MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110181106A1
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Sooyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,716,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile terminal capable of converting an operational state of a controller thereof upon generation of a preset event and controlling an operational state of a particular terminal having a communication connection under control of the controller, and a control method thereof, the control method for controlling power functions within a vehicle telematics control unit comprising: accessing stored voltage information for a battery included in a vehicle; determining a present voltage characteristic of the battery based on measurements of voltage; determining whether a difference exists between the stored voltage information and the present voltage characteristic; converting an operational state of a vehicle telematics control unit responsive to determining that a difference exists; accessing threshold information associated with the battery; comparing the present voltage characteristic of the battery to the threshold information; determining whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies a threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information; and generating a first control signal responsive to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information.

Claims

1. A control method for controlling power functions within a vehicle telematics control unit comprising:

accessing stored voltage information for a battery included in a vehicle;

determining a present voltage characteristic of the battery based on measurements of voltage;

determining whether a difference exists between the stored voltage information and the present voltage characteristic;

converting an operational state of a vehicle telematics control unit responsive to determining that a difference exists;

accessing threshold information associated with the battery;

comparing the present voltage characteristic of the battery to the threshold information;

determining whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery is satisfies a threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information; and

generating a first control signal responsive to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold information indicates a threshold voltage and the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement by being higher than the threshold voltage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein converting an operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit includes converting the operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit from a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit monitors the battery to detect voltage variations to a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit facilitates the supplying of power to at least one of a communications unit and a control unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold information indicates a threshold voltage and the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement by being lower than the threshold voltage.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein converting an operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit includes converting the operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit from a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit facilitates the supplying of power to at least one of a communications unit and a control unit to a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit monitors the battery to detect voltage variations.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first control signal indicates that at least one of a communications unit and a control unit are to be powered down.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the first control signal comprises:

accessing stored information including a preset first time;

determining whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept higher than a threshold voltage indicated by the threshold information for the preset first time; and

generating the first control signal in response to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept higher than the threshold voltage for the preset first time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the first control signal comprises:

accessing stored information including a preset first time;

determining whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept lower than a threshold voltage indicated by the threshold information for the preset first time; and

generating the first control signal in response to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept lower than the threshold voltage for the preset first time.

9. A battery management system for controlling power functions within a vehicle telematics control unit comprising:

a first memory configured to store voltage information for a battery included in a vehicle;

a voltage characteristic identification unit configured to determine a present voltage characteristic of the battery based on measurements of voltage;

a voltage variation identification unit configure to determine whether a difference exists between the stored voltage information and the present voltage characteristic;

a state converter configured to convert an operational state of a vehicle telematics control unit responsive to determining that a difference exists;

a second memory configured to store threshold information associated with the battery;

a comparator configured to compare the present voltage characteristic of the battery to the threshold information;

a battery state identifier configure to determine whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies a threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information; and

a control signal generator configured to generate a first control signal responsive to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the state converter and control signal generator are included in a means for converting an operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit responsive to determining that a difference exists and for generating the first control signal responsive to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the comparator is further configured to determine whether the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept higher than a threshold voltage indicated by the threshold information for the preset first time;

and

wherein the control signal generator is further configured to generate the first control signal in response to determining that the present voltage characteristic of the battery is kept higher than the threshold voltage for the preset first time.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the threshold information indicates a threshold voltage and the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement by being higher than the threshold voltage.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the state converter is further configured to convert the operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit from a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit monitors the battery to detect voltage variations to a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit facilitates the supplying of power to at least one of a communications unit and a control unit.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold information indicates a threshold voltage and the present voltage characteristic of the battery satisfies the threshold requirement by being lower than the threshold voltage.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the state converter is further configured to convert the operational state of the vehicle telematics control unit from a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit facilitates the supplying of power to at least one of a communications unit and a control unit to a mode in which the vehicle telematics control unit monitors the battery to detect voltage variations.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first control signal indicates that at least one of a communications unit and a control unit are to be powered down.

17. A control method for controlling power functions within a vehicle comprising:

establishing a communication session between a communications unit and a remote computing device;

performing a communication function in accordance with the established communication session;

determining that the communication function has completed;

converting a state of the communications unit from an active state to an inactive state responsive to the determination that the communication function has completed;

determining that the communications unit has transitioned from the active state to the inactive state;

converting a state of a telematics control unit from an active state to an inactive state responsive to the determination that the communications unit has transitioned from an active state to an inactive state;

determining that the telematics control unit has transitioned from the active state to the inactive state; and

converting a state of a micro computer from a first mode to a second mode responsive to the determination that the control unit has transitioned from the active state to the inactive state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the micro computer facilitates the supplying of power to the communications unit and the telematics control unit when operating in the first mode.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the micro computer monitors a battery included in a vehicle to detect voltage variations when operating in the second mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the micro computer compares a present voltage characteristic of the battery to threshold information to determine if the present voltage characteristic satisfies a threshold requirement indicated by the threshold information, responsive to detecting a voltage variation of the battery when operating in the second mode.