Portable device and method for enabling the same

• US 9,836,112 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Tsung Yuan, Chang, Yung-Yen
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Paul J
• Application Number:
  US14/259,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

A portable device and a method for enabling the portable device are disclosed. The portable device comprises a power module, a processing module, a sensing module, and an enable control module. The power module is configured to provide electric power. The processing module is configured to run an operating system to drive the portable device when the processing module itself is enabled. The sensing module is configured to sense a gesture to generate a group of touch sensing signals, and to judge whether the group of touch sensing signals conform to a group of predefined signals so as to generate an operating system enabling signal. The enable control module is configured to temporarily enable the sensing module according to a switching signal, and to enable the processing module according to the operating system enabling signal.

Claims

1. A portable device, comprising:

a power module, configured to provide electric power;

a processing module, electrically coupled to the power module and configured to perform an operating system to drive the portable device when being enabled;

a sensing module, configured to sense a gesture to generate a set of touch sensing signals when being enabled, wherein it is determined that the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to a set of preset signals and the sensing module generates an operating system start-up signal when a difference between a first scaled track corresponding to the set of touch sensing signals and a second track corresponding to the set of preset signals is within a preset range;

based on a determination that the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is not within the preset range, determining whether an error count is less than a preset value, the error count indicating a number of times the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is within the preset range, and based on a determination that the error count is less than the preset value, adjusting a position and scale of the first scaled track; and

an enabling control module, electrically coupled to the sensing module, the power module, and the processing module, configured to set a first power path between the power module and the sensing module according to a switching signal to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module and to set a second power path between the power module and the processing module to conduct electricity to enable the processing module when receiving the operating system start-up signal;

wherein when the first power path is set to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module and the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals, the second power path is not set to conduct electricity.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the enabling control module comprises:

a button switching unit;

a first power switching unit, electrically coupled between the sensing module and the power module, controlled by a first enabling signal to set the first power path between the sensing module and the power module to conduct electricity;

a second power switching unit, electrically coupled between the processing module and the power module, controlled by a second enabling signal to set the second power path between the processing module and the power module to conduct electricity; and

an embedded control unit, electrically coupled to the button switching unit, the first power switching unit, the second power switching unit, the power module, and the sensing module, configured to generate the first enabling signal by determining whether the button switching unit is pressed and to generate the second enabling signal according to the operating system start-up signal.

3. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the enabling control module releases the sensing module from being enabled if the operating system start-up signal is not received by the enabling control module within a first time interval after the sensing module is enabled.

4. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing module sends a disabling signal when the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals, and the enabling control module releases the sensing module from being enabled according to the disabling signal.

5. The portable device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display module, electrically coupled to the processing module and the enabling control module, configured to display images when being enabled;

wherein the enabling control module temporarily set the second power path within a second time interval according to the switching signal to conduct electricity to enable the processing module and the display module within the second time interval, and the processing module controls the display module to display a prompt message within the second time interval.

6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the processing module comprises:

a basic input/output system (BIOS), configured to store the prompt message and a driving program corresponding to the display module; and

a central processing unit (CPU), electrically coupled to the BIOS, the power module, the enabling control module, and the display module, configured to be temporarily enabled within the second time interval to get the prompt message and the driving program from the BIOS to drive the display module to display the prompt message.

7. The portable device according to claim 6, wherein the prompt message comprises at least one unlocking portrait.

8. The portable device according to claim 7, wherein the sensing module further sends the set of touch sensing signals to the CPU, and the CPU drives the display module to display the set of touch sensing signals.

9. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the enabling control module determines whether the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to the set of preset signals with a heuristic algorithm.

10. A method for enabling a portable device, the method comprising:

generating a first enabling signal according to a switching signal to set a first power path between a power module and a sensing module to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module;

sensing a gesture by the sensing module to obtain a set of touch sensing signals corresponding to the gesture;

generating an operating system start-up signal by determining whether the set of touch sensing signals conforms to a set of preset signals; and

generating an operating system start-up signal by determining whether the set of touch sensing signals conforms to a set of preset signals, wherein it is determined that the set of touch sensing signals conforms to a set of preset signals when a difference between a first scaled track corresponding to the set of touch sensing signals and a second track corresponding to the set of preset signals is within a preset range;

based on a determination that the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is not within the preset range, determining whether an error count is less than a preset value, the error count indicating a number of times the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is within the preset range, and based on a determination that the error count is less than the preset value, adjusting a position and scale of the first scaled track; and

wherein when the first power path is set to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module and the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals, the second power path is not set to conduct electricity.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the operating system start-up signal is received within a first time interval after the first enabling signal is generated; and

adjusting the first enabling signal to release the sensing module from being enabled if the operating system start-up signal is not received within the first time interval.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising generating a disabling signal to adjust the first enabling signal to release the sensing module from being enabled if the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, within a second time interval, enabling a processing module to generating a prompt message and to drive a display module to display the prompt message.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the prompt message comprises at least one unlocking portrait.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising displaying the set of touch sensing signals by the display module.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein whether the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to the set of preset signals is determined with a heuristic algorithm.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising performing a preset signal setting procedure to set the set of preset signals, wherein the preset signal setting procedure comprises:

sensing a plurality of setting gestures with the sensing module;

determining whether the setting gestures are identical;

setting the set of preset signals according to a plurality of coordinates corresponding to one of the setting gestures when the setting gestures are identical; and

storing the set of preset signals in the sensing module.

18. A portable device, comprising:

a power module, configured to provide electric power;

a processing module, electrically coupled to the power module, configured to perform an operating system to drive the portable device when being enabled;

a sensing module, configured to sense a gesture to generate a set of touch sensing signals when being enabled; and

an enabling control module, electrically coupled to the sensing module, the power module, and the processing module, configured to;

set a first power path between the power module and the sensing module according to a switching signal to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module,

determine whether the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to a set of preset signals so as to correspondingly generate an operating system start-up signal;

based on a determination that the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is not within the preset range, determine whether an error count is less than a preset value, the error count indicating a number of times the difference between the first scaled track and the second track is within the preset range;

based on a determination that the error count is less than the preset value, adjust a position and scale of the first scaled track;

and set a second power path between the power module and the processing module according to the operating system start-up signal to conduct electricity to enable the processing module to perform the operating system,

wherein the operating system start-up signal is generated when a difference between a first scaled track corresponding to the set of touch sensing signals and a second track corresponding to the set of preset signals is within a preset range, and when the first power path is set to conduct electricity to enable the sensing module and the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals, the second power path is not set to conduct electricity.

19. The portable device according to claim 18, wherein the enabling control module comprises:

a button switching unit;

a first power switching unit, electrically coupled between the sensing module and the power module, controlled by a first enabling signal to set the first power path between the sensing module and the power module to conduct electricity;

a second power switching unit, electrically coupled between the processing module and the power module, controlled by a second enabling signal to set the second power path between the processing module and the power module to conduct electricity; and

an embedded control unit, electrically coupled to the button switching unit, the first power switching unit, the second power switching unit, the power module, and the sensing module, configured to generate the first enabling signal by determining whether the button switching unit is pressed, to determine whether the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to a set of preset signals so as to correspondingly generate the operating system start-up signal, and to generate the second enabling signal according to the operating system start-up signal.

20. The portable device according to claim 18, wherein the enabling control module releases the sensing module from being enabled if the operating system start-up signal is not received by the enabling control module within a first time interval after the sensing module is enabled.

21. The portable device according to claim 18, wherein the sensing module sends a disabling signal when the set of touch sensing signals does not correspond to the set of preset signals, and the enabling control module releases the sensing module from being enabled according to the disabling signal.

22. The portable device according to claim 18, further comprising:

a display module, electrically coupled to the processing module and the enabling control module, configured to display images when being enabled;

wherein the enabling control module temporarily set the second power path within a second time interval according to the switching signal to conduct electricity to enable the processing module and the display module within the second time interval, and the processing module controls the display module to display a prompt message within the second time interval.

23. The portable device according to claim 22, wherein the processing module comprises:

a basic input/output system (BIOS), configured to store the prompt message and a driving program corresponding to the display module; and

a central processing unit (CPU), electrically coupled to the BIOS, the power module, the enabling control module, and the display module, configured to be temporarily enabled within the second time interval to get the prompt message and the driving program from the BIOS to drive the display module to display the prompt message.

24. The portable device according to claim 23, wherein the prompt message comprises at least one unlocking portrait.

25. The portable device according to claim 24, wherein the sensing module further sends the set of touch sensing signals to the CPU, and the CPU drives the display module to display the set of touch sensing signals.

26. The portable device according to claim 18, wherein the enabling control module determines whether the set of touch sensing signals corresponds to the set of preset signals with a heuristic algorithm.