Method for setting a power operating mode transition interval of a disk drive in a mobile device based on application category
View Patent ↗The invention may be embodied in a method for operating a disk drive in a mobile device to optimize power usage based on an application category. The mobile device may be a hand held computing device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a mobile terminal such as a cellular telephone. A technique of the invention may spin down the disk drive after an adjustable delay time interval that is set based on an application category associated with a most recent data transfer command.
1. A disk drive for operating in a mobile device having a file system, comprising:
means for receiving data transfer commands from the mobile device, each data transfer command being generated based on a request by an application and being accompanied by a code for an application category that is based on the requesting application;
means for setting at least first and second operating mode transition time intervals for transitioning the disk drive after an end of a response to a data transfer command from a first operating mode that consumes a relatively high level of power to a second operating mode that consumes a relatively low level of power, the first time interval being less than the second time interval and being associated with a first application category and the second time interval being associated with a second application category;
means for selecting a delay time interval to correspond to one of the transition time intervals based on the application category associated with a most recent data transfer command; and
means for transitioning the disk drive from the first operating mode to the second operating mode based on the selected delay time interval.
2. A disk drive as defined in claim 1 , wherein, in the first operating mode, a disk platter in the disk drive is spinning at an operational rate and, in the second operating mode, the disk platter in the disk drive is not spinning at an operational rate.
3. A disk drive as defined in claim 2 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is stopped.
4. A disk drive as defined in claim 2 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is spinning at a lower rate that is substantially reduced from the operational rate.
5. A disk drive as defined in claim 1 , wherein the means for setting at least first and second operating mode transition time intervals includes a data structure for the operating mode transition time intervals and is responsive to a command from the mobile device for writing a value for an operating mode transition time interval to the data structure.
6. A disk drive as defined in claim 5 , further comprising means for updating an operating mode transition time interval in the data structure based on a usage pattern of previous data transfer commands.
7. A disk drive as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
transitioning from the second operating mode to the first operating mode consumes a transition quantity of power;
an exchange time interval is a time period during which power consumed by operating in the first power operating mode is about equal to the transition quantity of power; and
the first and second operating mode transition time intervals are less than the exchange time interval.
8. A disk drive as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first application category includes a word processing application and the second application category includes an electronic mail reader application.
9. A disk drive for operating in a mobile device having a file system, comprising:
means for receiving data transfer commands from the mobile device, each data transfer command being generated based on a request by an application;
means for setting first, second, and third operating mode transition time intervals for transitioning the disk drive after an end of a response to a data transfer command from a first operating mode that consumes a relatively high level of power to a second operating mode that consumes a relatively low level of power, the first time interval being less than the second time interval, and the second time interval being less than the third time interval, and the first time interval being associated with the first application category, the second time interval being associated with the second application category, and the third time interval being associated with a third application category;
means for selecting a delay time interval to correspond to one of the transition time intervals based on the application category associated with a most recent data transfer command; and
means for transitioning the disk drive from the first operating mode to the second operating mode based on the selected delay time interval.
10. A disk drive as defined in claim 1 , further comprising means for predictively updating the transition time intervals.
11. A disk drive as defined in claim 10 , wherein the predictively updating of the transition time intervals is based on a usage pattern of previous data transfer commands received by the disk drive.
12. A method for operating a disk drive in a mobile device having a file system and a disk drive driver, the disk drive for receiving data transfer commands and accompanying application category codes from the disk drive driver and executing the data transfer commands, the file system for generating each data transfer command based on a request by an application, and the disk drive driver for issuing each data transfer command and accompanying application category code to the disk drive, the method comprising the steps of:
setting at least first and second operating mode transition time intervals for transitioning the disk drive from a first operating mode to a second operating mode after an end of a response to a data transfer command, the first time interval being less than the second time interval and being associated with a first application category, and the second time interval being associated with a second application category;
the disk drive selecting a delay time interval to correspond to one of the transition time intervals based on the application category code accompanying a most recently executed data transfer command; and
the disk drive transitioning from the first operating mode to the second operating mode based on the selected delay time interval;
wherein the disk drive consumes a higher level of power in the first operating mode than in the second operating mode.
13. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein the disk drive predictively updates the transition time intervals.
14. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 13 , wherein the predictive update of the transition time intervals is based on a usage pattern of previous data transfer commands received by the disk drive.
15. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein setting at least the first and second operating mode transition time intervals comprises setting first, second, and third operating mode transition time intervals for transitioning the disk drive from the first operating mode to the second operating mode after an end of a response to a data transfer command, the first time interval being less than the second time interval, and the second time interval being less than the third time interval, and the first time interval being associated with the first application category, the second time interval being associated with the second application category, and the third time interval being associated with a third application category.
16. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein, in the first operating mode, a disk platter in the disk drive is spinning at an operational rate and, in the second operating mode, the disk platter in the disk drive is not spinning at an operational rate.
17. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 16 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is stopped.
18. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 16 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is spinning at a lower rate that is substantially reduced from the operational rate.
19. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein the disk drive includes a data structure for the operating mode transition time intervals, and the disk drive is responsive to a command from the mobile device for writing a value for at least one of the operating mode transition time intervals to the data structure.
20. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 19 , wherein the disk drive updates the at least one of the operating mode transition time intervals in the data structure based on a usage pattern of previous data transfer commands.
21. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein:
transitioning from the second operating mode to the first operating mode consumes a transition quantity of power;
an exchange time interval is a time period during which power consumed by operating in the first power operating mode is about equal to the transition quantity of power; and
the first and second operating mode transition time intervals are less than the exchange time interval.
22. A method for operating a disk drive as defined in claim 12 , wherein the first application category includes a word processing application and the second application category includes a web browser application.
23. A mobile device, comprising:
a disk drive having a first operating mode that consumes a relatively high level of power and having a second operating mode that consumes a relatively low level of power, the disk drive configured to receive data transfer commands and accompanying application category codes from the mobile device, the disk drive including a microprocessor operable to:
execute the data transfer commands,
select a delay time interval based on the application category code accompanying a most recently executed data transfer command, and
cause the disk drive to transition from the first operating mode to the second operating mode based on the delay time interval,
a file system for generating the data transfer commands based on a request by an application; and
a disk drive driver for issuing the data transfer commands and accompanying application category codes to the disk drive.
24. A mobile device as defined in claim 23 , wherein the disk drive further includes memory having stored thereon a first transition time interval for transitioning the disk drive from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, and a second transition time interval for transitioning the disk drive from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, wherein the first time interval is less than the second time interval, and the first time interval is associated with a first application category, the second time interval is associated with a second application category.
25. A mobile device as defined in claim 24 , wherein the delay time interval is selected from the first transition time interval and the second transition time interval.
26. A disk drive as defined in claim 24 , wherein the microprocessor is further operable to predictively update the transition time intervals.
27. A disk drive as defined in claim 26 , wherein the microprocessor is operable to predictively update the transition time intervals based on a usage pattern of previous data transfer commands received by the disk drive.
28. A mobile device as defined in claim 23 , wherein, in the first operating mode, a disk platter in the disk drive is spinning at an operational rate and, in the second operating mode, the disk platter in the disk drive is not spinning at an operational rate.
29. A mobile device as defined in claim 28 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is stopped.
30. A mobile device as defined in claim 28 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the disk platter is spinning at a lower rate that is substantially reduced from the operational rate.
31. A mobile device as defined in claim 23 , wherein:
transitioning from the second operating mode to the first operating mode consumes a transition quantity of power;
an exchange time interval is a time period during which power consumed by operating in the first power operating mode is about equal to the transition quantity of power; and
the delay time interval is less than the exchange time interval.
32. A mobile device as defined in claim 23 , wherein the first application category includes a word processing application and the second application category includes an electronic mail reader application.