Power saving mode for remote controller

• US 8,164,467 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Yoshi, Shintani, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): EUSTAQUIO, CAL J
• Application Number:
  US12/200,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20100052925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 340/825.22
• US Class Current: 340/636.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23051 Remote control, enter program remote, detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25289 Energy saving, brown out, standby, sleep, powerdown modus for microcomputer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2615 Audio, video, tv, consumer electronics device

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus provide for enhanced power savings of a remote controller. Power savings are achieved by automatically entering a power saving mode of the remote controller, based upon user usage of the remote controller. A usage condition associated with use of the remote controller is detected; the usage condition has associated with it a predetermined period of time. Upon detection of the occurrence of the usage condition, the remote controller automatically enters a power saving mode from its normal operational mode after the predetermined period of time of the usage condition.

Claims

1. A method of achieving power saving of a remote controller based upon user usage of the remote controller, comprising:

dynamically defining a plurality of usage patterns associated with use of the remote controller with a corresponding plurality of predetermined periods of time;

detecting the occurrence of a usage condition associated with use of the remote controller by a user, wherein the usage condition comprises one of a plurality of usage conditions,

the remote controller automatically entering a power saving mode a predetermined period of time after detecting the occurrence of the usage condition to enable a power saving mechanism at a specific time as a function of the

specific usage pattern associated with the detected usage condition of a specific user, wherein the predetermined period of time is determined by the detected usage condition matching one of the dynamically defined usage patterns and selecting the corresponding predetermined period of time; and

the remote controller exiting from the power saving mode upon detecting an exit condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage condition comprises one or more of the user pressing a key of the user interface of the remote controller with the predetermined period of time determined by a function of the key pressed by the user, a last key press of the user interface made by the user of the remote controller with the predetermined period of time occurring after the last key press made by the user is detected, the user pressing a sequence of keys of the user interface of the remote controller, the user pressing at least one of one or more trigger keys of the user interface of the remote controller, the user waiting at least a predetermined elapsed time between pressing one or more keys of the user interface of the remote controller, a time of day the user uses the remote controller, and programming viewed by the user of the remote controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage condition comprises a programmed usage pattern associated with use of the remote controller and prior to detecting the occurrence of the usage condition further comprising:

defining a plurality of programmed usage patterns, with each programmed usage pattern having an associated programmed period of time after which the remote controller automatically enters the power saving mode following the occurrence of the programmed usage pattern; and

storing the plurality of programmed usage patterns in a storage element of the remote controller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein defining and storing the plurality of programmed usage patterns occurs prior to use of the remote controller by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage condition comprises a programmed usage pattern associated with use of the remote controller, further comprising:

a user pressing a key of a user interface of the remote controller associated with a programmed usage pattern of a plurality of programmed usage patterns of the remote controller, wherein the programmed usage pattern associated with the pressed key has a defined period of time after which the remote controller automatically enters the power saving mode following the occurrence of the programmed usage pattern; and

the remote controller automatically entering the power saving mode following the defined period of time after the user performs the programmed usage pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage condition comprises a customized usage pattern associated with use of the remote controller and prior to detecting the occurrence of the usage condition further comprising:

defining a plurality of customized usage patterns based upon usage of the remote controller by one or more users, with each customized usage pattern being dynamically defined based upon actual usage of the remote controller by one or more users and having an associated period of time after which the remote controller automatically enters the power saving mode following the occurrence of one or more of the customized usage patterns.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the plurality of customized usage patterns in a storage element of the remote controller.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the remote controller recognizing at least one customized usage pattern of the plurality of customized usage patterns from usage of the remote controller by a user and after a period of time defined by the recognized customized usage pattern, the remote controller automatically entering the power saving mode.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising a user of the remote controller defining one or more customized usage patterns of the plurality of customized usage patterns based upon usage of the remote controller by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the user mapping the one or more customized usage patterns based upon usage of the remote controller by the user to one or more corresponding function elements of the remote controller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the function element comprises one or more keys of the remote controller.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the exit condition comprises at least one of a press of a key of the remote controller and motion of the remote controller detected by a motion sensor of the remote controller.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein during the power saving mode, functionality of the remote controller is less than functionality of the remote controller when not in the power saving mode.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote controller supports a bi-directional communication during a normal operational mode and wherein during the power saving mode, the remote controller does not support the bi-directional communication.

15. A remote controller, comprising:

a user interface through which a user may remotely control operation of an electronic device;

a processor and control element that processes instructions received from the user via the user interface and generates control signals suitable to control the electronic device from the received instructions;

a receiver that receives signals from the electronic device and provides those received signals to the processor and control element; and

a transmitter that transmits the control signals to the electronic device as controlled by the processor and control element;

wherein in response to detecting a usage condition associated with use of the remote controller by one or more users, the processor and control element causes the remote controller to automatically enter a power saving mode a predetermined period of time determined by the detected usage condition matching one of a plurality of dynamically defined usage patterns each correlated to a corresponding selected predetermined period of time, and

wherein upon detection of an exit condition, the processor and control element causes the remote controller to exit from the power saving mode,

wherein the usage condition comprises one of a plurality of usage patterns each associated with one or more users of the remote controller and characterized in that the predetermined period of time of the usage condition is associated with the usage of the remote controller by the one or more users.

16. The controller of claim 15, wherein the usage condition of the remote controller is detected by interaction of the user with the user interface.

17. The controller of claim 16, wherein the usage condition comprises one or more of the user pressing a key of the user interface of the remote controller with the predetermined period of time determined by a function of the key pressed by the user, a last key press of the user interface made by the user of the remote controller with the predetermined period of time occurring after the last key press made by the user is detected, the user pressing a sequence of keys of the user interface of the remote controller, the user pressing at least one of one or more trigger keys of the user interface of the remote controller, the user waiting at least a predetermined elapsed time between pressing one or more keys of the user interface of the remote controller, and the time of day the user uses the remote controller.

18. The controller of claim 15, wherein the usage condition is satisfied by programming viewed by the user of the remote controller.

19. The controller of claim 15, wherein the usage condition comprises a programmed usage pattern of one or more programmed usage patterns stored in a storage element of the remote controller, with each programmed usage pattern having an associated programmed period of time after which the remote controller automatically enters the power saving mode following the occurrence of the programmed usage pattern.

20. The controller of claim 15, wherein the usage condition comprises a programmed usage pattern of one or more programmed usage patterns having a defined period of time, with each programmed usage pattern is associated with a corresponding element of the user interface of the remote controller, and wherein upon the user activating the corresponding element of the user interface and the occurrence of the programmed usage pattern, the processor and control element causes the remote controller to automatically enter the power saving mode.

21. The controller of claim 15, wherein the usage condition comprises a customized usage pattern of a plurality of customized usage patterns dynamically defined by the processor and control element based upon actual usage of the remote controller by one or more users and having an associated period of time after which the processor and control element causes the remote controller to automatically enter the power saving mode following the occurrence of the customized usage pattern.

22. The controller of claim 21, wherein the remote controller further comprises a storage element and the plurality of customized usage patterns are stored in the storage element.

23. The controller of claim 21, wherein the processor and control element recognizes the customized usage pattern from usage of the user interface of the remote controller by the user and causes the remote controller to automatically enter the power saving mode a period of time associated with the recognized customized usage pattern.

24. The controller of claim 21, wherein the user defines the plurality of customized usage patterns based upon usage of the remote controller by the user.

25. The controller of claim 24, wherein the user interacts with the user interface to map one or more of the plurality of customized usage patterns to one or more corresponding function elements of the remote controller.

26. The controller of claim 25, wherein the one or more corresponding function elements are one or more keys of the user interface.

27. The controller of claim 15, wherein the exit condition comprises at least one of a press of a key of the user interface by the user and motion of the remote controller detected by a motion sensor, with the motion sensor being in cooperative arrangement with the processor and control element.

28. The controller of claim 15, wherein during the power saving mode, the processor and control element causes functionality of the remote controller to be less than when not in the power saving mode.

29. The controller of claim 28, wherein the remote controller supports bi-directional communication during a normal operational mode and wherein during the power saving mode, the processor and control element causes the remote controller to not support bi-directional communication.