Wireless signal receiving device with prompt wake-up function

• US 7,089,434 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Kuo, Chin-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/702,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20040266386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/343.1, 455/343.2, 713/300, 713/320, 713/323
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless signal receiving device with prompt wake-up function is disclosed for receiving serial data transmitted from computer peripherals. The device includes a RF signal receiving module, a bridge module and a USB module, which can operate in normal mode, first idle mode, second idle mode or search mode. When the device is in the first idle mode, it still receives serial data normally. When the device is in the second idle mode, the device can change to the search mode periodically to search whether there is new transmitted data. The main drawback of not being promptly waken up when the conventional wireless signal receiving device is in idle mode is improved through the disclosed device and the two idle modes.

Claims

1. A method for promptly waking up a wireless signal receiving device, which is used to receive serial data from computer peripherals in a normal mode, the serial data being carried by RF signal and converted to data package to be transmitted to a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) after a first idle counting period and the wireless signal receiving device does not receive any complete data package, switching to a first idle mode and starting counting of a second idle counting period;

(b) after the second idle counting period and the wireless signal receiving device does not receive any complete data package, switching to a second idle mode and starting counting of a monitor period;

(c) after the monitor period, switching to a search mode to search whether there is any new serial data, and restarting counting of a second idle counting period; and

(d) when being in the search mode and receiving complete data package, transmitting a wake up signal to make the wireless signal receiving device switch to the normal mode for delivering the complete data package to the computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step (c) if the device does not receive any complete data package, the device switches to the second idle period after the second idle counting period.

3. A wireless signal receiving device with prompt wake-up function for receiving serial data from computer peripherals, the serial data being carried in RF signals, the device having four operation modes which are normal mode, first idle mode, second idle mode, and search mode respectively, the device comprising:

a RF signal receiving module for receiving the RF signal carrying the serial data in the normal mode, the first idle mode and the search mode, turning off in the second idle mode, switching to the search mode after a monitor period, and turning off after a second idle counting period and receiving complete data package when being in the search mode;

a bridge module electrically coupled with the RF signal receiving module, for receiving the RF signal carrying the serial data in the normal mode, correcting the burst bits in the RF signal and converting the corrected serial data into data package, after a second idle counting period and does not receive complete data package, switching to the second idle mode and turning off the RF signal receiving module, after a monitor period, turning on the RF signal receiving module such that the RF signal receiving module switchs to the search mode, and after the second idle counting period, turning off the RF signal receiving module; and

a USB module electrically coupled with the bridge module and connected to a USB port of a the computer system through a USB data bus, for receiving the data package and transmitting the data package to the computer system when being in the normal mode, and switching to the first idle mode after a first idle counting period and does not receive new data package.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the RF signal receiving module further comprises an antenna for receiving the RF signal.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the bridge module is an IC.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the USB module is an IC.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the bridge module transmits a wake up signal to the USB module to wake up the USB module when receiving a complete data package in the first idle mode or the search mode.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein the USB module transmits a first idle signal to the bridge module to inform the bridge module of switch to the first idle mode upon entering to first idle mode.

9. The device of claim 3, wherein the USB module transmits a busy signal to the bridge module when handshaking with the computer system.

10. A method for promptly waking up a wireless signal receiving device, for receiving serial data from computer peripherals, the serial data being carried in RF signals, the device having four operation modes which are normal mode, first idle mode, second idle mode, and search mode respectively, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving the RF signals carrying the serial data when the device is in the normal mode, the first idle mode or the search mode;

(b) converting the serial data into data package;

(c) checking whether the data package is complete;

(d) checking the connection of the wireless signal receiving device and the computer system; and

(e) transmitting the complete data package to the computer system according to the connection status.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (a) further comprises the following steps:

correcting the burst bits in the RF signals carrying the serial data;

assuring whether each bit of the serial data is valid, and storing the valid bits in byte; and

checking whether valid bits in byte are valid, and storing the valid bytes in data package type.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein in the step (c) if the data package is complete, further comprises the following steps:

resetting counting of a first idle counting period;

checking the operation status of the wireless signal receiving device;

transmitting the complete data package to the computer system if the wireless signal receiving device is not in the first idle mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of checking the operation status, if the status is in the first idle mode, the step further comprises issuing a wake up signal thereby transmitting the data package to the computer system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein if the data package is not complete in the step (c), further comprises the following steps of:

checking whether the second idle counting period is over; and

when the second idle counting period is over, the wireless signal receiving device switching to the second idle mode and starting counting of the monitor period.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprises the step of entrance to the search mode when the counting of the monitor period is over.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein if the device needs not to handshaking with the computer system in the step (d), further comprises the steps of:

converting the complete data package into to HID format; and

transmitting the converted data package.