Systems and methods for reducing boot time and power consumption in wearable display systems

• US 9,946,067 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2017
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Bamberger, Alex, Brook, Peter, Dahlquist, Nicolas, Hanover, Matthew, Patton, Russell Douglas, Rodriguez, II, Jonathan M
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trehan, Akshay
• Application Number:
  US15/620,260
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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

Systems and methods for communications with wearable devices having displays with low boot time are provided. In one example embodiment, a display command is received at a low-power processor, and the low-power processor boots a video processor. The video processor then boots a high-speed processor as part of managing display of content. In certain embodiments, a low-power wireless connection from a camera to a client device is established. Based on this connection, the low-power processor initiates boot-up of a high-speed processor and wireless communication circuitry, which is used to receive content for display on the wearable device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a low-power wireless connection between a wearable device and a client device;

receiving, at low-power wireless circuitry of the wearable device, a display communication comprising instructions to display content data including visual direction information indicating a path of direction and a turn on a display of the wearable device;

processing, by a low-power processor coupled to the low-power wireless circuitry, the display communication;

powering, in response to the processing of the display communication, a high-speed processor;

accessing, by the high-speed processor, the content data;

accessing, by the wearable device, location data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

determining, using the high-speed processor and the location data, that a physical location of a user is approaching the path of direction of the visual direction information;

displaying the visual direction information in response to the determining that the physical location of the user is approaching the path of direction;

determining, using the positioning system, whether the turn of the visual direction information displayed on the wearable device has been made;

determining, by the high-speed processor, a first period of time for display of the content data based on whether the turn of the visual direction information has been made;

powering on the display and displaying, using the display, the content data for the first period of time;

automatically turning off the display following display of the content data for the first period of time; and

automatically turning off the high-speed processor following display of the content data for the first period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the content data comprises retrieving the content data from a memory of the wearable device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the content data comprises:

establishing a high-speed wireless connection with the client device; and

receiving the content data from the client device via the high-speed wireless connection.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

communicating, from the low-power wireless circuitry of the wearable device to the client device, a high-speed power on query; and

receiving, at the low-power wireless circuitry, a response from the client device indicating that high-speed wireless circuitry should be powered on; and

powering on the high-speed wireless circuitry in response to the response from the client device;

wherein the high-speed processor is further booted in response to the response from the client device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein establishing the high-speed wireless connection further comprises:

failing to establish the high-speed wireless connection following receipt of the response from the client device; and

powering down the high-speed wireless circuitry and the high-speed processor following the failure to establish the high-speed wireless connection;

wherein the display communication is received via the low-power wireless circuitry following the failure to establish the high-speed wireless connection.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the content data comprises map information and visual direction information received via the high-speed wireless circuitry.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the map information and visual direction information is streamed to the wearable device from a server via the client device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the location data is received at the wearable device from the positioning system operating on the client device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first period of time is a predetermined number fixed by a device setting.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first period of time is determined by sensor data from the wearable device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, from the display communication, that the content data is stored locally in a memory of the wearable device;

wherein accessing the content data comprises accessing the content data from the memory of the wearable device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at an interface of a camera device during display of the content data, a user input;

interrupting display of the content data in response to receipt of the user input;

transmitting a user input signal from the interface to the low-power processor of the camera device; and

in response to the user input signal, automatically;

booting a video processor;

capturing, using the video processor, first camera data;

writing the first camera data to a memory;

shutting down the video processor after writing the first camera data to the memory; and

resuming display of the content data.

13. A device comprising:

a frame;

a display coupled to the frame;

a memory coupled to the frame;

low-power circuitry comprising a low-power processor and low-power wireless circuitry configured to receive a display communication;

a video processor coupled to the low-power processor, the video processor configured to, in response to a boot signal from the low-power circuitry initiated by the display communication;

access content data including visual direction information indicating a path of direction and a turn;

access location data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

determine, using the location data, that a physical location of a user is approaching the path of direction of the visual direction information;

display the visual direction information in response to the determining that the physical location of the user is approaching the path of direction;

determine, using the global positioning system (GPS) receiver, whether the turn of the visual direction information displayed on the wearable device has been made;

determine a first period of time for display of the content data based on whether the turn has been made;

power on the display and display the content data for the first period of time;

automatically turn off the display following output of the content data for the first period of time; and

automatically turn off the video processor following display of the content data for the first period of time.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

first optical assembly extending over at least a portion of a first optical element holder of the frame, wherein the first optical assembly comprises the display.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

16. The device of claim 14 further comprising:

one or more speakers coupled to the frame;

a second display; and

a second optical assembly coupled to the frame and extending over at least a portion of a second optical element holder of the frame, wherein the second optical assembly comprises the second display;

wherein the second display is operated by the video processor.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the video processor is connected to a read only memory via direct memory access (DMA), and is configured to, in response to the boot signal, read instructions from the read only memory via the direct memory access.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a wearable device, configures the wearable device for a set of operations comprising:

establishing a low-power wireless connection between the wearable device and a client device;

receiving, at low-power wireless circuitry of the wearable device, a display communication comprising instructions to display content data including visual direction information indicating a path of direction and a turn on a display of the wearable device;

processing, by a low-power processor coupled to the low-power wireless circuitry, the display communication;

powering, in response to the processing of the display communication, a high-speed processor;

accessing, by the high-speed processor, the content data;

accessing location data from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

determining, using the location data, that a physical location of a user is approaching the path of direction of the visual direction information;

displaying the visual direction information in response to the determining that the physical location of the user is approaching the path of direction;

determining, using the global positioning system (GPS) receiver, whether the turn of the visual direction information displayed on the wearable device has been made;

determining, by the high-speed processor, a first period of time for display of the content data based on whether the turn has been made;

powering on the display and displaying, using the display, the content data for the first period of time;

automatically turning off the display following display of the content data for the first period of time; and

automatically turning off the high-speed processor following display of the content data for the first period of time.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the low-power processor to:

periodically transmit a service set identifier (SSID) using low-power wireless circuitry integrated with the low-power processor;

receive, from a client device, a connection request in response to the SSID transmission;

establish a low-power wireless connection with a client device in response to the connection request; and

terminate periodic transmission of the SSID for a duration of the low-power wireless connection.