WEARABLE DEVICE AND POWER SAVING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20200133204A1
• Filed: 05/02/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Princo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Princo Corporation
• Inventors: CHIU, Pei-Liang
• Application Number:
  US16/401,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20200133204A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 47/06 with attached measuring instruments, e.g. pedometer, barometer, thermometer or compass in combination with a tachometer which winds up the clockwork G04B5/206
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/08 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/02 Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A wearable device and a power saving method thereof are proposed. The wearable device includes a processor; a wireless communication module coupled to the processor and configured to implement wireless communication with an external device; a functional module coupled to the processor and including a plurality of controllers and a plurality of functional members, the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members, each of the functional members configured to carry out at least one function; and a user activity monitor coupled to the processor and configured to collect user activity information, wherein when the user activity information indicates a low-level activity, the processor disables the wireless communication module and/or at least one of the functional members of the functional module. The wristwatch can reduce power consumption.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless communication module coupled to the processor, configured to implement wireless communication with an external device;

a functional module coupled to the processor, the functional module comprising a plurality of controllers and a plurality of functional members, the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members, each of the functional members configured to carry out at least one function; and

a user activity monitor coupled to the processor, configured to collect user activity information, wherein when the user activity information indicates a low-level activity, the processor disables the wireless communication module and/or at least one of the functional members of the functional module.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user activity determining circuit coupled between the user activity monitor and the processor, configured to receive the user activity information collected by the user activity monitor, determine an activity level corresponding to the user activity information, and output a signal representing the activity level of the user activity information to the processor, wherein enabling or disabling the wireless communication module and/or the at least one of the functional members of the functional module by the processor is based on the activity level.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the processor commands the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members to enable or disable the functional members.

4. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the user activity monitor comprises a user motion sensor which is selected from a group consisting of a gravity sensor (G-sensor), an accelerometer, an inertial sensor, and a gyroscope sensor.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication module is selected from a group consisting of a Bluetooth communication module, a near field communication (NFC) module, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication module.

6. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a sensor which is selected from a group consisting of a magnetometer, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope.

7. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a backlight module of a display, and the controller connected to the backlight module is a backlight controller.

8. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a physical indicator for providing time information, and the controller connected to the physical indicator is a movement.

9. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the wearable device is a wristwatch which comprises:

a housing exposing an opening at a side thereof;

a transparent top cover, covering the exposed opening on the housing, the housing and the transparent top cover defining the receiving room;

a dial, disposed in the receiving room;

a plurality of physical scales, forming on a face of the dial facing the transparent top cover;

at least one physical indicator, located between the dial and the transparent top cover; and

a movement, configured to drive the at least one physical indicator to provide the time information by cooperation between the at least one physical indicator and the physical scales on the dial.

10. A wearable device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless communication module coupled to the processor, configured to implement wireless communication with an external device;

a functional module coupled to the processor, the functional module comprising a plurality of controllers and a plurality of functional members, the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members, each of the functional members configured to carry out at least one function;

a user activity monitor coupled to the processor, configured to collect user activity information; and

a user activity determining circuit coupled between the user activity monitor and the processor, configured to receive the user activity information collected by the user activity monitor, determine an activity level corresponding to the user activity information, and output a signal representing the activity level of the user activity information to the processor,

wherein based on the activity level, the processor enables or disables the wireless communication module and/or at least one of the functional members of the functional module, and wherein the processor commands the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members to enable or disable the functional members.

11. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the user activity monitor comprises a user motion sensor which is selected from a group consisting of a gravity sensor (G-sensor), an accelerometer, an inertial sensor, and a gyroscope sensor.

12. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the wireless communication module is selected from a group consisting of a Bluetooth communication module, a near field communication (NFC) module, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication module.

13. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a sensor which is selected from a group consisting of a magnetometer, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope.

14. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a backlight module of a display, and the controller connected to the backlight module is a backlight controller.

15. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the functional members of the functional module comprise a physical indicator for providing time information, and the controller connected to the physical indicator is a movement.

16. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the wearable device is a wristwatch which comprises:

a housing exposing an opening at a side thereof;

a transparent top cover, covering the exposed opening on the housing, the housing and the transparent top cover defining the receiving room;

a dial, disposed in the receiving room;

a plurality of physical scales, forming on a face of the dial facing the transparent top cover;

at least one physical indicator, located between the dial and the transparent top cover; and

a movement, configured to drive the at least one physical indicator to provide the time information by cooperation between the at least one physical indicator and the physical scales on the dial.

17. A power saving method for a wearable device, the wearable device comprising a processor;

a wireless communication module coupled to the processor and configured to implement wireless communication with an external device; and

a functional module coupled to the processor and comprising a plurality of controllers and a plurality of functional members, the controllers correspondingly connected to the functional members, each of the functional members configured to carry out at least one function, the method comprising;

utilizing a user activity monitor to collect user activity information;

utilizing a user activity determining circuit to receive the user activity information collected by the user activity monitor, determine an activity level corresponding to the user activity information, and output a signal representing the activity level of the user activity information to the processor; and

based on the activity level, utilizing the processor to enable or disable the wireless communication module and/or at least one of the functional members of the functional module.