LOW POWER DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING INFORMATION

• US 20140068306A1
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HONG, Hyun-Su, PARK, Sung-Min, LEE, Jae-Myeon, OH, Ji-Heon, JUNG, Hyun-Ki
• Granted Patent: US 9,501,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• 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: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A low power detection apparatus and a method for displaying information are provided. When a low power manager drives a proximity detection sensor to generate a proximity interrupt in a state within which the portable terminal is in an idle state, the low power manager drives a motion detection sensor and determines a motion of the portable terminal for a preset time. When there is no motion of the portable terminal for the preset time, the low power manager generates proximity data for displaying screen information and then transmits the generated proximity data to an application processor so as to display screen information which the user desires with low power.

Claims

1. A low power detection apparatus for displaying information, the low power detection apparatus comprising:

a detection sensor that detects at least one of an approach to a portable terminal and a motion of the portable terminal; and

a low power manager that determines a motion of the portable terminal for a preset time when the approach to the portable terminal is detected by the detection sensor, and outputs data on the detected approach when there is no motion of the portable terminal for the preset time.

2. The low power detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection sensor comprises:

a proximity detection sensor configured to detect the approach to the portable terminal; and

a motion detection sensor configured to detect the motion of the portable terminal.

3. The low power detection apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an interrupt unit that generates an interrupt for the proximity detection sensor,

wherein the low power manager drives the proximity detection sensor when a state of the portable terminal is a sleep mode, and drives the motion detection sensor when the interrupt for the proximity detection sensor is generated through the interrupt unit.

4. The low power detection apparatus of claim 3, wherein the low power manager determines whether a positioning of the portable terminal is included in a preset determination condition by using the driven motion detection sensor, determines whether there is the motion of the portable terminal for the preset time when the positioning of the portable terminal is included in the preset determination condition, and stops the driving of the motion detection sensor when the positioning of the portable terminal is not included in the preset determination condition.

5. The low power detection apparatus of claim 4, wherein the preset determination condition is used to determine whether values of x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are larger than or equal to a preset threshold.

6. The low power detection apparatus of claim 5, wherein the low power manager determines there is the motion of the portable terminal for the preset time when the values of the x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are larger than or equal to the preset threshold, and stops the driving of the motion detection sensor when the values of the x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are smaller than the preset threshold.

7. The low power detection apparatus of claim 6, wherein the low power manager stops the driving of the motion detection sensor and then determines whether a next interrupt is generated when the motion of the portable terminal is detected for the preset time through the motion detection sensor, and outputs the data on the detected approach when the motion of the portable terminal is not detected for the preset time.

8. A detection method of displaying information in a low power detection apparatus, the detection method comprising:

determining whether an approach to a portable terminal is detected by a detection sensor configured to detect at least one of the approach to the portable terminal and a motion of the portable terminal;

determining the motion of the portable terminal for a preset time when the approach to the portable terminal is detected; and

outputting data on the detected approach when there is no motion of the portable terminal for the preset time.

9. The detection method of claim 8, wherein the detection sensor comprises:

a proximity detection sensor configured to detect the approach to the portable terminal; and

a motion detection sensor configured to the motion of the portable terminal.

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

driving the proximity detection sensor when a state of the portable terminal is a sleep mode; and

driving the motion detection sensor when an interrupt for the proximity detection sensor is generated.

11. The detection method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether a positioning of the portable terminal is included in a preset determination condition by using the driven motion detection sensor;

determining whether there is the motion of the portable terminal for the preset time when the positioning of the portable terminal is included in the preset determination condition; and

stopping the driving of the motion detection sensor when the positioning of the portable terminal is not included in the preset determination condition.

12. The detection method of claim 11, wherein the preset determination condition is used to determine whether values of x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are larger than or equal to a preset threshold.

13. The detection method of claim 12, wherein the determining whether the positioning of the portable terminal is included in the preset determination condition by using the driven motion detection sensor comprises:

determining whether there is the motion of the portable terminal for the preset time when the values of the x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are larger than or equal to the preset threshold; and

stopping the driving of the motion detection sensor when the values of the x, y, and z axes of the portable terminal are smaller than the preset threshold.

14. The detection method of claim 13, further comprising:

stopping the driving of the motion detection sensor;

determining whether a next interrupt is generated when the motion of the portable terminal is detected for the preset time through the motion detection sensor; and

outputting the data on the detected approach when the motion of the portable terminal is not detected for the preset time.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method of claim 8.

16. A portable terminal configured to display information, the terminal comprising:

a detection sensor comprising;

a proximity detection sensor configured to detect an approach of an object to the portable terminal; and

a motion detection sensor configured to detect a motion of the portable terminal; and

a low power manager configured to control operation of the detection sensor based on whether the proximity detection sensor detects an approach, and whether the motion detection sensor detects that the portable terminal is moved for time relative to a preset time threshold.

17. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the low power manager operatively stops driving the proximity detection sensor and the motion detection sensor if the low power manager determines that an approach is detected and the portable terminal is not subject to motion for a time greater than the preset time threshold.

18. The portable terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

an application processor,

wherein the low power manager generates proximity data for displaying screen information and then transmits the generated proximity data to the application processor if the low power manager determines that an approach is detected and the portable terminal is not subject to motion for a time greater than the preset time threshold.