US008478978B2

(12) United States Patent

Lin
(54) SYSTEM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

(10) Patent No.:

(45) Date of Patent:
7,343,484 132*
7,356,677 B1 * 2002/0184328 A1 *

US 8,478,978 B2
Jul. 2, 2013

3/2008 Du et a1. ......................... .. 713/2

4/2008 12/2002 Ra?Zadeh ........ .. Richardson et al. ........ ..

HAVING MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

713/1 709/213

(75) Inventor: Chien-Liang Lin, Taoyuan (TW)

2003/0204708 A1 2004/0039950 A1
2005/0216722 A1 * 2005/0289361 A1 *

10/2003 Hulme et al. 2/2004 Okamoto et al.

9/2005 12/2005 Kim et a1. ....................... .. 713/2 Sutardja ...................... .. 713/300

(73) Assignee: HTC Corporation, Taoyuan County

2007/0038875 A1

2/2007 Cupps et a1.

(TW)
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35

(Continued)
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
TW WO WO 1279678 2004021684 2004064119 4/2007 3/2004 7/2004

U.S.C. 154(b) by 1148 days.

(21) Appl.No.: 12/111,213

(22) Filed:
(65)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Apr. 29, 2008

Prior Publication Data

Managing System Power (Windows XP), 2005, NEC Computers S.A.S, https://computing hardware.web.cern.ch/
ComputingHardware/ doc/NEC/ P5 50-UserGuide/ l 3 -03 -0 liman

US 2009/0063845 A1

Mar. 5, 2009

agingisystemipoweriWindowsiXp.htm.*

(Continued)
Related US. Application Data
Primary Examiner * Mark Connolly

(60) Provisional application No. 60/970,249, ?led on Sep. 5, 2007.

(51) (52)
(58)

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm * Jianq Chyun IP O?ice

Int. Cl. G06F 9/00 US. Cl.

USPC

(57)
(2006.01)

ABSTRACT

A system and an electronic device having multiple operating

systems and an operating method thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a display and a system having a ?rst operating system, a second operating system, and an embedded controller. The ?rst operating system consumes less power than the second operating system. The embedded controller receives an input signal to switch between the ?rst

........................................................ .. 713/100

Field of Classi?cation Search

USPC ........................................................ .. 713/100

See application ?le for complete search history.

(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
6,003,100 A * 6,327,653 B1* 12/1999 12/2001 Lee ............................. .. 710/301 Lee ............................. .. 713/100

operating system and the second operating system and dis

play an interface of the switched operating system on a screen

of the display. The ?rst operating system and the embedded

controller remain in an alive state after the electronic device is turned on, and the second operating system enters a non working state after a preset idle time.

6,976,180 B2 12/2005 Cupps et al. 2/ 2007 Cupps et al. 7,184,003 B2 7,231,531 B2* 6/2007 Cupps et al.

................ .. 713/322

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets

Button pressed

Chunged skate

Nexl screen owner

US 8,478,978 B2
Page 2
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 2/2007 Cupps et al.
3/2007 4/2007 7/2008 7/2008 3/2009 3/2009
2009/0063845 A1* 3/2009 Lin ............................. .. 713/100

2007/0043961 2007/0055860 2007/0083785 2008/0162914 2008/0184042 2009/0058887 2009/0061838

Wang Sutardja
Adrangi et al. ................. .. 713/2
Parks et al.
Lin ........ ..

OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Of?ce Action of European counterpart application, issued on May

. 713/300
. 345/690

15, 2009, p1-p5.

* cited by examiner

Lin

............................. .. 455/418

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 1 of8

US 8,478,978 B2

"4x
115\

Time synchronizer
Bockliqhl driver
Volume synchronizer

Time synchromzer
Bccklrght (11 W91 /
. .

*123

r 124
116~

1
Service software

//113
//112
m
/

122

VI ch n_ Ume 5) 1 119i
\ IPC driver
,0
\
UARI driver

,125
/120

"0\

EC driver
/|\
"

121 \

LPC driver

LPC bus
EC

/170 180\
PWM

UART bus
Memor /13()

i
Touch screen ?qrkliqhr

1132
Ugh; sensor

\131

140

150

160
100

FIG. 1

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 2 of8

US 8,478,978 B2

/210 /220j230
Length ID CMD Data 0 Data 1

240
Data n

/250
CKS

200

FIG. 2

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 3 0f 8

US 8,478,978 B2

3 0 R operating system
I

1 ,-

First

operating J system
L

Second

320

.\

Embedded controller

~/

330

J Pi D'SPIOY button
. ower

{h button
Swi c

300

340

350

360

FIG. 3

Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 5 0f 8

US 8,478,978 B2

Replacement Sheet
DVN (State 3)

State 1-DWN <A <DVF (We 4)

' B <DWN (Stute1)

DVN (State 3)

Stote4zDVF <

ADWN (Stote1)
B-DvN (3mm)

FIG. 5

Button A State
1
3 4

B
4 1
4 3

3
1 1

FIG. 6

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 6 of8

US 8,478,978 B2

When the power button is pressed, activate the ?rst operating system and the second operating system, and display the second operating system in P 3710
the ON state

When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state and the switch

a $720

button isFFpressed, display the second operating system in the ON state

or the 0 state

Wnen the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, display the ?rst operating system in the ON state

m 8730

When the second operating system works in the ON state or the OFF state

and the switch button is pressed, display the first operating system'in the
ON state

vFIG. 7

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 7 of8

US 8,478,978 B2

When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state and the switch button is pressed, display the second operating system in the ON state or the OFF state

When the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, display the ?rst operating system in the ON state

When the second operating system works in the ON state or the OFF state and

the switch button is pressed, display the ?rst operating system in the 'ON state

When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating s ystem works in the ON state, and the power button is pressed, display the ?rst N 3840

operating system in the ON state

When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating
system works in the OFF state, and the power button is pressed, display the second operating system in the ON state N 3850

When the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is

pressed, display the second operating system in the ON state

When the second operating system works in the ON state and the power button is

pressed, display the second operating system in the OFF state

I

When the second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed, display the secondoperating system in the ON state

FIG. 8

US. Patent

Jul. 2, 2013

Sheet 8 of8

US 8,478,978 B2

When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state and the switch button is N 8910

pressed, display the second operating system in the ON state or the OFF state

When the first operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is S920 pressed, display the ?rst operating system in the ON state m

When the second operating system works in the ON state or the OFF state and N $930

the switch button is pressed, display the first operating system in the ON state

FIG. 9
When the second operating system works in the state or the OFF state and

the switch button is pressed, display the ?rst operating system in the ON state W 81010

When the second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed, display the second operating system in the ON state N S1020

When the second operating system works in the ON state and the power button is pressed, display the second operating system in the OFF state N 81030

FIG. 10

US 8,478,978 B2
1
SYSTEM AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

2
supplied to the other operating system is Wasted. Thereby, a suitable mechanism for managing the poWer supplied to tWo operating systems in an electronic device is required in order to reduce the poWer consumption of the electronic device and prolong the lifespan of a battery in the electronic device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This application claims the priority bene?t of US. provi sional application Ser. No. 60/970,249, ?led on Sep. 5, 2007. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system

having multiple operating systems and an electronic device

having the system, Wherein a poWer button and a sWitch

this speci?cation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

button are disposed and the poWer supplied to the operating

systems is appropriately adjusted by an embedded controller

so as to reduce the poWer consumption of the electronic

1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a poWer manage ment method, in particular, to a poWer management method

device. The present invention is directed to an operating method of an electronic device, Wherein the poWer supply of the elec

adaptable to an electronic device having multiple operating

tronic device is appropriately adjusted according to the Work ing states of multiple operating systems installed in the elec
20

systems.
2. Description of Related Art To keep up With the bustling pace of modern human life, various portable and space-saving electronic devices have
been put forWard one after another. For example, smart phones are not only equipped all functions of a conventional communication device, but also alloW users to achieve pur

tronic device and the operation of a user so as to reduce the

poWer consumption of the electronic device.

The present invention provides a system having multiple

25

poses such as document Writing, E-mail receiving/ sending,

netWork accessing, or the use of real-time communication

operating systems, Wherein the system is suitable for an elec tronic device having a display. The system includes a ?rst operating system, a second operating system, and an embed ded controller. The ?rst operating system consumes less poWer than the second operating system. The embedded con troller receives an input signal to sWitch betWeen the ?rst

softWare through a built-in WindoWs operating system (Win

doWs OS). That is to say, such hand-held communication devices may not only be used to make phone calls, but also
serves as a miniature PC With versatile functions. Further,
30

operating system and the second operating system and dis

play an interface of the sWitched ?rst operating system or second operating system on a screen of the display. The ?rst operating system and the embedded controller remain in an alive state after the electronic device is turned on, and the second operating system enters a non-Working state after a preset idle time. The present invention provides an electronic device includ

With the progress of Wireless netWork technology, those func

tions can be used free from time and space limitations. There fore, such devices have become an indispensable tool in a
35

modern life in pursuit of e?iciency.

The architecture of such hand-held communication devices has an embedded system, and Works through a Win doWs mobile OS such as WindoWs CE. HoWever, the function

ing a display and a system having dual operating systems. The system includes a ?rst operating system, a second operating
40

of the WindoWs mobile OS may be limited by the perfor

mance of the processor used in the hand-held communication

system, and an embedded controller. The ?rst operating sys tem consumes less poWer than the second operating system. The embedded controller receives an input signal to sWitch

device, and cannot achieve the multiplexed and diversi?ed functions of an ordinary computer operating system. For
example, a WindoWs OS such as WindoWs XP or WindoWs

betWeen the ?rst operating system and the second operating system and display an interface of the sWitched ?rst operating
system or second operating system on a screen of the display.
45

VISTA used in a PC is capable of processing complicated tasks like text edition and frame processing, thus having a higher performance as compared With the WindoWs mobile OS. In order to improve the performance of the portable
electronic devices, a brand neW architecture integrating the

The ?rst operating system and the embedded controller

remain in an alive state after the electronic device is turned on,

and the second operating system enters a non-Working state

after a preset idle time.
50

portability of the WindoWs mobile OS and functionality of the

WindoWs OS of a PC is developed.

In an actual application of foregoing system having dual

operating systems, system resources are shared by the tWo

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the embedded controller is activated When the electronic device is supplied With a poWer, and the ?rst operating system and the second operating system are activated When the electronic
device is turned on.

operating systems, Wherein one of the operating systems stands by While the other operating system Works. When a user is about to stop the currently used operating system and
sWitch to the other operating system, the user needs to press a sWitch button on the electronic device to sWitch to the desired

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the

55

alive state includes one of a Working state, a sleeping state,

and a hibernating state, and the non-Working state includes one of the sleeping state, the hibernating state, and a poWer
off state.

operating system, and meanWhile, the interface displayed on

the screen of the electronic device is also sWitched.
60

The present invention provides an operating method of an

HoWever, in foregoing system having dual operating sys

tems, a processor is disposed in regard to each of the operating systems to execute the tasks assigned by the operating sys
tem. In an actual application, only the processor of one of the

electronic device, Wherein the operating method is suitable for operating the electronic device When the electronic device
is supplied With a poWer. The electronic device has a display,
a poWer button, and a sWitch button and is installed With a ?rst

operating system and a second operating system, Wherein the

65

operating systems is used for executing tasks, and only the

user interface of this operating system is displayed on the screen of the electronic device, and accordingly, the poWer

?rst operating system consumes less poWer than the second

operating system. The operating method includes: activating the ?rst operating system and the second operating system

US 8,478,978 B2
3
and displaying the second operating system in an ON state when the power button is pressed; displaying the second
operating system in the ON state or an OFF state when the

4
playing the second operating system in the ON state when the second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed; and displaying the second operating system in the OFF state when the second operating system works in the ON state and the power button is pressed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ON state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a working state of the ?rst operating system, the OFF state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a sleeping state of the ?rst operating system, the ON state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays a working state of the second operating system, and the OFF state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays one of a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a power-off state of the second operating system. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ?rst operating system includes a Windows mobile operating system, and the second operating system includes a Windows

?rst operating system works in the ON state and the switch

button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system in the

ON state when the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed; and displaying the ?rst operating system in the ON state when the second operating
system works in the ON state or the OFF state and the switch

button is pressed.
The present invention provides an operating method of an

electronic device, wherein the operating method is suitable for operating the electronic device when the electronic device
is supplied with a power. The electronic device has a display,
a power button, and a switch button and is installed with a ?rst

operating system and a second operating system, wherein the

?rst operating system consumes less power than the second

operating system. The operating method includes: displaying

the second operating system in an ON state or an OFF state

operating system.
In the present invention, a system having dual operating
20

when the ?rst operating system works in the ON state and the

switch button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system

in the ON state when the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system in the ON state when the second operating
system works in the ON state or the OFF state and the switch
25

systems is adopted in an electronic device, and a power button and a switch button are disposed in the electronic device for

switching between the two operating systems. The switching between the operating systems and the display is controlled
by an embedded controller according to the working states of the operating systems and the operation of a user so that the power consumption of the electronic device is effectively reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
30

button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system in the

ON state when the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating system works in the ON state, and

the power button is pressed; displaying the second operating

system in the ON state when the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating system works in the OFF

state, and the power button is pressed; displaying the second operating system in the ON state when the ?rst operating
system works in the OFF state and the power button is

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this speci?cation. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device having dual operating systems according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a message format according
to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to a ?rst embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a state transition table of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present

pressed; displaying the second operating system in the OFF

state when the second operating system works in the ON state and the power button is pressed; and displaying the second operating system in the ON state when the second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is

35

pressed.
The present invention provides an operating method of an

40

electronic device, wherein the operating method is suitable for operating the electronic device when the electronic device
is supplied with a power and is turned on. The electronic device has a display, a power button, and a switch button and is installed with a ?rst operating system and a second oper

invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the simpli?ed state transi tion result according to the state transition table illustrated in
FIG. 4 when a power button or a switch button is pressed. FIG. 6 illustrates a simpli?ed table of the state transition result in FIG. 5 when the power button or the switch button is
50

ating system, wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less power than the second operating system. The operating method includes: displaying the second operating system in
an ON state or an OFF state when the ?rst operating system

pressed.
FIG. 7 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the

works in the ON state and the switch button is pressed; dis playing the ?rst operating system in the ON state when the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch

present invention.
55

button is pressed; and displaying the ?rst operating system in

the ON state when the second operating system works in the
ON state or the OFF state and the switch button is pressed. The present invention provides an operating method of an

FIG. 8 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to a fourth embodiment of the

present invention.
FIG. 9 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to a ?fth embodiment of the

electronic device, wherein the operating method is suitable for operating the electronic device when the electronic device
is supplied with a power and is turned on. The electronic device has a display, a power button, and a switch button and is installed with a ?rst operating system and a second oper
60

present invention.
FIG. 10 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to a sixth embodiment of the

present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
65

ating system, wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less power than the second operating system. The operating method includes: displaying the ?rst operating system in an ON state when the second operating system works in the ON
state or an OFF state and the switch button is pressed; dis

Reference will now be made in detail to the present pre

ferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are

US 8,478,978 B2
5
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever pos
sible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

6
units can request the other two units to execute particular tasks or can transmit data to the other units through message transmission. The message format will be described below.

While using an electronic device having dual operating

systems, a user has to switch between the two operating

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the message format accord ing to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to
FIG. 2, the message 200 starts with a length area 210 for

systems because only one of the operation interfaces of the

operating systems can be displayed on the screen of the elec

indicating the valid length of the message 200. An identi?ca

tion (ID) area 220 is used to indicate the start point and end

tronic device. The power consumption of the electronic device can be considerably reduced if the power supplied to the two operating systems can be appropriately adjusted according to the working states of the two operating systems while the two operating systems are switched. The present invention provides an electronic device having dual operating systems and an operating method thereof based on foregoing concept. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device having dual operating systems according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in the present embodi ment, the electronic device 100 includes a Windows operating system 110 (for example, Windows XP or Windows VISTA), a Windows mobile operating system 120 (for example, Win dows CE), and an embedded controller 130. The electronic
device 100 may be a notebook computer, an ultra mobile PC

point for transmitting the message 200 is right after the length
area 210. After that, a command (CMD) area 230 contains a

command for instructing an end point unit. Next, a data area 240 contains a plurality of data Data 0~Data n required by the end point unit to executes the command. The last checksum

(CKS) area 250 is used by the end point unit to determine whether the content of the message is complete.

Through the message transmissions in foregoing embodi

ment, communication channels between the Windows oper

ating system 110, the Windows mobile operating system 120,

and the embedded controller 130 can be established, so that
20

(UMPC), or a personal digital assistant (PDA); however, the

electronic device in the present invention is not limited thereto. The embedded controller 130 is connected to the periph eral devices of the electronic device 100, such as a touch screen 140, a backlight module 150, and a light sensor 160. The peripheral devices may also include a keyboard, a battery,

25

the electronic device and the operating method thereof pro vided by the present invention can be implemented. The structure and function of the electronic device in the present invention will be described below. First Embodiment The electronic device in the present invention adopts a dual

operating system structure including a Windows operating system (for example, Windows XP or Windows VISTA) and a Windows mobile operating system (for example, Windows CE), wherein the Windows operating system usually con
30

sumes more power than the Windows mobile operating sys

tem. In the present invention, the power supplied to these two

a network camera, a display, and speakers (not shown) etc,

and all these peripheral devices are shared by the two oper

operating systems is appropriately adjusted according to the

change of the states of the two operating systems so as to

ating systems.
Additionally, the embedded controller 130 is connected to a low pin count (LPC) bus 170 driven by a LPC driver 111 of the Windows operating system 110 and is driven by an embedded controller driver 112 to communicate with the Windows operating system 110 through a LPC interface. The embedded controller can communicate with a time synchro niZer 114, a backlight module driver 115, and a volume syn chroniZer 116 of the Windows operating system 110 and
35

reduce the power consumption of the electronic device.

According to the speci?cations of the two operating systems,

the Windows operating system has four states: a working state, a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a power-off state, and the Windows mobile operating system has three
states: a working state, a sleeping state, and a power-off state.

40

Besides, each of the two operating systems has two display

modes: a backlight ON mode and a backlight OFF mode. It should be mentioned here that in the present embodi

accordingly control the operations of the peripheral devices

of the electronic device 100, such as the backlight module 150

ment, both the Windows operating system and the Windows

45

and the speakers (not shown), through a service software 113 of the Windows operating system 110.
Similarly, the embedded controller 130 is also connected to a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) bus 180 driven by a UART driver 121 of the Windows mobile operating system 120 to communicate with the Windows mobile operating system 120 through an UART interface. The
embedded controller can communicate with a time synchro niZer 123, a backlight module driver 124, and a volume syn chroniZer 125 of the Windows mobile operating system 120

mobile operating system are in the power-off state when a power is supplied to the electronic device but the electronic
device is not yet turned on. However, once the electronic

device is turned on, both the Windows operating system and the Windows mobile operating system in the electronic
device are activated at the same time and enter the working
50

state. At this time a frame of the Windows operating system

changing from an OFF state to an ON state is displayed on a

screen of the electronic device. In other words, the backlight

of the screen is turned on to display the frame of the Windows

operating system.
55

and accordingly control the operations of the peripheral

devices of the electronic device 100, such as the backlight

module 150 and the speakers (not shown), through an inter

process communication (IPC) driver 122 of the Windows operating system 110. It should be noted that the LPC inter face and the UART interface are used here only for describing the present invention but not for restricting the scope thereof,
and those skilled in the art should be able to use other types of
60

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to the ?rst embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device 300 includes a ?rst operating system 310, a second operating system 320, an embedded controller 330, a display 340, a power button 350, and a switch button 360. The ?rst operating system 310, the second

transmission interfaces according to the actual requirements. In order to communicate between the Windows operating system 110, the Windows mobile operating system 120, and
the embedded controller 130, a universal message format is

65

operating system 320, and the embedded controller 330 form a system having dual operating systems as illustrated in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the power consumed by the ?rst operating system is less than that con sumed by the second operating system, and the ?rst operating system may be Windows CE, and the second operating sys
tem may be Windows XP or Windows VISTA.

adopted in the present invention. Any one of foregoing three

US 8,478,978 B2
7
The embedded controller 330 is activated When a power is

8
is displayed on the screen in the OFF state, the symbol DVN

supplied to the electronic device 300, and the ?rst operating system 310 and the second operating system 320 are activated When the electronic device 300 is turned on by pressing doWn
the poWer button 350. Then the embedded controller 330 can
5

(an initialism of Display WindoWs VISTA ON) represents

that the WindoWs VISTA is displayed_on the screen in the ON state, and the symbol DVF (an initialism of Display WindoWs VISTA OFF) represents that the WindoWs VISTA is dis
played on tlTe screen in the OFF state. It has to be mentioned that WindoWs CE is an embodiment of the WindoWs mobile

sWitch betWeen the ?rst operating system 310 and the second operating system 320 according to a received input signal and control the display 340 to display an interface of the sWitched operating system. It has to be mentioned here that after the electronic device 300 is turned on, the ?rst operating system
310 and the embedded controller 330 remain in an alive state so as to instantly execute any task assigned by the electronic

operating system, and WindoWs VISTA is an embodiment of

the WindoWs operating system.

FIG. 4 illustrates a state transition table of an electronic

device 300. On the other hand, the second operating system

320 enters a non-Working state after a preset idle time so as to

device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, all the possible state transi tions of the operating systems in the electronic device When a
poWer button or a sWitch button of the electronic device is pressed doWn are listed in the table. The table can be divided into tWo parts. The ?rst part contains roWs 1~12, Wherein the initial state of the WindoWs operating system is the OFF state. The second part contains roWs 17~24, Wherein the initial state
20

reduce poWer consumption. The alive state may be a Working

state, a sleeping state, or a hibernating state, and the non Working state may be a sleeping state, a hibernating state, or
a poWer-off state.

In the electronic device as described above, the WindoWs operating system Which consumes more poWer is sWitched to the non-Working state Whenever it is idle so that the poWer

of the WindoWs operating system is the ON state. The situa tions shoWn in roWs 2, 4, and 13~16 are ignored. In the present embodiment, both the poWer button and the
sWitch button of the electronic device are connected to an

consumption of the electronic device can be reduced. Instead, the WindoWs mobile operating system remains in the alive state so that the third generation (3G) Wireless communica tion module or global positioning system (GPS) module applied in the WindoWs mobile operating system is available all the time and provide the WindoWs operating system and the WindoWs mobile operating system With the necessary operation support. The present invention further provides an e?icient method for managing the poWer supply of foregoing electronic device having dual operating systems, and the
method Will be described beloW With reference to an embodi ment of the present invention. Second Embodiment In the present embodiment, various terms and rules are de?ned in order to describe the operating method of an elec

embedded controller (as the embedded controller 130 in FIG. 1) Which Works independently so that both the poWer button
25

and the sWitch button can send signals to the embedded con troller and request the embedded controller to sWitch betWeen the WindoWs operating system and the WindoWs mobile oper ating system. The poWer button is used for turning on or off

30

the poWer supply of the electronic device, and the sWitch button is used independently or along With the poWer button for sWitching the frame of the operating system displayed on
the screen of the electronic device. The poWer button or

sWitch button may be physical buttons disposed on the elec

tronic device or virtual buttons displayed on the screen of the
35

tronic device provided by the present invention conveniently.

The electronic device operates and manages the poWer sup

electronic device; hoWever, the scope of these buttons is not restricted in the present invention, and those skilled in the art should be able to implement the poWer button and the sWitch button by using different hardWare or softWare according to

plied to the operating systems according to these rules. These

terms and rules are de?ned as following:
40

the actual requirement.

A diagram shoWing all the state transition results can be obtained based on the state transitions and the operations of the poWer button and the sWitch button as shoWn in FIG. 4.

1. Along With elapsing of time, the WindoWs operating

system may sWitch to one of a Working state, a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a poWer-off state according to users

de?nition, and the WindoWs mobile operating system may

sWitch to one of a Working state, a sleeping state, and a
45

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the simpli?ed state transition results according to the state transition table illustrated in FIG. 4 When the poWer button or the sWitch button is pressed.

poWer-off state (i.e. the electronic device is poWered off after the poWer is used up). 2. The Working state (i.e. the ON state) of the WindoWs operating system refers to a standard Working state, and the non-Working state (i.e. the OFF state) of the WindoWs oper ating system includes a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a power-OFF state. On the other hand, the Working sate (i.e. the ON state) of the WindoWs mobile operating system refers to a standard Working state, and the non-Working state (i.e. the OFF state) of the WindoWs mobile operating system includes
a sleeping state.

50

Referring to FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the electronic device is already turned on by pressing the poWer button. A represents the situation that the sWitch button is pressed, and B represents the situation that the poWer button is pressed. Besides, DWN represents that WindoWs CE is
displayed on the screen in the ON state, DWF represents that WindoWs CE is displayed on the screen in the OFF state, DVN represents that WindoWs Vista is displayed on the screen in the ON state, and DVF represents that WindoWs VISTA is displayed on the screen in the OFF state.

55

3. The alive state refers to that the WindoWs operating system or the WindoWs mobile operating system Works in the

Working, sleeping, or hibernating state except the poWer-off

state.
60

4. The WindoWs mobile operating system remains in the alive state during the operation of the electronic device unless the poWer supplied to the electronic device is cut off. 5. The symbol DWN (an initialism of Display WindoWs CE ON) represents that the WindoWs CE isdisplayE1 on the screenin the ON state, the symbol DWF (an initialism of Display WindoWs CE OFF) represents that the WindoWs CE

65

In state 1 (DWN), it is assumed that the currently used operating system is WindoWs CE Which is in the ON state. When the sWitch button (A) is pressed, Whether WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state is further determined. If WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state, the currently used WindoWs CE is sWitched to WindoWs VISTA in the ON state (DVN), and if WindoWs VISTA is originally in the OFF state, the currently used WindoWs CE is sWitched to WindoWs VISTA in the OFF state (DVF). On the other hand, When the poWer button (B) is pressed, Whether WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state is further determined. If WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state, WindoWs CE in the ON

US 8,478,978 B2
10
state (DWN) remains as the currently used operating system. Namely, the embedded controller of the electronic device does nothing to maintain WindoWs CE in the ON state; hoW ever, if WindoWs VISTA is originally in the OFF state, the currently used operating system is sWitched to WindoWs VISTA in the ON state (DVN). In state 3 (DVN), it is assumed that the currently used operating system is WindoWs VISTA Which is in the ON state. When the sWitch button (A) is pressed, the currently used operating system is sWitched from WindoWs VISTA to Win
doWs CE, and WindoWs CE is sWitched to the ON state
remains in an alive state after the electronic device is turned on, and the WindoWs operating system Works in an ON state
or an OFF state.

First, When the poWer button is pressed, the ?rst operating system and the second operating system are both activated, and the start-up process of the second operating system is
displayed on a screen of the electronic device (step S710). For

example, a frame of the WindoWs operating system is dis

played on the screen When the poWer button of the electronic

device is pressed.
Next, When the ?rst operating system Works in the ON state and the sWitch button is pressed, the second operating system
in the ON state or the OFF state is displayed (step S720), Wherein the displayed state of the second operating system is the state of the second operating system before the operating
systems are sWitched.

(DWN) regardless of the original state thereof. On the other hand, When the poWer button (B) is pressed, WindoWs VISTA remains as the currently used operating system, but the state
thereof is sWitched to the OFF state (DVF). In state 4 (DVF), it is assumed that the currently used operating system is WindoWs VISTA Which is in the OFF

state. When the sWitch button (A) is pressed, the currently used operating system is sWitched from WindoWs VISTA to
WindoWs CE, and WindoWs CE is sWitched to the ON state

20

(DWN) regardless of the original state thereof. On the other hand, When the poWer button (B) is pressed, WindoWs VISTA remains as the currently used operating system, but the state
thereof is sWitched to the ON state (DVN). FIG. 6 illustrates a simpli?ed table of the state transition results in FIG. 5 When the poWer button or the sWitch button
25

When the ?rst operating system Works in the OFF state and the sWitch button is pressed, the ?rst operating system in the ON state is displayed (step S730). In other Words, When the ?rst operating system is in the OFF state and the sWitch button is pressed, the ?rst operating system is turned on instead of being sWitched With the second operating systems.
When the second operating system Works in the ON state or the OFF state and the sWitch button is pressed, the ?rst oper

ating system in the ON state is displayed (step S740). In other

Words, the operating systems are sWitched When the sWitch button is pressed regardless of the state of the second operat ing system, and the ?rst operating system remains in the ON
30

is pressed. Referring to FIG. 6, this table is corresponding to

the various states described in foregoing embodiment. In state

1 (DWN), Whether WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state is determined When the sWitch button (A) is pressed. If WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state, the current
state is sWitched to state 3 (DVN); and if WindoWs VISTA is originally in the OFF state, the current state is sWitched to

state once the second operating system is sWitched to the ?rst

operating system.
It has to be mentioned here that because many functions

provided by the WindoWs mobile operating system (for

35

state 4 (DVF). Similarly, in state 1 (DWN), Whether WindoWs VISTA is originally in the ON state is determined When the poWer button (B) is pressed. If WindoWs VISTA is originally
in the ON state, the current state remains as state 1 (DWN),

example, a third generation Wireless communication module or a global positioning system module) may be used by the WindoWs operating system, the WindoWs mobile operating system remains in the ON state regardless of Whether the WindoWs mobile operating system or the WindoWs operating
system is displayed on the screen of the electronic device. An

and if WindoWs VISTA is originally in the OFF state, the

current state is sWitched to state 3 (DVN). The other situations can be deduced from the embodiment described above there fore Will not be described herein. At least four different situations can be deduced from the

40

optimal poWer saving result can be achieved through the

poWer management method as described above. Fourth Embodiment

In the fourth embodiment, the electronic device is supplied

45

table, and the operation of the electronic device in these

situations Will be respectively described With reference to an

With a poWer, and here one or both of the tWo operating

embodiment of the present invention. Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, the electronic device is supplied
With a poWer. Here one or both of the tWo operating systems
50

systems in the electronic device may be in a poWer-off state, and the poWer button has to be pressed to trigger the initial iZation thereof. After that, the tWo operating systems are

sWitched by pressing the sWitch button.

FIG. 8 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an

in the electronic device are in the poWer-off state and the poWer button has to be pressed to trigger the initialiZation

thereof. After that, the tWo operating systems are sWitched by

pressing the sWitch button or the poWer button. FIG. 7 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to the third embodiment of the
55

electronic device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, in the present embodi ment, the electronic device is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, Wherein the ?rst oper ating system consumes less poWer than the second operating system. The ?rst operating system may be a WindoWs mobile

present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, in the present embodi

ment, the electronic device is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, Wherein the ?rst oper ating system consumes less poWer than the second operating system. The ?rst operating system may be a WindoWs mobile

operating system (for example, WindoWs CE), and the second

operating system may be a WindoWs operating system (for
60

example, WindoWs XP or WindoWs VISTA). When the ?rst operating system Which Works in the ON
state is displayed on the screen of the electronic device, once

operating system (for example, WindoWs CE), and the second

operating system may be a WindoWs operating system (for
example, WindoWs XP or WindoWs VISTA). It should be noted that in order to alloW the operations of these operating systems to be more economical Without affecting the perfor mances thereof, the WindoWs mobile operating system
65

the sWitch button is pressed, the second operating system is

displayed on the screen and a frame of the second operating system is displayed on the screen in the ON state or the OFF

state (step S810), Wherein the displayed state of the second operating system is the state of the second operating system
before the operating systems are sWitched.

US 8,478,978 B2
11
However, when the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, the ?rst operating system is activated and displayed on the screen (step S820).
When the second operating system works in the ON state or the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, the ?rst oper

12
Finally, when the second operating system works in the ON
state or the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, the ?rst

operating system is displayed in the ON state (step S930). For example, in state 1 (DWN), the currently used operat
ing system is Windows CE, and which can be switched to the

ating system is displayed in the ON state (step S830). In other

words, the operating systems are switched once the switch

Windows VISTA by pres sing the switch button. However, the

state of Windows VISTA will be considered when the switch

button is pressed regardless of the state of the second operat ing system, and the ?rst operating system remains in the ON
state once the second operating system is switched to the ?rst

button is pressed. If the Windows VISTA is originally in the

ON state, Windows VISTA is displayed on the screen in the

operating system.
When the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating system works in the ON state, and the power

ON state when the switch button is pressed. Contrarily, if the Windows VISTA is originally in the OFF state, Windows VISTA is displayed in the OFF state when the switch button

is pressed.
On the other hand, in state 3 (DVN) and state 4 (DVF), the currently used operating system is Windows VISTA. Here the
switch button is used for switching from Windows VISTA to Windows CE, and Windows CE is displayed on the screen in the ON state. Sixth Embodiment In the sixth embodiment, it is assumed that both the two

button is pressed, the ?rst operating system is displayed in the ON state (step S840). Contrarily, when the ?rst operating system works in the ON state, the second operating system
works in the OFF state, and the power button is pressed, the

second operating system is activated and then displayed in the ON state (step S850). Namely, when the ?rst operating sys
tem works in the ON state and the power button is pressed, the action taken is determined according to the state of the second

20

operating system. If the second operating system is already

turned on, the ?rst operating system is still displayed in the ON state; otherwise, the second operating system is turned on and displayed in the ON state. When the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed, the second operating system is displayed in the ON state (step S860), and the ?rst operating
system remains in the OFF state. When the second operating system works in the ON state
25

operating systems in the electronic device have ?nished ini tialiZation and have been activated, namely, the Windows operating system and the Windows mobile operating system
are both activated and work in the ON state. In the present

embodiment, all the situations regarding the operation of the

electronic device when the switch button or the power button

is pressed are considered only with the Windows operating

system in the ON state or the OFF state.
30

FIG. 10 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an electronic device according to a sixth embodiment of the

present invention. Referring to the lower part of FIG. 6 and

and the power button is pressed, the second operating system is displayed in the OFF state (step S870); otherwise, when the
second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed, the second operating system is dis played in the ON state (step S880). In other words, If the
35

FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, the electronic device is

installed with a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less

second operating system is currently displayed, the power button is only used for switching the second operating system
between the ON and OFF state.

power than the second operating system. The ?rst operating system may be a Windows mobile operating system (for example, Windows CE), and the second operating system may be a Windows operating system (for example, Windows
XP or Windows VISTA).

An optimal power saving result can be achieved through the power management method described above.
Fifth Embodiment In the ?fth embodiment, it is assumed that both the two

40

First, when the second operating system works in the ON

state or the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, the ?rst

operating system is displayed in the ON state (step S1010).

45

operating systems in the electronic device have ?nished ini

tialiZation and have been activated, which means both the

Windows operating system and the Windows mobile operat

ing system are activated and works in the ON state, and all the

situations regarding switching between the two operating systems by using only the switch button are considered in the present embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a ?owchart illustrating an operating method of an

50

When the second operating system works in the OFF state and the power button is pressed, the second operating system is displayed in the ON state (step S1020). When the second operating system works in the ON state and the power button is pressed, the second operating system is displayed in the OFF state (step S1030). For example, referring to the lower part of the table in FIG. 6, the power button is used for switching Windows VISTA
from the ON state to the OFF state or from the OFF state to the

electronic device according to the ?fth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the left part of FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the electronic device is installed with a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less

ON state. Regardless of the original state of Windows VISTA,

the currently used operating system is always switched from

Windows VISTA to Windows CE once the switch button is
55

pressed.
On the other hand, the power button is used for switching
Windows VISTA from the ON state to the OFF state or from

power than the second operating system. The ?rst operating system may be a Windows mobile operating system (for example, Windows CE), and the second operating system may be a Windows operating system (for example, Windows
XP or Windows VISTA).

the OFF state to the ON state according to the original state of Windows VISTA, and here Windows CE will remain in its
60

original state. Through the method described above, the power supply of
an electronic device having dual operating systems can be

First, when the ?rst operating system works in the ON state and the switch button is pressed, the second operating system
is displayed in the ON state or the OFF state (step S910). Next, when the ?rst operating system works in the OFF state and the switch button is pressed, the ?rst operating
65

e?iciently managed. Since the Windows mobile operating

system remains in an alive state after the electronic device is turned on, those modules (for example, a 3G module or a GPS

system is displayed in the ON state (step S920).

module) of the Windows mobile operating system which are shared by the Windows operating system and the Windows

US 8,478,978 B2
13
mobile operating system can be available all the time so as to

14
displaying the second operating system in the on state When the second operating system Works in the off state and the poWer button is pressed. 4. The operating method according to claim 3, Wherein the on state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the ?rst operating system, the off state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a sleeping state of the ?rst operating system, the on state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the second operating system, and the off state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays one of a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a poWer-off state of the second operating system. 5. An operating method of an electronic device, suitable for operating the electronic device When the electronic device is supplied With a poWer and is turned on, Wherein the electronic
device has a display, a poWer button, and a sWitch button and is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second oper
20

support the operations of both operating systems. Accord

ingly, an e?icient method for managing the poWer consump tion of an electronic device having dual operating systems is

provided in the present invention.

It Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modi?cations and variations can be made to the structure of

the present invention Without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In vieW of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modi?cations and variations of this invention provided they fall Within the scope of the

folloWing claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is: 1. An operating method of an electronic device, suitable for operating the electronic device When the electronic device is supplied With a poWer, Wherein the electronic device has a display, a poWer button, and a sWitch button and is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, Wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less poWer than

the second operating system, the operating method compris

ating system, Wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less poWer than the second operating system, the operating

ing:
activating the ?rst operating system and the second oper

method comprising:
displaying the second operating system in an on state or an

ating system and displaying the second operating system

in an on state When the poWer button is pressed; displaying the second operating system in the on state or an
25

off state When the ?rst operating system Works in the on state and the sWitch button is pressed; and displaying the ?rst operating system in the on state When the second operating system Works in the on state or the off state and the sWitch button is pressed.

off state When the ?rst operating system Works in the on state and the sWitch button is pressed; and displaying the ?rst operating system in the on state When the second operating system Works in the on state or the off state and the sWitch button is pressed.

6. The operating method according to claim 5, Wherein the

30

2. The operating method according to claim 1, Wherein the on state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the ?rst operating system, the off state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a sleeping state of the ?rst operating system, the on state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the second operating system, and the off state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays one of a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a poWer-off state of the second operating system. 3. An operating method of an electronic device, suitable for operating the electronic device When the electronic device is
supplied With a poWer, Wherein the electronic device has a display, a poWer button, and a sWitch button and is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second operating system, Wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less poWer than

35

40

on state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the ?rst operating system, the off state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a sleeping state of the ?rst operating system, the on state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the second operating system, and the off state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays one of a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a poWer-off state of the second operating system. 7. An operating method of an electronic device, suitable for operating the electronic device When the electronic device is supplied With a poWer and is turned on, Wherein the electronic
device has a display, a poWer button, and a sWitch button and is installed With a ?rst operating system and a second oper

ating system, Wherein the ?rst operating system consumes less poWer than the second operating system, the operating
45

method comprising:
displaying the ?rst operating system in an on state When the
second operating system Works in the on state or an off

the second operating system, the operating method compris

ing:
displaying the second operating system in an on state or an

off state When the ?rst operating system Works in the on state and the sWitch button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system in the on state When the second operating system Works in the on state or the off state and the sWitch button is pressed; displaying the ?rst operating system in the on state When the ?rst operating system Works in the on state, the second operating system Works in the on state, and the

50

55

poWer button is pressed; displaying the second operating system in the on state When the ?rst operating system Works in the on state, the second operating system Works in the off state, and the poWer button is pressed; displaying the second operating system in the off state When the second operating system Works in the on state and the poWer button is pressed; and

60

state and the sWitch button is pressed; displaying the second operating system in the on state When the second operating system Works in the off state and the poWer button is pressed; and displaying the second operating system in the off state When the second operating system Works in the on state and the poWer button is pressed. 8. The operating method according to claim 7, Wherein the on state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the ?rst operating system, the off state of the ?rst operating system refers to that the display displays a sleeping state of the ?rst operating system, the on state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays a Working state of the second operating system, and the off state of the second operating system refers to that the display displays one of a sleeping state, a hibernating state, and a poWer-off state of the second operating system.
* * * * *