Buttonless display activation

• US 9,159,294 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Le Grand, Etienne, Sipe, Michael Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US14/230,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In one example, a method includes determining, by a first motion module of a computing device and based on first motion data measured by a first motion sensor at a first time, that the mobile computing device has moved, wherein a display operatively coupled to the computing device is deactivated at the first time; responsive to determining that the computing device has moved, activating a second motion module; determining, by the second motion module, second motion data measured by a second motion sensor, wherein determining the second motion data uses a greater quantity of power than determining the first motion data; determining a statistic of a group of statistics based on the second motion data; and responsive to determining that at least one of the group of statistics satisfies a threshold, activating the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a first motion module of a computing device and based on first motion data measured by a first motion sensor at a first time, that the computing device has moved, wherein a presence-sensitive display operatively coupled to the computing device is deactivated at the first time;

responsive to determining that the computing device has moved, activating a second, different, motion module;

determining, by the second motion module, second motion data measured by a second motion sensor, wherein determining the second motion data uses a greater quantity of power than determining the first motion data;

determining a first statistic of a group of statistics based at least on the second motion data;

determining, by a proximity module of the computing device, proximity data measured by one or more proximity sensors;

determining, by the second motion module, a second statistic of the group of statistics based at least on the proximity data; and

responsive to determining that at least one statistic of the group of statistics satisfies a threshold, activating the presence-sensitive display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining third motion data measured by the first motion sensor,

wherein determining the first statistic of the group of statistics comprises determining the first statistic of the group of statistics based on;

the third motion data; and

the second motion data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first statistic indicates whether or not the computing device moved from a first orientation to a second, different orientation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors comprises:

determining first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned near a first corner of the computing device; and

determining second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned near a second corner of the computing device, and wherein the second corner is different than the first corner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors comprises:

determining first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned on a first surface of the computing device; and

determining second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned on a second surface of the computing device, and wherein the second surface is different than the first surface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein activating the second motion module comprises:

sending, by the first processor and to the second processor, an interrupt; and

activating, based at least in part on the interrupt, the second sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining, based on the proximity data, that an object is greater than a threshold distance from the computing device, activating the second motion sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of user input detected at an input device that switches the computing device to a low power state in which the presence-sensitive display is deactivated;

responsive to receiving the indication of the user input that switches the computing device to the low power state, deactivating the presence-sensitive display; and

determining, by the first motion module of the computing device and based on fourth motion data measured by the first sensor, that the computing device has not moved for a defined time duration.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first motion module includes the first motion sensor and a first processor, wherein the second motion module includes a second processor,

wherein the computing device includes an application processor, and

wherein the first processor, the second processor, and the application processor are different, respective processors.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer and the second sensor is a gyroscope.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence-sensitive display comprises a plurality of emissive elements, and wherein activating the presence-sensitive display comprises at least one of:

activating fewer than all of the plurality of emissive elements; and

activating all of the plurality of emissive elements.

12. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a plurality of sensors;

a proximity module that determines proximity data measured by one or more proximity sensors; and

a first motion module that determines, based on first motion data measured by a first motion sensor of the plurality of sensors and at a first time, that the computing device has moved, wherein a presence-sensitive display is deactivated at the first time,

wherein the first motion module, responsive to determining that the computing device has moved, activates a second, different motion module,

wherein the second motion module determines second motion data measured by a second motion sensor of the plurality of sensors, wherein determining the second motion data uses a greater quantity of power than determining the first motion data,

wherein the second motion module determines a first statistic of a group of statistics based at least on the second motion data,

wherein the second motion module determines a second statistic of the group of statistics based at least on the proximity data, and

wherein at least one of the one or more processors, responsive to determining that at least one statistic of the group of statistics satisfies a threshold, activates the presence-sensitive display.

13. The computing device of claim 12,

wherein the first motion module determines third motion data measured by the first motion sensor,

wherein the second motion module determines the first statistic based on:

the third motion data; and

the second motion data.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first statistic indicates whether or not the computing device moved from a first orientation to a second, different orientation.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the proximity module determines the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors by at least:

determining first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned near a first corner of the computing device; and

determining second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned near a second corner of the computing device, and wherein the second corner is different than the first corner.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the proximity module determines the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors by at least:

determining first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned on a first surface of the computing device; and

determining second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned on a second surface of the computing device, and wherein the second surface is different than the first surface.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein responsive to determining, based on the proximity data, that an object is greater than a threshold distance from the computing device, the proximity module activates the second motion sensor.

18. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising:

a user interface module that receives an indication of user input detected by an input device that switches the computing device to a low power state in which the presence-sensitive display is deactivated,

wherein the user interface module, responsive to receiving the indication of the user input that switches the computing device to the low power state, deactivates the presence-sensitive display, and

wherein the first motion module determines, based on fourth motion data measured by the first sensor, that the computing device has not moved for a defined time duration.

19. The computing device of claim 12,

wherein the first motion module is executable by a first processor of the plurality of processors,

wherein the second motion module is executable by a second processor of the plurality of processors, and

wherein the plurality of processors includes an application processor, and wherein the first processor, the second processor, and the application processor are different, respective processors.

20. The computing device of claim 19,

wherein the first motion module activates the second motion module by at least:

sending, by the first processor and to the second processor, an interrupt,

wherein, responsive to receiving the interrupt, the second processor activates the second sensor.

21. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer and the second sensor is a gyroscope.

22. The computing device of claim 12,

wherein the presence-sensitive display comprises a plurality of emissive elements, and

wherein the second motion module activates the presence-sensitive display by either:

activating fewer than all of the plurality of emissive elements;

or

activating all of the plurality of emissive elements.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one of a plurality of processors of a computing device to:

determine, by a first motion module and based on first motion data measured by a first motion sensor and at a first time, that the computing device has moved, wherein a presence-sensitive display is deactivated at the first time;

responsive to determining that the computing device has moved, activate a second, different, motion module;

determine, by the second motion module, second motion data measured by a second motion sensor, wherein determining the second motion data uses a greater quantity of power than determining the first motion data;

determine, a first statistic of a group of statistics based at least on the second motion data;

determine, by a proximity module, proximity data measured by one or more proximity sensors;

determine, by the second motion module, a second statistic of the group of statistics based at least on the proximity data; and

responsive to determining that at least one statistic of the group of statistics satisfies a threshold, activate the presence-sensitive display.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one of the plurality of processors to:

determine third motion data measured by the first motion sensor,

wherein the instructions cause the at least one of the plurality of processors to determine the first statistic of the group of statistics based on;

the third motion data; and

the second motion data.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions that cause the at least one of the plurality of processors to determine the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors comprise instructions that cause the at least one of the plurality of processors to:

determine first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned near a first corner of the computing device; and

determine second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned near a second corner of the computing device, and wherein the second corner is different than the first corner.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions that cause the at least one of the plurality of processors to determine the proximity data measured by the one or more proximity sensors comprise instructions that cause the at least one of the plurality of processors to:

determine first proximity data measured by a first proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the first proximity sensor is positioned on a first surface of the computing device; and

determine second proximity data measured by a second proximity sensor of the one or more proximity sensors, wherein the second proximity sensor is positioned on a second surface of the computing device, and wherein the second surface is different than the first surface.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one of the plurality of processors to:

responsive to determining, based on the proximity data, that an object is greater than a threshold distance from the computing device, activate the second motion sensor.