Methods and systems for reducing power consumption in computer data communications

• US 20020091956A1
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Links Point Incorporated (SiVault Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Links Point Incorporated (SiVault Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Potter, Scott T., Unnold, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US09/995,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/324
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device

Abstract

Methods and systems for reducing power consumption in data communications is presented. Portable devices that interface with peripheral devices reduce power consumption by minimizing the time that a communications port is open. Rather than keeping the communications port open for the duration of a program, the communications port is opened at calculated times to allow bursts of data to pass through and closed in response to certain events. This invention also works with normal power cycling methods of portable devices and peripheral devices to produce even further power savings.

Claims

1. A method for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the method comprising:

opening a communications port on the portable device;

receiving data from the peripheral device;

detecting a terminating character in the data on the portable device; and

closing the communications port in response to detecting the terminating character in the data.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein. detecting the terminating character in the data comprises receiving a value prior to receiving the data, wherein. the value is a fixed number of characters in the data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein. detecting the terminating character in the data comprises receiving a value with a beginning of the data, wherein the value is a fixed number of characters in the data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

8. A method for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the method comprising:

opening a communications port on the portable device;

receiving data from the peripheral device;

detecting when a predetermined time interval between two successive characters in the data is exceeded on the portable device; and

closing the communications port in response to detecting when the predetermined time interval is exceeded.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein detecting the end of the data comprises one of:

detecting a terminating character in the data; and

detecting when a predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein determining the time until the communications port is to be reopened comprises:

determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein determining the time further comprises subtracting a data time from a time period, wherein:

the time period is a time difference between two successive times when ends of data are detected; and

the data time is a number of characters read in the data divided by a baud rate of the data frame, wherein the baud rate is a number of characters transmitted per second.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein determining the time comprises determining the time after an initial data is received and assigning the same time after receiving each subsequent data.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein determining the time further comprises extrapolating a time based on determined times from prior data.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein determining the time until the communications port is to be reopened further comprises:

detecting a change in position between two data that exceeds a predetermined range; and

reconfiguring the peripheral device to transmit data at a different frequency in which the change in position between two data is in the predetermined range.

13. A method for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the method comprising:

opening a communications port on the portable device;

receiving data from the peripheral device;

detecting an end of the data on the portable device;

closing the communications port in response to detecting the end of the data;

determining a time until the communications port is to be reopened; and

reopening the communications port at the determined time.

22. A method for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the method comprising:

opening a communications port on the portable device;

receiving data from the peripheral device;

detecting (i) a terminating character in the data, (ii) when a predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) when a predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded, wherein the predetermined number of characters is a maximum number of characters that can be received by the portable device on the portable device; and

closing the communications port in response to detecting (i) the terminating character in the data, (ii) when the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) when the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein closing the communications port in response to (i) detecting the terminating character in the data or (ii) detecting when the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded further comprises:

determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein closing the communications port in response to detecting when the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded further comprises:

initializing the communications port;

clearing all buffers in the communications port;

opening the communications port; and

receiving the data.

28. The method of claim 22 further comprising detecting a power shutdown, wherein the power shutdown comprises:

closing the communications port;

suspending a software thread after the communications port is closed;

entering a sleep mode after the software thread is suspended; and

waking from the sleep mode.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

resuming the software thread after waking from the sleep mode;

reopening the communications port after the software thread is resumed; and

receiving a rest of the data until (i) the terminating character in the data is detected, (ii) the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded.

30. A system for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the system comprising:

means for opening a communications port on the portable device;

means for receiving data from the peripheral device;

means for detecting a terminating character in the data on the portable device; and

means for closing the communications port in response to detecting the terminating character in the data.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising means for initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

32. The system of claim 30 further comprising:

means for initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

means for clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the means for detecting the terminating character in the data comprises means for receiving a value prior to receiving the data, wherein the value is a fixed number of characters in the data.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein the means for detecting the terminating character in the data comprises means for receiving a value with a beginning of the data, wherein the value is a fixed number of characters in the data.

35. The system of claim 30 further comprising:

means for determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

means for suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising:

means for resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

means for reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

38. The system of claim 37 further comprising means for initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

39. The system of claim 37 further comprising:

means for initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

means for clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

40. The system of claim 37 further comprising:

means for determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

means for suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

41. The system of claim 40 further comprising:

means for resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

means for reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

37. A system for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the system comprising:

means for opening a communications port on the portable device;

means for receiving data from the peripheral device;

means for detecting when a predetermined time interval between two successive characters in the data is exceeded on the portable device; and

means for closing the communications port in response to detecting when the predetermined time interval is exceeded.

42. A system for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the system comprising:

means for opening a communications port on the portable device;

means for receiving data from the peripheral device;

means for detecting an end of the data on the portable device;

means for closing the communications port in response to detecting the end of the data;

means for determining a time until the communications port is to be reopened; and

means for reopening the communications port at the determined time.

43. The system of claim 42 further comprising means for initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

44. The system of claim 42 wherein the means for detecting the end of the data comprises one of:

means for detecting a terminating character in the data; and

means for detecting when a predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded.

45. The system of claim 42 wherein the means for determining the time until the communications port is to be reopened comprises:

means for determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

means for suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the means for determining the time further comprises means for subtracting a data time from a time period, wherein:

the time period is a time difference between two successive times when ends of data are detected; and

the data time is a number of characters read in the data divided by a baud rate of the data frame, wherein the baud rate is a number of characters transmitted per second.

47. The system of claim 45 wherein the means for determining the time comprises means for determining the time after an initial data is received and means for assigning the same time after receiving each subsequent data.

48. The system of claim 45 wherein the means for determining the time further comprises means for extrapolating a time based on determined times from prior data.

49. The system of claim 45 further comprising means for resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed.

50. The system of claim 42 wherein the means for determining the time until the communications port is to be reopened further comprises:

means for detecting a change in position between two data that exceeds a predetermined range; and

means for reconfiguring the peripheral device to transmit data at a different frequency in which the change in position between two data is in the predetermined range.

51. A system for reducing power consumption in a portable device that communicates with a peripheral device, the system comprising:

means for opening a communications port on the portable device;

means for receiving data from the peripheral device;

means for detecting (i) a terminating character in the data, (ii) when a predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) when a predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded, wherein the predetermined number of characters is a maximum number of characters that can be received by the portable device on the portable device; and

means for closing the communications port in response to the means for detecting (i) the terminating character in the data, (ii) when the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) when the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded.

52. The system of claim 51 further comprising means for initiating a software thread prior to opening the communications port, wherein the software thread manages the communications port.

53. The system of claim 51 further comprising:

means for initializing the communications port prior to opening the communications port; and

means for clearing all buffers prior to opening the communications port.

54. The system of claim 51 wherein the means for closing the communications port in response to (i) the means for detecting the terminating character in the data or (ii) the means for detecting when the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded further comprises:

means for determining a time until a next data is to be received; and

means for suspending a software thread until the determined time has passed.

55. The system of claim 54 further comprising:

means for resuming the software thread once the determined time has passed; and

means for reopening the communications port to receive the next data.

56. The system of claim 51 wherein the means for closing the communications port in response to the means for detecting when the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded further comprises:

means for initializing the communications port;

means for clearing all buffers in the communications port;

means for opening the communications port; and

means for receiving the data.

57. The system of claim 51 further comprising means for detecting a power shutdown, wherein the power shutdown comprises:

means for closing the communications port;

means for suspending a software thread after the communications port is closed;

means for entering a sleep mode after the software thread is suspended; and

means for waking from the sleep mode.

58. The system of claim 57 further comprising:

means for resuming the software thread after waking from the sleep mode;

means for reopening the communications port after the software thread is resumed; and

means for receiving a rest of the data until (i) the terminating character in the data is detected, (ii) the predetermined time interval between two characters in the data is exceeded, or (iii) the predetermined number of characters in the data is exceeded.