NOTEBOOK COMPUTER AND POWER-SAVING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110010572A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHEN, CHENG-CHI
• Application Number:
  US12/533,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The infrared sensor detects whether presence of a human body within a predetermined range of a front of the notebook computer, and outputs a level signal according to the detecting result. The south bridge chip receives the level signal from the infrared sensor and outputs the level signal. The basic input/output system (BIOS) chip storages a sleep signal and a wake-up signal, and reads the level signal from the south bridge chip and selectively outputs the sleep signal or the wake-up signal according to the level signal. The memory receives the sleep signal or the wake-up signal from the BIOS chip and stores the sleep signal or the wake-up signal. The center processing unit (CPU) reads the sleep signal or the wake-up signal from the memory and controls the notebook computer to enter into a sleep state or a wake-up state.

Claims

1. A notebook computer comprising:

an infrared sensor to detect presence of a human body within a predetermined range of the notebook computer, and output a level signal according to the detecting result;

a south bridge chip to receive the level signal from the infrared sensor, and output the level signal;

a basic input/output system (BIOS) chip storing a sleep signal and a wake-up signal, wherein the BIOS chip is operable to read the level signal from the south bridge chip and selectively output the sleep signal or the wake-up signal according to the level signal;

a memory to receive the sleep signal or the wake-up signal from the BIOS chip and store the sleep signal or the wake-up signal; and

a central processing unit (CPU) to read the sleep signal or the wake-up signal from the memory, and control the notebook computer to enter into a sleep state or a wake-up state.

2. The notebook computer of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor outputs a high level signal to the south bridge chip in response to a human body within the predetermined range in front of the notebook computer, the BIOS chip receives the high level signal and outputs the wake-up signal to the memory according to the high level signal;

and wherein the infrared sensor outputs a low level signal to the south bridge chip in response to no human body within the predetermined range in front of the notebook computer, the BIOS chip receives the low level signal and outputs a sleep signal to the memory according to the low level signal.

3. The notebook computer of claim 2, wherein the BIOS chip comprises:

a reading unit to receive the level signal from the south bridge chip;

a storage unit to store the sleep signal and the wake-up signal;

a determining unit to receive the level signal from the reading unit and determine whether the level signal received is a high level signal or a low level signal; and

an executing unit to read the sleep signal or the wake-up signal from the storage unit and output the sleep signal or the wake-up signal to the memory according to the determination by the determining unit;

wherein when the determining unit receives a high level signal, the executing unit reads the wake-up signal stored in the storage unit and sends the wake-up signal to the memory, when the determining unit receives a low level signal, the executing unit reads the sleep signal stored in the storage unit and sends the sleep signal to the memory.

4. The notebook computer of claim 3, wherein the determining unit determines whether receipt of the high level signal or the low level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, upon condition that the high level signal or the low level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, the executing unit reads the wake-up signal or the sleep signal stored in the storage unit accordingly and sends the wake-up signal or the sleep signal to the memory.

5. The notebook computer of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor is set on periphery of the notebook computer, and the predetermined range of the notebook computer is 0.8 meters.

6. A power-saving method for a notebook computer, the power-saving method comprising:

detecting whether a human body is present within a predetermined range of the notebook computer via an infrared sensor, and outputting a level signal to a south bridge chip based on the presence or non-presence of a human body;

outputting a sleep signal or a wake-up signal to a memory from a basic input/output system (BIOS) chip, according to the level signal outputted from the south bridge chip; and

reading the sleep signal or the wake-up signal stored in the memory according the level signal and controlling the notebook computer to enter into a sleep state or a wake-up state.

7. The power-saving method of claim 6, the step of outputting a level signal comprises:

the infrared sensor outputting a high level signal to the south bridge chip in response to a human body within the predetermined range in front of the notebook computer; and

the infrared sensor outputting a low level signal to the south bridge chip in response to no human body within the predetermined range in front of the notebook computer.

8. The power-saving method of claim 7, wherein the step of outputting a sleep signal or a wake-up signal comprises:

upon condition that the level signal is a high level signal, sending the wake-up signal to the memory, upon condition that the level signal is low level signal, sending the sleep signal to the memory.

9. The power-saving method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether receipt of the high level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, upon condition that the high level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, sending the wake-up signal to the memory;

upon condition that the high level signal has not been continuous for a predetermined time, receiving the level signal from the south bridge chip continuously.

10. The power-saving method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether receipt of the low level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, upon condition that the low level signal has been continuous for a predetermined time, sending the sleep signal to the memory;

upon condition that the low level signal has not been continuous for a predetermined time, receiving the level signal from the south bridge chip continuously.