Self-powered devices and methods

• US 8,127,158 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invent.ly LLC
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Flood, Timothy P., Hallatt, Clive A., Jessup, Holden D., Meade, Daylyn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US12/472,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/292, 703/300, 703/320, 703/340, 703/11, 709/224, 600/300
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40039 Details regarding the setting of the power status of a node according to activity on the bus
• 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

The self-powered device is configured to be powered by energy collected from a surrounding environment. The self-powered device includes an energy collector, and a memory having instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation. The energy collector is configured to collect energy to power the self-powered device from a surrounding environment in which the self-powered device is located. The plurality of modes of operation include: (i) a low-power mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes less than a pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device uses less than its full capabilities, and (ii) and a high-power mode of operation in which self-powered device consumes more than the pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device uses its full capabilities. The instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of are configured to (a) select the low-power mode of operation when available energy becomes insufficient to fully power the self-powered device, and (b) select the high-power mode of operation when sufficient energy again becomes available to fully power the self-powered device.

Claims

1. A self-powered device, the device comprising:

an energy collector configured to collect energy to power the self-powered device from an environment surrounding the self-powered device;

a processor; and

a memory comprising;

instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation, wherein the plurality of modes of operation include;

(i) a low-power mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes less than a pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device has less than full functionality, and (ii) and a high-power mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes more than the pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device has more functionality than in the low-power mode wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation include instructions for conserving power by alternating between the low-power mode of operation and the high-power mode of operation.

2. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation are configured to:

(a) select the low-power mode of operation when available energy becomes insufficient to fully power the self-powered device, and (b) select the high-power mode of operation when energy greater than a threshold is available.

3. The self-powered device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein said functionality includes the functionality of the display.

4. The self-powered device of claim 3, wherein during low-power mode, the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes are configured to, in at least one of the modes, perform one of:

turn the display off, dim the display, operate the display at a reduced contrast, operate the display at a reduced refresh rate, and operate the display with different encoding/decoding parameters.

5. The self-powered device of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

display a subset of database information;

display meeting room information;

display examination room information in a hospital or doctor'"'"'s office;

display news, advertising, or market information;

display pricing or other product status information;

display room status information;

or display the average wait for customers on hold, the number of customers presently being served, or whether the wait time is increasing.

6. The self-powered device of claim 1, further comprising instructions to display scheduling information.

7. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation are further configured to reduce oscillatory transitions between the low-power mode of operation and the high-power mode of operation by taking into account a predetermined amount of hysteresis.

8. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to initiate a series of prioritized shutdowns of partial or entire subsystems of the self-powered device.

9. The self-powered device of claim 1, further comprising one or more physical-layer networking subsystems, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to selectively shut down some or all of the physical-layer networking subsystems.

10. The self-powered device of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to transition from the low-power mode of operation to the high-power mode of operation when the proximity sensor detects the presence of a user near the self-powered device.

11. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to transition between modes of operation at predetermined time slots.

12. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to allow the self-powered device to communicate with another device in a network only within a predetermined time slot.

13. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation is configured to transition to the low-power mode of operation based on at least one scheduled “

night”

period.

14. The self-powered device of claim 1, wherein the low-power mode of operation is a sleep mode.

15. A self-powered device configured to be powered by energy collected from a surrounding environment, the self-powered device comprising:

an energy collector configured to collect energy to power the self-powered device from a surrounding environment in which the self-powered device is located;

a processor; and

a memory comprising;

instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of operation, wherein the plurality of modes of operation include;

(i) a low-power mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes less than a pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device uses less than its full capabilities, and

(ii) and a high-power mode of operation in which self-powered device consumes more than the pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device uses its full capabilities,

wherein the instructions for selecting one of a plurality of modes of are configured to;

(a) select the low-power mode of operation when available energy becomes insufficient to fully power the self-powered device; and

(b) select the high-power mode of operation when energy greater than a threshold is available.

16. A method for managing power consumption of a self-powered device, the method comprising:

collecting energy to power a self-powered device from an environment surrounding the self-powered device;

selecting a low-power mode of operation available energy becomes insufficient to fully power the self-powered device, where the low-power mode of operation is a mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes less than a pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device has less than full functionality, when; and

selecting a high-power mode of operation when energy greater than a threshold is available, where the high-power mode of operation is a mode of operation in which the self-powered device consumes more than the pre-determined or adaptively-determined amount of power and the self-powered device has more functionality than in the low-power mode.

17. A method of claim 16, further comprising communicating with a remote computing device only during the high-power mode of operation.

18. A method of claim 16, wherein the selecting further comprises:

(a) selecting the low-power mode of operation when available power from a energy collector becomes insufficient to keep the self-powered device fully powered, and

(b) selecting the high-power mode of operation when energy greater than a threshold is available.