Power management apparatus and methods for portable data terminals
First Claim
1. A portable data terminal comprising:
- a central controller that has a sleep state wherein at least some of the functionality of the central controller may be limited to conserve power;
a GPS system that outputs location data; and
an auxiliary processor that operates using less power than the central controller when said central controller is fully activated, wherein during a power saving mode of operation the central controller operates with at least some functionality limited while the auxiliary processor monitors the output of the GPS system and signals the central controller to deactivate said sleep state based on the output of the GPS system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with at least one embodiment, a portable data terminal generally comprising a battery: a central controller, a GPS system, and an auxiliary processor. The central controller that has a sleep state wherein at least some of the functionality of the central controller is limited to conserve battery power. The auxiliary processor may be selected based, at least in part, on power draw. In particular, it is desirable for the auxiliary processor to use less power than the central controller when the central controller is fully activated. The auxiliary processor monitors the output of the GPS system and wakes the central controller from a sleep state based on the output of the GPS system.
92 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A portable data terminal comprising:
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a central controller that has a sleep state wherein at least some of the functionality of the central controller may be limited to conserve power; a GPS system that outputs location data; and an auxiliary processor that operates using less power than the central controller when said central controller is fully activated, wherein during a power saving mode of operation the central controller operates with at least some functionality limited while the auxiliary processor monitors the output of the GPS system and signals the central controller to deactivate said sleep state based on the output of the GPS system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of controlling a portable data terminal, the method comprising:
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limiting the functionality of a central processing unit to reduce power consumption; calculating a time period during which functionality of a GPS system is limited to reduce power consumption; limiting the functionality of the GPS system during the calculated time period; monitoring the output of the GPS system to identify at least one predetermined state; and upon identification of a predetermined state restoring functionality to the central processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification