Method for controlling a sleep mode and electronic device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9766690-B2
Application number	US-201514643265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Apr 21, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for controlling a sleep mode in an electronic device are provided. The method for controlling the sleep mode in the electronic device includes determining whether a sleep mode entry occurs, identifying an application running when the sleep mode entry occurs, and selectively restricting the sleep mode entry based on the identified application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:
detecting, by a processor, an event related to entering into a sleep mode;
in response to the event detection, determining, by the processor, a currently executing application in the electronic device;
controlling, by the processor, the electronic device to operate in a first sleep mode, if the application is not an application that restricts entry into the sleep mode; and
controlling, by the processor, the electronic device to operate in a second sleep mode, if the application is an application that restricts entry into the sleep mode,
wherein the first sleep mode is a mode for avoiding power consumption of the electronic device, and
wherein the second sleep mode is a mode for controlling an operation state of a display based on sleep mode setting information, and for returning the application in response to detecting a user input.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while in the second sleep mode, displaying images corresponding to the application in response to detecting the user input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the electronic device to operate in the second sleep mode comprising:
cutting off power supply to the display and maintaining power supply to a touch detection module.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the electronic device to operate in the second sleep mode comprising:
cutting off power supply to a lighting component of the display and maintaining power supply to a touch detection module.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the electronic device to operate in the second sleep mode comprising:
lowering a brightness of the display and maintaining power supply to a touch detection module.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a state of the electronic device in response to detecting the event, and
controlling an entry of the first sleep mode or the second sleep mode based on a type of the application and the state of the electronic device,
wherein the state of the electronic device includes at least one of a location of the electronic device, a connection state with an external device, a noise level, a schedule, or a user's pattern input.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by an electronic device, cause the device to execute the method according to claim 1 .

8. An electronic device comprising:
a display;
a touch detection module; and
a processor configured to:
detect an event related to entering into a sleep mode,
in response to the event detection, determine a currently executing application in the electronic device,
control the electronic device to operate in a first sleep mode, if the application is not an application that restricts entry into the sleep mode, and
control the electronic device to operate in a second sleep mode, if the application is an application that restricts entry into the sleep mode,
wherein the first sleep mode is a mode for avoiding power consumption of the electronic device, and
wherein the second sleep mode is a mode for controlling an operation state of a display based on sleep mode setting information, and for returning the application in response to detecting a user input.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to display images corresponding to the application in the display in response to detecting the user input by the touch detection module.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to control to cut off power supply to the display and to maintain power supply to the touch detection module.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to control to cut off power supply to a lighting component of the display and to maintain power supply to the touch detection module.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to control to lower a brightness of the display and to maintain power supply to the touch detection module.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a state of the electronic device in response to detecting the event, and
control an entry of the first sleep mode or the second sleep mode based on a type the application and the state of the electronic device,
wherein the state of the electronic device includes at least one of a location of the electronic device, a connection state with an external device, a noise level, a schedule, or a user's pattern input.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, and the sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
detect an event related to entering into a sleep mode,
in response to the event detection, determine a currently executing application in an electronic device,
control the electronic device to operate in a first sleep mode or a second sleep mode based on a type of the application,
wherein the first sleep mode is a mode for avoiding power consumption of the electronic device, and
wherein the second sleep mode is a mode for controlling an operation state of a display based on sleep mode setting information, and for returning the application in response to detecting a user input.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Hee-Young
• Kim Eung-Do
• Beak Seung-Jin

Classifications

• G06F1/3203 Primary

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

• G06F1/3218

  of display devices · CPC title

• G06F1/3293

  by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU · CPC title

• G06F1/3265

  Power saving in display device · CPC title

• G06F1/3287 Primary

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title