedia data stored in the storage unit and execute at least one application program; a first antenna; and a wireless communication chip comprising a WiFi/WiMax module and a digital signal processor (DSP) integrated thereinto. The WiFi/WiMax module is coupled to the first antenna for wirelessly receiving an audio stream data from a remote station, and the digital signal processor is coupled to the WiFi/WiMax module and the application processor and configured to process the audio stream data from the WiFi/WiMax module or the multimedia data from the application processor and generate an audio output signal according to the processed audio stream data or the processed multimedia data. The wireless communication chip is configured to output the audio output signal. 
         [0009]    A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the portable electronic device  100  may be a smartphone or a tablet PC and comprises a memory  110 , an application processor  120 , a baseband processor  130 , a radio frequency (RF) module  140 , a digital signal processor (DSP)  150 , a wireless module  160 , an audio codec  170  and two antennas ANT 1  and ANT 2 . The memory  110  stores various multimedia data, e.g. audio files (mp3 format), and the application processor  120  is coupled to the memory  110  to access multimedia data. In this embodiment, the application processor  120  and the baseband processor  130  are integrated into a single chip  122 . In one embodiment, the memory  110  can be a secure digital (SD) card or a NAND flash memory. Furthermore, the application processor  120  is coupled to the baseband processor  130 , and baseband processor  130  is configured to camp on a cell (e.g. a base station) CE via the RF module  140  and the antenna ANT 2 . The wireless module  160  is coupled to the antenna ANT 1 . In the embodiment, the wireless module  160  and the DSP  150  are integrated into a wireless communication chip  152 , which is physically separated from the chip  122 . Furthermore, the wireless module  160  is a WiFi module supporting IEEE 802.11 protocol or a WiMax module supporting IEEE 802.16 protocol (hereinafter WiFi/WiMax module), and the WiFi/WiMax module can link to a remote station (e.g. an access point (AP) or a base station) via the antenna ANT 1 . The DSP  150  is capable of performing an audio process for the audio data received from the application processor  120 , the baseband processor  130  or the wireless module  160 . For example, the application processor  120  may read the multimedia data DAT 1  stored in the memory  110  and then provide the multimedia data DAT 1  to the DSP  150 . Next, the DSP  150  performs an audio process for the multimedia data DAT 1  and then generates an audio output signal AD according to the audio process for the multimedia data DAT 1 . In the embodiment, the DSP  150  may encode or decode the multimedia data DAT 1  with an encoding/decoding algorithm to generate the audio output signal AD. Next, the audio codec  170  performs a digital to analog converting operation to generate an analog audio signal AS according to the audio output signal AD. In the embodiment, the audio codec  170  may provide the analog audio signal AS to an audio output unit so that the audio output unit can generate an audible sound according to the analog audio signal AS. In one embodiment, the audio codec  170  may amplify and/or filter the audio output signal AD and then generate the analog audio signal AS. In other embodiment, the audio codec  170  may merely filter the audio output signal AD and then output the audio output signal AD, which is digital, to an amplifier (not shown), wherein the amplifier is coupled between the audio codec  170  and the audio output unit for receiving the audio output signal AD from the audio codec  170  and has a digital-analog converter for converting the audio output signal AD into the analog audio signal AS. In the embodiment, the audio output unit may be a speaker  180  of the portable electronic device  100  for receiving the analog audio signal AS and generating an audible sound accordingly. In an alternative embodiment, the audio codec  170  may be integrated with the DSP  150  inside the wireless communication chip  152 . 
         [0017]    Furthermore, the baseband processor  130  may receive a voice data DAT 2  from a base station via the RF module  140  and the antenna ANT 2  when a telephone call is established between the portable electronic device  100  and a cell (e.g. a base station) CE, and then the baseband processor  130  provides the voice data DAT 2  to the DSP  150 . Next, the DSP  150  performs an audio process for the voice data DAT 2  and then generates an audio output signal AD according to the audio process for the voice data DAT 2 . Similarly, the wireless module  160  may obtain an audio stream data DAT 3  (e.g. a music file or an IP voice data) from a remote station (e.g. an access point (AP) or a base station) via the antenna ANT 1 , and then provides the audio stream data DAT 3  to the DSP  150 . Next, the DSP  150  performs an audio process for the audio stream data DAT 3  and generates an audio output signal AD according to the audio process for the audio stream data DAT 3 . 
         [0018]    Furthermore, the wireless module  160  comprises a buffer  165 , and the audio stream data DAT 3  from the antenna ANT 1  can be stored in the buffer  165 , and then the application processor  120  or the baseband chip  130  can write the audio stream data DAT 3  stored in the buffer  165  into the memory  110 . In addition, the DSP  150  further comprises a buffer  155  for storing the receiving data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3 . In the embodiment, the application processor  120  may enter and operate at a sleep mode while the DSP  150  is performing an audio process for the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3  and/or the speaker  180  is generating an audible sound according to the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3 . In this embodiment, when the application processor  120  operates at the sleep mode, no application program, e.g. browser, e-mail, calendar, contact list, game, call, game and so on, is executed, by the application processor  120 . Thus, power consumption of the application processor  120  is decreased for the portable electronic device  100 . Furthermore, if a capacity of the buffer  155  of the DSP  150  is unable to store the entire multimedia data, the entire multimedia data will be divided into a plurality of data blocks, which are moved to and stored in the buffer  155  one by one and outputted to the audio codec  170  sequentially. For example, when one of the data blocks of the multimedia data in the buffer  155  is outputted from the DSP  150  to the audio codec  170  with the audio output signal AD and, in particular, smaller than a predetermined threshold, the DSP  150  will wake the application processor  120  up (e.g. from the sleep mode to a normal mode), so as to obtain another data block (e.g. a subsequent data block) of the multimedia data from the memory  110  via the application processor  120  to be stored into the buffer  155 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device  200  according to another embodiment of the invention. Compared with the portable electronic device  100  of  FIG. 1 , the portable electronic device  200  further comprises a display  210  coupled to the application processor  120 , a power management unit (PMU)  220  and two oscillators  230  and  240 . In the portable electronic device  200 , the PMU  220  controls the oscillators  230  and  240  to generate various clock signals as the operating clocks for the portable electronic device  200 , wherein the clock signals generated by the oscillator  240  are slower than the clock signals generated by the oscillator  230 . For example, the oscillator  230  provides a clock signal CK 1  to the application processor  120  as an operating clock of the application processor  120 , and provides a clock signal CK 2  to the baseband processor  130  as an operating clock of the baseband processor  130 . Furthermore, the oscillator  240  provides a clock signal CK 3  to the DSP  150  as an operating clock of the DSP  150 , provides a clock signal CK 4  to the wireless module  160  as an operating clock of the wireless module  160 , and provides a clock signal CK 5  to the audio codec  170  as an operating clock of the audio codec  170 . In the embodiment, when the DSP  150  is performing an audio process for the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3  and/or the speaker is generating an audible sound according to the audio output signal AD, which is generated further according to the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3 , the application processor  120  could enter a sleep mode, in which the display  210  is turned off and the oscillator  230  reduces the frequency of the clock signal CK 1  or stops providing the clock signal CK 1  to the application processor  120 . When the application processor  120  enters a sleep mode, the oscillator  240  keeps providing the clock signal CK 3  to the DSP  150 , so that the DSP  150  could process the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  and DAT 3  and generate the audio output signal AD. Simultaneously, the oscillator  240  also keeps providing the clock signal CK 5  to the audio codec  170  so that the audio codec  170  could generate the analog audio signal AS and send it to the speaker  180  for generating the audible sound. In this embodiment, the baseband processor  130  may also enter a sleep mode, in which the oscillator  230  reduces the frequency of the clock signal CK 2  or stops providing the clock signal CK 2  to the baseband processor  130 . Accordingly, the portable electronic device  200  could saves more power due to the decrease of the power consumption caused by the application processor  120 , the baseband processor  130  and the oscillator  230 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device  300  according to another embodiment of the invention. The portable electronic device  300  comprises a memory  310 , an application processor  320 , a baseband processor  330 , a RF module  340 , a DSP  350 , a wireless module  360 , an audio codec  370 , a Bluetooth (BT) module  390  and three antennas ANT 1 , ANT 2  and ANT 3 . In the embodiment, the application processor  320  and the baseband processor  330  are integrated into a single chip  322 , and the wireless module  360  and the DSP  350  are integrated into a wireless communication chip  352 . Furthermore, the wireless module  360  is a WiFi module supporting IEEE 802.11 protocol or a WiMax module supporting IEEE 802.16 protocol (hereinafter WiFi/WiMax module), and the WiFi/WiMax module can link to a remote station (e.g. an access point (AP) or a base station) via the antenna ANT 1 . The baseband processor  330  is configured to camp on a cell (e.g. a base station) CE via the RF module  340  and the antenna ANT 2 . As described above, the memory  310  can store various multimedia data. Furthermore, the memory  310  can be a secure digital (SD) card or a NAND flash. Compared with the portable electronic device  100  of  FIG. 1 , the portable electronic device  300  comprises two wireless modules (i.e. the wireless module  360  and the BT module  390 ). In one embodiment, the wireless module  360  and the BT module  390  are implemented in the same wireless communication chip  352 . The wireless module  360  is able to link to a remote station (e.g. an AP or a base station) via the antenna ANT 1 , and the BT module  390  is able to link to a BT device BTH (e.g. a BT headset or a BT speaker) via the antenna ANT 3 . The DSP  350  is capable of performing an audio process for the multimedia data DAT 1  from the application processor  320 , the voice data DAT 2  from the baseband processor  330  or the audio stream data DAT 3  from the wireless module  360 . Next, the DSP  350  performs an audio process for the received data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3  and then generates an audio output signal AD 1  to be sent to the audio codec  370  or another audio output signal AD 2  to be sent to the BT module  390 . For example, in a first mode, an audio stream data DAT 3  is downloaded by the wireless module  360  via the antenna ANT 1 , and the wireless module  360  provides the audio stream data DAT 3  to the DSP  350 . Next, the DSP  350  processes the audio stream data DAT 3  with an encoding/decoding algorithm to generate the audio output signal AD 1 , and provides the audio output signal AD 1  to the audio codec  370 . Next, the audio codec  370  converts the audio output signal AD 1  into the analog audio signal AS and sends it to a speaker  380  of the portable electronic device  300 , so that the speaker  380  generates an audible sound according to the analog audio signal AS. In a second mode, when the wireless module  360  provides the audio stream data DAT 3  to the DSP  350 , the DSP  350  processes the audio stream data DAT 3  with an encoding/decoding algorithm to generate the audio output signal AD 2 , and then the DSP  350  provides the audio output signal AD 2  to the BT module  390 . Next, the BT module  390  transmits the audio output signal AD 2  to a BT device (e.g. a BT speaker or a BT headset) via the antenna ANT 3  so that the BT device could generate an audible sound according to the audio output signal AD 2 . In the embodiment, the application processor  320  could enter a sleep mode, in which no application program is executed by the application processor  320 . Thus, power consumption of the application processor  320  is decreased for the portable electronic device  300 . In a third mode, the application processor  320  may read a multimedia data DAT 1  stored in the memory  310  or the baseband processor  330  may receive a voice data DAT 2  from a base station and then provide the data DAT 1  or DAT 2  to the DSP  350 . When receiving the data DAT 1  or DAT 2 , the DSP  350  may perform an encoding/decoding algorithm to generate the audio output signal AD 1 , and then the DSP  350  provides the audio output signal AD 1  to the audio codec  370 . Next, the audio codec  370  converts the audio output signal AD 1  into the analog audio signal AS and sends it to a speaker  380  of the portable electronic device  300 , so that the speaker  380  generates an audible sound according to the analog audio signal AS. In a fourth mode, when receiving the data DAT 1  or DAT 2 , the DSP  350  performs an encoding/decoding algorithm to generate the audio output signal AD 2 , and then the DSP  350  provides the audio output signal AD 2  to the BT module  390 . Next, the BT module  390  transmits the audio output signal AD 2  to the BT device via the antenna ANT 3  so that the BT device could generate an audible sound according to the audio output signal AD 2 . 
         [0021]    As described above, the DSP  350  comprises a buffer  355  for storing the receiving data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3 . Furthermore, the wireless module  360  comprises a buffer  365  for storing the audio stream data DAT 3  from the antenna ANT 1 , and the application processor  320  or the baseband chip  330  can write the audio stream data DAT 3  stored in the buffer  365  into the memory  310 . In addition, the BT module  390  comprises a buffer  395  for storing the signal AD 2  from the DSP  350 , and the application processor  320  or the baseband processor  330  can write the data stored in the buffer  395  into the memory  310 . In the embodiment, the application processor  320  and/or the baseband processor  330  may respectively enter a sleep mode while the DSP  350  is performing an audio process for the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3  and the speaker  380  or the BT device is generating an audible sound according to the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3 . Thus, power consumption of the application processor  320  and/or the baseband processor  330  could be decreased for the portable electronic device  300 . 
         [0022]    Furthermore, in the DSP  350 , if a capacity of the buffer  355  of the DSP  350  is unable to store the entire multimedia data, the entire multimedia data will be divided into a plurality of data blocks, which are moved to and stored in the buffer  355  one by one and outputted to the audio codec  370  sequentially. For example, when one of the data blocks of the multimedia data in the buffer  355  is outputted from the DSP  350  to the audio codec  370  with the audio output signal AD 1  and, in particular, smaller than a predetermined threshold, the application processor  320  or/and the baseband processor  330  will be awaken by the DSP  350  from the sleep mode to a normal mode, and the buffer  355  could obtain another data block of the multimedia data from the memory  310  via the application processor  320  or the baseband processor  330  to be stored into the buffer  355 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram illustrating a portable electronic device  400  according to another embodiment of the invention. Compared with the portable electronic device  300  of  FIG. 3 , the portable electronic device  400  further comprises a display  410  coupled to the processor  420 , a PMU  420  and two oscillators  430  and  440 . In the portable electronic device  400 , the PMU  420  controls the oscillators  430  and  440  to generate various clock signals as the operating clocks for the portable electronic device  400 , wherein the clock signals generated by the oscillator  440  are slower than the clock signals generated by the oscillator  430 . For example, the oscillator  430  provides clock signals CK 1  and CK 2  to the application processor  420  and the baseband processor  430 , respectively. The oscillator  440  provides clock signals CK 3 , CK 4 , CK 5  and CK 6  to the DSP  350 , the wireless module  360 , the audio codec  370  and the BT module  390 . In the embodiment, when the DSP  350  is performing an audio process for the data DAT 1 , DAT 2  or DAT 3  and the speaker  380  or the BT device is generating an audible sound, the application processor  320  and the baseband processor  330  could enter a sleep mode, in which the display  410  is turned off and the oscillator  430  reduces the frequencies of the clock signals CK 1  and CK 2  or stops providing the clock signals CK 1  and CK 2  to the application processor  320  and the baseband processor  330 , respectively. Therefore, the portable electronic device  400  could save more power due to the decrease of the power consumption caused by the application processor  320 , the baseband processor  330  and the oscillators  430  and  440 . 
         [0024]    In the above-mentioned embodiments, the electronic devices  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  may be smartphones or PDA phone. In other embodiments, the electronic devices  100 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  may be PDAs, tablet PCs, or a wearable electronic devices without any baseband processor. In addition, in  FIGS. 1-4 , the wireless modules  160  and  360  and the Bluetooth module  390  are electrically connected to the baseband processors  130  and  330 ; however, they could be electrically connected to the application processors  120  and  320  in other embodiments. 
         [0025]    While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.