Sensing device and electronic apparatus

• US 8,903,678 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Chino, Taketo
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, MISCHITA L
• Application Number:
  US13/118,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20120022824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 702/141, 702/142, 702145-146
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

A sensing device with lower power consumption by controlling a rate for generating output data is to be provided. A sensing device includes: a sensor module including a group of sensors, at least one of which is set as a motion sensor; and a data generating unit that generates output data on the basis of outputs from the group of sensors. The data generating unit switches, on the basis of an output from the motion sensor, a rate for generating the output data.

Claims

1. A sensing device comprising:

a sensor module including a group of sensors, at least one of which is set as a motion sensor; and

a data generating unit that generates output data on the basis of outputs from the group of sensors, wherein

the data generating unit switches a rate for generating the output data based on an output from the motion sensor relative to a threshold T1 and a threshold T0 which is less than T1, wherein

the data generating unit sets the rate to a first rate when the output from the motion sensor is less than T0,

the data generating unit sets the rate to a second rate when the output from the motion sensor is greater than or equal to T0 and less than T1, and

the data generating unit sets the rate to a third rate when the output from the motion sensor is greater than or equal to T1.

2. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the data generating unit can switch the first rate and the second rate higher than the first rate, performs switching from the first rate to the second rate on the basis of a comparison result of a signal based on the output from the motion sensor and the threshold T1, and performs switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of the signal based on the output from the motion sensor and the threshold T0.

3. The sensing device according to claim 2, wherein the data generating unit performs the switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of the signal based on the output from the motion sensor and the threshold T1 in a given time.

4. The sensing device according to claim 3, wherein the data generating unit performs the switching from the second rate to the first rate on the basis of a comparison result of an average of signals based on outputs from the motion sensor in a given period and the threshold T1.

5. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein

the group of sensors includes two or more motion sensors, and

the data generating unit switches the rate for generating the output data based on the output of at least one of the motion sensors relative to the threshold T1 and the threshold T0.

6. The sensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a register unit including a status register that represents the rate, wherein

the data generating unit updates the status register when the rate changes.

7. The sensing device according to claim 6, wherein the data generating unit outputs an interrupt signal when the status register is updated.

8. The sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the data generating unit outputs a signal representing the rate for generating the output data.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising the sensing device according to claim 1.