Controlling power consumption of a mobile device based on gesture recognition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9086875-B2
Application number	US-79260010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2010
Priority date	Jun 5, 2009
Publication date	Jul 21, 2015
Grant date	Jul 21, 2015

Abstract

In an embodiment, a mobile device includes a sensor processor system, an application processor system and a power management controller that controls power being applied to the application processor system. The sensor processor system monitors sensors connected to the mobile device. The sensor processor system detects a pre-defined gestures and an environmental condition or event based on the monitoring. The pre-defined gesture corresponds to one or more actions initiated by a user of the mobile device (e.g., the user jogs with the mobile device, places the mobile device in his/her pocket or backpack, etc.). The sensor processor system selects a power profile to be applied to the application processor system based on the detection, and instructs the power management controller to apply the selected power profile to the application processor system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling power consumption of a mobile device, comprising:
monitoring, at a sensor processor system of the mobile device, one or more sensors connected to the mobile device, the sensor processor system configured for low-power operation;
detecting one of a plurality of pre-defined gestures and one or more environmental conditions or events based on the monitoring, wherein each of the plurality of pre-defined gestures corresponds to one or more actions initiated by a user of the mobile device;
loading to an application processor system, operating independently from the sensor processor system, one or more applications associated with respective power requirements, the one or more applications selected from a plurality of available applications based on the detected one of the plurality of pre-defined gestures;
selecting one of a plurality of predetermined power profiles corresponding to the respective power requirements for the selected one or more applications based on the detected one of the plurality of pre-defined gestures to enable the mobile device to consume power at a level approximating the respective power requirements for the selected one or more applications, and loading the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles to a power management controller to control power to the application processor system, wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles establishes at least one of (1) a clock frequency at which an application processor of the application processor system is to operate or (2) a current or voltage at which the application processor of the application processor system is to operate; and
instructing the power management controller to apply the one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles corresponding to the respective power requirements for the selected one or more applications, selected based on the one of the plurality of pre-defined gestures detected by the independently operating sensor processor system, to the application processor system to control the power to the application processor system so as to support the respective power requirements of the one or more loaded applications selected based on the detected one of the plurality of pre-defined gestures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring is performed periodically by the sensor processor system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include (a) a light sensor, (b) a pressure sensor, (c) a gyroscopic sensor, (d) an accelerometer, (e) a touch-screen proximity sensor, (f) a fingerprint sensor and/or (g) a haptic sensor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more user-initiated actions includes (a) the user pressing a key or button of the mobile device, (b) the user walking or jogging with the mobile device, (c) the user picking up the mobile device from a surface or storage location, (d) the user placing the mobile device onto a surface or into a storage location, (e) a proximity of the user's fingers being close to a display of the mobile device and/or (f) the user moving into an airplane with the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more environmental conditions or events includes (a) an amount of light in proximity to the mobile device, (b) a temperature in proximity to the mobile device, (c) an acceleration of the mobile device, (d) a velocity of the mobile device, (e) an altitude of the mobile device and/or (f) identifying one or more wireless transmitters in range of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles establishes whether a modem subsystem configured to manage wireless communications to or from the mobile device is turned on or off.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device corresponds to a wireless mobile device that includes a modem subsystem to manage wireless communications to or from the wireless mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the one or more applications for execution by the application processor system based on the detecting,
wherein the instructing step further instructs the application processor system to load the one or more applications.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more applications includes an audio application and the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles provides power for at least audio circuitry of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more applications includes a texting or email application and the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles provides power for at least display circuitry of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more applications includes a wireless communications application and the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles provides power for a modem subsystem of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles is configured to provide a level of power that approximates a level of power required to support the one or more applications.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
at the power management controller, determining that the application processor system has transitioned to a different mode of operation associated with a different power profile from among the plurality of power profiles; applying the different power profile to the application processor system.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the different mode of operation is a sleep-mode and the different power profile is power profile associated with low-power requirements of the sleep-mode.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the selected one of the plurality of predetermined power profiles is associated with a first active mode and the different mode of operation corresponds to a second active mode, the first and second active modes having different power requirements for the application processor system that are each higher than a sleep-mode power requirement for the application processor system.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power management controller is configured to selectively scale power consumption of specific hardware of the application processor system.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a new power profile by merging at least one of the plurality of power profiles with at least another of the plurality of power profiles.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to a determination that an application, from the selected one or more applications, has low-power requirements, loading the application to the sensor processor system, configured for low-power operation, so that the sensor processor system runs the application determined to have the low-power requirements and the application processor system runs at least one other of the one or more applications selected based on the detected one of the plurality of pre-defined gestures.

19. A mobile device, comprising:
an application processor system configured to execute at least one application;
a power management controller configured to control power consumption of the application processor system; and
a sensor processor system, configured for low-power operation, and further configured to:
monitor one or more sensors coupled to the mobile device,
detect one of a plurality of pre-defined gestures and one or more environmental conditions or ev

Assignees

• Harrat Newfel
• Sheynblat Leonid
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Harrat Newfel
• Sheynblat Leonid

Classifications

• G06F1/3203 Primary

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• H04M2250/12

  including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion · CPC title

• Y02B60/50

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04W52/0293

  having a sub-controller with a low clock frequency switching on and off a main controller with a high clock frequency · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title