Mobile Device Alarm Activation via Power Level Check
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile communications devices often fail to activate alarms due to insufficient power, as users set alarms without realizing the battery level is insufficient to power the device for the required duration.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the current power level of the device's battery and, if insufficient, presents options to vary alarm attributes or suppress device functions to ensure the alarm activates at the desired time, such as disabling communication signals or media presentations to conserve power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the alarm is set without checking power level, then the alarm may be activated at the desired time, but the alarm fails to activate due to insufficient power
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a power level check before allowing the alarm to be set. This preliminary action ensures that sufficient power is available before the alarm commitment is made, preventing the reliability issue of failed alarm activation while maintaining a relatively simple implementation through existing power management APIs.
2Reliability
If the alarm attributes are modified to conserve power, then the alarm can be activated with limited power, but the alarm activation manner is changed from desired
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts alarm attributes based on available power levels. When power is insufficient, the system automatically modifies alarm characteristics (such as duration, intensity, or repetition) to ensure activation while consuming less power. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the alarm system flexible enough to work within power constraints while still providing reliable activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes alarm parameters (attributes) when power levels are determined to be insufficient for the originally requested alarm configuration. This allows the alarm to be activated with modified characteristics that are compatible with the available power, thereby ensuring reliability while adapting to the power constraint.
3Reliability
If device functions are suppressed to conserve power, then the alarm can be activated at the desired time, but device functionality is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments device functions into essential and non-essential categories. When power is insufficient for the desired alarm activation, only non-essential functions are suppressed, while essential functions remain available. This segmentation allows the system to maintain alarm reliability while minimizing the impact on overall device functionality and user experience.
4Reliability
If the power level is checked before alarm setting, then insufficient power can be detected, but the user experience is interrupted with additional checks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the power level check automatically as part of the alarm setting process, without requiring explicit user action. The check is integrated into the existing alarm setting workflow, and the system self-determines whether power is sufficient and automatically adjusts parameters if needed. This self-service approach maintains reliability while minimizing disruption to user experience.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for helping to ensure that an alarm of a mobile communications device is activated when desired. An illustrative method includes receiving an indication of a desired time that the alarm is intended to be activated, determining a power level of a power source that is powering the mobile communications device, determining whether the power level will provide sufficient power to the mobile communications device to enable it to activate the alarm at the desired time and, if so, then enabling the alarm to be set. Further, the power source could be monitored as the alarm-activation time approaches so that if variables change that might prevent the alarm from activating, then changes or preventive measures can be taken.