Background App Frame Rate Control for Lower Vsync Power Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Running multiple applications on electronic devices leads to excessive power consumption due to applications requesting vertical synchronization signals for image drawing even when they are in the background, wasting CPU resources and increasing power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device reduces the frame rate of applications that switch to the background when no visible window exists, and delays the delivery of vertical synchronization signals for these applications, using control lists and threads to manage vsync signal delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If applications continue to request vsync signals for image drawing after entering the background, then the applications can maintain their display state, but power consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by delivering vsync signals at reduced frame rates for background applications. Instead of continuous high-frequency vsync signal delivery, the system periodically delivers vsync signals at lower rates (e.g., 1fps or 2fps) for applications in the background, while maintaining normal frame rates for foreground applications. This periodic reduction in signal delivery frequency directly reduces power consumption while maintaining basic display functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the frame rate adaptive based on application state. The system dynamically adjusts the frame rate of applications according to whether they are in the foreground or background. When an application enters the background, its frame rate is reduced; when it returns to the foreground, the frame rate is restored. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize power consumption in real-time based on actual display needs.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the frame rate is reduced for background applications, then power consumption decreases, but the applications may miss vsync signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by applying different frame rate policies to different applications based on their state and importance. Not all applications are treated uniformly - the system maintains normal frame rates for foreground applications while reducing frame rates for background applications. Additionally, the system can selectively apply different reduction rates to different background applications based on their specific needs, ensuring that vsync signal delivery reliability is maintained where necessary while reducing power consumption where possible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms to monitor application state changes and adjust vsync signal delivery accordingly. The system continuously tracks whether applications are in the foreground or background and adjusts frame rates in response to these state changes. When an application returns to the foreground, the system detects this change and restores the normal frame rate, ensuring that vsync signal delivery reliability is maintained when needed while optimizing power consumption when applications are in the background.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications run simultaneously, then functional requirements are met, but CPU resources are wasted on unnecessary image drawing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing applications into different categories based on their display state and importance. The system segments applications into foreground and background groups, and further divides background applications into different frame rate reduction categories. This segmentation allows the system to apply different resource management strategies to different application groups, reducing CPU resource waste on background applications while maintaining full functionality for foreground applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the frame rate parameter for background applications. The system changes the vsync signal delivery frequency from normal rates (e.g., 60fps or 120fps) to reduced rates (e.g., 1fps or 2fps) for background applications. This parameter change directly reduces CPU resource consumption for image drawing operations while maintaining application functionality, as the applications can still update their displays at the reduced frame rate.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of this application relate to the technical field of terminals, and provide a method and an apparatus for reducing power consumption. An electronic device displays a first interface of a first application, where the first application is at a first frame rate. The electronic device displays a second interface in response to a first operation, where the second interface does not include any window of the first application. The first application sends a drawing request to perform drawing in a first window, the electronic device sets a frame rate of the first application to a second frame rate, the second frame rate is less than the first frame rate, and the first window is invisible. In this way, when the first application is switched from a foreground to a background, the electronic device may reduce the frame rate of the first application, thereby reducing power consumption as a result of the first application still requesting for a vsync signal to draw an image frame after entering the background.