Low energy short range communication function operation method and apparatus of mobile terminal

• US 9,351,257 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Heo, Changryong, Park, Kenhyung, Shin, Hyunseok, Kim, Hyunsoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/042,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/310, 455/334, 4553431-3435, 455/574
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The mobile terminal supporting low energy short range communication function includes a low energy short range communication unit; a switching unit configured to receive low energy communication data from the low energy short range communication unit and outputs the low energy communication data; a first processor configured to receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit; and a second processor configured to receive the low energy communication data received from the low energy short range communication unit via the switching unit, wherein the second processor is configured to receive operation state information from the first processor; and control, when the operation state information is received, the switching unit to relay the low energy communication data to one of the first and second processors based on the operation state information.

Claims

1. A terminal including:

a BLUETOOTH communication unit;

a main processor configured to operate in one of a sleep mode and an active mode, wherein the main processor is configured to consume less energy in the sleep mode than in the active mode; and

a sub processor configured to;

determine, if a utilization of the main processor is greater than a predetermined threshold, which processor is to be a data processing host based on communication data received from the BLUETOOTH communication unit;

transfer, when the data processing host is the main processor, the communication data to the main processor; and

process, when the data processing host is the sub processor, the communication data.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sub processor is configured to transfer, when one of:

the main processor in the sleep mode wakes up to the active mode, and the utilization of the main processor becomes equal to or less than the threshold, the communication data under processing to the main processor.

3. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising a switching unit configured to:

receive the communication data from the BLUETOOTH communication unit; and

relay the communication data to one of the main processor and the sub processor selectively.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the main processor is configured to operate in one of the sleep mode and the active mode and process, in the active mode, the communication data received through the switching unit.

5. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the BLUETOOTH communication unit is connected to the switching unit and is configured to include a first data port configured to communicate BLUETOOTH communication data with the main processor and a second data port for communicating the BLUETOOTH communication data with the sub processor.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the BLUETOOTH communication unit is configured to include, if operation information of the main processor is received from the main processor, a header information value indicating a data processing host in the communication data based on the operation information.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the main processor is configured to:

detect one of an event transitioning between the active and sleep modes of the main processor and an event transitioning between a state where the utilization of the main processor is greater than the threshold and a state where the utilization of the main processor is equal to or less than the threshold; and

send, when the one of the events is detected, an operation information of the main processor to the sub processor and the BLUETOOTH communication unit.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the main processor is configured to hand over, when the main processor transitions from the active mode to the sleep mode, a control right on the BLUETOOTH communication unit to the sub processor.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sub processor is configured to one of:

process the communication data received from one of the BLUETOOTH communication unit and the main processor if the main processor is the sleep mode;

receive operation information transmitted by the main processor; and

monitor an operation state of the main processor to acquire the operation information on the main processor.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sub processor is configured to:

analyze, when the communication data is received, a header information value of the communication data to determine a data processing host;

forward, when the data processing host is the main processor, the communication data to the main processor; and

process, when the data processing host is the sub processor, the communication data.

11. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensing unit connected to the sub processor and configured to collect sensor information related to a location of the terminal at a level; and

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver connected to the main processor and configured to collect GPS location information,

wherein the main processor is configured to;

calculate GPS location coordinates based on a satellite GPS signal from the GPS receiver;

transfer the calculated GPS location coordinates to the sub processor; and

deactivate the GPS receiver until an interrupt signal is generated by the sub processor; and

wherein the sub processor is configured to;

receive the GPS location coordinates from the main processor;

collect the sensor information related to the location from the sensing unit; and

calculate moved location coordinates of the terminal based on the GPS location coordinates and the sensor information.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the sub processor is configured to:

determine, when the moved location coordinates are in a tolerable error range, whether the communication data is received from the BLUETOOTH communication unit; and

compensate, when the communication data is received, the moved location coordinates to be in the tolerable error range based on the communication data.

13. A terminal comprising:

a BLUETOOTH communication unit;

a switching unit configured to;

receive communication data from the BLUETOOTH communication unit; and

output the communication data;

a main processor configured to receive the communication data received from the BLUETOOTH communication unit via the switching unit; and

a sub processor configured to;

receive the communication data received from the BLUETOOTH communication unit via the switching unit;

receive operation state information from the main processor, the operation state information including information regarding a sleep mode and an active mode of the main processor, wherein the main processor is configured to consume less energy in the sleep mode than in the active mode; and

control, when the operation state information is received, the switching unit to relay the communication data to one of the main processor and the sub processor based on the operation state information.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the BLUETOOTH communication unit and the sub processor are configured to one of:

receive the operation state information transmitted by the main processor; and

monitor operation state of the main processor to acquire the operation state information.

15. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the BLUETOOTH communication unit is configured to add a header information value indicating a data processing host to the communication data based on the operation state information and sends the communication data to the switching unit.

16. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the main processor is configured to:

determine, when the communication data is received, whether a utilization of the main processor is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold;

process, when the utilization of the main processor is equal to or less than the threshold, the communication data; and

transfer, when the utilization of the main processor is greater than the threshold, the communication data to the sub processor.

17. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the sub processor is configured to:

determine, when the communication data is received, a data processing host by analyzing a header information value of the communication data,

transfer, when the data processing host is the main processor, the communication data to the main processor, and

process, when the data processing host is the sub processor, the communication data.

18. A BLUETOOTH communication data processing method of a terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, at a sub processor, operation state information of a main processor from the main processor, the operation state information including information regarding a sleep mode and an active mode of the main processor, wherein the main processor consumes less energy in the sleep mode than in the active mode;

controlling, at the sub processor, a switching unit to relay communication data to one of the main processor and the sub processor based on the operation state information; and

processing, at the sub processor when the communication data is received via the switching unit, the communication data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein processing comprises:

determining a data processing host for processing the communication data;

generating, when the data processing host is the main processor, an interrupt signal for transitioning operation state of the main processor; and

forwarding, when the operation state of the main processor is transitioned, the communication data to the main processor.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

stopping, when one of the operation state of the main processor transitions from the sleep mode to the active mode, and when a utilization of the main processor changes from a state greater than a predetermined threshold to a state equal to or less than the threshold in the state that the sub processor is processing the communication data, processing the communication data; and

transferring the communication data to the main processor.