Method and apparatus for power management of displays

• US 20030051179A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Therien, Guy M., Lenehan, Daniel J., Tsirkel, Aaron M.
• Application Number:
  US10/033,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management apparatus includes a sensor and a display. For one embodiment, power to the display may be decreased when the sensor detects absence of a user, and the power to the display may be increased when the sensor detects presence of the user.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sensor; and

a display, power to which is to be decreased in response to a detection of absence of a user by the sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power is to be increased in response to a detection of presence of a user by the sensor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power is to be decreased in response to expiration of a time out value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the power is to be decreased in response to the expiration of a time out value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an infrared thermal sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an acoustic sensor.

7. A method, comprising:

providing a computer system with a sensor to detect absence of a user; and

enabling power to be decreased to a display of the computer system in response the sensor detecting absence of a user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising enabling power to be increased to the display in response to the sensor detecting presence of a user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising enabling power to be decreased to the display in response to a time out value expiring.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising enabling power to be decreased to the display in response to a time out value expiring.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the computer system with a sensor includes providing the computer system with an infrared thermal sensor or an acoustic sensor.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein enabling power to be decreased includes coupling a controller to the sensor, the controller to receive a signal from the sensor and to control power to the display.

13. A machine readable medium including machine readable instructions that, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

determining if a user is absent; and

decreasing power to a display of the computer system if it is determined that the user is absent.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises increasing power to the display if it is determined that the user is present.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises decreasing power to the display if a time out value expires.

16. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises decreasing power to the display if a time out value expires.

17. The medium of claim 13, wherein decreasing power to the display comprises powering off the display.