Changing power mode based on sensors in a device

• US 9,134,760 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US13/175,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-178, 345211-213, 178 1801- 1907
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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

An orientation of a device is detected based on a signal from at least one orientation sensor in the device. In response to the detected orientation, the device is placed in a full power mode.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one tilt sensor configured to generate tilt sensor signals indicative of at least a forward/back tilt angle of the device and a left/right tilt angle of the device;

a context information server configured to receive the tilt sensor signals and determine whether the device is in an upright portrait orientation, a landscape orientation, or a non-upright portrait orientation, based on the forward/back tilt angle and the left/right tilt angle; and

a processor configured to increase a power mode of the device in response to each of;

the left/right tilt angle being in a first specified range, the forward/back tilt angle being in a second specified range, and the device being in the upright portrait orientation rather than the landscape orientation or the non-upright portrait orientation.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a touch sensor configured to generate a touch signal the context information server is further configured to determine that a user is holding the device in response to the touch signal.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured to place the device in full power mode in response to an orientation that indicates it is likely that a user is looking at the device.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the specified range of the left/right tilt angle is between plus or minus 15 degrees and the second specified range of the forward/back tilt angle is greater than −

5 degrees.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to place the device in a full power mode in response to an orientation being maintained for more than a require time interval.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to place the device in a full power mode in response to determining that the user is holding the device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the power mode of the device is increased to a full power mode, and further comprising after the device is placed in the full power mode, the processor is configured to prevent the device from entering an idle mode if a proximity sensor indicates a user is gesturing toward the device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to increase the power mode of the device in response to determining that the user is holding the device and the device being in the upright portrait orientation.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the context information server comprises a component of the device.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the context information server is configured to receive sensor data packets.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the context information server is configured to receive a registration request from an application.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the context information server is configured to update a particular context attribute based on the tilt sensor signals.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the particular context attribute is based on a past state of the tilt sensor.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the particular context attribute is based on a predicted future state of the tilt sensor.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the registration request indicates that the application registers to receive the particular context attribute.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the context information server is configured to send a message to the application based on the updated context attribute.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to increase the power mode of the device to a full power mode.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to increase the power mode of the device from an idle mode to the full power mode.