ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150370310A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: HIRABAYASHI, YOSHITAKA
• Application Number:
  US14/765,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5776 Signal processing not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The electronic device, which is to be carried by the user, has a first inertial force sensor, a second inertial force sensor, an action-mode determiner, and a controller. The action-mode determiner determines an action mode of the user based on at least one of a first inertial force signal fed from the first inertial force sensor and a second inertial force signal fed from the second inertial force sensor. When the action-mode determiner determines that the user starts a first action based on the first inertial force signal or on both of the first inertial force signal and the second inertial force signal, the controller reduces power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic device to be carried by a user, comprising:

a first inertial force sensor configured to convert a first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a first inertial force signal;

a second inertial force sensor configured to convert a second inertial force different from the first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a second inertial force signal;

an action-mode determiner configured to determine an action mode of the user based on at least one of the first inertial force signal and the second inertial force signal; and

a controller configured to reduce power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the action-mode determiner determines, based on the first inertial force signal or on both of the first inertial force signal and the second inertial force signal, that the user starts a first action.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when output of the first inertial signal exceeds a first threshold.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when the first inertial force signal in a first cycle agrees, in waveform, with the first inertial force signal in a second cycle.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when a period where the first inertial force signal generates a waveform agrees with a period where the second inertial force signal generates a waveform.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when a waveform cycle of the first inertial force signal in a first period agrees with that of the first inertial force signal in a second period.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a memory connected to the action-mode determiner and storing a first waveform,

wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when a waveform of the first inertial force signal agrees with the first waveform.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a memory connected to the action-mode determiner and storing a first waveform and a second waveform,

wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user starts the first action when the first inertial force signal has a waveform that agrees with the first waveform and the second inertial force signal has a waveform that agrees with the second waveform.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a second action-mode determiner configured to determine an action mode of the user based on the second inertial force signal,

wherein the controller increases the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the second action-mode determiner determines that the user stops the first action.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller increases the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the action-mode determiner determines, based on the second inertial force signal, that the user stops the first action.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first action is a walk.

11. An electronic device to be carried by a user comprising:

a first inertial force sensor configured to convert a first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a first inertial force signal;

a second inertial force sensor configured to convert a second inertial force different from the first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a second inertial force signal;

an action-mode determiner configured to determine an action mode of the user based on at least any one of the first inertial force signal and the second inertial force signal; and

a controller configured to increase power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the action-mode determiner determines, based on the second inertial force signal, that the user stops a first action.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user stops the first action when a waveform of the second inertial force signal in a first cycle is different from that of the second inertial force signal in a second cycle.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the action-mode determiner is configured to determine that the user stops the first action when a waveform cycle of the second inertial force signal in a first period is different from that of the second inertial force signal in a second period.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a first inertial force sensor configured to convert a first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a first inertial force signal;

a second inertial force sensor configured to convert a second inertial force different from the first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a second inertial force signal; and

a controller connected to the first inertial force sensor and the second inertial force sensor and configured to reduce power supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the first inertial force signal changes periodically or both the first inertial force signal and the second inertial force signal change periodically.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the power supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a waveform of the first inertial force signal in a first cycle agrees with that of the first inertial force signal in a second cycle.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a period where a period where the first inertial force signal generates a waveform agrees with a period where the second inertial force signal generated a waveform.

17. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the power supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a waveform cycle of the first inertial force signal in a first period agrees with that of the first inertial force signal in a second period.

18. The electronic device according to claim 14 further comprising:

a memory connected to the controller and storing a first waveform,

wherein the controller is configured to reduces the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a waveform of the first inertial force signal agrees with the first waveform.

19. The electronic device according to claim 14 further comprising:

a memory connected to the controller and storing a first waveform and a second waveform,

wherein the controller is configured to reduce the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a waveform of the first inertial force signal agrees with the first waveform and a waveform of the second inertial force signal agrees with the second waveform.

20. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to increase the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the second inertial force signal changes in non-cyclic manner.

21. An electronic device comprising:

a first inertial force sensor configured to convert a first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a first inertial force signal;

a second inertial force sensor configured to convert a second inertial force different from the first inertial force into an electric signal which is output as a second inertial force signal; and

a controller connected to the first inertial force sensor and the second inertial force sensor and configured to increase power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the second inertial force signal changes in non-cyclic manner.

22. The electronic device according to claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to increase the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when a waveform of the second inertial force signal in a first cycle is different from that of the second inertial force signal in a second cycle.

23. The electronic device according to claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to increase the power to be supplied to the first inertial force sensor when the second inertial force signal in a first period has a different cycle from that of the second inertial force signal in a second period.