TWI381271B - Portable electronic apparatus and method for power saving thereof - Google Patents

Description

Portable electronic device and power saving method thereof

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device, and more particularly to a portable electronic device and a power saving method thereof.

With the advancement of technology, electronic products are also becoming more and more popular. Among them, portable electronic products such as mobile phones, notebooks (Note Book), and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are popular among users because of their advantages of lightness, shortness, and diversification. However, in order to extend the use time of the electronic product without affecting the normal operation of the electronic product, and to increase the flexibility and convenience of use, the problem of power consumption is very important.

In general, portable electronic devices can reduce power consumption by entering standby or sleep state. However, portable electronic devices require support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) or Advanced Power Management (APM) for both hardware and systems. Forcibly using the standby or hibernation function on the hardware or system, it is easy to cause the data in the portable electronic device to be lost, or the system is unstable.

In addition, the portable electronic device does not cut off the connection between the storage device (such as a hard disk) configured therein and the system power supply during standby or hibernation. Therefore, even if the portable electronic device has entered a standby or hibernation state, its storage device consumes power and shortens the use time of the portable electronic device.

On the other hand, almost all portable electronic devices use Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) as a medium for data storage, including storage operating systems and other application software. However, NVRAM has a small storage space and it is difficult to meet the user's demand for large-capacity data storage. Therefore, there is a need for a large-capacity storage space and low power consumption, which can solve the current user's demand for the performance and endurance of portable electronic products, and enhance the competitiveness of the products.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a portable electronic device and a power saving method thereof, thereby reducing power consumption of the portable electronic device and increasing storage space of the portable electronic device.

The invention provides a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device includes a memory unit, a storage unit, a switch, a switch controller, and a software controller. The memory unit is used to store the system program and operating system executed by the portable electronic device, and the storage unit is used to store the data of the portable electronic device. The open relationship is disposed between the system power supply and the storage unit of the portable electronic device to turn on or off the system power supply to the storage unit. The switch controller is configured to receive a control signal to switch its state and control the switching of the switch. The control signal is generated by the user inputting the portable electronic device or generated by the portable electronic device. The software controller is used to drive the storage unit after the system power is turned on according to the state of the switch controller, or to disconnect the system power after removing the storage unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control signal is used to control one of the storage unit to enter an active state and a sleep state. In addition, when the state of the switch controller is on, the software controller controls the switch controller to turn the switch on to provide system power to the storage unit. After the system power is supplied to the storage unit, the software controller loads the driver into the memory unit to drive the storage unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the state of the switch controller is off, the software controller removes the storage unit. After the storage unit is removed, the software controller controls the switch controller to disconnect the switch to terminate the supply of system power to the storage unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, the memory unit is a non-volatile random access memory. In addition, the non-volatile random access memory includes a NAND Flash Memory, a NOR Flash Memory, and an erasable programmable read only memory (Electrically One of Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EEPROM). In addition, the storage unit is a portable hard disk, and the portable electronic device includes a mobile phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

From another point of view, the present invention provides a power saving method for a portable electronic device, which is suitable for controlling a system power supply that is provided to a storage unit by using a software controller of the portable electronic device, wherein the above-described open relationship configuration Between the storage unit and the system power supply, and controlled by the switch controller. First, the switch controller receives the first control signal and switches its state accordingly, wherein the first control signal is generated by the user inputting the portable electronic device. Raw or generated by the portable electronic device. Thereafter, the software controller removes the storage unit from the system of the portable electronic device according to the state of the switch controller. Finally, the software controller control switch disconnects the system power supplied to the storage unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the state of the switch controller is off, the software controller removes the storage unit. After the storage unit is removed, the software controller controls the switch controller to disconnect the switch to terminate the supply of system power to the storage unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the step of the software controller controlling the switch to turn off the system power supply to the storage unit, the method further includes: receiving, by the switch controller, the second control signal, thereby switching the state. The switch is then turned on by the switch controller to provide system power to the storage unit. The software controller then re-drives the storage unit based on the state of the switch controller.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first control signal is used to control the storage unit to enter a sleep state, and the second control signal is used to control the storage unit to enter a working state.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the state of the switch controller is ON, the software controller controls the switch controller to turn the switch on to provide system power to the storage unit. After the system power is supplied to the storage unit, the software controller loads the driver into the memory unit of the portable electronic device to drive the storage unit. In addition, after the software controller loads the driver to the memory unit, the system of the portable electronic device can identify the storage unit.

The invention controls the conduction and disconnection of the switch by configuring a switch between the storage unit and the system power supply, and using the switch controller and the software controller. Wherein, when the control switch is off, the connection between the storage unit and the system power supply is cut off to achieve power saving; and when the control switch is turned on, the storage unit is connected to the system power supply. Connected to take advantage of the storage space of the storage unit. In this way, when the data is not needed to be stored, the system power supply to the storage unit can be completely turned off, thereby achieving power saving effect.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

In the actual application, the portable electronic device does not disconnect the connection between the storage device and the system power supply, so that the portable electronic device continues to consume power during standby or hibernation. Therefore, in order to solve the power consumption problem of the portable electronic device, the present invention provides a portable electronic device and a power saving method thereof to solve such problems. In order to clarify the content of the present invention, the following specific examples are given as examples in which the present invention can be implemented.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the portable electronic device 100 includes a memory unit 110 , a storage unit 120 , a switch 130 , a switch controller 140 , a software controller 150 , and a system power supply 160 . The portable electronic device 100 is, for example, a mobile phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and does not limit its scope.

The memory unit 110 is configured to store a system program and an operating system executed by the portable electronic device 100. The memory unit 110 is, for example, a NAND Flash Memory, a NOR Flash Memory, or an Erasable Programmable Read Only (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only). Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM), such as Memory, EEPROM, does not limit its scope.

The storage unit 120 is configured to store the data of the portable electronic device 100. In this embodiment, the storage unit 120 is, for example, a portable hard disk. The switch 130 is disposed between the system power supply 160 of the portable electronic device 100 and the storage unit 120 for turning on or off the system power supply 160 provided to the storage unit 120.

The switch controller 140 is configured to receive a control signal to switch its state and control the switching of the switch 130. The above control signal can be used, for example, to control the storage unit 120 to enter one of an active state and a sleep state. For example, if the control signal is "control storage unit 120 enters the active state", the switch controller 140 will switch to the on state, so that the switch 130 turns on the system power supply 160 provided to the storage unit 120; if the control signal is "Control storage unit 120 enters a sleep state", switch controller 140 switches to an open state to cause switch 130 to open system power supply 160 provided to storage unit 120.

The software controller 150 is configured to drive or remove the storage unit 120 according to the state of the switch controller 140 (for example, an on or off state), including driving the storage unit 120 after the system power supply 160 is turned on, or in the storage unit. The system power supply 160 is disconnected after the 120 is removed.

For example, when the portable electronic device 100 is in a normally activated state, when the state of the switch controller 140 is on, the software controller 150 will control the switch controller 140 to turn on the switch 130 to provide the system power 160. The storage unit 120 is given. After the system power supply 160 is provided to the storage unit 120, the software controller 150 loads the driver of the storage unit 120 into the memory unit 110 to drive the storage unit 120, so that the system of the portable electronic device 100 can recognize the storage. The unit 120 performs the data access operation using the storage unit 120.

On the other hand, when the state of the switch controller 140 is off, the software controller 150 first removes the storage unit 120 from the portable electronic device 100, and terminates the driver of the storage unit 120. Thereafter, the software controller 150 controls the switch controller 140 to open the switch 130 to terminate the system power supply 160 provided to the storage unit 120, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the power consumption of the portable electronic device 100.

In this embodiment, in a state where the portable electronic device 100 is normally turned on, the system program and the operating system are all executed by the memory unit 110, and the storage unit 120 is activated by the "condition". Therefore, when the portable electronic device 100 enters the standby or sleep state, it does not cause excessive power loss; and when the portable electronic device 100 needs to store data, the storage unit 120 is re-driven to return to the working state.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power saving method of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, whether the connection between the storage unit and the system power supply (not shown) is through the hardware part (such as the switch controller of FIG. 1) 140) 210 control, and the software part (such as the software controller 150 of FIG. 1) 220 selects to disconnect or turn on the system power supply to the storage unit according to the state of the hardware portion 210. As can be seen in Figure 2, in the hardware portion 210, the switch controller includes both open and closed states. When the switch controller is in the on state, the software portion 220 first turns on the system power supply to the storage unit, and then loads the driver to drive the storage unit so that the portable electronic device can recognize the storage unit. Accessing the data of the storage unit; when the switch controller is in the off state, the software part 220 first removes the storage unit, and then disconnects the system power supply provided to the storage unit through the switch controller control switch.

A power saving method of the portable electronic device can be summarized from the above embodiments, and a further embodiment will be described in detail below. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a power saving method of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. The power saving method is adapted to switch the system power supply provided to the storage unit by using a switch controller configured in the portable electronic device. Wherein, the switch is disposed between the storage unit and the system power supply, and is controlled by the switch controller. Referring to FIG. 3, first in step S310, the switch controller receives the control signal and switches its state accordingly. In this embodiment, the control signal is, for example, used to control the storage unit to enter a sleep state. When the switch controller receives this control signal, it will switch its state to the off state.

In step S320, the software controller removes the storage unit from the system of the portable electronic device according to the state of the switch controller. In detail, when the software controller determines that the state of the switch controller is off, the storage unit is removed from the system of the portable electronic device, and the drive of the storage unit is terminated. Program. Thereafter, in step S330, the software controller disconnects the system power supplied to the storage unit through the switch controller control switch. At this time, the system power of the portable electronic device is not additionally provided to the storage unit, thereby reducing the power consumption of the portable electronic device.

It is to be noted that the above control signals are generated, for example, via user input or generated by the portable electronic device. In detail, the user can generate the control signal by pressing a component on the portable electronic device; on the other hand, when the portable electronic device itself enters the standby or sleep state, the control signal can also be automatically generated. The portable electronic device is more capable of saving power.

In order to more clearly describe the steps of the above-described power saving method, an embodiment will be further described below to explain the detailed flow of the power saving method of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a power saving method of a portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 together, in step S410, the switch controller 140 receives the first control signal and switches its state accordingly. In this embodiment, the first control signal is used to control the storage unit 120 to enter a sleep state, and when the switch controller 140 receives the first control signal, the state is switched to the off state.

Then, in step S420, the software controller 150 removes the storage unit 120 from the system of the portable electronic device 100 according to the state of the switch controller 140. At the same time, the software controller 150 terminates the storage device 120. Driver. The process of removing the storage unit 120 by the software controller 150 is similar to the process of safely removing the external device from the computer system, so the details thereof are not described herein again.

In step S430, the storage unit 120 has been removed from the system of the portable electronic device 100, and the software controller 150 will control the switch 130 to disconnect the system power supply 160 provided to the storage unit 120 through the switch controller 140. At this time, the storage unit 120 enters a sleep state and does cut off the connection between the storage unit and the system power. As a result, the portable electronic device 100 does not need to provide an additional system power 160 to the storage unit 120, which will reduce power consumption.

Next, if the portable electronic device 100 needs to use the storage unit 120 to access data, the storage unit 120 must be restored to the working state. At this time, for example, the second control signal can be generated by the user to press the button and sent to the switch controller 140. In step S440, when the switch controller 140 receives the second control signal, it switches its state. In this embodiment, the second control signal is, for example, to control the storage unit 120 to enter an operating state, and when the switch controller 140 receives the second control signal, it will switch its state to the on state. In step S450, since the switch controller 140 is in the on state, the software controller 150 controls the switch controller 140 to turn on the switch 130 according to the state of the switch controller 140 (on state) to power the system. 160 is provided to storage unit 120.

Next, in step S460, the software controller 150 loads the driver into the memory unit 110 of the portable electronic device 100, so that the portable electronic device 100 can re-drive the storage unit 120. Thereafter, the system of the portable electronic device 100 can recognize the storage unit 120 and perform data access operations on the storage unit 120.

In the above, when the portable electronic device 100 ends the access operation to the storage unit 120, steps S410 to S430 can be repeatedly performed to enter the sleep state again to achieve the power saving function.

In summary, the portable electronic device of the present invention and the power saving method thereof have at least the following advantages:

1. The switch controller is used to receive the user's key input or the signal automatically generated by the system, thereby driving or removing the storage unit, thereby achieving the effects of low power consumption and increased storage space.

2. The operating system and system program required for the portable electronic device are stored and executed by the memory unit, and the system power supply to the storage unit is turned off when there is no large-capacity data storage requirement to reduce the power loss.

3. Configure the switch between the system power supply and the storage unit to directly cut off the connection between the system power supply and the storage unit, thereby achieving the power saving effect.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Portable electronic devices

110‧‧‧ memory unit

120‧‧‧ storage unit

130‧‧‧ switch

140‧‧‧Switch controller

150‧‧‧Software Controller

160‧‧‧System Power Supply

210‧‧‧ hardware part

220‧‧‧Software part

S310~S330‧‧‧In the province of portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention Electrical steps

S410~S460‧‧‧A portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention Steps of the power saving method

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a power saving method of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Flow chart of the power saving method.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a power saving method of a portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention.

S310~S330‧‧‧ steps of the power saving method of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention

Claims (20)

A portable electronic device includes: a memory unit for storing a system program and an operating system executed by the portable electronic device; and a storage unit for storing a data of the portable electronic device a switch disposed between the system power supply of the portable electronic device and the storage unit for turning on or off the system power supply to the storage unit; and a switch controller for receiving a control Signaling, switching its state, and controlling the switching of the switch, wherein the control signal is generated by the user input to the portable electronic device or generated by the portable electronic device; and a software controller, The driving unit is driven after the power of the system is turned on according to the state of the switch controller, or the system is powered off after the storage unit is removed. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control signal is used to control the storage unit to enter one of an active state and a sleep state. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the software controller comprises: when the state of the switch controller is on, controlling the switch controller to turn on the switch to provide power to the system. The storage unit. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the software controller comprises the switch controller turning on the switch to provide After the system power is supplied to the storage unit, a driver is loaded to the memory unit to drive the storage unit. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the software controller comprises removing the storage unit when the state of the switch controller is off. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the software controller comprises: after removing the storage unit, controlling the switch controller to open the switch to terminate providing power to the storage unit . The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory unit is a non-volatile random access memory. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the non-volatile random access memory comprises a reverse flash memory, an inverse or gate flash memory, and an erasable programmable read only One of the memories. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the storage unit is a portable hard disk. The portable electronic device of claim 1, which comprises a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant. A power saving method for a portable electronic device, which is adapted to use a software controller of a portable electronic device to control a switch to provide a system power supply to a storage unit, wherein the open relationship is configured in the storage unit and the Between system power supplies, and controlled by a switch controller, the method includes the steps of: the switch controller receiving a first control signal to switch its state, wherein the first control signal is input by a user The portable electronic Produced by the device or generated by the portable electronic device; the software controller removes the storage unit from the system of the portable electronic device according to the state of the switch controller; and the software controller controls the The switch disconnects the system power supplied to the storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the software controller comprises removing the storage unit when the state of the switch controller is off. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the software controller comprises: after removing the storage unit, controlling the switch controller to open the switch to terminate providing power to the system Give the storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein after the step of controlling the switch to disconnect the power supply of the system to the storage unit, the software controller further comprises: the switch control Receiving a second control signal to switch its state; the switch controller turns the switch on to provide the system power to the storage unit; and the software controller re-drives the switch controller according to the state of the switch controller Storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein the software controller includes controlling the switch controller to turn on the switch when the state of the switch controller is on, to provide The system Power is supplied to the storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the software controller comprises: after the switch controller turns on the switch to provide the system power to the storage unit, loading a Driving a program to a memory unit of the portable electronic device to drive the storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein after the software controller loads the driver to the memory unit to drive the storage unit, the method further comprises: The system of portable electronic devices identifies the storage unit. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein the first control signal is used to control the storage unit to enter a sleep state, and the second control signal is used to control the storage unit. Enter the working state. The power saving method of the portable electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the storage unit is a portable hard disk. The power saving method of the portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant.