Method and apparatus for automatic realtime power management

• US 20050289363A1
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Godinho, Jose A., Diefenbaugh, Paul S., Mishra, Animesh, Tsirkel, Aaron M.
• Application Number:
  US10/879,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289363A1
• 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 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management system is disclosed using a combination of user presence detection and user interaction detection. An image-capturing device is to remain in a low power state as long as the user interaction is detected. When no user interaction is detected, the image-capturing device is placed in a normal power state to capture an image. The image is analyzed to determine user presence. When the user presence is detected, the image-capturing device is placed in the low power state.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor; and

an image-capturing device coupled to the processor, wherein power consumption of the image-capturing device is reduced when user interaction with the computer system is detected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power consumption of the image-capturing device is restored when no user interaction with the computer system is detected.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a first delay occurs between when no user interaction is detected and when the power consumption of the image-capturing device is restored.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the image-capturing device is to capture an image used for detecting user presence.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein when no user presence is detected, power consumption of one or more of the display and the processor is reduced.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein a second delay occurs between when no user presence is detected and when the power consumption of one of more of the display and the processor is reduced.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein subsequent to receiving a wake up signal, the power consumption of one or more of the display and the processor is restored.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein subsequent to receiving the wake up signal, the power consumption of the image-capturing device is reduced.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the wake up signal is generated by pressing a key on a keyboard coupled to the processor.

10. A method, comprising:

when no user interaction with a computer system is detected, increasing power consumption of an image-capturing device to capture an image to be analyzed for user presence; and

maintaining power consumption of the computer system when the user presence is detected.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein maintaining the power consumption of the computer system includes reducing the power consumption of the image-capturing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein increasing the power consumption of the image-capturing device includes powering on the image-capturing device, and wherein reducing the power consumption of the image-capturing device includes powering off the image-capturing device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising reducing the power consumption of the computer system when the user presence is not detected.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein reducing the power consumption of the computer system includes reducing power consumption of one or more of a display and a processor associated with the computer system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein reducing the power consumption of the computer system further includes reducing the power consumption of the image-capturing device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interaction includes one or more of keyboard and mouse interactions.

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

when a user is interacting with the computer system, keeping an image-capturing device powered off, otherwise powering on the image-capturing device to determine if the user is present; and

when the user is determined to be present, powering off the image-capturing device.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

when the user is determined to be not present, reducing power consumption of a display associated with the computer system.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

when the user is determined to be not present, reducing power consumption of a processor associated with the computer system.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the power consumption of one or more of the display and the processor is restored upon receiving a wake up signal from the user.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein upon receiving the wake up signal from the user, the image-capturing device remains powered off.