Mechanism for enabling power expansion service in computing devices

Abstract

Computer-implemented method comprising: Generating a list (412) of techniques including one or more of a plurality of power saving techniques supported by a computing device (100) and available for selection; determining one or more periods of time for which a power supply will provide power to the computing device (100) in response to selecting a power saving technique from the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; Generating a list of functionalities including one or more functionalities of the computing device (100) that are at least partially reduced in response to selecting a power saving technique of the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; Displaying the list of techniques, the list of functionalities and the one or more time periods; and Activating a selected energy-saving technology.

Description

Field of InterestThe field relates generally to computing devices, and more particularly to employing a mechanism for facilitating an energy expansion service in computing devices.BackgroundInsufficient battery life is one of the major problems facing each user of computing devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, notebooks, netbooks, etc.) today. It is normal for a user to encounter a situation in which he wants his computing device to stand for a longer period of time when the battery has a low direct current (DC) mode. Typically, in such a case, the user may be given the option of switching the computing device to maximum battery life (MBL) mode, which neither uses various power saving techniques nor indicates to the user how long the battery life extends; thus, the user is left unclear what aspects of the computing device are sacrificed to save power.WO 2011 / 064933 A1 discloses storing data sets PI to P7. The record PI represents functions of terminal devices provided to a user. For each set value of each of the functions, an energy saving rate that takes a usage time P 2 into account is calculated. The useful life is determined on the basis of the beginning and end of the use of the respective function.EP 2 120 128 A2 discloses a processor which fetches a data record about equipment and performance from data centers and receives a user profile and initial configuration from a user. The user selects one of the data centers and the processor determines a subset of the record describing data centers that have a similar profile. A corresponding configuration is provided to achieve a desired energy saving.EP 1 139 205 A1 discloses management of power consumption by a battery in a data processing system. In response to receiving an input indicative of a time period required to operate the data processing system, the available energy is determined.The invention is based on the object of improving the energy management of a computer. This object is achieved by the subordinate claims.Brief Description of the DrawingsEmbodiments of the present invention are shown by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements, and in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a computing device that includes an energy expansion assistance service mechanism for facilitating an energy expansion service at computing devices according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2A illustrates an energy expansion assistance service mechanism employed with a computing device in accordance with embodiments of the invention. FIG. 2B illustrates low power computing method components employed in a computing device in accordance with embodiments of the invention; FIG. 3A illustrates a method for facilitating an energy expansion service at a computing device according to embodiments of the invention; FIG. 3B illustrates a method for facilitating an energy expansion service by performing an energy saving calculation method on a computing device according to embodiments of the invention; FIG. 4A shows a screen shot that provides a list of power saving options available at and supported by the computing device, in accordance with embodiments of the invention; FIG. 4B shows details of an option selected from a plurality of the options shown in FIG. 4A, according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4C shows a screen shot illustrating a power saving computing service tool of the power expansion assistance service mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 5 illustrates a computing device according to an embodiment of the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONEmbodiments of the invention provide a mechanism for facilitating energy expansion service at computing devices according to an embodiment of the invention. A method of embodiments of the invention includes computing potential energy conservation by one or more of a variety of energy conservation techniques supported by a computing device. The calculating includes identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques available for selection and an expected amount of energy to be saved with the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques. The method may further include generating a list identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques and relevant information resulting from the calculation, and displaying the list.FIG. 1 illustrates a computing device that employs an energy expansion assistance service mechanism to facilitate an energy expansion service in computing devices according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, a computing device 100 is shown as having a power extension assistance service ("PEAS")) mechanism 108 (referred to herein as a "PEAS" mechanism, "power service mechanism", or simply "mechanism") to employ and enable a power extension service in computing devices 108. Computing device 100 may include mobile computing devices such as smartphones (e.g., iPhone® BlackBerry® etc.), handheld computing devices, PDAs, tablet computers (e.g., iPad® Samsung Galaxy Tab® etc.), laptop computers (e.g., notebook, netbook, etc.), e-readers (e.g., Kindle® Nook etc®), etc. Computing device 100 may further include set-top boxes (e.g., Internet-based cable television set-top boxes, etc.), larger computers such as desktop computers, server computers, etc.Computing device 100 includes an operating system 106 that serves as an interface between any hardware or physical resources of computing device 100 and a user. Computing device 100 further includes one or more processors 102, storage devices 104, network devices, drivers, or the like. It should be understood that terms such as "machine", "device", "computing device", "computing system", and the like are used interchangeably and interchangeably throughout the document.FIG. 2A illustrates an energy expansion assistance service mechanism used with a computing device according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, the PEAS mechanism 108 enables a user of a computing device (e.g., a mobile computing device) to adapt configurations related to extending battery duration so that multiple options, not only know the amount of battery that can be expanded, but also at what cost, such as what aspects or components of the computing device need to be reduced or fully sacrificed (to preserve or maintain the expansion of energy). In one embodiment, a service tool may be introduced by the PEAS mechanism 108 to incorporate various energy saving technologies (e.g., Intel® energy saving technologies such as Intel Display Brightness ("ADB"), Intel Display Power Saving Technology ("DPST"), Intel Display Refresh Rate Switching Technology ("DRRS")), and provide users with multiple choices concerning how long the battery can be expanded with each choice.In one embodiment, the PEAS mechanism 108 provides a monitor 202 to monitor a power saving method list incorporating each of the possible approaches or techniques supported by the computing device to save power. Examples of such approaches include the mentioned ADB, DPST, DSSR, etc. It should be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to only Intel-based ADB, DPST, and DRRS, but are compatible with and employ any number and types of power conservation methods / techniques. However, for brevity, simplicity and ease of understanding, ADB, DPST, and DRRS are discussed as examples of energy saving methods throughout this document. For example, one of ADB, DPST, and DRRS may be selected to reduce backlighting and adjust wireless settings (e.g., 802.11 power saving polling), etc., since it is known that display and Wi-Fi on each mobile computing platform are considered to be the highest in power consumption. Further, when the service tool provided by the PEAS mechanism is launched, the service tool may subsequently request the computing device to determine which of the low-power methods listed in the list are supported by the computing device, such that an updated list of low-power methods supported by the computing device is maintained.In one embodiment, the PEAS mechanism 108 may provide the user with options for setting or resetting configuration settings related to saving battery power, such as which of the available power saving methods is preferable when there are multiple options, setting a threshold level (e.g., 7%) of the remaining battery power for triggering the service tool, and the like. For example, monitor 202 not only manages the list of power saving techniques, but also continuously monitors the various threshold levels set by the user, such that, for example, when the battery power level falls to the user-defined threshold level (e.g., 7%), monitor 202 initiates the power saving process. The energy saving process may include the monitor 202 triggering a calculator 204 (including an analyzer or interpreter) to determine the available energy saving techniques and make necessary adjustments to prepare a list of options for the user. For example, an adjustment may refer to changing ADB from turn-off to turn-on, increasing the DPST level, changing a repetition rate at DRRS, and disabling availability if no network application is running, or turning-off Wi-Fi to turn on a power saving mode.After the analysis is made by the computing device 204, a display device 206 (including a user interface) generates a dialog box that provides the user with relevant information such as current battery status (e.g., remaining battery life) and options such as a list of available power saving techniques and the like. Further, the user may click on one of the available options to learn further details, such as which energy saving technique is used, which of the existing components or functionalities (e.g., wireless, etc.) will be sacrificed, which impact will have on certain other functionalities that may appear advantageous to the user (e.g., brightness, etc.). The user may study these details and select one of the battery saving options from the pop-up list. If for any reason (e.g., based on user-set configurations), if there are insufficient or certain battery saving options available (e.g., only one battery saving option is available to extend the battery from the remaining 6 minutes to 8 minutes or from 7% to 9%, etc.), the PEAS mechanism 108 may display or report to the user one or more reasons (e.g., software applications) that prevent the PEAS mechanism 108 from adjusting one of the power saving techniques (e.g., ADB, DPST, DRRS, PS-Poll, etc.) to reduce real-time power consumption, such as by displaying "suggestion: network copying", or the like.Unlike conventional power saving schemes, in one embodiment, the power saving options offered by the PEAS mechanism 108 are not simply operating system options. In other words, the PEAS mechanism 108 views and analyzes power saving techniques supported by the underlying computing device, and is not limited to only those that depend on and are identified by the operating system. The computing device 204 automatically views and computes different energy saving techniques and combinations thereof to suggest multiple energy saving options to the user.It is contemplated that any number and type of component may be added to and removed from the PEAS mechanism 108 to enable the operation and operability of the PEAS mechanism 108 to provide energy expansion services to computing devices. For brevity, clarity, ease of understanding, and focusing on the PEAS mechanism 108, many of the standard or known components of a computing device are not shown or discussed herein.Referring to FIG. 2B, this illustrates various power-saving calculation method ("PSCM")) components according to an embodiment. For example, in one embodiment, the mentioned components 202- 206 of the PEAS mechanism 108 are shown in communication with system hardware 224 through a driver 222 of the computing device in which the PEAS mechanism 108 is deployed. Driver 222 may include software, hardware, or firmware, including a device driver or software driver that represents a computer program or application that enables PEAS mechanism 108 to interact and operate with computing device hardware 224. A combination of the PEAS mechanism 108 and the driver 222 is referred to as PSCM components 220.In one embodiment, the computing device 204 uses other components 202, 206 and known information (e.g., data related to power saving techniques such as ADB, DPST, etc.) to compute how much and in what way power can be saved from any power saving technique, such as ADB and DPST, to save platform power by, for example, reducing backlight of a display panel (e.g., low voltage differential signaling (LVDS)-based display panel) such that the average backlight adjustment is proportional to the saved power. From this knowledge and other information mentioned, the computing device 204 can calculate how and how much energy will be saved when using available energy saving techniques.As mentioned, the monitor 202 performs various tasks, such as monitoring the status of the computing device, capturing a backlight status for each change, triggering an initialization phase to detect the initial backlight by inquiring the driver 222 and original computing device time, etc. The calculator 204 calculates the actual energy saved based on the available techniques while the display 208 provides a user interface and presents the results to the user having energy saving options, for example, through a graphics user interface (GUI)), text, tables or graphs, system log, or the like.FIG. 3A illustrates a method for facilitating an energy expansion service at a computing device, according to an embodiment. Method 300 may be performed by processor logic including hardware (e.g., circuitry, separate logic, programmable logic, etc.), software (such as instructions executing on a processor device), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 300 may be performed by the PEAS mechanism.At block 320, battery power status is continuously monitored to determine whether the power status has reached one or more user-defined or other thresholds. If the threshold has not been reached, the process may continue at block 305 by initializing or the battery status is continuously monitored. If a threshold is reached, another process is triggered to generate for the user a list of suggestions related to different power saving techniques, an amount of power to be saved by each power saving technique, a list of computing device components or services or functionalities to be compromised or sacrificed, remaining battery time, etc. At processing block 330, the user decides and selects one of the energy saving settings or options provided by the PEAS mechanism.FIG. 3B illustrates a method for facilitating an energy expansion service by performing an energy saving calculation method on a computing device according to an embodiment. The method 350 may be performed by processor logic that includes hardware (e.g., circuitry, digitized logic, programmable logic, etc.), software (such as instructions executing on the processor device), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 350 may be performed by the PEAS mechanism and PSCM components of FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B.The method 350 begins at block 355 by the monitor capturing initial background adjustment through various available and computing device-supported power saving techniques (e.g., ADB, DPST, etc.). At block 360, the backlight is changed by the available power adjustment techniques (e.g., by ADB and / or the DPST). At block 365, the calculation unit calculates stored energy while the display device displays the sum and average of stored energy through each energy saving technique at block 370.At block 370, the monitor continues to monitor the next backlight change.FIG. 4A shows a screen shot that includes a GUI-like window or screen 402 that provides a current battery state 404 (e.g., remaining 6 minutes or 7% of battery life) and, in one embodiment, a list 412 of various power saving options available at and supported by the computing device and determined by the PEAS mechanism of FIG. 1. The exemplary list 412 provides a number of options, such as Option 1 saving 12 minutes of battery life 414, Option 2 saving 20 minutes of battery life 416, and Option 3 saving 25 minutes of battery life 418, etc. The list further provides the user with a selection by clicking on details of any of the options 414-418, to see further details concerning that option. For example, referring to FIG. 4B, if the user clicks on details of the option 1414, the user may obtain a pop-up detail list 420 that shows, for example, that the ADB power saving technique is "on" (as opposed to "off"), DPST at level 5, brightness remains at 70%, while the wireless option is in the power saving mode.Referring to FIG. 4C, another GUI-like screen 450 is depicted that provides the user with a low power computing service tool provided by the PEAS mechanism and PSCM components of the previous figures. Here, the screen 450 provides the user with the option of setting, for example, a DSPT / ADB setting 452, such as selecting "display power saving technology" and / or "automatic display brightness", etc. The user may thereafter click on "apply" 454 of the settings and start calculations by clicking on "start calculation" 456. These energy saving computations may be displayed to the user in a variety of ways, such as by graph 458, tables, text, etc. It should be understood that FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C only show examples (for brevity, clarity, and ease of understanding), and that embodiments of the present inventions are not limited to these shown examples.FIG. 5 illustrates a computer system 500 employing and enabling an energy expansion assistance client mechanism as referenced throughout this document in accordance with embodiments of the invention. The example computer system 500 may be identical or similar to the computer device 100 of FIG. 1, and includes: 1) one or more processors 501, at least one of which may include features described above; 2) a memory control hub (MCH)) 502; 3) a system memory 503 (of which different types exist, such as double data rate RAM (DDR RAM), extended data output RAM (EDO RAM), etc.); 4) a cache 504; 5) an input / output (I / O) control hub (I / O control hub (ICH)) 505; 6) a graphics processor 506; In this example, FIG. 7 ) includes a display / screen 507 (of which various types exist, such as cathode ray tube (CRT)), thin film transistor (TFT)), light emitting diode (LED), molecular organic LED (MOLECULAR), liquid crystal display (LCD)), digital light projector (DLP), etc.; and 8) one or more I / O devices 508.The one or more processors 501 execute instructions to perform any software routines that the computer system implements. The instructions often include any operation performed on data. Both data and instructions are stored in system memory 503 and cache 504. The cache 504 is typically designed to have shorter latencies than the system memory 503, for example, the cache 504 may be integrated on the same silicon chip(s) as the processor(s) and / or constructed with faster static RAM (SRAM) cells, while the system memory 503 may be constructed with slower RAM (DRAM) cells. By tending to store more frequently used instructions and data in cache 504, rather than system memory 503, overall performance efficiency of the computer system improves.System memory 503 is intentionally available to other components within the system. For example, the data received from various interfaces to the computer system (e.g., keyboard and mouse, printer port, local area network (LAN)) port, modem port, etc.) or retrieved from an internal storage element of the computer system (e.g., a hard disk drive) is often temporarily queued in system memory 503 before being processed thereon by the one or more processor(s) 501 in the implementation of a software program. Similarly, data determined by a software program to be sent from the computer system through one of the computer system interfaces to an remote unit or stored in an internal storage element is often temporarily queued in system memory 503 before being transferred or stored.The ICH 505 is responsible for ensuring that such data is correctly transferred between the system memory 503 and its proper corresponding interface (and internal storage device if the computer system is so designed). The MCH 502 is responsible for managing the various pending requests for system memory 503 accesses among processor(s) 501, interfaces, and internal storage elements that may arise in temporal proximity to each other.One or more I / O devices 508 are also implemented in a typical computer system. I / O devices are generally responsible for transferring data from and / or to the computer system (e.g., a network adapter) or, in larger nonvolatile memories, within the computer system (e.g., hard disk drive). ICH 505 has bidirectional point-to-point connections between itself and the observed I / O devices 508.Portions of various embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer program instructions that may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to embodiments of the present invention. The machine-readable medium may include floppy disks, optical disks, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), and magneto-optical disks, ROM, RAM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of media / machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.The techniques shown in the figures may be implemented using code and data stored on one or more electronic devices (e.g., an end station or a network element). Such electronic devices store and communicate (internally and / or with other electronic devices over a network) code and data using computer readable media such as non-transitory computer readable storage media (e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random access memories; read only memories; flash memory devices; phase change memory) and transitory computer readable transmission media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagating signals such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals). Additionally, such electronic devices typically include a set of one or more processors coupled to one or more components, such as one or more storage devices (non-transitory machine readable storage media), user input / output devices (e.g., a keyboard, touch screen, and / or display), and network connections. The interfacing of the set of processors and other components is typically done using one or more buses and bridges (also known as bus controllers). Thus, the storage device of a given electronic device typically stores code and / or data for execution on the set of one or more processors of that electronic device. Of course, one or more portions of an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using different combinations of software, firmware, and / or hardware.A first such embodiment includes a computer-implemented method comprising: calculating potential energy saving by one or more of a plurality of energy saving techniques supported by a computing device, wherein calculating includes identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques available for selection and an expected amount of energy to be saved with the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques; generating a list identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques and relevant information resulting from the calculation; and displaying the list.The embodiment may further comprise monitoring the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques supported by the computing device, wherein the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques include one or more of an automatic display brightness (ADB)), a display power saving technology (DPST)), and a display refresh rate switching technology (DRRS)).Further, embodiments may be characterized in that the calculating further includes identifying one or more functionalities of the computing device to be at least partially abandoned in response to selecting a power saving technique of the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques.Further embodiments may be characterized in that the calculation is performed at least in part based on data relating to the one or more functionalities and current power states of one or more batteries coupled to the computing device.Certain embodiments may be characterized in that the computing device comprises one or more of the following: a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook computer, a netbook, a set top box, and a desktop computer.Further embodiments relate to a system comprising: a host computing device including a memory for storing instructions for enabling an energy expansion service and a processor device for executing the instructions, the instructions, when executed, causing the processor device to: calculate a potential energy saving by one or more of a plurality of energy saving techniques supported by the host computing device, the calculation including identification of the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques available for selection and an expected amount of energy to be saved by the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques; generate a list of one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques and relevant information resulting from the calculation; and display the list.For example, the system may be characterized in that the processor device is further to monitor the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques supported by the computing device, wherein the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques include one or more of an automatic display brightness (ADB)), a display power regarding technology (DPST)), and a display refresh rate switching technology (DRRS)).According to a particular embodiment, the system is characterized in that the calculation includes identifying one or more functionalities of the computing device to be at least partially abandoned in response to selecting an energy saving technique of the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques.The system is characterized in that the calculation is performed at least in part based on data relating to the one or more functionalities and current power states of one or more batteries coupled to the computing device.Embodiments also include a system characterized in that the computing device includes one or more of the following: a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook, a netbook, a set top box, and a desktop computer.Further, embodiments relate to a machine-readable medium having instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to: calculate a potential energy saving by one or more of a plurality of energy saving techniques supported by the host computing device, wherein calculating includes identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques available for selection and an expected amount of energy to be saved with the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques; generate a list identifying the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques and relevant information resulting from the calculation; and display the list.Further embodiments relate to a machine readable medium characterized in that the processor device is further to monitor the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques supported by the computing device, wherein the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques include one or more of: automatic display brightness (ADB)), display power saving technology (DPST)), and display refresh rate switching technology (DRRS)).Additionally, the machine readable medium may be characterized in that the calculation further includes identifying one or more functionalities of the computing device to be at least partially abandoned in response to selecting an energy saving technique of the one or more of the plurality of energy saving techniques.In certain embodiments, the machine-readable medium is characterized in that the calculation is performed at least in part based on data related to the one or more functionalities and current power states of one or more batteries coupled to the computing device.In addition, the machine readable medium may be characterized in that the computing device includes one or more of a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook computer, a netbook, a settop box, and a desktop computer.

Claims

A computer-implemented method, comprising: generating a list (412) of techniques that includes one or more of a plurality of power saving techniques supported by a computing device (100) and that are available for selection; determining one or more durations for which a power supply will provide power to the computing device (100) in response to selecting a power saving technique from the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; generating a list of functionalities that includes one or more functionalities of the computing device (100) that are at least partially reduced in response to selecting a power saving technique from the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; displaying the list of techniques, the list of functionalities, and the one or more durations; and activating a selected power saving technique.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques supported by the computing device (100), wherein the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques comprises one or more of the following: Automatic Display Brightness (ADB), a Display Power Saving Technology (DPST), and a Display Refresh Rate Switching Technology (DRRS).The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether a power status of the computing device (100) has reached one or more user-defined thresholds; and calculating potential power conservation by one or more of the plurality of power conservation techniques supported by the computing device (100) in response to determining that at least one of the one or more thresholds has been reached.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized in that the generating of one or more durations is based at least in part on data related to the one or more functionalities and current power states of one or more batteries coupled to the computing device (100).The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized in that the computing device (100) comprises one or more of the following: a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook computer, a netbook, a settop box, and a desktop computer.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, characterized in that the one or more of the power saving techniques include power saving techniques supported by the hardware of the computing device (100).A system comprising: a host computing device (100) including a computer readable medium (104) for storing instructions for facilitating a power expansion service; and a processor device (102) for executing the instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor device (102) to: generate a list (412) of techniques including one or more of a plurality of power saving techniques available for selection; determine one or more durations for which a power supply will provide power to the computing device (100) in response to selecting a power saving technique from the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; generating a list of functionalities including one or more functionalities of the computing device (100) that are at least partially reduced in response to selections of a power saving technique of the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques; displaying the list (412) of techniques, the list of functionalities, and the one or more durations; and activating a selected power saving technique.The system of claim 7, characterized in that the processor device (102) is further configured to monitor the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques supported by the computing device (100), wherein the one or more of the plurality of power saving techniques comprises one or more of: automatic display brightness (ADB), a display power having technology (DPST), and a display refresh rate switching technology (DRRS).The system of claim 7, characterized in that the determining of one or more durations is based at least in part on data related to the one or more functionalities and current power states of one or more batteries coupled to the computing device (100).The system of claim 7, characterized in that the computing device (100) comprises one or more of the following: a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook computer, a netbook, a set top box, and a desktop computer.A machine readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the method of any of the preceding claims 1 to 6.

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