Wake-up detection method and apparatus embodying the same

• US 20040155860A1
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Bruce, Wenstrand, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,199,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An input apparatus is disclosed having a hand-sensing system, a wake-up detector, and a microcontroller. After a period of inactivity, the apparatus is placed into a sleep mode to conserve power. During the sleep mode, electrical property that the hand-sensing system presents to the wake-up circuit is measured. If the electrical property exceeds a predetermined level, then the input apparatus is activated. In alternate embodiments, accelerometer, pressure switch, or computer system'"'"'s response can be used to trigger the activation of the input apparatus.

Claims

1. An input apparatus comprising:

a hand-sensing system; and

a wake-up detector connected to said hand-sensing system to detect an electrical property said hand-sensing system presents to said wake-up detector, said wake-up detector adapted to signal a microcontroller, connectd to said wake-up detector, if level of the electrical property detected exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said apparatus is a cordless input device communicating with a computing device.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said hand-sensing system is a hand-sensing antenna connected to a signal source.

4. The method recited in claim 3 wherein said signal source is a dedicated signal source circuit.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein said hand-sensing antenna comprises a conductive portion of housing of the input apparatus.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 3 wherein said detection signal source is a system clock.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said detection signal source is a radio frequency (RF) signal generator.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 1 wherein said hand-sensing system comprises a dual purposes antenna also utilized for transmission of input signals to a computer system.

9. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said hand-sensing system is a dual purpose antenna connected to an RF signal source.

10. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said hand-sensing system comprises a capacitive sensor and wherein said wake-up detector is adapted to detect capacitance the said hand-sensing system presents to the wake-up detector.

11. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said hand-sensing system and said wake-up detector is embodied as a pressure switch.

12. The method recited in claim 11 wherein said pressure switch is a mouse button.

13. A method of operating an input apparatus, the method comprising:

deactivating portions of the input apparatus following a predetermined period of inactivity in one or more stages, thus entering sleep mode;

measuring an electrical property that a hand-sensing system presents to the input apparatus to determine presence of a user hand proximal to the input apparatus; and

activating the input apparatus upon detection of level of the measured electrical property different than a predetermined threshold.

14. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the predetermined threshold is adaptively adjusted.

15. The method recited in claim 13 wherein said step of measuring the electrical property is repeated periodically.

16. The method recited in claim 15 wherein the period is adaptively adjusted.

17. The method recited in claim 15 wherein the period ranges from ten milliseconds to 500 milliseconds.

18. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the electrical property is radiation load the hand-sensing system presents to radio frequency signal.

19. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the electrical property is derivative of load on the hand-sensing means.

20. The method recited in claim 13 wherein the electrical property is capacitance of the hand-sensing system.

21. The method recited in claim 13 wherein said step of measuring the electrical property is triggered by a change in electrostatic potential of the hand-sensing system.

22. An input apparatus comprising:

an accelerometer adapted to detect acceleration of the input apparatus and configured to provide an interrupt signal upon the detection of acceleration; and

a microcontroller connected to said accelerometer for receiving the interrupt signal from said accelerometer, said microcontroller configured to wakeup the input apparatus upon receipt of the interrupt signal.

23. The input apparatus recited in claim 22 wherein said accelerometer is a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) accelerometer.

24. The input apparatus recited in claim 22 wherein the input apparatus is a pointing device adapted to communicate with a computer.

25. The input apparatus recited in claim 24 wherein the input apparatus is a cordless pointing device adapted to communicate with a computer.

26. A method of operating an input apparatus, said method comprising:

deactivating portions of the input apparatus following a predetermined period of inactivity, thus entering sleep mode;

detecting acceleration of the input apparatus; and

activating the input apparatus.

27. The method recited in claim 26 wherein the input apparatus is a pointing device adapted to communicate with a computer.

28. A method of operating an input apparatus, the method comprising:

operating at a first clock frequency during active mode of operation;

deactivating portions of the input apparatus following a predetermined period of inactivity, thus entering sleep mode;

monitoring activity of the input device during the sleep mode at a second clock frequency; and

activating the input apparatus upon detection of input activity.

29. The method recited in claim 28 wherein said step of monitoring comprises activating portions of the input apparatus upon detection of input activity.

30. An input apparatus comprising:

a system clock providing clock signal at a first signal frequency;

a clock divider connected to system clock configurable to divide the clock signal to increase period thereby decreasing the clock signal to a second signal frequency; and

a microprocessor connected to said clock divider, said microprocessor operating at the first clock signal frequency in an active mode and to operate at the second signal frequency in a sleep mode.

31. The input apparatus recited in claim 30 wherein the input apparatus is a computer mouse.

32. A method of operating an input apparatus adapted to communicate with a computer system, the method comprising:

deactivating portions of the input apparatus following a predetermined period of inactivity, thus entering sleep mode;

monitoring signals from the computer system during the sleep mode; and

activating the input apparatus upon detection of a query from the computer system.

33. The method recited in claim 32 wherein said step of monitoring comprises.:

a. listening for a query signal from the computer system; and

b. repeating step a periodically at a predetermined period.

34. The method recited in claim 33 wherein the predetermined period is in a range from 0.5 to 30 seconds.

35. An input apparatus comprising:

a signal receiver adapted to receive communication from a computer system; and

a microcontroller connected to said signal receiver adapted to listen to the computer system and to respond to a query from the computer system by activating the input apparatus from a sleep mode.

36. The input apparatus recited in claim 35 further comprising a signal source adapted to generate signals for transmission to the computer system.

37. The input apparatus recited in claim 36 wherein said signal source generates a signal selected from a group consisting of RF signals and infrared signals.