POWER MANAGEMENT UTILIZING PROXIMITY OR LINK STATUS DETERMINATION

• US 20110126034A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Siegel, Jeffrey, Rosener, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for power management are disclosed. In one example, proximity of link status of a wireless communication device is used to determine whether a power conservation mode is implemented.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a wireless transceiver adapted to receive a wireless signal from a wireless communication device;

an input/output interface adapted to interface with a peripheral device;

a processor; and

a memory storing a power management application configured to monitor a wireless communication device proximity utilizing an RSSI value associated with the wireless signal and responsive to the wireless communication device proximity operate the computing device in a normal operation mode or a power conservation mode.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the power conservation mode comprises sending a power conservation signal to the peripheral device.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the peripheral device is a display or printer.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a powered device component, wherein the power conservation mode comprises operating the powered device component in a low power state.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the powered device component is a display or a storage device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the power management application is further configured to monitor a wireless communication device link connection status and responsive to both the wireless communication device link connection status and the wireless communication device proximity status operate the computing device in a normal operation mode or a power conservation mode.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the power management application is configured to operate the computing device in a power conservation mode when the wireless communication device link connection status is a no-link status and the wireless communication device proximity is greater than a predetermined threshold proximity.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is operated in the normal operation mode when the wireless communication device proximity is less than a predetermined threshold proximity and operated in the power conservation mode when the wireless communication device proximity is greater than the predetermined threshold proximity.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the predetermined threshold proximity is user configurable.

10. A computing device comprising:

a wireless transceiver adapted to receive a wireless signal from a wireless communication device;

an input/output interface adapted to interface with a peripheral device;

a processor; and

a memory storing a power management application configured to monitor a wireless communication device link connection status and responsive to the wireless communication device link connection status operate the computing device in a normal operation mode or a power conservation mode.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the computing device is operated in the normal operation mode when the wireless communication device link connection status is a linked status and operated in the power conservation mode when the wireless communication device link connection status is a no-link status.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the power conservation mode comprises sending a power conservation signal to the peripheral device.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the peripheral device is a display or printer.

14. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising a powered device component, wherein the power conservation mode comprises operating the powered device component in a low power state.

15. A method for power conservation comprising:

receiving at a computing device RSSI data associated with a signal received from a wireless communication device;

processing the RSSI data to identify a wireless communication device proximity;

switching from a normal operation mode to a power conservation mode responsive to the wireless communication device proximity satisfying a first predetermined condition; and

switching from the power conservation mode to the normal operation mode responsive to the wireless communication device proximity satisfying a second predetermined condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein switching to the power conservation mode comprises sending a power conservation signal to a peripheral device coupled to the computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein switching to the power conservation mode comprises initiating a low power operation mode of a computing device powered component.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first predetermined condition is a wireless communication device proximity greater than a predetermined threshold proximity and the second predetermined condition is a wireless communication device proximity less than the predetermined threshold proximity.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising monitoring a link connection status, wherein switching from a normal operation mode to a power conservation mode or switching from the power conservation mode to the normal operation mode occurs responsive to both the link connection status and the wireless communication device proximity.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving at the computing device worn state data of the wireless communication device indicating a worn state or a ditched state, wherein switching from a normal operation mode to a power conservation mode occurs only if the wireless communication device is in the worn state.

21. A power management system comprising:

a powered network device disposed in a geographical region;

a computing device disposed in the geographical region, the computing device comprising;

a wireless transceiver adapted to receive a wireless signal from a wireless communication device;

a processor; and

a memory storing a monitoring application configured to monitor a wireless communication device proximity utilizing an RSSI value associated with the wireless signal and responsive to the wireless communication device proximity generate a normal operation mode status indicator or a power conservation mode status indicator; and

a power management server comprising a power management application adapted to receive from the computing device the normal operation mode status indicator or the power conservation mode status indicator and responsively operate the powered network device in a power conservation mode or a normal operation mode.

22. The power management system of claim 21, wherein the power conservation mode comprises sending a power conservation signal from the power management server to the powered network device.

23. The power management system of claim 21, wherein the powered network device is a copier, printer, or lighting system.

24. The power management system of claim 21, wherein the monitoring application is further configured to monitor a wireless communication device link connection status and responsive to both the wireless communication device link connection status and the wireless communication device proximity generate a normal operation mode status indicator or a power conservation mode status indicator.

25. The power management system of claim 21, wherein the computing device further comprising a powered device component, and wherein the monitoring application is configured to operate the powered device component in a low power state responsive to a power conservation mode status indicator.