Mobile device having a motion detector

• US 8,082,122 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: No, Hyung Moon, Tang, Zhikai
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US11/749,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 702/103, 702127-129, 702/131, 702/141, 702/160, 702/182, 702/183, 128/920, 600/300, 600/301, 600/485, 705/3
• US Class Current: 702/160
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for detecting motion by a mobile device is provided. The mobile device determines whether motion is detected by a motion detector. The motion detection is sampled at a first sampling rate when no motion is detected for a specified time. The motion detection is sampled at a second sampling rate when motion is detected, wherein the second sampling rate is more frequent than the first sampling rate.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device;

a user interface configured in the mobile device;

a motion detector configured in the mobile device; and

a pedometer application configured in the mobile device and configured to sample data from the motion detector at a first sampling rate when no motion is detected by the motion detector for a specified time and configured to sample data from the motion detector at a second sampling rate when motion is detected by the motion detector, wherein the second sampling rate is more frequent than the first sampling rate;

wherein the pedometer application is further configured to process data from the motion detector in at a first processing rate when a user requests pedometer data from the user interface, and process data from the motion detector at a second processing rate when the user is not requesting pedometer data from the user interface, the first processing rate being faster than the second processing rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising power consuming components in the mobile device that occasionally deactivate when the pedometer application is not sampling for motion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power consuming components comprise at least one of a processor and a main clock.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pedometer application in the mobile device is activate, based on at least one of a current user input and a stored pedometer status.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile telecommunication device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a mobile computer, a handheld gaming device, a wireless mobile device, a pager, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor to occasionally process data sampled from the motion detector.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second sampling rate is determined by a timer based on a sleep clock.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processed data includes data related to at least one of steps, miles, kilometers, calories.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising storing the processed data for a period of time that includes at least one of hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

10. A method for detecting motion, comprising:

determining whether motion is detected by a motion detector configured in a mobile device;

sampling data, using a pedometer application configured in the mobile device, from the motion detector at a first sampling rate when no motion is detected for a specified time;

sampling data, using the pedometer application, from the motion detector at a second sampling rate when motion is detected, wherein the second sampling rate is more frequent than the first sampling rate; and

processing data, using the pedometer application, from the motion detector at a first processing rate when a user requests pedometer data from a user interface and process data from the motion detector at a second processing rate when the user is not requesting pedometer data from the user interface, the first processing rate being faster than the second processing rate.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising occasionally deactivating specific power consuming components in the mobile device when motion data is not being sampled.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the specific power consuming components comprise at least one of a processor and a main clock.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing data sampled from the motion detector to update a user interface.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising occasionally processing data sampled from the motion detector.

15. An apparatus for detecting motion, comprising:

a mobile device;

a user interface configured in the mobile device;

a processor configured in the mobile device;

a motion detector configured in the mobile device and operable to detect motion; and

an application configured in the mobile device and having instructions that, when executed by the processor, promote sampling the motion detector at a first sampling rate when no motion is detected for a specified time and further promote sampling the motion detector at a second sampling rate when motion is detected, wherein the second sampling rate is more frequent than the first sampling rate;

wherein the pedometer application is further configured to process data from the motion detector in at a first processing rate when a user requests pedometer data from the user interface, and process data from the motion detector at a second processing rate when the user is not requesting pedometer data from the user interface, the first processing rate being faster than the second processing rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the application is further defined as a gaming application.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the mobile device comprises an antenna coupled to the processor and configured to convert wireless signals to electric signals and wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile telecommunication device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a mobile computer, a handheld gaming device, a wireless mobile device, a pager, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein sampling motion detector is further defined as sampling data output by the motion detector.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor occasionally processes data sampled from the motion detector absent user interaction with a user interface related to the application, when the user interacts with the user interface, processing the motion data to the user interface in substantially real time.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second sampling rate is determined by a timer based on a sleep clock.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device;

a user interface configured in the mobile device;

a motion detector configured in the mobile device; and

a pedometer application configured in the mobile device, the pedometer application configured to sample data from the motion detector to capture movement by a user of the mobile device by periodically sampling data from the motion detector;

wherein the pedometer application is further configured to process data from the motion detector at a first processing rate when a user requests pedometer data from the user interface, and process data from the motion detector at a second processing rate when the user is not requesting pedometer data from the user interface, the first processing rate being faster than the second processing rate.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a user interface configured in the mobile device, the user interface operable to provide data or voice information to or receive data or voice information from the user; and

a processor configured in the mobile device, the processor operable to control operation of the user interface, execute the pedometer application, and display information associated with the pedometer application on the user interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the mobile device is one of a mobile telecommunication device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a mobile computer, a handheld gaming device, a wireless mobile device, a pager, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.