METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATIONAL MODE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN RESPONSE TO SENSED CONDITIONS

• US 20100185303A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ellenby, Thomas William, Ellenby, Peter Malcolm, Ellenby, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/12
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25291 Set module, component to sleep if no event or no other module needs it
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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

A system is disclosed that senses physical characteristics of an electronic device. The system controls the electronic device in response to the sensed physical characteristics. The system includes a control subsystem. The control subsystem includes a time trigger and an anticipation/latency reduction subsystem. The anticipation/latency reduction subsystem includes additional subsystems such as a time trigger, a position trigger and an attitude trigger. In an alternate embodiment, the anticipation/latency reduction subsystem also includes an activation interval trigger, a repetitive action trigger and a repetitive distance trigger. The various triggers can be implemented using processors that execute software. The system also includes sensing devices, such as a position sensing device and an attitude sensing device, to sense physical characteristics of the particular electronic device being controlled. The control subsystem receives signals from the sensing devices. Physical characteristic information obtained from these signals is provided to the various triggers. In response to this physical characteristic information, the various triggers process the physical characteristic information such that the system controls the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for switching the operational mode of an electronic device comprising:

a control subsystem having an attitude trigger for switching the operational mode of the electronic device between relative states of activity; and

an attitude sensing device for sensing changes in attitude that are transmitted as attitude signals to the attitude trigger of the control subsystem, wherein the attitude trigger checks to determine whether changes in attitude fall outside a preselected range that would initiate a change in the operational mode of the electronic device to a different state of activity.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the attitude trigger is included within an anticipation/latency-reduction subsystem that is configured within the control subsystem for anticipating different states of activity for the electronic device.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the anticipation/latency-reduction subsystem includes an activation profile system that recognizes certain actions based at least in part on sensed attitude signals that may begin a change in the operation mode of the electronic device.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the activation profile system includes an activation interval trigger, a repetitive action trigger, and a repetitive distance trigger.

5. A system for switching the operational mode of a vision system comprising:

a control subsystem having an attitude trigger for switching the operational mode of the vision system between relative states of displayed graphical complexity;

an attitude sensing device for sensing changes in attitude which are transmitted as attitude signals to the control subsystem; and

a vision system being monitored by the control subsystem having a graphics-limitation-due-to-unit-motion subsystem that is in communication with the attitude sensing device, wherein the graphics-limitation-due-to-motion subsystem determines whether changes in attitude signals fall outside a preselected range so that the control subsystem may initiate a change in the operational mode of the vision system to a different state of displayed graphical complexity.

6. A system for controllably decreasing the complexity of graphics of a vision system comprising based on surrounding conditions comprising:

a vibration detecting device for detecting vibration levels surrounding the vision system; and

a vision system having a graphics-limitation-due-to-unit-motion subsystem connected to the vibration detecting device so that the graphics-limitation-due-to-unit-motion subsystem can initiate a change in the vision system to decrease the state of displayed graphical complexity when vibration levels rise above a predetermined vibration limit.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the vibration detecting device is a series of one or more piezo-electric gyros.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the vision system is included with a digital camera.