Controlling supply of power within an information processing apparatus based on measured physical quantity

• US 7,603,577 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Yoshihiro, Yamaji, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoynov; Stefan
• Application Number:
  US11/926,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 713/323, 713/300, 701/213
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/14 influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including detection units to detect physical quantities as targets for detection, and a control unit to measure a physical quantity based on a result of detection by a first detection unit and also to control a supply of power to a second detection unit in response to a result of measurement of the physical quantity. The second detection unit includes a first positioning unit to execute positioning outdoors, and a second positioning unit to execute positioning indoors. When it is determined from a dose of ultraviolet rays measured based on a result of detection by the first detection unit that the control unit is present outdoors, the control unit sets a higher priority to the first positioning unit as compared to the second positioning unit, and controls a supply of power so that positioning is executed only by the first positioning unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of detection units, each configured to detect a physical quantity as a target for detection; and

a control unit configured to measure the physical quantity based on a result of detection by one or more first detection units among the plurality of detection units and also configured to control a supply of power to a second detection unit in response to a result of measurement of the physical quantity, wherein

the second detection unit includes a first positioning unit configured to execute positioning outdoors, and a second positioning unit configured to execute positioning indoors, and

the control unit, when it is determined from a dose of ultraviolet rays measured based on a result of detection by the first detection unit that the control unit is present outdoors, is configured to set a higher priority to the first positioning unit as compared to the second positioning unit, and is configured to control a supply of power to the first and second positioning units so that positioning is executed only by the first positioning unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to measure, when the supply of power to the second detection unit is started, the physical quantity based on a result of detection by the second detection unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit is configured to consume less power than the second detection unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the supply of power to the second detection unit so that a positioning executed by the second detection unit is executed only when a distance obtained by multiplying a speed measured based on a result of detection by the first detection unit by a time cycle period of positioning by the second detection unit has a precision that is higher than a precision of a positioning by the second detection unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the control unit is configured to control the supply of power to the second detection unit so that positioning is executed by the first positioning unit when a change in humidity measured based on a result of detection by the first detection unit is over a predetermined threshold value.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store therein a period of time after measurement of a physical quantity by the control unit based on a result of detection by a third detection unit among the plurality of detection units is finished until measurement of the physical quantity is executed next as a standby period with the control unit being configured to shift to a standby state during the standby period,

wherein the control unit is configured to repeat a processing of starting a supply of power to the third detection unit and measuring the physical quantity based on a result of detection by the third detection unit, stopping the supply of power to the third detection unit after the measurement of the physical quantity is executed by the control unit, shifting the control unit to the standby state, and returning the control unit from the standby state after passage of the standby period to restart the processing.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store therein a period of time after a supply of power to a third detection unit among the plurality of detection units is started until a normal result of detection by the third detection unit is obtained as a standby period with the control unit being configured to shift to a standby state during the standby period,

wherein the control unit is further configured to start the supply of power to the third detection unit, shift to the standby state, return from the standby state after passage of the standby period, and measure the physical quantity based on a result of detection by the third detection unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store therein data indicating the physical quantity measured by the control unit,

wherein the control unit is configured to supply, when a predetermined volume of data indicating the physical quantity is stored by the storage unit, the predetermined volume of data indicating the physical quantity to another control unit, the another control unit being configured to execute a predetermined processing on the predetermined volume of data indicating the physical quantity.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, when it is determined from the dose of ultraviolet rays measured based on the result of detection by the first detection unit that the control unit is present outdoors, is configured to control the supply of power to the first and second positioning units so that positioning is executed only by the first positioning unit by stopping the supply of power to the second positioning unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first positioning unit is a global positioning system (GPS) module, and

the second positioning unit is a cellular phone module.

11. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of detection units, each configured to detect a physical quantity as a target for detection; and

a control unit configured to measure the physical quantity based on a result of detection by one or more first detection units among the plurality of detection units and also configured to control a supply of power to a second detection unit in response to a result of measurement of the physical quantity, wherein

the first detection unit includes a first sensor configured to detect illumination intensity and a second sensor configured to detect a dose of ultraviolet rays, and

the control unit is configured to control a supply of power to the second sensor so that detection of a dose of ultraviolet rays is executed by the second sensor when an illumination intensity over a predetermined threshold value is detected by the first sensor.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the second detection unit includes a first positioning unit configured to execute positioning outdoors, and a second positioning unit configured to execute positioning indoors, and

the control unit, when it is determined from a dose of ultraviolet rays measured based on a result of detection by the first detection unit that the control unit is present outdoors, is configured to set a higher priority to the first positioning unit as compared to the second positioning unit, and control a supply of power to the first and second positioning units so that positioning is executed only by the first positioning unit.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit, when it is determined from the dose of ultraviolet rays measured based on the result of detection by the first detection unit that the control unit is present outdoors, is configured to control the supply of power to the first and second positioning units so that positioning is executed only by the first positioning unit by stopping the supply of power to the second positioning unit.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the first positioning unit is a global positioning system (GPS) module, and

the second positioning unit is a cellular phone module.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to control the supply of power to the second sensor by stopping the supply of power to the second sensor until an illumination intensity over the predetermined threshold value is detected by the first sensor.

16. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus which includes a plurality of detection units, each configured to detect a physical quantity as a target for detection, a control unit configured to measure the physical quantity based on a result of detection by a first detection unit among the plurality of detection units and also configured to control a supply of power to each of the plurality of detection units, the first detection unit including a first sensor configured to detect illumination intensity and a second sensor configured to detect a dose of ultraviolet rays, and the second detection unit including a first positioning unit configured to execute positioning outdoors and a second positioning unit configured to execute positioning indoors, the method comprising:

measuring, with the control unit, an illumination intensity detected by the first sensor;

comparing the measured illumination intensity to a predetermined threshold value;

supplying power to the second sensor if the measured illumination intensity is above the predetermined threshold value, and measuring, with the control unit, a dose of ultraviolet rays detected by the second sensor.

17. The information processing method according to claim 16, further comprising:

determining, with the control unit, whether the information processing apparatus is located outdoors based on the measured dose of ultraviolet rays, the control unit determining the information processing apparatus as being located indoors if the illumination intensity is below the predetermined threshold value; and

detecting a position using the first positioning unit, if the control unit determines the information processing apparatus is located outdoors, and using the second positioning unit, if the control unit determines the information processing apparatus is located indoors.

18. The information processing method according to claim 17, further comprising:

controlling, with the control unit, a supplying of power to the first and second positioning units so that the detecting a position is performed only using the first positioning unit if the control unit determines the information processing apparatus is located outdoors.

19. The information processing method according to claim 17, wherein

the detecting a position using the first positioning unit comprises detecting with a global positioning system (GPS) module, and

the detecting a position using the second positioning unit comprises detecting with a cellular phone module.