Low power display

• US 8,185,762 B1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Spangler, Aaron, Wilson, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Dennis M
• Application Number:
  US12/128,592
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/70 Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A low power display device capable of receiving display information on a wireless network and powered by environmental power, without requiring a battery or a wired power connection, is described.

Claims

1. A low power display device comprising:

a power storage device;

an environmental power source connected to the power storage device through a switch and configured to pass energy to the power storage device;

a power control circuit connected to the power storage device and the switch and configured to selectively connect and disconnect the power storage device and the environmental power source, the power control circuit powered by the power storage device;

a processing device powered by the power storage device and configured to manage power consumption in the low power display device by;

selectively switching the low power display device between a wake mode of operation and a sleep mode of operation based on a time interval between wake modes;

causing a transceiver communicably coupled to the processing device to request display information during each wake mode of operation;

conditioning the low power display device to reduce power consumption during the sleep mode of operation relative to power consumption during the wake mode of operation;

receiving, from a remote device, a sleep period value specifying the time interval;

determining an amount of energy stored in the power storage device; and

adjusting the time interval based on the determined amount of energy stored in the power storage device;

the transceiver being configured to transmit a request for the display information and to receive the display information on a wireless network, the transceiver powered by the power storage device; and

a display device connected to the processing device and configured to display the display information, the display device powered by the power storage device.

2. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the power control circuit comprises a power supply connected to the power storage device and configured to output a regulated voltage, the regulated voltage being used to power the power control circuit, the processing device, the transceiver, and the display device.

3. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the display device has a bistable display that maintains a persistent rendered image of the display information without requiring additional power.

4. The low power display device of claim 3, wherein the display device is a cholesteric liquid crystal display comprising a first surface that displays the display information and a second surface opposite the first surface.

5. The low power display device of claim 4, further comprising a housing that supports the display device, wherein the environmental power source comprises a first solar panel positioned along a surface of the housing to receive light energy emitted by a light source external to the housing, wherein a second solar panel is positioned to face the second surface to receive light energy that passes from the first surface through the second surface, wherein the second solar panel is connected to the power storage device through a switch and configured to pass energy to the power storage device.

6. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to support IEEE 802.15.4 protocol connectivity.

7. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a microcontroller.

8. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the display information relates to calendar data of a calendar application running on a remote server.

9. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the display information relates to a particular type of data, the particular type of data based on a location of the low power display device or a user associated with the low power display device.

10. The low power display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a manual actuator configured to generate an actuation signal when actuated by a user, the actuation signal causing the processing device to awake the low power display device from the sleep mode and to cause the transceiver to retrieve display information.

11. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the environmental power source comprises:

a motor comprising a rotor, a stator, and an electrical conductor, the motor generating an electrical current on the electrical conductor in response to the rotor rotating, the electrical conductor being electrically coupled to the switch; and

a gear box comprising one or more gears, the gear box being configured to couple to a door or a door frame such that movement of the door relative to the door frame rotates the one or more gears, one of the one or more gears being coupled to the rotor to rotate the rotor in response to the one or more gears rotating.

12. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the environmental power source comprises a piezoelectric mat that generates an electrical current onto an electrical conductor coupled to the switch in response to a user stepping onto the piezoelectric mat.

13. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the environmental power sources collects energy from ambient radio frequency noise.

14. The low power display device of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a liquid crystal display comprising a first surface that displays the display information and a second surface opposite the first surface, and wherein the environmental power source comprises one or more solar panels each positioned to face the second surface to receive light energy passing through the first and second surfaces.

15. A meeting room scheduling system comprising:

a server that receives and maintains calendar data for a plurality of meeting rooms;

one or more base stations, each of the one or more base stations in communication with the server on a first network; and

one or more low power display devices powered by environmental power, each of the one or more low power display devices in communication with a respective base station on a second network, the second network being a wireless personal area network, each of the one or more low power display devices being disposed proximal to one of the plurality of meeting rooms to display calendar data for the one meeting room, each of the one or more low power display devices comprising;

a power storage device;

an environmental power source connected to the power storage device through a switch and configured to pass energy to the power storage device;

a power control circuit connected to the power storage device and the switch and configured to selectively connect and disconnect the power storage device and the environmental power source, the power control circuit powered by the power storage device;

a processing device powered by the power storage device and configured to manage power consumption in the low power display device by;

selectively switching the low power display device between a wake mode of operation and a sleep mode of operation based on a time interval between wake modes;

causing a transceiver communicably coupled to the processing device to request calendar data for the low power display device from the respective base station during each wake mode of operation;

conditioning the low power display device to reduce power consumption during the sleep mode of operation relative to power consumption during the wake mode of operation;

receiving, from the respective base station, a sleep period value specifying the time interval;

determining an amount of energy stored in the power storage device; and

adjusting the time interval based on the determined amount of energy stored in the power storage device;

a transceiver connected to the processing device and configured to transmit a request for the calendar data for the low power device to the respective base station and to receive the calendar data for the low power device from the respective base station, the transceiver powered by the power storage device; and

a display device connected to the processing device and configured to display the calendar data for the low power device, the display device powered by the power storage device.

16. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein the server is configured to coordinate a mapping of the one or more low power display devices to the one or more base stations.

17. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 16, wherein the mapping of a low power display device to a respective base station is based on radio signal strength of the low power display device.

18. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein the server is configured to collect status information from one or more base stations or one or more low power display devices.

19. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 18, wherein the status information includes remaining power of a low power display device or radio signal strength of a low power display device.

20. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein each base station is a universal serial bus peripheral device coupled to a computer.

21. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein each base station is a microcontroller-based hardware unit.

22. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein the calendar data for each low power device is retrieved using an application programming interface of a calendar application.

23. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 22, wherein the base station is configured to process the calendar data to generate instructions for rendering the calendar data as an image sized for a display of the respective low power display device.

24. The meeting room scheduling system of claim 15, wherein the wireless personal area network is based on an IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

25. A computer-implemented method for updating a schedule for a conference room comprising:

providing a low power display device in proximity to the conference room;

powering the low power display device based on local environmental conditions and to manage power consumption in the low power display device; and

managing display of schedule information for the conference room on the low power display device,

wherein powering the low power display device to manage power consumption in the low power display device comprises;

selectively switching the low power display device between a wake mode of operation and a sleep mode of operation based on a time interval between wake modes;

requesting schedule information for the conference room from a remote source during each wake mode of operation;

conditioning the low power display device to reduce power consumption during the sleep mode of operation relative to power consumption during the wake mode of operation;

receiving, from a remote device, a sleep period value specifying the time interval;

determining an amount of energy stored in a power storage device that provides power to the low power display; and

adjusting the time interval based on the determined amount of energy stored in the power storage device.