SENSING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20120022824A1
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: CHINO, Taketo
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

A sensing device with lower power consumption by controlling a rate for generating output data is to be provided. A sensing device includes: a sensor module including a group of sensors, at least one of which is set as a motion sensor; and a data generating unit that generates output data on the basis of outputs from the group of sensors. The data generating unit switches, on the basis of an output from the motion sensor, a rate for generating the output data.

Claims

1. A sensing device comprising:

a sensor module including a group of sensors, at least one of which is set as a motion sensor; and

a data generating unit that generates output data on the basis of outputs from the group of sensors, wherein

the data generating unit switches, on the basis of an output from the motion sensor, a rate for generating the output data.

2. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the data generating unit can switch a first rate and a second rate higher than the first rate as the rates, performs switching from the first rate to the second rate on the basis of a comparison result of a signal based on the output from the motion sensor and a first threshold, and performs switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of the signal based on the output from the motion sensor and a second threshold.

3. The sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the data generating unit performs the switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of the signal based on the output from the motion sensor and the second threshold in a given time.

4. The sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the data generating unit performs the switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of an average of signals based on outputs from the motion sensor in a given period and the second threshold.

5. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the data generating unit applies the switching of the rates to only a part of the group of sensors.

6. The sensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a register unit including a status register that represents the rate, wherein

the data generating unit updates the status register when the rate changes.

7. The sensing device according to claim 6, wherein the data generating unit outputs an interrupt signal when the status register is updated.

8. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the data generating unit outputs a signal representing the rate for generating the output data.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the sensing device according to claim 1.