LOW ENERGY SHORT RANGE COMMUNICATION FUNCTION OPERATION METHOD AND APPARATUS OF MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20140094198A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hyunsoo, Heo, Changryong, Park, Kenhyung, Shin, Hyunseok
• Granted Patent: US 9,351,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The mobile terminal supporting low energy short range communication function includes a low energy short range communication unit; a switching unit configured to receive low energy communication data from the low energy short range communication unit and outputs the low energy communication data; a first processor configured to receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit; and a second processor configured to receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit, wherein the second processor is configured to receive operation state information from the first processor; and control, when the operation state information is received, the switching unit to relay the low energy communication data to one of the first and second processors based on the operation state information.

Claims

1. A terminal including:

a Bluetooth communication unit;

a first processor configured to operate in one of a sleep mode and an active mode; and

a second processor configured to process, when the first processor is in one of the sleep mode and a utilization that is greater than a predetermined threshold, low energy communication data received from one of the Bluetooth communication unit and the first processor.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to transfer, when one of:

the First processor in the sleep mode wakes up to the active mode, and the utilization of the first processor becomes equal to or less than the threshold, the lower energy communication data under processing to the first processor.

3. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising a switching unit configured to:

receive the low energy communication data from the Bluetooth communication unit; and

relay the low energy communication data to one of the first processor and the second processor selectively.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the first processor is configured to operate in one of the sleep mode and the active mode and process, in the active mode, the low energy communication data received through the switching unit.

5. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the Bluetooth communication unit is connected to the switching unit and is configured to include a first data port configured to communicate Bluetooth communication data with the first processor and a second data port configured to communicate the Bluetooth communication data with the second processor.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth communication unit is configured to include, when operation information of the first processor is received from the first processor, a header information value indicating a data processing host in the low energy communication data based on the operation information.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to:

detect one of an event transitioning between the active and sleep modes of the first processor and an event transitioning between a state where the utilization of the first processor is greater than the threshold and a state where the utilization of the first processor is equal to or less than the threshold; and

send, when the one of the events is detected, an operation information of the first processor to the second processor and the Bluetooth communication unit.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to hand over, when the first processor transitions from the active mode to the sleep mode, a control right on the Bluetooth communication unit to the second processor.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to one of:

receive operation information transmitted by the first processor; and

monitor an operation state of the first processor to acquire the operation information on the first processor.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to:

analyze, when the low energy communication data is received, a header information value of the low energy communication data to determine a data processing host;

forward, when the data processing host is the first processor, the low energy communication data to the first processor; and

process, when the data processing host is the second processor, the low energy communication data.

11. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensing unit connected to the second processor and configured to collect sensor information related to a location of the terminal at a low energy level; and

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver connected to the first processor and configured to collect GPS location information,

wherein the first processor is configured to;

calculate GPS location coordinates based on a satellite GPS signal from the GPS receiver;

transfer the calculated GPS location coordinates to the second processor; and

deactivate the GPS receiver until an interrupt signal is generated by the second processor; and

wherein the second processor is configured to;

receive the GPS location coordinates from the first processor;

collect the sensor information related to the location from the sensing unit; and

calculate moved location coordinates of the terminal based on the GPS location coordinates and the sensor information.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the second processor is configured to:

determine, when the moved location coordinates are in a tolerable error range, whether the low energy communication data is received from the Bluetooth communication unit; and

compensate, when the low energy communication data is received, the moved location coordinates to be in the tolerable error range based on the low energy communication data.

13. A terminal comprising:

a Bluetooth communication unit;

a first processor configured to operate in one of a sleep mode and an active mode; and

a second processor configured to;

determine, when the first processor is in one of the sleep mode and a utilization that is greater than a predetermined threshold, a data processing host based on low energy communication data received from the Bluetooth communication unit;

transfer, when the data processing host is the first processor, the low energy communication data to the first processor; and

process, when the data processing host is the second processor, the low energy communication data.

14. A terminal comprising:

a low energy short range communication unit;

a switching unit configured to;

receive low energy communication data from the low energy short range communication unit; and

outputs the low energy communication data;

a first processor configured to receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit; and

a second processor configured to;

receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit;

receive operation state information from the first processor; and

control, when the operation state information is received, the switching unit to relay the low energy communication data to one of the first processor and the second processor based on the operation state information.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the low energy short range communication unit and the second processor are configured to one of:

receive the operation state information transmitted by the first processor; and

monitor operation state of the first processor to acquire the operation state information.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the low energy short range communication unit is configured to add a header information value indicating a data processing host to the low energy communication data based on the operation state information and sends the low energy communication data to the switching unit.

17. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the first processor is configured to:

determine, when the low energy communication data is received, whether a utilization of the first processor is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold;

process, when the utilization of the first processor is equal to or less than the threshold, the low energy communication data; and

transfer, when the utilization of the first processor is greater than the threshold, the low energy communication data to the second processor.

18. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the second processor is configured to:

determine, when the low energy communication data is received, a data processing host by analyzing a header information value of the low energy communication data,

transfer, when the data processing host is the first processor, the low energy communication data to the first processor, and

process, when the data processing host is the second processor, the low energy communication data.

19. A low energy Bluetooth communication data processing method of a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at a second processor, operation state information of a first processor from the first processor;

controlling, at the second processor, a switching unit to relay short range communication data to one of the first processor and the second processor based on the operation state information; and

processing, at the second processor when the short range communication data is received via the switching unit, the short range communication data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein processing comprises:

determining a data processing host for processing the short range communication data;

generating, when the data processing host is the first processor, an interrupt signal for transitioning operation state of the first processor; and

forwarding, when the operation state of the first processor is transitioned, the short range communication data to the first processor.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

stopping, when one of the operation state of the first processor transitions from the sleep mode to the active mode, and when a utilization of the first processor changes from a state greater than a predetermined threshold to a state equal to or less than the threshold in the state that the second processor is processing the short range communication data, processing the short range communication data; and

transferring the short range communication data to the first processor.

22. A low energy Bluetooth communication data processing method of a terminal, the method comprising:

detecting an event of operation state transition of a first processor;

sending, at the first processor, an operation state information to a second processor and a short range communication unit in response to the event;

determining, at the first processor, whether a short range communication data processing condition is fulfilled; and

processing, when the short range communication data processing condition is fulfilled, the short range communication data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the short range communication data processing condition is fulfilled when a utilization of the first processor is equal to or less than the threshold.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

generating, when the short range communication data processing condition is not fulfilled, an interrupt signal to the second processor; and

transferring the short range communication data to the second processor.

25. A low energy Bluetooth communication data processing method of a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at a second processor, first location coordinates from a first processor based on Global Positioning System (GPS);

receiving, at the second processor, sensor information related to a location from a sensing unit;

calculating, at the second processor, second location coordinates based on the first location coordinates and the sensor information as the terminal moves;

determining, at the second processor, whether measurement error of the first location coordinates and the second location coordinates is in a tolerable error range;

requesting, when the measurement error is out of the tolerable error range, for low energy short range communication within a short distance;

compensating, when low energy short range communication data is received through the low energy short range communication, the second location coordinates using the low energy short range communication data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving sensor information comprises acquiring the sensor information from at least one a tri-axial magneto sensor, a tri-axial gyro sensor for sensing change in azimuth and compensating the azimuth, a tri-axial acceleration sensor for sensing movement speed and distance, a barometer sensor for measuring atmospheric pressure altitude, an RGB sensor for sensing color and light, a temperature sensor, an IR sensor for sensing gesture, a proximity sensor, an optical sensor, and a humidity sensor.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

generating, when the low energy short range communication data is not received, an interrupt signal requesting the first processor for location coordinate information acquired through GPS; and

compensating the first location coordinates based on GPS location coordinates information received from the first processor.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein compensating the second location coordinates comprises:

Extracting, from the low power Bluetooth communication data, third location coordinates of a Bluetooth device that transmitted the low energy short range communication data; and

compensating the second location coordinates based on the third location coordinates.