Low power wakeup detection circuit and a portable electronic device having a low power wakeup detection circuit

• US 8,780,055 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Marchand, Rene Pierre, Holbein, Marc Edward, Bernard, Christopher Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US12/572,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20110080367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 345211-212, 345/204, 345173-181, 345/156, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• 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

The present disclosure provides a low power wakeup detection circuit and a portable electronic device having a low power wakeup detection circuit. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a portable electronic device, comprising: a housing; a controller received within the housing; a touch-sensitive display having a touch-sensitive overlay, the touch-sensitive display being mechanically constrained by the housing; at least one force sensing transducer located below the touch-sensitive display on an opposite side to the touch-sensitive overlay, the at least one force sensing transducer being connected to the controller and measuring forces applied to the touch-sensitive display; wherein the controller is configured for: initiating a sleep mode from a full power mode in response to a trigger; when in the sleep mode, reading force data measured by the at least one force sensing transducer at a reduced duty cycle relative to the full power mode, comparing the force data to a wakeup force threshold, and returning to the full power mode from the sleep mode when the force data is greater than the wakeup force threshold.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a controller received within the housing;

a touch-sensitive display having a touch-sensitive overlay, the touch-sensitive display being mechanically constrained by the housing;

a plurality of force sensing resistors located below the touch-sensitive display on an opposite side to the touch-sensitive overlay, the plurality of force sensing resistors being connected to the controller and measuring forces applied to the touch-sensitive display; and

a multi-port switch having a switch for each of the force sensing resistors, the multi-port switch being controlled by the controller, the multi-port switch summing force data measured by the plurality of force sensing resistors;

wherein the controller is configured for;

initiating a sleep mode of the electronic device from a full power mode of the electronic device, in response to a trigger;

when in the sleep mode,

reading a sum of the force data measured by the plurality of force sensing resistors at a reduced duty cycle relative to the full power mode,

comparing the sum of force data to a wakeup force threshold, and

returning to the full power mode from the sleep mode when the sum of force data is greater than the wakeup force threshold;

wherein, in the multi-port switch, a respective switch for each of the force sensing resistors is closed during an active portion of the sleep duty cycle in which force data is read, and wherein the respective switch for each of the force sensing resistors is open during the inactive portion in which force data is not read.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of force sensing resistors comprise four force sensing resistors, each force sensing resistor being located near a respective corner of the touch-sensitive display.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the duration of the reduced duty cycle is selected to match a duration for which force must be applied to the touch-sensitive display to return to the full power mode.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the reduced duty cycle is set so that the force sensing resistors are powered-on and read by the controller for approximately 1 millisecond every 100 milliseconds.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a processor connected to the controller and the touch-sensitive display, wherein the controller is further configured for:

returning the plurality of force sensing transducers to a full duty cycle when the force data is greater than the wakeup force threshold, and

returning to the full power mode from the sleep mode when the controller detects the force data is indicative of a screen press and signalling an interrupt to the processor to wake from the sleep mode.

6. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a controller received within the housing;

a touch-sensitive display having a touch-sensitive overlay, the touch-sensitive display being mechanically constrained by the housing;

a plurality of force sensing transducers located below the touch-sensitive display on an opposite side to the touch-sensitive overlay, the plurality of force sensing transducers being connected to the controller and measuring forces applied to the touch-sensitive display;

wherein the controller is configured for;

initiating a sleep mode of the electronic device from a full power mode of the electronic device, in response to a trigger;

when in the sleep mode,

reading force data measured by a particular group of force sensing transducers in the plurality of force sensing transducers, at a reduced duty cycle relative to the full power mode,

the particular group of force sensing transducers being selected based on an orientation of the portable electronic device,

comparing the force data to a wakeup force threshold, and

returning to the full power mode from the sleep mode when the force data is greater than the wakeup force threshold.

7. The device of claim 6, further comprising a processor connected to the controller and the touch-sensitive display, wherein the controller is further configured for:

returning the plurality of force sensing transducers to a full duty cycle when the force data is greater than the wakeup force threshold, and

returning to the full power mode from the sleep mode when the controller detects the force data is indicative of a screen press and signalling an interrupt to the processor to wake from the sleep mode.