TWI407765B - Mobile device, power saving method and computer executable medium - Google Patents

Abstract

A power saving method adaptable in a mobile device, repeatedly operating in a first period and a second period. In the first period, disabling wireless data connectivity to an data service provider, thus the mobile device stops performing wireless data communication. In the second period, enabling the wireless data connectivity, thus allowing the mobile device to perform wireless data communication.

Description

Mobile device, power saving method and computer executable media

The present invention relates to mobile communications, and more particularly to power saving mechanisms for mobile network devices.

Mobile Internet access for mobile devices has become quite popular. In addition to web applications that operate interactively through the user interface, there are many applications that do not require user interaction but are executed in the background. Especially a variety of instant information services.

For example, Push Mail is an instant mail service that keeps the phone connected to the mail service provider at any time, and whenever a new message arrives, it will start receiving the message. Mechanism and notify the user. Another example is the weather information service, which allows the phone to stay connected to the weather service provider at any time. Weather status information is instantly updated and temporarily stored on the phone. Users can see the latest information at any time while viewing the phone. In addition, there are many other different kinds of instant information services, such as news, stock market or global satellite positioning system, which require mobile phones to maintain data connection status.

A common feature of the above examples is that the update of the information is performed in the background, and the user does not need to interact with the screen interface. Traditionally, when the user does not interact with the mobile phone for a certain period of time, the mobile phone automatically enters the power saving operation mode to save power consumption. In the power-saving mode, only the screen backlight is turned off, but the processor and network communication module of the mobile phone may remain open to continue the above-mentioned instant information services. Although the screen backlight can be turned off to save power, the data connection of the mobile phone requires considerable power, especially with various high-speed data transmission protocols such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Another problem is that when the phone enters the power-saving mode and the network remains open, the network service provider or other Internet unit may actively send out various reconnaissance packets to the phone. These packets may be unnecessary for the operation of the mobile phone, such as Ping packets, Network Control Management (ICMP) packets, Internet Group Management (IGMP) packets, and broadcast packets. These non-essential packets are collectively referred to as Dummy packets. Although the phones themselves do not require these packets, they must still consume power to receive, decode, or even transmit response packets because they are passively received. Therefore, even if the mobile phone is in the power-saving mode, the power consumed by the data connection is still considerable.

In view of this, a power saving method for reducing unnecessary power consumption is to be developed.

The present invention provides a power saving method that can be used in a mobile device. First, in a first mode, it is detected whether the state of the mobile device conforms to a first condition. When the state of the mobile device conforms to the first condition, the mobile device is caused to enter a second mode, including a first cycle and a second cycle return cycle. When the state of the mobile device does not comply with the first condition, the mobile device is maintained in the first mode. During the first week, the data connection capability with a network service provider is turned off, so that the mobile device cannot perform a wireless communication. During the second period, the data connection capability with the network service provider is turned on, so that the mobile device can perform the wireless communication.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a mobile device for implementing the above method, comprising a wireless communication module for connecting data to a network service provider and a screen for displaying a picture. The mobile device in this embodiment uses an Android operating system to connect to the network service provider via a Packet Data Protocol (PDP). The wireless communication module can use at least one of 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 3.5G and 4G communication technologies, such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). ), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) communication protocol, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) Communication protocols, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, to name a few.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a computer readable medium, comprising a management program for performing the power saving method in the mobile device.

The invention is mainly implemented on a network mobile device, such as a smart phone. It is especially suitable for digital mobile assistants (PDAs) or mobile phones such as Andriod, which are based on the network data connection service system. The network data connection on the mobile phone is different from the general telephone voice communication, and requires a high transmission rate and a data correct rate. In addition, telephone voice communication does not need to be connected at all times, but network data connections often cover a wide range of application levels, and often need to remain connected. Therefore, the power consumption of the network data connection is relatively large.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile device 100 of the present invention. The mobile device 100 includes a hardware component and a software layer. The hardware components include a processor 102, a touch screen 104, a sound module 106 and a wireless module 108, or even various extended function modules not shown, such as a card reader, a camera function, and various input devices. The software system 110 is usually implemented in a non-volatile memory (firmware), such as a read-only memory or a flash memory. For example, the Android operating system can be subdivided into a core (Kernel) 112, a library. (Library) 114, running component library (Runtime) 116, application layer architecture (Framework) 118 and application 120. The detailed operation of the various layers in the software system 110 is not disclosed in detail since it is already disclosed. It is worth noting that the Android operating system is improved from Linux. The operation process relies heavily on the wireless module 108 to execute the network application. The function of the network connection mainly depends on the core 112 to manage the packet data protocol. (Packet Data Protocol; PDP). Unlike the traditional Microsoft Mobile System (Windows Mobile Platform), the data connection of the Android operating system is continuous. Once connected to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), it will remain connected, so it will often Received some reconnaissance packets from the upstream network unit and are broadcast packets. These packets are usually non-essential Dummy Packets, but the mobile device 100 requires power to process them. Even if a firewall or packet filter can be implemented in the software system 110 to determine whether to dispose of the garbage packet, the wireless module 108 still needs to consume power to demodulate the radio wave before the software system 110 can determine it. The software system 110 can identify the packet data. Therefore, the present invention proposes a power saving method based on a scheduler, which enables the wireless module 108 to stop operating at an appropriate timing, thereby saving power consumption of the network data connection.

Figure 2a is a flow chart of the power saving method of the present invention. Basically, the power management method of the Android operating system itself has been properly arranged for each component. However, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, the network data connection of the Android operating system is continuous, so the power management of the wireless module 108 still has room for improvement. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wireless module 108 in FIG. 1 will be stopped in a timely manner in a scheduled manner, thereby saving power. In step 201, the mobile device 100 operates in a preset normal mode after being turned on. At this stage, the processor 102, the touch screen 104, the audio module 106 and the wireless module 108 in the mobile device 100 are all in an activated state. In step 203, it is determined whether the mobile device 100 meets the conditions for entering the power saving operation mode. The so-called power-saving operation mode is generally defined as a mode in which the backlight of the touch screen 104 is turned off, but other components such as the processor 102, the sound effect module 106, and the wireless module 108 operate as usual. If the mobile device 100 is idle for a period of time, no one touches the touch screen 104 or any input device, step 205 is performed, and the mobile device 100 switches to the power saving operation mode to turn off the backlight of the touch screen 104 to reach Power saving effect. Enter the conditions for the power saving operation mode. During the power saving mode, the processor 102, the audio module 106 and the wireless module 108 may continue to be in an operational state until other conditions are triggered to cause the mobile device 100 to change modes. In step 207, the mobile device 100 checks if its status meets the conditions for entering the sleep mode. If yes, step 213 is executed to enter the sleep mode. According to the definition of the Andriod specification, in the sleep mode, most of the components of the mobile device 100 are turned off, and substantially only the most basic standby function remains. The so-called basic standby function generally includes: the touch screen 104 and the sound effect module 106 are all powered off, and the processor 102 reduces the clock or enters the power saving state or the low power consumption state determined by the specification. As for the data connection capability of the wireless module 108, it is completely turned off, leaving only a few background services such as waiting for an incoming call or an alarm clock. If step 207 checks that the condition for entering the sleep mode is not met, then step 209 is checked to see if the wake condition is met. In step 209, if it is determined that the wake-up condition is not met, then returning to step 205, the power-saving operation mode is continued. If the step 209 determines that the wake-up condition is met, then the process goes to step 211 to turn on the backlight of the touch screen 104 to return the mobile device 100 to the normal mode.

Incidentally, steps 207 and 209 basically belong to the continuous monitoring action in the power saving operation mode, and it is not actually necessary to perform the sequence as shown in Fig. 2a. Likewise, in the sleep mode of step 213, step 215 continues to check if the state of the mobile device 100 has occurred an event that meets the wake condition. For example, a user may press a particular button (such as a power button), or receive an incoming call, or a particular application (such as an alarm) may be triggered in accordance with a schedule to cause the mobile device 100 to wake up.

Regarding the above-described conditions for entering the sleep mode, for example, if the power saving operation mode is not awakened for a while, the sleep mode can be entered. As for the wake-up condition, for example, the user may touch the input button or the touch screen 104, or a specific application (such as an alarm clock) may cause the mobile device 100 to be woken up according to the schedule trigger. A general Hold device 100 implements a Hold button to lock the input interface. Therefore, the state of the hold button can also be used as a basis for whether to cause the mobile device 100 to enter a power saving operation mode, a sleep mode, or wake up.

Fig. 2b is an embodiment for saving power consumption of data connection, and can be applied to power saving operation and/or sleep mode. In step 221, the mobile device 100 enters the power save mode of operation as described in step 205 and/or the sleep mode of step 213. A scheduler (not shown) may be provided in the core 112 or the application 120 in the software system 110 to define the lengths of the first period t1 and the second period t2. For example, the first period t1 may be 30 minutes, and the second period t2 may be 5 minutes. In step 223, the mobile device 100 enters the first cycle. During the first week, the data connection capability between the wireless module 108 and a network service provider is turned off, thereby preventing the mobile device 100 from consuming power due to the influence of the garbage package. However, because of this, the normal network data connection function required by the general application 120 is also stopped. Therefore, in step 225, the mobile device 100 enters the second cycle, restarting the data connection capability between the wireless module 108 and the network service provider, so that the normal network data connection function required by the general application 120 can be enabled. Going smoothly. Since the user does not directly interact with the mobile device 100 in the power saving operation and/or the sleep mode, the suspension of the network connection capability does not make the user feel the operation hindrance. In contrast, by appropriately arranging the ratio of the first period and the second period, the power consumption of the wireless module 108 can be greatly reduced. In Figure 2b, steps 223 and 225 are performed recursively until steps 207 and 209 described in Figure 2a trigger the conditions for leaving the power save operation and/or sleep mode to end.

Figure 2b illustrates that steps 223 and 225 are performed in the power save mode of operation and/or the sleep mode, but further, even if the mobile device 100 is in the normal mode (or other mode), steps 223 and 225 can be applied as it is. To reduce the power consumption of the wireless module 108. For example, although the user uses the mobile device 100 in the normal mode, the one or more applications 120 executed do not necessarily require an instant network data connection. In this case, the wireless module 108 can be controlled to minimize unnecessary network data connections by appropriately modifying the management functions of the core 112. Furthermore, the scheduler of the present invention does not necessarily need to be implemented by modifying the core 112, and can also be used as a layer 120 application, with the application layer architecture 118, the library 114 and the runtime component library 116. The library is used to control the wireless module 108.

Figure 3 is a state machine of an embodiment of the invention. The flow described in Figures 2a and 2b can be simplified to the state machine shown in Figure 3. Basically, it is substantially the same as the power management specification defined by the Android operating system, but the present invention can effectively save the power consumption of the wireless module 108 in the power saving operation mode. At power on, the mobile device 100 is in a normal state 310. If condition 302 is met, mobile device 100 will remain in a normal state. The condition 302 can be that the touch screen 104 detects the touch behavior within a certain time limit. If condition 312 is met, then jump to power save mode 320. The condition 312 can be that the touch screen 104 has not been touched for a period of time, or that any input button has not been pressed for a period of time. In the power save operation mode 320, if the condition 314 is detected, the power save operation mode 320 is returned to the normal mode 310. The condition 314 can be that the touch screen 104 is touched by the user or any of the input buttons is pressed. On the other hand, if condition 324 is detected in power save operation mode 320, sleep mode 330 is entered. The condition 324 may be that the power save operation 320 has not been woken up for a period of time, or all of the "anti-sleep locks" in the mobile device 100 are released. A partial wake lock is a specific program indicator in the Android operating system that tells the system that certain applications 120 must remain unsleeped in order to execute. In addition, condition 336 is further defined to directly enter sleep mode 330 if a particular button (not shown) of mobile device 100, such as a power button, is detected in normal mode 310.

In the sleep mode 330, all of the components including the processor 102, the touch screen 104, the audio module 106, and the wireless module 108 are substantially in a power-saving or off state, and the mobile device 100 has only a basic standby function. In the sleep mode 330, if it is detected that the state of the mobile device 100 meets the condition 334, the wake-up procedure is performed and the normal mode 310 is jumped back. The condition 334 is defined in accordance with the general mobile phone standard, and may include a specific button such as a power button being pressed, receiving an incoming call request, or a special application being triggered by the scheduler.

The scheduling method of the present invention can be applied to the normal mode 310, the power saving operation mode 320, and/or the sleep mode 330, so that the connection function of the wireless module 108 is switched according to the first cycle and the second cycle. And thereby saving power consumption. Although FIG. 3 shows the basic state machine in which the mobile device 100 operates, the detailed state can be further distinguished based on the execution characteristics of the various components, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment.

Figure 4 is a timing diagram of the data connection of the embodiment of the present invention. The horizontal axis of Fig. 4 is time t, and the vertical axis is the power consumption P of the wireless module 108. In the first period t1, the connection capability of the wireless module 108 is turned off, so it can be said that there is no power consumption. In the second period t2, the connection capability of the wireless module 108 is turned on, so that the power consumption of the unequal size is generated as the application 120 demands the network access. Follow-up actions and so on, and repeated. In the present invention, t1 and t2 may be controlled by the modification of core 112 or the implementation of a particular application 120. The connection capability of the wireless module 108 can basically be determined by the driver switch of the Packet Data Protocol (PDP). For example, the mobile device 100 usually establishes an Internet connection capability by dialing a point-to-point communication protocol (PPP) to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the packet data protocol can manage the dial-up function, thereby The wireless module 108 is externally connected. The opening and closing of the network connection function can be implemented in the hardware layer or the software layer, and the present invention is not limited to being controlled by the PDP.

There are many physical layer protocols that can be used to network data connections. For example, the mobile device 100 of the present invention may support at least one of 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 3.5G, and 4G communication technologies, such as the Universal Packet Radio Service Technology of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Packet Radio Service; GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol, High Speed Downlink (High Speed Downlink) Packet Access; HSDPA) communication protocol, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards.

On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that when the network connection capability is turned off, it may affect some of the executing applications 120. Because the scheduler is forcibly shutting down the PDP driver in core 112, the application 120 itself does not predict this modification. If the application module 120 fails to connect because the connection capability of the wireless module 108 is turned off, an error message may be displayed. In order to make the invention more compatible, a specific driver can be implemented, so that the originally executed application 120 can learn (acquire) the scheduler's settings and adjust the network access time to The first period and the second period are synchronized (aligned). Thereby, the application 120 can automatically stop the network access in the first cycle, and only perform network access in the second cycle, and avoid jumping out of the unreachable error message. For example, a receiving program may have to intercept emails every five minutes. After the modification of the specific software layer driver, the receiver can also learn to perform network access when the second cycle is started with the scheduler of the present invention.

The above embodiments of the present invention may cover the mobile device and the power saving method, or may be written as a core layer program or a user layer program, and are installed in the memory or firmware of the mobile phone device. Therefore, the scope of the invention can be extended to software and hardware. While the invention has been described above by way of a preferred embodiment, it is understood that the scope of the invention is not necessarily limited. In contrast, any modifications that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Therefore, the scope of patent claims must be interpreted in the broadest sense.

100‧‧‧ mobile devices

102‧‧‧Processor

104‧‧‧ touch screen

106‧‧‧Sound Module

108‧‧‧Wireless Module

110‧‧‧Software system

112‧‧‧ core

114‧‧‧Library

116‧‧‧Running component library

118‧‧‧Application layer architecture

120‧‧‧Application

1 is a structural diagram of a mobile device 100 of the present invention; 2a and 2b are flowcharts of a power saving method of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a state machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a A timing diagram of the data connection of the embodiment of the present invention.

100. . . Mobile device

102. . . processor

104. . . Screen

106. . . Sound module

108. . . Wireless module

110. . . Software system

112. . . core

114. . . Library

116. . . Running component library

118. . . Application layer architecture

120. . . application

Claims (30)

A power saving method for a mobile device, comprising: the mobile device reverting operation during a first period and a second period; and during the first period, closing a data connection capability with an internet service provider The mobile device is not allowed to perform a wireless communication; and during the second period, the data connection capability with the network service provider is enabled to enable the mobile device to perform the wireless communication. The power saving method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device operates in a power saving mode, during which a backlight of one of the mobile devices is turned off. The power saving method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device operates in a sleep mode, wherein one of the mobile devices enters a power saving mode, and one of the mobile devices is turned off. The power saving method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device uses an Android operating system to connect to the network service provider via a Packet Data Protocol (PDP). The power saving method of claim 4, wherein the step of not performing the wireless communication comprises disabling the packet data protocol. The power saving method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device uses at least one of a 2.5G communication technology, a 2.75G communication technology, a 3G communication technology, a 3.5G communication technology, and a 4G communication technology. . The power saving method according to claim 6, wherein the mobile device uses a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) communication protocol, and a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) A communication protocol, a Long Term Evolution (LTE), and at least one of the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards. The power saving method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a scheduler for determining the length of the first period and the second period. The power saving method of claim 8, wherein: the first period is thirty minutes; and the second period is five minutes. The power saving method of claim 8, further comprising: executing a web application, wherein the web application can access the web application of the web application according to the scheduler setting. The time period is adjusted to be synchronized with the first period and the second period, so that the network application stops network access during the first period, and network access is performed during the second period. A mobile device that operates in a first cycle and a second cycle, comprising: a wireless communication module for connecting data with a network service provider; and a screen for displaying a picture; : during the first period, the wireless communication module is turned off; and during the second period, the wireless communication module is turned on, so that the mobile device is installed This wireless communication is possible. The mobile device according to claim 11 is operated in a power saving operation mode, in which the backlight of the screen is turned off. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the mobile device operates in a sleep mode, during which one of the mobile devices enters a power saving mode, and the screen is turned off. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the mobile device uses an Android operating system to connect to the network service provider via a Packet Data Protocol (PDP). The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication module is turned off by deactivating the packet data protocol. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication module uses a 2.5G communication technology, a 2.75G communication technology, a 3G communication technology, a 3.5G communication technology, and a 4G communication technology. one. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication module uses a Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) general packet radio service (GPRS), an enhanced data rate GSM evolution. (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution; EDGE), a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) communication protocol, a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) communication protocol, a long-term At least one of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards. The mobile device of claim 11, further comprising: a scheduler for determining the length of the first period and the second period. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: the first period is thirty minutes; and the second period is five minutes. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising a processor executable to enable the network application to stop network storage during the first cycle according to the scheduler setting Take, the network access is performed in the second cycle. A computer program product executable in a mobile device to cause the mobile device to cycle back in a first cycle and a second cycle; during the first cycle, the mobile device is closed with a network service provider The data connection capability enables the mobile device to not perform a wireless communication; and during the second period, the data connection capability of the mobile device and the network service provider is enabled to enable the mobile device to perform the wireless communication. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the mobile device operates in a power saving mode, during which a backlight of one of the mobile devices is turned off. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the mobile device operates in a sleep mode, wherein one of the mobile devices enters a power saving mode, and one of the mobile devices is turned off. A computer program product as described in claim 21, Medium: The computer program product is included in the Android operating system and is connected to the network service provider via a Packet Data Protocol (PDP). For example, the computer program product described in claim 24, wherein the method of not performing a wireless communication is to disable the packet data agreement. For example, the computer program product described in claim 21, wherein the mobile device uses a 2.5G communication technology, a 2.75G communication technology, a 3G communication technology, a 3.5G communication technology, and a 4G communication technology. One. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the mobile device uses a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), an enhanced data rate GSM evolution. (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution; EDGE), a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) communication protocol, a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) communication protocol, a long-term At least one of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising a scheduler program for determining the length of the first period and the second period after the mobile device is executed. For example, the computer program product described in claim 28, wherein: The first period is thirty minutes; and the second period is five minutes. The computer program product of claim 28, further comprising a web application for execution by the mobile device, wherein the network access is stopped during the first cycle according to the scheduler setting. Network access is performed during the second cycle.