User behavior adaptive sensing scheme for efficient power consumption management

• US 8,949,639 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kamhi, Gila, Kuzma, Andrew, Turiel, Eli, Orbach, Nadav
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, VINCENT HUY
• Application Number:
  US13/538,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/323, 713/324
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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

A deactivated passive user interaction sensor may be activated or deactivated on demand based on an expected use of the sensor. The expected use may be ascertained by detecting a predetermined user interaction at another sensor that is already active. Once the predetermined user interaction is detected, the active sensor may be deactivated and the sensor that is expected to be used may be activated. Total sensor power consumption may be reduced by providing a predetermined sensor activation and deactivation sequence for at least three sensors in a computing system based on predetermined user interactions with an active sensor. Methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer readable media are provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a user interaction at a first passive user interface sensor of a computing system using a signal processing unit;

identifying the detected user interaction as one of a plurality of predetermined user interactions;

responsive to identifying the detected user interaction as a first of the plurality of predetermined user interactions, activating a second passive user interface sensor and deactivating the first sensor; and

responsive to identifying the detected user interaction as a second of the plurality of predetermined user interactions, activating a third passive user interface sensor and deactivating the first sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a third predetermined user interaction at the second sensor while the second sensor is activated; and

responsive to the identifying of the third predetermined user interaction at the second sensor, reactivating the first sensor and deactivating the second sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a fourth predetermined user interaction at the third sensor while the third sensor is activated; and

responsive to the identifying of the fourth predetermined user interaction at the third sensor, reactivating the first sensor and deactivating the third sensor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the method of claim 1 to an extent of:

identifying one of a plurality of predetermined user interactions at an activated one of the sensors; and

responsive to the identifying of the one of the predetermined user interactions, deactivating the activated sensor and activating another of the sensors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first sensor is a two dimensional sensor adapted to detect a movement in two dimensions;

the second sensor is a three dimensional sensor adapted to track a gesture in three dimensions; and

the third sensor is a proximity sensor adapted to detect an object presence.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first predetermined user interaction is a hand pose identified within a predetermined time; and

the second predetermined user interaction is at least one of a non-interaction and a non-hand pose interaction throughout the predetermined time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a sensor deactivation includes reducing a power consumption of a sensor and a sensor activation includes providing the sensor with sufficient operating power.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor deactivation includes turning the sensor off and the sensor activation includes turning the sensor on.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least three sensors include an audio sensor, a touch-sensitive sensor, and a light sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least three sensors include a near infrared sensor, a red green blue (RGB) color sensor, and a proximity sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising initially activating the first sensor responsive to an execution of an instruction calling for a use of the sensors.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising stored instructions that when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

detect a user interaction at a first passive user interface sensor of a computing system;

identify the detected user interaction as one of a first and a second predetermined user interaction;

responsive to identifying the detected user interaction as the first predetermined user interaction, activate a second passive user interface sensor and deactivate the first sensor; and

responsive to identifying the detected user interaction as the second predetermined user interaction, activate a third passive user interface sensor and deactivate the first sensor.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the sensors include a lowest power consuming proximity sensor, a higher power consuming two-dimensional object sensor, and a highest power consuming three-dimensional object sensor.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first sensor is a the higher power consuming two-dimensional object sensor adapted to track an object movement in two dimensions, the second sensor is the highest power consuming three-dimensional object sensor adapted to power track an object movement in three dimensions, and the third sensor is the lowest power consuming proximity sensor adapted to detect an object presence.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined user interaction is a predetermined object movement in two dimensions identified within a predetermined time and the second predetermined user interaction is not the first predetermined user interaction.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least three passive user interface sensors;

a signal processing unit coupled to a first sensor of the at least three passive user interface sensors to detect a user interaction at a first sensor of the at least three sensors and to identify the detected user interaction as one of a first and a second predetermined user interaction; and

a sensor activation unit to;

deactivate the first sensor and activate a second sensor of the detected user interaction as the at least three passive user interface sensors responsive to the identification of the first predetermined user interaction, and

deactivate the first sensor and activate a third sensor responsive to the identification of the detected user interaction as the second predetermined user interaction.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensor activation unit initially activates the first sensor in response to an execution of a computer program instruction calling for a use of at least one sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensor activation unit initially activates the first sensor in response to an execution of a computer program instruction calling for a use of the at least three sensors.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein responsive to an execution of a computer program instruction calling for an initial use of one of the at least sensors, the sensor activation designates the one sensor called for the initial use as the first sensor and activates the designated first sensor.

20. A computing system comprising:

at least three passive user interface sensors;

a memory storing a set of instructions to execute a computer program providing a use of the at least three passive user interface sensors;

a user interaction identification module to detect a user interaction at a first sensor of the at least three sensors and to identify the detected user interaction as one of a first and a second predetermined user interaction; and

a sensor activation module to deactivate the first sensor, activate a second of the at least three sensors responsive to a respective identification of the detected user interaction as the first predetermined user interaction at the user interaction identification module, and activate a third of the at least three sensors responsive to a respective identification of the detected user interaction as the second predetermined user interaction at the user interaction identification module; and

a processor for initially activating the first sensor, the user interaction identification module and the sensor activation module after executing the set of stored instructions providing the use of the at least three passive user interface sensors.

21. The computing system of claim 20, wherein the at least three sensors include a lowest power consuming proximity sensor, a higher power consuming a red green blue (RGB) color sensor, and a highest power consuming near infrared sensor.

22. The computing system of claim 21, wherein the first sensor is the higher power consuming red green blue (RGB) color sensor adapted to track an object movement in two dimensions, the second sensor is the highest power consuming near infrared sensor adapted to power track an object movement in three dimensions, and the third sensor is the lowest power consuming proximity sensor adapted to detect an object presence.