LOW POWER ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT FOR AN AUTOMOBILE

• US 20150184442A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gantman, Russell Stuart, Grimme, Jason, VanBlon, Russell Speight
• Granted Patent: US 9,915,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 17/00 Special devices for shifting a plurality of wings operated simultaneously for simultaneously moving a plurality of interconnected ventilating lamellae E06B7/086
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/42 for multiple openings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

For low power environment management for an automobile, a method is disclosed that includes sensing an environmental condition at an automobile, comparing a level of the environmental condition to a selected threshold value, and adjusting the opening of one or more windows of the automobile based on the sensed environmental condition.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

an environmental sensor;

one or more windows;

an automobile body that houses the processor, the environmental sensor, and the windows;

one or more motors housed by the automobile body that translate the automobile body; and

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

code that senses an environmental condition at the environmental sensor;

code that compares a level of the environmental condition to a selected threshold value; and

code that adjusts an opening of the one or more windows based on the sensed environmental condition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code further monitors a state of the apparatus, the code sensing the environmental condition in response to the state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code further stores configuration parameters, the configuration parameters comprising environment settings, threshold values, and adjustment settings, the code sensing based on the environment settings, the code adjusting based on the adjustment settings.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fan;

wherein the code further enables the fan in response to the environmental condition comprising temperature, the temperature exceeding the selected threshold value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code further determines an amount of reserve power available, the code adjusts the opening of the one or more windows based on the amount of reserve power available.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code further opens the one or more windows in response to a user of the automobile approaching the automobile, the code adjusting by lowering one or more windows substantially down.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the code senses in response to an initiation event, the initiation event selected from the group consisting of a user turning off the automobile, the user locking the automobile, and the user remotely commanding the automobile.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the code senses the environmental condition based on the automobile being powered off, the environmental condition comprising temperature, the code opening one or more windows in response to the temperature exceeding a selected temperature threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein an opening of the one or more windows comprises the one or more windows being opened less than 0.5 inches.

10. A method comprising:

sensing an environmental condition at an automobile;

comparing, by use of a processor, a level of the environmental condition to a selected threshold value; and

adjusting the opening of one or more windows of the automobile based on the sensed environmental condition.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining to initiate low power environment management in the automobile based on a state of the automobile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the environmental condition is selected from the group consisting of temperature, humidity, light, and precipitation.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a set of configuration parameters, the configuration parameters selected from the group consisting of sensor settings, comparison settings, and adjustment settings.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising closing one or more windows of the automobile in response to a terminating event, the terminating event selected from the group consisting of a user returning to the automobile, exceeding a time threshold, insufficient reserve power, and meeting a temperature threshold.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring an amount of reserve power for the automobile, the adjusting based on the amount of available reserve power.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising closing the windows of the automobile in response to the environmental condition comprising precipitation.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising starting a fan for the automobile, wherein the environmental condition comprises temperature exceeding a temperature threshold.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising returning windows of the car to a default position in response to a user of the automobile starting the automobile.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

code that senses an environmental condition at the environmental sensor;

code that compares a level of the environmental condition to a selected threshold value; and

code that adjusts an opening of the one or more windows based on the sensed environmental condition.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the code further closes the windows in response to the environmental condition comprising precipitation.