Method and apparatus for controlling electrical devices in response to sensed conditions

• US 6,804,726 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Geovector Corporation
• Inventors: Ellenby, Thomas William, Ellenby, Peter Malcolm, Ellenby, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Application Number:
  US09/628,081
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 710/8, 710/14, 710/15, 710/16, 710/18, 710/62
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25291 Set module, component to sleep if no event or no other module needs it
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system is disclosed that senses physical characteristics of an electronic device. The system controls the electronic device in response to the sensed physical characteristics. The system includes a control subsystem. The control subsystem includes a time trigger and an anticipation/latency reduction subsystem. The anticipation/latency reduction subsystem includes additional subsystems such as a time trigger, a position trigger and an attitude trigger. In an alternate embodiment, the anticipation/latency reduction subsystem also includes an activation interval trigger, a repetitive action trigger and a repetitive distance trigger. The various triggers can be implemented using processors that execute software. The system also includes sensing devices, such as a position sensing device and an attitude sensing device, to sense physical characteristics of the particular electronic device being controlled. The control subsystem receives signals from the sensing devices. Physical characteristic information obtained from these signals is provided to the various triggers. In response to this physical characteristic information, the various triggers process the physical characteristic information such that the system controls the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

sensing one or more physical characteristics of the device, the one or more physical characteristics including one or more of;

an attitude of the electronic device and a position of the electronic device;

supplying a control signal to the device, the control signal triggered by one or more pre-defined values of at least one of the one or more physical characteristics of the device;

switching the device from a first mode to a second mode in response to the control signal, the first mode being associated with a first level of power consumption of at least a portion of the electronic device, the second mode being associated with a second level of power consumption of at least the portion of the electronic device, wherein the first level of power consumption consumes more power when at least a portion of the electronic device is in an activated state than the second level of power consumption when at least a portion the electronic device is in a deactivated state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the electronic device is received from a position sensing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the electronic device is received from a satellite based positioning system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the electronic device is received from an inertial navigation system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attitude of the electronic device is received from an attitude sensing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the attitude of the electronic device is received from a magnetic flux sensing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the attitude of the electronic device is received from an inclinometer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attitude of the electronic device is received from a laser ring gyro.