Wearable apparatus and controlling method thereof

• US 9,538,323 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Ming-Han, Chen, Chia-Wei, Chueh, Hsin-Ti
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US14/631,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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

A wearable apparatus, which includes a positioning module, a local wireless communication module and a processor module, is disclosed. The processor module is adapted to send a request command through the local wireless communication module to the electronic apparatus for inquiring second positioning information generated by the electronic apparatus. In response to the processor module receives a valid request response comprising the second positioning information from the electronic apparatus, the processor module is further adapted to locate the wearable apparatus according to the second positioning information. In response to the processor module receives an invalid request response from the electronic apparatus, the processor module is further adapted to activate the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locate the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

Claims

1. A wearable apparatus, comprising:

a positioning module, configured for selectively receiving first positioning information;

a local wireless communication module, capable of communicatively connected with an external electronic apparatus; and

a processor module, coupled to the positioning module and the local wireless communication module, the processor module being adapted to;

send a request command through the local wireless communication module to the external electronic apparatus for inquiring second positioning information generated by the external electronic apparatus;

in response to a valid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus and the valid request response comprises the second positioning information, locate the wearable apparatus according to the second positioning information; and

in response to an invalid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus, activate the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locate the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

2. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first battery module, coupled to the positioning module, the local wireless communication module and the processor module, wherein the first battery module has a first battery capacity, the first battery capacity is lower than a second battery capacity of the external electronic apparatus.

3. The wearable apparatus of claim 2, wherein the external electronic apparatus is a smartphone, a tablet computer or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), the second battery capacity is substantially 10 times to 30 times as much as the first battery capacity.

4. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positioning module comprises at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver unit, a GLONASS receiver unit, a Galileo receiver unit, a BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) receiver unit, and an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) receiver unit.

5. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the local wireless communication module comprises at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Zigbee transceiver, a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver, an infrared (IR) transceiver and a WiFi transceiver.

6. The wearable apparatus of claim 5, wherein a first power consumption of sending the request command, receiving the valid request response or receiving the invalid request response is lower than a second power consumption of activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information.

7. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor module receives the invalid request response when a positioning module of the external electronic apparatus is disabled, not available or failed to generate the second positioning information, when the external electronic apparatus rejects the request command, or when the external electronic apparatus is not equipped with any positioning module.

8. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor module further activates the positioning module to receive the first positioning information in response to no request response is received in an expiration period since the request command is sent.

9. A controlling method, suitable for a wearable apparatus, the wearable apparatus comprising a local wireless communication module and a positioning module for selectively receiving first positioning information, the controlling method comprising:

sending a request command through the local wireless communication module to an external electronic apparatus for inquiring second positioning information generated by the external electronic apparatus;

in response to a valid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus and the valid request response comprises the second positioning information, locating the wearable apparatus according to the second positioning information; and

in response to an invalid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus, activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locating the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

10. The controlling method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to no request response is received in an expiration period since the request command is sent, activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locating the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

11. The controlling method of claim 9, wherein the positioning module comprises at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver unit, a GLONASS receiver unit, a Galileo receiver unit, a BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) receiver unit, and an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) receiver unit.

12. The controlling method of claim 9, wherein the local wireless communication module comprises at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Zigbee transceiver, a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver, an infrared (IR) transceiver and a WiFi transceiver.

13. The controlling method of claim 12, wherein a first power consumption of sending the request command, receiving the valid request response or receiving the invalid request response is lower than a second power consumption of activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information.

14. The controlling method of claim 9, wherein the invalid request response is received when a positioning module of the external electronic apparatus is disabled, not available or failed to generate the second positioning information, when the external electronic apparatus rejects the request command, or when the external electronic apparatus is not equipped with any positioning module.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions to be executed by a processor module of a wearable apparatus for performing a controlling method, the wearable apparatus comprising a local wireless communication module and a positioning module for selectively receiving first positioning information, the controlling method comprising:

sending a request command through the local wireless communication module to an external electronic apparatus for inquiring second positioning information generated by the external electronic apparatus;

in response to a valid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus and the valid request response comprises the second positioning information, locating the wearable apparatus according to the second positioning information; and

in response to an invalid request response corresponding to the request command is received from the external electronic apparatus, activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locating the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the controlling method further comprises:

in response to no request response is received in an expiration period since the request command is sent, activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information, and locating the wearable apparatus according to the first positioning information.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the positioning module comprises at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver unit, a GLONASS receiver unit, a Galileo receiver unit, a BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) receiver unit, and an Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) receiver unit.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the local wireless communication module comprises at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a Zigbee transceiver, a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver, an infrared (IR) transceiver and a WiFi transceiver.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein a first power consumption of sending the request command, receiving the valid request response or receiving the invalid request response is lower than a second power consumption of activating the positioning module to receive the first positioning information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the invalid request response is received when a positioning module of the external electronic apparatus is disabled, not available or failed to generate the second positioning information, when the external electronic apparatus rejects the request command, or when the external electronic apparatus is not equipped with any positioning module.