Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for reducing power consumption for a mobile electronic device in order to extend battery life. In an embodiment, the mobile electronic device monitors a power level of the battery in the mobile electronic device, determines that the power level of the battery reaches a predetermined threshold, and based upon the determination, terminates a first launcher currently running on the mobile electronic device and activates a second launcher on the mobile electronic device. By activating the second launcher which has power saving features, the power consumption of the mobile electronic device is reduced and thus the battery life is extended while preserving the basic functions of the mobile device.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/329,663, filed on Jul. 11, 2014, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/243,673, filed on Apr. 2, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,972,760, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/137,490, filed on Dec. 20, 2013, now abandoned, all of which applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention generally relates to mobile electronic devices, and more specifically to a method and apparatus of reducing power consumption in a mobile electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Current mobile electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers on the market suffer from significantly decreased battery life in comparison with previous generations of smartphones and feature phones due to enriched communication capabilities as well as more complex applications provided by such devices. While modern phones offer a richer and more pleasing experience to end users with the variety of data driven features, the customer&#39;s ability to utilize a very basic calling functionality has been dramatically reduced due to the shortened battery life between charging cycles. This leads to numerous situations where users can no longer place basic voice calls when the battery reaches a near-depletion level. 
     In order to extend battery life, users may manually turn off functions to save power. For example, users may turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and vibrate and keytones etc. Users may also lower the screen brightness, set a shorter screen timeout, etc. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a mobile device so as to address the above deficiencies and other problems associated with power saving for mobile devices. 
     One embodiment of the present invention provides a method of reducing power consumption for a mobile electronic device, including: monitoring a power level of a battery in the mobile electronic device, determining that the power level of the battery reaches a predetermined threshold, and based upon the determination, terminating a first launcher currently running on the mobile electronic device and activating a second launcher on the mobile electronic device. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for reducing power consumption for a mobile electronic device, including: memory, and one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to monitor a power level of a battery in the mobile electronic device, determine that the power level of the battery reaches a predetermined threshold, and based upon the determination, terminate a first launcher currently running on the mobile electronic device and activate a second launcher on the mobile electronic device. 
     In at least some embodiments, the first launcher may be a full user experience launcher, while in contrast, the second launcher may be a reduced user experience, power saving launcher. When a battery power level threshold is determined to be reached, the electronic device terminates a currently running first launcher, and activates the second launcher to extend the battery life. Therefore, the mobile electronic device may automatically conserve its power for basic, essential functions such as phone calls, and text messaging. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates the GUI display of a mobile electronic device in a normal operating mode employing a first launcher and in a power saving mode employing a second launcher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a mobile electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram conceptually illustrating the components of a launcher in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are flowcharts illustrating a process for transitioning a mobile electronic device to a power saving mode in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details or that various changes and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a mobile electronic device  100 , e.g., a smartphone or a tablet device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile electronic device  100  usually works in a normal operating mode (shown on the left side of  FIG. 1 ) in which functions on the mobile electronic device operate normally without sacrificing user experience to save energy of the battery. A first launcher is employed to display icons of functions on a screen as shown in the  FIG. 1 . When the power level of the battery is determined to be lower than a preset threshold, the mobile electronic device  100  works in a power saving mode (shown on the right side of  FIG. 1 ). The mobile electronic device  100  may shut down or degrade functions that are not related to voice communication and text messaging functions and display only those icons for only those functions that remain active. The mobile electronic device  100  switches from the normal operating mode to the power saving mode by switching from the first launcher to a second launcher, as described in greater detail below. The second launcher has power saving features that may, for example, disable or degrade the graphics processing unit (GPU) of the mobile electronic device, eliminate graphical effects, degrade display resolution, and/or scale down the CPU frequency. Many functions are shut down when the mobile electronic device  100  works in the power saving mode and accordingly, the second launcher does not display the functions that have been shut down on the screen. For example, the second launcher may only display icons on the screen for phone calling and text messaging as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the mobile electronic device  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device  100  includes a memory  130 , a memory controller  105 , a central processing unit (CPU)  101 , a graphics processing unit (GPU)  103 , a peripheral interface  107 , Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry  170 , audio circuitry  190 , a screen  111 , an external port  180 , a Global Positioning System module (GPS)  120  and a power system  150 . These components communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines. The mobile electronic device  100  can be, for example, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a media player or a personal digital assistant (PDA). The various components shown in  FIG. 2  may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     The memory  130  may include high speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state memory devices. Access to the memory  130  by other components of the device  100 , such as the CPU  101 , the GPU  103 , and the peripherals interface  107 , may be controlled by the memory controller  105 . 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, the memory  130  may include storage remotely located from the mobile electronic device  100 , for instance network attached storage accessed via the RF circuitry  170  or external port  180  and a communications network (not shown) such as the Internet, intranet(s), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Local Area Networks (WLANs), Storage Area Networks (SANs) and the like, or any suitable combination thereof. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the peripherals interface  107  couples the input and output peripherals of the device  100  to the CPU  101 , the GPU  103  and the memory  130 . The CPU  101  runs various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in the memory  130  to perform various functions for the device  100  and to process data. The GPU  103  handles graphic processing functions for the screen  111 . In some embodiments, the graphic processing functions are handled by the CPU  101 , so the GPU  103  may be replaced. 
     The external port  180  is adapted for coupling to other devices either directly or remotely over a network. For example, the external port  180  could comprise a Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, memory slot for receiving an external storage medium, etc. 
     RF (radio frequency) circuitry  170  receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  170  converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  170  may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. RF circuitry  170  may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication networks may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol 
     The audio circuitry  190  connects with one or more speakers  191  and a microphone  193 . Together these components provide an audio interface between a user and the device  100 . The audio circuitry  190  receives audio data from the peripherals interface  107 , converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to the speaker(s)  191 . The speaker(s)  191  converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. The audio circuitry  190  also receives electrical signals converted by the microphone  193  from sound waves. The audio circuitry  190  converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripherals interface  107  for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to the memory  130  and/or the RF circuitry  170  by the peripherals interface  107 . 
     The screen  111  may be a touch-screen and provides both an output interface and an input interface between the device and a user. The screen  111  displays visual output to the user that may include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects, further details of which are described below. The screen  111  may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or other known display technologies. The screen  111  also accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. 
     The device  100  also includes a power system  150  for powering the various components. The power system  150  may include a battery  153  for storing power, a conventional power level monitoring module  151  for monitoring the power level of the battery  153 , and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in mobile devices. The battery  153  may be implemented by a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion battery to provide direct current power. The power level monitoring module  151  may include electronics coupled to the battery  153  that can detect the energy level of the battery  153 . 
     The operating system  131  stored in the memory  130  (e.g., Android, RTXC, Linux, UNIX, Apple OS X, Microsoft Windows, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components. Although many kinds of operating systems may be applied, the following description will use Android as an example to describe embodiments of this invention. Various applications  133  may be installed on the operating system  131 . 
     Memory  130  also contains a first launcher  134  and a second launcher  135 . Generally speaking, a launcher is a software program that presents links on a screen for starting other software programs installed in a mobile electronic device. It should be noted that other embodiments of the present invention may use more than two launchers. 
       FIG. 3  conceptually illustrates the operational components of a launcher. In some embodiments of the present invention, the launcher could comprise a collection of multiple function titles displayed to the user, along with links to functional code which together allow the user to identify a function title, and to select and open it. The links presented by the launcher may include: a window displayed on the screen which shows multiple function icons; a list of function titles, such as a drop-down list; or a toolbar included in an Internet browser or another program, with buttons for opening the functions. All of these links allow the user to select and open a desired application or function. Also, a launcher may include one or more titles that allow access to file folders or other windows. As shown in  FIG. 3 , an exemplary launcher  234  includes executable launcher code embedded in an operating system  231 . The launcher  234  is used to present a user interface containing function titles (illustrated as icons) for viewing on a screen of a mobile electronic device  200 . When the user selects a function title via the user interface, the launcher executes a respective executable application  233  in a memory  230  for activating a respective function. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the memory  130  may further include an activating module  132  that interacts with the operating system  131 , the first launcher  134 , the second launcher  135 , and a function limiting module  136  as described below. 
     The activating module  132  is configured to receive the power level of the battery  153  obtained from the power level monitoring module  151  of the power system  150 , compare the power level with a pre-defined threshold, and activate a corresponding launcher  134  or  135  stored in the memory  130  for the device  100  according to the comparison. The threshold may be input or selected by the user. For example, the pre-defined threshold may be 20% (20% power left), which means that when the power level of the battery  153  is greater than 20%, the mobile device  100  uses the first launcher  134 , otherwise, the mobile device activates the second launcher  135  to replace the first launcher  134 . 
     The activating module  132  may be further configured to activate the function limiting module  136  stored on the memory  130 . For example, when the power level is less than the pre-defined threshold, the activating module  132  may also activate the function limiting module  136  to start disabling or degrading certain functions of the mobile device  100 . 
     The first launcher  134  displays links for starting other software programs on the screen  111  with a full user experience. Full user experience means functions on the mobile device are performed normally without sacrificing user experience to save energy of the battery  153 . 
     In contrast to the first launcher  134 , the second launcher  135  is a reduced user experience launcher and will be applied when the device enters the power saving mode. For example, when the activating module  132  determines that the power level of the battery  153  is less than a certain pre-defined threshold, for example, 20%, the activating module  132  will activate the second launcher  135 . 
     In other embodiments, the function limiting module  136  may be implemented as a part of the second launcher  135 . 
       FIGS. 4A-4C  are flowcharts illustrating a process for switching from the first launcher  134  to the second launcher  135  and activating the function limiting module  136  when the power level of the battery  153  reaches the predefined threshold in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     In step  301 , start the first launcher  134 . Initially, when the battery  153  is full charged, or the power level of the battery  153  is greater than a predefined threshold, the mobile device  100  begins execution of the first launcher  134 . So the mobile device  100  is capable of providing rich communication service and maintaining normal performance without sacrificing performance for saving power. 
     In step  302 , monitor a power level of the battery  153 . The power level monitoring module  151  in the power system  150  will keep monitoring the power level of the battery  153  and reporting the power level of the battery  153  back to the operating system  131 . The activating module  132  obtains the power level of the battery  153  via the operating system  131 . 
     In step  303 , determine that the power level of the battery  153  reaches a predetermined threshold. The activating module  132  compares the obtained power level of the battery  153  with a preset threshold. For example, the preset threshold may be input by a user or may be configured by a manufacturer of the mobile device  100 . If the threshold is not reached, the activating module  132  continues to monitor the power level of the battery  153 . 
     In step  305 , terminate the currently running first launcher  134 . If the threshold is reached, the activating module  132  terminates the currently running first launcher  134 , and proceeds to step  306 . 
     In step  306 , activate the second launcher  135  using the activating module  132 . 
     In step  304 , activate the function limiting module  136 . The activating module  132  may activate the function limiting module  136  to start degrading or disabling functions of the device  100 . It should be noted that the threshold for starting the second launcher  135  and the threshold for starting the function limiting module  136  may or may not be the same threshold. 
     In step  307 , disable or degrade functions. Once the second launcher  135  is activated, the second launcher  135  as defined above may disable or degrade the GPU, eliminate graphical effects, degrade display resolution, scale down CPU frequency and/or perform other functions described above. 
     More specifically, referring to  FIG. 4B , step  307  may further include one or more of steps  307 A- 307 E. 
     In step  307 A, disable or minimize GPU support. The second launcher  135  has disabled or minimized GPU support. The second launcher  135  instructs the lower level software, such as operating system (OS) kernel, via system calls to either drive and fix the frequency of the GPU  103  at the minimum allowed level or power the GPU  103  down through the available GPU hardware interfaces. Instead, the second launcher  135  may be designed to render the graphics using the CPU  101 . 
     In step  307 B, disable scrolling, rotation, or animation. The second launcher  135  disables support for one or more graphical effects include scrolling, rotation, and animation. 
     In step  307 C, scale down CPU frequency. The second launcher  135  may include code for scaling down CPU frequency to the minimum operational level. If the CPU has multiple cores, the CPU may be set to the single core mode. The launcher will do this via system calls instructing lower level software components, such as the OS kernel to scale down the CPU frequency and disable additional cores through the CPU governor and CPU hot-plug interfaces. 
     In step  307 D, disable graphical or text notifications other than battery level and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI). The second launcher  135  will support status information to the battery level, the RSSI and the clock. No other graphical or text notifications will be supported. 
     In step  307 E, degrade brightness of the display, and degrade display resolution. The second launcher  135  may further includes code for utilizing system calls instructing the lower level SW components, such as the OS kernel, to degrade the display resolution, refresh rate, or brightness through the respective device drivers. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 4A , in step  308 , disable or degrade functions. When the function limiting module  136  is activated, the function limiting module  136  may begin to disable or degrade functions of the device. In one embodiment, the function limiting module  136  may disable all functions, programs and/or services which are not related to calling and text messaging functionality. 
     More specifically, referring to  FIG. 4C , in the step  308  the function limiting module  136  stored on the memory  130  may be configured to perform one or more of the following steps. 
     In step  308 A, switch radio modem to the most basic available radio mode (e.g., 2G) or voice-only support using the function limiting module  136 . The radio modem limiting module  209  may utilize the system calls instructing the lower level software component, such as the OS kernel, to send control messages to the modem subsystem to switch the radio mode to the voice-only support or the most basic available radio mode. 
     In step  308 B, disable one or more data services including e-mail, social networking, or Internet access. The function limiting module  136  may utilize dedicated OS services, for example, Activity Manager Service to terminate the data service programs. 
     In step  308 C, limit audio features to voice calls and ring tone playback. The function limiting module  136  may utilize a dedicated OS service, for example Activity Manager Service to terminate the programs that utilize advanced multimedia services, such as music or video player and limit audio features to voice calls and ring tone playback. 
     In step  308 D, disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS. The function limiting module  136  may deactivate one or more of the following connectivity functions: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS subsystems by utilizing standard OS services to disable the aforementioned connectivity components. 
     In step  308 E, disable one or more of additional components including camera, external storage, touch-sensitive buttons, additional speakers, external LEDs. 
     In some embodiments, the second launcher  135  may collect information about the disabled or deactivated functions so that the second launcher  135  does not display the disabled or deactivated functions on the screen  111  of the device  100 . 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it should be understood that various changes and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.