Communications accessory with improved vehicle ignition sense

• US 6,163,690 A
• Filed: 02/04/1999
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Lilja, Patrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J.
• Application Number:
  US09/243,986
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 455/572, 455/571, 455/575, 455/574, 455/557, 455/343, 455/127
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing power consumption of a communications accessory attached to a vehicle based on the state of vehicle'"'"'s ignition and upon the power on/off history of the wireless communications device attached to the communications accessory. The method determines whether the last powering off of the wireless communications device was due to user action. If so, then the wireless communications device is left in a powered off state when the ignition is turned back on. If, instead, the last powering off of the wireless communications device was in response to an automatically generated request from the communications accessory (prompted by the ignition being turned off), the wireless communications device is powered back on when the ignition is turned back on. An ignition sense circuit determines the power state of the vehicle'"'"'s ignition and tracks the recent power on/off history of the wireless communications device. Based on information from the ignition sense circuit, power control logic automatically turns the wireless communications device back on according to the method when the vehicle'"'"'s ignition is turned back on. In addition, the correctness of the ignition sense line installation may be checked via a combination of a status flag and a suitable timer. If the timer expires, the status flag is set to indicate an improper installation of the ignition sense line.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the on/off state of a wireless communications device connected to a vehicle ignition system, comprising:

a) monitoring the power state of said vehicle ignition system;

b) automatically turning off said wireless communications device by supplying a control signal to said wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications device to turn off in response to said vehicle ignition system powering off, said supplying a control signal comprising waiting a predetermined time period after said vehicle ignition system powers off and delaying generating said control signal for an additional amount of time if said wireless communications device is active when said predetermined time period elapses; and

c) thereafter, in response to said vehicle ignition system powering on;

i) automatically turning on said wireless communications device if said wireless communications device was last turned off in response to said control signal;

ii) leaving said wireless communications device turned off if said wireless communications device was last turned off by user action.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said delaying generating said control signal for an additional amount of time if said wireless communications device is active when said predetermined time period elapses comprises delaying delaying generating said control signal until the wireless communications device enters an idle state.

3. The method according to claim 1 further including periodically checking the status of the wireless communications device after the vehicle ignition system powers off and automatically turning off the wireless communications device when the wireless communications device enters an inactive state.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device is selected from the group consisting of cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and satellite cellular telephones.

5. The method of claim 1 further including electrically connecting said wireless communications device to a communications accessory, and wherein said communications accessory automatically performs said supplying said control signal in response to said vehicle ignition system powering off.

6. A method of controlling the on/off state of a wireless communications device connected to a vehicle in response to the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system powering on, said wireless communications device being turned off when the vehicle ignition system powers on, said wireless communications device having a plurality of active call states including an idle call state, said method comprising:

a) turning on said wireless communications device;

b) turning on said vehicle'"'"'s ignition, and thereafter turning off said ignition and starting a first timer;

c) automatically instructing said wireless communications device to turn off if said first timer expires and said wireless communications device is in said idle call state;

d) thereafter, determining whether said wireless communications device was last turned off by user action;

e) thereafter, based on said determination;

i) automatically turning on said wireless communications device if the wireless communications device was last turned off automatically in response to the vehicle'"'"'s ignition being powering off, said automatically turning on including supplying a control signal to said wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications device to turn on; and

ii) leaving said wireless communications device in said turned off state if the wireless communications device was last turned off by user action.

7. A method of controlling the on/off state of a wireless communications device connected to a vehicle in response to the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system powering on, said wireless communications device being turned off when the vehicle ignition system powers on, said wireless communications device connected to the vehicle by a communications accessory having a sleep mode and an active mode, said method comprising:

a) powering on the vehicle'"'"'s ignition system, turning on said wireless communications device, and operating said communications accessory in said active mode, and thereafter powering off said ignition system while said wireless communications device is turned on and starting a first timer in response thereto; and

thereafter either;

i) turning off said wireless communications device in response to user action before said first timer expires, and in response thereto, disabling said first timer without expiration thereof and putting said communications accessory in said sleep mode;

or

ii) powering on said ignition system and disabling said first timer without expiration thereof in response thereto;

or

iii) in response to the expiration of said first timer, said communications accessory automatically instructing said wireless communications device to turn off;

b) thereafter, determining whether said wireless communications device was last turned off by user action;

c) thereafter, based on said determination;

i) automatically turning on said wireless communications device if the wireless communications device was last turned off automatically in response to the vehicle'"'"'s ignition being powering off, said automatically turning on including supplying a control signal to said wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications device to turn on; and

ii) leaving said wireless communications device in said turned off state if the wireless communications device was last turned off by user action.

8. A method of controlling the on/off status of a wireless communications device connected to a vehicle based on the current ignition status of the vehicle and the history of the wireless communications device when the vehicle'"'"'s ignition is powered on, comprising:

a) connecting said wireless communications device to a communications accessory, said communications accessory being connected to said vehicle and monitoring the ignition status of said vehicle;

b) turning on said wireless communications device;

c) thereafter, turning off said ignition and setting a first timer;

d) said communications accessory automatically instructing said wireless communications device to turn off in response to said timer expiring by supplying a control signal to said wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications device to turn off, said supplying a control signal comprising waiting a predetermined time period after said vehicle ignition system powers off and delaying generating said control signal for an additional amount of time if said wireless communications device is active when said predetermined time period elapses; and

e) thereafter, turning on said ignition, and in response thereto said communications accessory automatically instructing said wireless communications device to turn on unless the last turning off of said wireless communications device was by user action.

9. A method of determining whether an ignition sense line is installed correctly between a communications accessory and a vehicle, said vehicle having an ignition variably operable between an on state and an off state, comprising:

a) setting a status flag to a default indication that the ignition sense line is not installed;

b) thereafter, detecting a first signal via said ignition sense line, and, in response thereto, setting a status flag to indicate a proper installation of said ignition sense line and setting a timer to a first time period;

c) disabling said timer prior to expiration in response to the detection of a second signal via said ignition sense line; and

d) setting said status flag to indicate an improper installation of said ignition sense line in response to said timer expiring.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said first signal is indicative of said ignition entering said on state.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said second signal is indicative of said ignition entering said off state.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said communications accessory is a hands-free adapter.

13. An accessory connected to a vehicle ignition system for controlling the on/off state of a wireless communications device, said accessory comprising:

a) an ignition sense circuit for detecting the power state of said vehicle ignition system;

said ignition sense circuit including a first timer having an associated predetermined time period; and

b) a power control logic connected to said ignition sense circuit and said wireless communications device for controlling the on/off state of said wireless communications device, said power control logic being operative to;

i) automatically turn off said wireless communications device after the vehicle ignition system is powered off by supplying a control signal instructing said wireless communications device to turn off after waiting at least said predetermined time period after said vehicle ignition system powers off, wherein said power control logic delays generating said control signal beyond the end of said predetermined time period if said wireless communications device is active when said predetermined time period elapses;

ii) automatically turn on said wireless communications device after the vehicle ignition system is powered on, by supplying a control signal to said wireless communications device instructing said wireless communications device to turn on, when the wireless communications device was last turned off automatically;

iii) leave said wireless communications device turned off after the vehicle ignition system is powered on when the wireless communications device is last turned off by user action.

14. The accessory of claim 13 wherein said wireless communications device is a cellular telephone.

15. The accessory of claim 13 further including an ignition sense line connected to the vehicle ignition system and operative to indicate state changes of said vehicle ignition system, and wherein said ignition sense circuit monitors said ignition sense line.

16. The accessory of claim 13 further including a charge circuit in communication with and selectively enabled by said power control logic, said charge circuit selectively operable to charge said wireless communications device.

17. The accessory of claim 13 wherein said accessory is a hands-free adapter.