Method, device and apparatus for adjusting the display rate of the device to reduce battery usage

Abstract

Procedure, comprehensive: Determining the distance of a device (102) from a vehicle (104) based on a signal; Determining a state of motion of the device (102); and Setting a display rate of the signal based on the distance and the state of movement, whereby the display rate is set to zero when the device (102) is moving at a speed above a threshold speed.

Description

AREA OF REVELATION

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to reducing battery usage, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, and device for adjusting a display rate of the device to reduce battery usage. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Smartphones and others via Bluetooth ® Enabled devices are used to communicate with vehicles. A smartphone can use a Bluetooth ® signal constantly transmitted to communicate with a vehicle or other devices, or a vehicle can have a Bluetooth ® signal is constantly transmitted while the phone is listening for and / or receiving signals. In both cases, the constant transmission and reception of a Bluetooth ® -signal can reduce the battery life of the smartphone and the vehicle.

[0003] DE 10 2014 109 878 A1 describes a method for determining a distance of a device from a vehicle based on a signal; determining a movement state of the device; and adjusting a display rate of the signal based on the distance and the movement state.

[0004] US 2014 / 0 292 481 A1 provides a system designed to carry out the method described above. SUMMARY

[0005] According to the invention, a method according to claim 1, a device according to claim 11 and a device according to claim 16 are shown. Advantageous developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0006] A method thus includes determining a distance of a device from a vehicle based on a signal, determining a motion state of the device, and adjusting a display rate of the signal based on the distance and the motion state.

[0007] A device includes a communication interface for transmitting signals to or from a vehicle, an accelerometer for determining a state of motion, and a processor for adjusting a display rate of the signal based on the distance to the vehicle and the state of motion.

[0008] A device includes a vehicle and a device for communicating with the vehicle, wherein the device is to adjust a communication rate based on a distance of the device relative to the vehicle and a motion state of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1-4 illustrate an environment in which the device, apparatus, and method described herein may be implemented. Fig. Figure 5 shows a block diagram illustrating a device that can be used within the environment of the Fig. 1-4 can be used. Fig. 6A-6B illustrate a method that may be implemented with the apparatus described herein.

[0009] The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawing(s) and the accompanying written description to refer to the same or similar parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The device, apparatus, and method described herein can be used to extend the battery life of a portable device (e.g., handheld devices, wearable devices, etc.) that wirelessly communicates with a vehicle, or the battery life of the vehicle. As described in more detail below, such devices (e.g., a key fob, a smartphone, etc.) can be carried by a person (e.g., a driver) associated with the vehicle and used to automatically invoke one or more operations of a vehicle by detecting a position of the device, and thus of the person wearing the device, relative to the vehicle. For example, using the examples described herein, when a person wearing the device approaches an opening of the vehicle, such as a car door, trunk lid, tailgate, hood, gas cap, etc., this opening, to which the person is sufficiently close, can be automatically unlocked and / or opened to facilitate the person's use of the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, other vehicle operations, such as starting the engine or switching on the vehicle's exterior or interior lights, can be initiated when the person is sufficiently close to the vehicle.

[0011] Reducing the intervals between or increasing the rate at which communication occurs between the portable device and the vehicle allows for more rapid automatic invocation of the vehicle process(es), such as those specified above. More rapid invocation of these processes increases convenience for the person using the vehicle. However, more frequent communication between the portable device and the vehicle is likely to consume an increased amount of power and thus likely reduce battery life.

[0012] To extend the operating time of the portable devices described herein, devices are operated to change a rate of transmission or reception of signals (i.e., transmission or display rate) from the portable device to the vehicle and vice versa based on the distance between the device and the vehicle. Enabling the portable device or the vehicle to change the display rate reduces the power consumption by a communication interface (e.g., Bluetooth). ®Low Energy) and thus reduces the use of energy from a device's battery. The display rate is changed based on the distance and a movement state of the device (e.g., moving, stationary). More specifically, the display rate can be increased as the device approaches the vehicle to improve the timeliness with which the operations to be invoked by the device are performed. In this way, energy consumption from the battery is only increased as the device approaches the vehicle, when more frequent communication is needed to improve the automatic invocation of the vehicle operation(s). Additionally, the display rate can be reduced or set to zero based on the movement state of the device.For example, if it is determined that the device is in a vehicle and the device is moving at a relatively high speed (the vehicle is traveling on a road), the display rate can be set to zero, since there is no possibility that the person driving the vehicle will request an automatic invocation of one of the aforementioned vehicle operations in a relatively short period of time. Additionally, if the portable device is in a car, bus, train, airplane, or other fast-moving vehicle, the portable device can stop transmitting or receiving even though it is moving, so it is clear that the user is not walking toward the target vehicle.

[0013] In the examples described herein, the vehicle periodically transmits signals to detect portable devices that may be within range of the signals. If no portable device is within range of the signals from the vehicle, the device does not receive or detect the signals and does not display anything. Upon receiving and detecting a signal from the vehicle, the device begins transmitting a response signal. The vehicle and / or device determines a distance between the device and the vehicle based on an analysis of the strength of the signal(s). When the device is within a first range (e.g., far away), the device displays at a first rate (e.g., a low rate) to allow the vehicle to detect a change in distance between the device and the vehicle.For example, a person wearing the device may be walking toward the vehicle. The vehicle may detect the change in distance between the vehicle and the device as the person walks toward the vehicle, and the device's display rate is adjusted accordingly (e.g., increasing as the distance decreases). When the device is far away and not moving, the device stops displaying. When the device is within a second range (e.g., a medium range), the device displays at a second rate (e.g., a medium rate). When the device is within a third range (e.g., near), the device displays at a third rate (e.g., a high rate) to detect a position of the device relative to the vehicle (e.g., a proximity of the device to a door or tailgate).The vehicle may determine that the device is adjacent to the driver's door and unlock the driver's door, allowing the user to easily open the driver's door and enter the vehicle. Alternatively, the vehicle may detect that the device is near a passenger door or the tailgate and unlock the passenger door or open the tailgate.

[0014] The vehicle can be based on the distance (e.g. a distance between a Bluetooth ®-Receiver of the vehicle and the device very briefly) determine that the device is in the vehicle. If the device is not moving, the display rate is set to a first rate. If the device is moving at a high speed (e.g., above a threshold speed), the device stops displaying to conserve battery life. The device may include a communications interface to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the vehicle, an accelerometer to determine whether the device is moving, and a processor to set a display rate of the signal based on the distance to the vehicle and the state of motion of the device.

[0015] Fig. 1-4 illustrate an example environment 100 in which an example device 102 may be implemented. The example device 102 may include a smartphone, a key fob, or other portable device capable of transmitting wireless signals (e.g., Bluetooth ® Low energy signals, Wi-Fi, ultra-high frequency (UHF) signals, etc.) that can be used to automatically invoke an operation of a vehicle 104. In some examples, the signals may be effective to cause the vehicle 104 to unlock a door, trunk lid, tailgate, or hood, turn on lights, and / or start an engine based on the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104. In Fig. 1, the exemplary environment 100 shows a person or user 106 (e.g., a driver) with a device 102, such as a smartphone. The person 106 is located a first distance 108, which is within a first range (e.g., far away), from the vehicle 104. The device 104 transmits signals periodically (i.e., at a rate or at spaced intervals) to detect any trusted devices 102 that may be within range of the vehicle 104. For example, trusted devices 102 have been connected to the vehicle 104 using a Bluetooth ® -Interface (e.g. a communication interface 502, 504 of the Fig. 5) and are capable of receiving signals from the vehicle 104. If the device 102 does not detect any signals from the vehicle 104, the device 102 is not within range of the vehicle 104 and is in a sleep state until a signal is received and detected. Upon detecting a signal, the device 102 awakens from the sleep state and transmits a response signal to the vehicle 104. Based on the signal strength, the vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 can determine a distance between the vehicle 104 and the person 106 wearing the device 102. The device 102 can begin displaying a signal to the vehicle 104 at a display rate (e.g., periodically or a certain number of times per second) based on the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104 (i.e., periodically transmit a signal).

[0016] In the illustrated example of Fig. 1, the vehicle 104 and the device 102 determine that the device 102, and thus the person 106, are within the first range 108, which may be the farthest range within which the device 102 and the vehicle 104 can exchange a signal. When the device 102 is within the first range 108, the display rate may also be based on whether the device 102 is moving or not (i.e., a moving state of the device 102). For example, if the device 102 is not moving, the device 102 may stop displaying. In such examples, if the device 102 is within the first range 108 (e.g., far away) and not moving, the device 102 may determine that the person 106 is not moving toward the vehicle 104.Additionally, when the device is within the first range 108, the vehicle 104 may determine that an operation of the vehicle 104 should not be invoked (e.g., that one or more doors 110 do not need to be unlocked). If the device 102 is moving, the device 102 may continue to display at a first rate while the device 102 is within the first range 108 because the person 102 will soon be near the vehicle 104 and one or more operations of the vehicle 104 may be automatically invoked in the near future.

[0017] In Fig. 2, the person 106 with the device 102 is located in the exemplary environment 100 at a second distance 202 that is within a second range (e.g., a medium range). In the illustrated example of Fig. 2, it may be that the person 106 has moved from the first range 108 to the second range 202, or that the device 102 worn by the person 106 was only detected at the second range 202. Upon detecting that the device 102 is within the second range 202, the device 102 displays at a second rate (e.g., a medium rate). The second rate is faster than the first rate at which the device 102 displays while in the far range 108.

[0018] Fig. 3 shows a person 106 with the device 102 at a third distance 302 that is within a third range (e.g., a close range) of the vehicle 104. Upon detecting that the device 102 has entered the third range 302, the device 102 displays at a third rate (e.g., a high rate). The third rate is faster than the first and second rates. Within the third range 302, the vehicle 104 may automatically invoke one or more actions to facilitate the use of the vehicle 104 by the person 106. For example, the vehicle may unlock one or more doors 110 or a trunk lid 304 of the vehicle 104 based on the position of the device 102. The position of the device 102 may be determined using multiple Bluetooth ®Low energy antennas located on the vehicle 104 and operative to receive a signal from the device 102. Analysis of the signals received by the antennas can determine the position of the device 102 relative to the doors 110 and the trunk lid 304 of the vehicle 104. The position can also be determined by other methods, such as angle of arrival or signal phase. The increased display rate improves the speed with which the position of the device 102 can be determined and allows one or more actions of the vehicle 104 to be invoked and performed more quickly for the person 106 (e.g., one or more of the doors 110 and / or the trunk lid 304 of the vehicle 104 can be unlocked once the person 106 is near the door(s) 110 or the trunk lid 304).

[0019] For example, based on determining the portion of the vehicle 104 to which the person 106 is closest, the vehicle 104 may unlock only one of the doors 110 (e.g., the door to which the person 106 is closest). When the person 106 is closest to the trunk lid 304, the vehicle 104 may automatically unlock or open the trunk lid 304. Unlocking only one door 110 or the trunk lid 304 allows the person 106 to enter the vehicle 104 or access a cargo area without concern about another person entering or otherwise gaining access to the vehicle 104. In some examples, the person 106 may be able to provide preferences regarding the vehicle operations to be performed (e.g., which and how many doors to open) when the device 102 is within the third range 302.For example, a person 106 who frequently travels with multiple people may instruct or configure the vehicle 104 to unlock all doors 110 when the device 102 is within the third range 302, rather than just the door 110 to which the device 102 is closest. In some examples, the vehicle 104 may automatically lock all doors 110 when the vehicle 104 detects that the device 102 has moved from the third range 302 to the second range 202 or the first range 108.

[0020] Fig. 4 shows the person 106 in the vehicle 104. In this illustrated example, the display rate of the device 102 when the device 102 is detected in the vehicle 104 may be based on the speed or movement of the vehicle 104 and / or whether an engine and / or other system of the vehicle 104 is operating. For example, if the vehicle 104 is stopped and the device 102 is inside the vehicle 104, the device 102 continues to display at a low rate to enable timely detection of the position of the device 102 as the device 102 moves out of the vehicle 104. When the vehicle 104 begins moving at a low speed (e.g., less than 10 mph), the device 102 continues to display at a low rate. When the speed of the vehicle 104 increases, the device 102 stops displaying. When the vehicle 104 is traveling at a high speed (e.g.more than 10 miles per hour), it is unlikely that the person 106 will move out of range of the vehicle 104 in a short period of time, and thus it is not necessary to determine the position of the device 102 frequently (i.e., frequently). Upon stopping the vehicle 104, the device 102 may resume displaying at a low rate. The device 102 displays at a low rate when the vehicle 104 is stopped and turned off. The vehicle 104 detects when the device 102 moves out of the vehicle 104, and the display rate of the device 102 is adjusted accordingly. Additionally, the device 102 does not display or receive signals when the device 102 is moving at a high speed and is not within range of the vehicle 104 (e.g.,the person 106 and the device 102 travel at a high speed using public transport, a second vehicle, etc.).

[0021] Fig. 5 shows a block diagram illustrating an example implementation of the device 102 and the vehicle 104 that may be used within the example environment 100. As in Fig. 5, the example vehicle 104 may be communicatively coupled to the example device 102. In some examples, the device 102 and the vehicle 104 communicate using Bluetooth ® Low Energy communication method. For example, a communication interface 502 of the vehicle 104 transmits Bluetooth ® Low Energy signals and can be a communication interface 504 of the device 102 Bluetooth ®Low energy signals are received. The exemplary communication interface 502 of the vehicle 104 includes multiple antennas arranged at various locations on the vehicle 104 to enable the vehicle 104 to determine a position of the device 102 based on an analysis of the strength of the signal captured by each antenna or other methods, such as angle of arrival or signal phase. In the illustrated example, the two communication interfaces 502, 504 are operative to receive Bluetooth ® -Transmit and receive signals. Alternatively, other communication means may be used that enable device 102 and vehicle 104 to communicate.

[0022] In the illustrated example in Fig. 5, the device 102 may additionally include an accelerometer 506 to monitor and detect movement (e.g., a speed or other state of motion) of the device 102. Additionally or alternatively, a GPS receiver 508 and / or a cellular transceiver to detect position and / or movement of the device 102 by referencing GPS satellites or cell towers on Earth. In some examples, the GPS receiver 508 may be used to determine the speed of the device 102 when the device is not within range of the vehicle 104. When the device 102 is within the vehicle 104, the speed of the device may be compared to the speed of the vehicle 104 using data obtained using the Bluetooth ®-Signals communicated via the communication interfaces 502, 504 are compared. The detected motion may be used by a processor 510 to determine whether the device 102 is stationary or moving (e.g., being carried by the person 106 while the person 106 is moving toward or away from the vehicle 104). The processor 510 is also operable to determine the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104 by analyzing the strength of the signals sent by the device 102 and received by the vehicle 104. The processor 510 may additionally be operable to control a display rate of the signals from the communication interface 504 of the device 102 based on the distance and / or the detected motion or motion state of the device 102. Controlling (e.g.,Reducing the display rate of the device 102 allows the communication interface 508 to use less power from a battery 512 when the device 102 is not within the third range 302 of the vehicle 104, thereby increasing the runtime of the battery 512.

[0023] In addition to the communication interface 502, the example vehicle 104 may include a speed sensor 514 to detect a speed of the vehicle 104 and / or whether the vehicle 104 is moving. Additionally or alternatively, a GPS receiver 516 may be operable to determine the speed and position of the vehicle 104. In some examples, the accelerometer 506 of the device 102 is operable to determine movement of the device 102 and thus of the vehicle 104. The device 102 may be operable to adjust a display rate of the device 102 based on whether the vehicle 104 is moving and / or the speed at which the vehicle 104 is currently traveling. A processor 518 of the vehicle 104 is operable to analyze the signals from the device 102 to determine a distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104.The processor 518 may also be operative to determine the status of an engine and / or battery 520 of the vehicle 104. The status of the engine or battery 520 of the vehicle 104 may also be a factor in determining a display rate of the device 102. Information determined by the processor 518 may be communicated to the device 102 via the communication interfaces 502, 504 of the vehicle 104 and the device 102. The processor 510 of the device 102 then adjusts the display rate of the device 102 based on the distance, speed, and a status of the engine or battery 520 of the vehicle 104 and the motion state of the device 102.

[0024] The Fig. 6A-6B illustrate an example method 600 that may be implemented with the example device 102 and the vehicle 104 described herein. In this example, the method 600 may be implemented using machine-readable instructions comprising a program for execution by a processor, such as processors 510 and 514, included in the example device 102 and the example vehicle 104 in Fig. 5. Although the exemplary program is described with reference to the Fig. Furthermore, many other methods for implementing the examples described herein may alternatively be used, as described in the flowchart illustrated in Figure 6. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed and / or some of the described blocks may be changed, omitted, or combined.

[0025] As mentioned above, the exemplary method can be Fig. 6 be implemented using encoded instructions (e.g., computer- and / or machine-readable instructions) stored on a tangible computer-readable storage medium, such as a hard disk drive, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), buffer memory, random access memory (RAM), and / or any other storage device or disk on which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended periods of time, permanently, for short periods of time, for temporarily buffering and / or caching the information). As used herein, the term "physical computer-readable storage medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or disk and excludes propagating signals and excludes transmission media.In this context, "tangible computer-readable storage medium" and "tangible machine-readable storage medium" are used synonymously. Additionally or alternatively, the exemplary processes from . Fig.6 may be implemented using encoded instructions (e.g., computer- and / or machine-readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer- and / or machine-readable medium, such as a hard disk drive, flash memory, read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, buffer memory, random access memory, and / or any other storage device or disk on which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended periods of time, permanently, for short periods of time, for temporarily buffering and / or caching the information). As used herein, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or disk and excludes propagating signals and excludes transmission media.

[0026] The method 600 begins when the vehicle 104 receives signals, such as Bluetooth ®Low energy signals are transmitted at a low rate to determine if any devices 102 are within range of the vehicle 104 (block 602). The device 102 receives and detects a signal from the vehicle 104 and begins transmitting signals (e.g., indications) to the vehicle 104 (block 604). The vehicle 104 and the device 102 are operative to determine a distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104 based on a signal strength (block 606). The vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 determines whether the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104 indicates that the device 102 is located within the vehicle 104 (block 608). If the device 102 is located in the vehicle 104, the vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 determines whether the vehicle 104 is moving or not (block 610).If the vehicle 104 is moving, the vehicle 104 determines a speed at which the vehicle 104 is currently traveling (block 612). If the vehicle 104 is traveling at a high speed (e.g., a speed above a predetermined threshold speed), the device 102 stops displaying (block 614). If the vehicle 104 is not moving, or the vehicle 104 is moving and traveling at a low speed (e.g., a speed below the predetermined threshold speed), the device 102 displays at a low rate (block 616).

[0027] If the device 102 is not within the vehicle 104 at block 608, the vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 determines whether the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104 indicates that the device 102 is within close range of the vehicle 104 (block 618). If the device 102 is within close range, the device 102 displays at a high rate (block 620). An operation of the vehicle 104 may then be automatically invoked, for example, to facilitate use of the vehicle 104 for the person 106 wearing the device 102 (block 622). In one example, the vehicle 104 may determine a door or other opening to which the device 102, and thus the person 106, is closest and may then provide access to the opening (e.g., unlocking a door, trunk lid, etc.).

[0028] If the device 102 is not within a near range at block 618, the vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 may determine whether the device is within a medium range of the vehicle 104 (block 624). If the device 102 is within a medium range of the vehicle 104, the device 102 displays at a medium rate (block 626). The medium display rate is a lower rate than the high rate and a higher rate than the low rate. If the device 102 is not within a medium range of the vehicle 104, the vehicle 104 and / or the device 102 determines whether the device 102 is within a far range of the vehicle 104 (block 628). When the device 102 is within a remote range of the vehicle 104, the vehicle 104 may determine whether the device 102 is moving (block 630).If the device 102 is moving, the device 102 displays at a low rate (block 632). If the device 102 is within the remote range but not moving, the device 102 stops displaying (block 634). If the device 102 is not within the remote range, the vehicle 104 may transmit a signal to determine if the device 102 has moved out of communication range with the vehicle 104 (block 636). If the device 102 is out of communication range of the vehicle 104, the device 102 stops displaying (block 638). If the device 102 is within communication range of the vehicle 104 but is no longer remote, the method 600 returns to block 606 to determine the distance between the device 102 and the vehicle 104.

[0029] Although specific methods, devices, and articles of manufacture have been disclosed herein, the scope of this patent is not limited to those methods. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, devices, and articles of manufacture that properly fall within the scope of the claims of this patent.

Claims

[1] Method comprising: Determining a distance of a device (102) from a vehicle (104) based on a signal; Determining a movement state of the device (102); and Setting a display rate of the signal based on the distance and the motion state, where the display rate is set to zero when the device (102) is moving at a speed above a threshold speed. [2] The method of claim 1, further including determining whether the device (102) is in the vehicle (104) based on the distance. [3] The method of claim 2, wherein the speed at which the device (102) is moving is determined using a global positioning system receiver (508) when the device (102) is outside the vehicle (104). [4] The method of claim 1, further including determining that the device (102) is outside the vehicle (104) based on the distance. [5] The method of claim 4, wherein the device (102) is within a first range (108) of the vehicle (104) and the display rate is set to a first rate. [6] The method of claim 5, wherein the device (102) is within a second range (202) of the vehicle (104) and the display rate is set to a second rate that is lower than the first rate. [7] The method of claim 6, wherein the device (102) is within a third range (302) of the vehicle (104) and the display rate is set to a third rate that is lower than the second rate. [8] The method of claim 4, further including determining an opening of the vehicle (104) to which the device (102) is closest. [9] The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically unlocking the opening. [10] The method of claim 4, wherein the display rate is set to zero when the device (102) is not moving. [11] Device (102) comprising: a communication interface (504) for transmitting signals to a vehicle (104); an accelerometer (506) for determining a state of motion; and a processor (510) for adjusting a display rate of the signal based on the distance to the vehicle (104) and the motion state, wherein the processor (510) sets the display rate to zero when the motion state is a speed above a threshold speed. [12] The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor (510) is operable to determine the distance to the vehicle (104) based on the signals. [13] The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor (510) sets the display rate to a first rate when the distance is within a first range (108). [14] The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor (510) sets the display rate to a second rate that is higher than the first rate when the distance is within a second range (202) that is closer to the vehicle (104) than the first range (108). [15] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor (510) sets the display rate to a third rate that is higher than the second rate when the distance is within a third range (302) that is closer to the vehicle (104) than the second range (202). [16] Facility comprising: a vehicle (104); and a device (102) for communicating with the vehicle (104), the device (102) being operable to set a communication rate based on a distance of the device (102) relative to the vehicle (104) and a movement state of the device (102), wherein the device (102) sets the display rate to zero when the motion state is a speed above a threshold speed. [17] The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the vehicle (104) transmits first signals and the device (102) transmits second signals to respond to the first signals, a rate of the second signals being based on the distance and the state of motion. [18] The device of claim 17, wherein the second signals are displayed at a first rate when the device (102) is in close proximity to the vehicle (104). [19] The device of claim 18, wherein the second signals are displayed at a second rate that is lower than the first rate when the device (102) is not in close proximity to the vehicle (104).

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