Adaptive state control for short-range communication assemblies

Abstract

This invention provides a method for reducing the power consumption of a device and a computing device. [Solution] The method in a computing device includes the steps of: the controller of the computing device sets the antenna of a short-range wireless communication assembly to a first state; obtaining sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device; determining whether the sensor data satisfies criteria indicating that the object is a short-range communication device; and, if the sensor data satisfies the criteria, setting the antenna to a second state.

Description

Background Art

[0001]

[0001] Computing devices, such as mobile computers, may be provided with a near field communication (NFC) antenna, for example, to emulate a payment card and / or to implement point-of-sale information management functionality. However, the operation of the antenna may consume sufficient power to negatively impact device performance, for example, by reducing battery life.

Summary of the Invention

[0002]

[0002] The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, are incorporated herein and form a part of this specification, along with the following detailed description, and further illustrate embodiments of the concepts including the claimed invention, and serve to explain the various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003] [Figure 1]

[0003] A diagram of a computing device. [Figure 2]

[0004] A flowchart of a method for adaptive state control for a short-range communication assembly. [Figure 3]

[0005] A diagram illustrating an exemplary execution of blocks 210 and 215 of the method of FIG. 2. [Figure 4]

[0006] A diagram illustrating another exemplary execution of blocks 21 and 215 of the method of FIG. 2. [Figure 5]

[0007] A diagram illustrating another exemplary execution of blocks 210 and 215 of the method of FIG. 2.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0004]

[0008] Those skilled in the art will understand that the elements in the figures are shown for conciseness and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the figures may be exaggerated compared to others in order to help improve the understanding of embodiments of the invention.

[0005]

[0009] Components of the apparatus and methods are represented in the drawings by conventional symbols where appropriate, and only specific details relevant to understanding embodiments of the invention are shown so as not to obscure this disclosure with details that would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art who would benefit from the description herein.

[0006]

[0010] Examples disclosed herein relate to methods in computing devices, the methods comprising: setting the antenna of a short-range wireless communication assembly to a first state in a controller of the computing device; obtaining sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device in the controller; determining whether the sensor data satisfies a criterion indicating that the object is a short-range communication device in the controller; and setting the antenna to a second state if the sensor data satisfies the criterion.

[0007]

[0011] Further examples disclosed herein relate to a computing device comprising a short-range wireless communication assembly including an antenna, a sensor, and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to set the antenna to a first state, obtain sensor data from the sensor associated with an object adjacent to the computing device, determine whether the sensor data satisfies a criterion indicating that the object is a short-range communication device, and set the antenna to a second state if the sensor data satisfies the criterion.

[0008]

[0012] Further examples disclosed herein relate to methods in a computing device, the methods comprising: activating a rearward-facing antenna of a short-range wireless communication assembly; obtaining sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device in a controller of the computing device; determining in the controller whether the sensor data satisfies criteria indicating that the object is a short-range communication device; and, if the sensor data satisfies the criteria, deactivating the antenna.

[0009]

[0013] Figure 1 shows a computing device 100, such as a mobile computer or smartphone. Device 100 can be implemented in a variety of other form factors, including tablet computers, laptop computers, barcode scanners, and radio frequency identification (RFID) readers.

[0010]

[0014] Specific internal components of device 100 are shown in Figure 1. Device 100 includes a processor 104, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU), connected to a non-temporary computer-readable medium, such as memory 108. The processor 104 and memory 108 are implemented as one or more integrated circuits (ICs). Device 100 also includes a communication interface 112 that enables communication between device 100 and other computing devices via appropriate wired and / or wireless links, including any appropriate combination of local area networks, wide area networks, and peer-to-peer links.

[0011]

[0015] Device 100 further includes a display 116, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based display panel or other suitable panel. The display 116 is controllable by the processor 104 to present information, for example, for viewing by an operator of device 100. In some examples, device 100 may also include other output devices (e.g., devices configured to produce an output perceptible to an operator of device 100), such as a speaker or a motor for tactile output. Device 100 further includes one or more input devices, including a touch panel 120. In some examples, the touch panel 120 may include a capacitive panel integrated with the display 116. In other examples, other forms of touch panels, such as a resistive panel, may be used. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the touch panel 120 may include a sensor grid that monitors changes in capacitance between layers of panel 120 at each of several locations (e.g., tens of thousands of measurement points arranged in a grid on the display 116). Based on the magnitude and location of the capacitance changes reported by the grid, the processor 104 (or the controller integrated with the touch panel 120) can detect touch input.

[0012]

[0016] Device 100 may include other inputs, such as a camera 122, which includes a suitable image sensor and associated optical assembly (e.g., one or more lenses, a shutter, etc.) configured to capture an image, such as a color image. The camera 122 may be positioned on the front of Device 100, for example, on the same side as the display 116 of Device 100, so that the field of view of the camera 122 is directed towards an object on the same side as the display 116 of Device 100.

[0013]

[0017] Device 100 may also include further inputs, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124 having one or more accelerometers and / or gyroscopes, in some examples. The IMU 124 can generate data representing the physical motion of device 100, including, for example, the orientation of device 100 relative to the position shown in Figure 1. For example, the IMU 124 may be configured to periodically generate orientation data, including a roll angle around axis 125a, a pitch angle around axis 125b, and a yaw angle around axis 125c, indicating the current orientation of device 100 (for example, at a frequency of 30 Hz, but it will be understood that any of various other IMU update frequencies may be implemented).

[0014]

[0018] In some examples, device 100 may include further inputs, such as a magnetic proximity sensor (e.g., a Hall effect sensor, an inductive sensor, etc.) configured to generate a signal having a magnitude indicating the proximity of another conductive object to device 100.

[0015]

[0019] Device 100 also includes a short-range wireless communication assembly 126, such as a near-field communication (NFC) assembly. The short-range wireless communication assembly 126 is configured to facilitate short-range (for example, over a distance of less than approximately 10 cm) exchange of information between Device 100 and other devices such as a payment terminal, other mobile computer, or payment card. For example, Device 100 can emulate a payment card via assembly 126 to provide payment data to another computing device, such as a payment terminal. Device 100 can also collect payment data from a payment card or another device that emulates a payment card, for example.

[0016]

[0020] Assembly 126 includes a controller 128 and at least one antenna. In the example shown, assembly 126 includes a first antenna 132-1 and a second antenna 132-2, which are also collectively referred to as antenna 132 in this specification. A similar nomenclature may be used elsewhere below for reference numbers having a common stem (e.g., "132") and hyphenated subscripts (e.g., "-1" and "-2"). In some examples, device 100 may contain only one antenna 132. In further examples, device 100 may contain more than two antennas 132. In some examples, assembly 126 may include a switching circuit for selectively connecting one of the antennas 132 to the controller 128. Such a switch may be integrated with the controller 128 or implemented as a separate component between the controller 128 and the antenna 132.

[0017]

[0021] The controller 128 can be configured to transmit and receive data at a frequency of approximately 13.5 MHz via one of the selected antennas 132. The data received via antenna 132 can be provided by the controller 128 to the processor 104, and the data can be received by the controller 128 from the processor 104 for transmission via antenna 132. The controller 128 can be implemented as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like. In some examples, the controller 128 can be implemented by the processor 104 (for example, as a dedicated hardware portion of the processor 104, or in software). As will be apparent, the device 100 also includes various other components, such as an internal battery for powering the components shown in Figure 1.

[0018]

[0022] The components of device 100 can be supported by the housing 136. For example, as shown in section S1 (simplified for illustrative purposes), the housing 136 can support the display 116 and the touch panel 120 on one side of device 100 (e.g., the front of device 100). The interior of device 100, enclosed by the housing 136 and the display 116, can contain other components of device 100. For example, device 100 can include a mainboard 140, such as one printed circuit board (PCB) or multiple PCBs, which holds the processor 104, memory 108, and communication interface 112. In some examples, the board 140 can also hold a controller 128.

[0019]

[0023] Antenna 132-1 is positioned "behind" the display 116, for example, between the display 116 and the main board 140. Antenna 132-1 can be configured to radiate through the display 116 rather than away from the display 116 through the rear 144 of the housing 136. Thus, antenna 132-1 can be called forward-facing. As shown in section S1, the main radiating lobe 146-1 of antenna 132-1 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the plane of the display 116 through the display 116. The main radiating lobe 146-2 of antenna 132-2 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the rear 144 through the rear 144 of the housing 136. Thus, antenna 132-2 can be called backward-facing. The radiation patterns of antennas 132-1 and 132-2 can be oriented substantially in opposite directions, for example, at an angle of about 180 degrees. In other examples, antenna 132-2 may have a radiation pattern that is angled less than 180 degrees from the radiation pattern of antenna 132-1. For example, the radiation pattern of antenna 132-2 may be angled at least 45 degrees with respect to the radiation pattern of antenna 132-1. Antenna 132-2 may be positioned between the back surface 144 of the housing 136 and the main board 140 and configured to radiate through the back surface 144 rather than through the display 116. In other words, antennas 132-1 and 132-2 are configured to radiate in substantially opposite directions. Antenna 132-1 may be suitable for communication with other devices located near the display 116, while antenna 132-2 may be suitable for communication with other devices located near the back surface 144 of device 100.

[0020]

[0024] The controller 128 can be configured to perform a polling process to detect other devices and initiate communication with such other devices. For example, in an embodiment where assembly 126 is an NFC assembly, the controller 128 can be configured to repeat a polling cycle, for example, according to a specification established by the NFC Forum. The polling cycle can include transmitting a polling signal over a predetermined period of time, monitoring for any response to the polling signal, and subsequently monitoring for any polling signals from other devices. For example, assembly 126 can transmit a polling signal to detect and / or receive data from nearby devices or items that implement various NFC standards (e.g., NFC Type A, Type B, Type F, or 424 kbit / s FeliCa®, Type F, or 212 kbit / s FeliCa®).

[0021]

[0025] The transmission of the polling signal described above consumes power. In a device where assembly 126 is continuously active, repeated transmission of the polling signal may adversely affect the battery life of device 100. Furthermore, in a device with two or more antennas 132, performing the above polling cycle may lead to interference between the antennas 132 and / or increase the complexity involved in controlling the antennas to mitigate interference. Therefore, device 100 is configured to implement an adaptive state control process for antennas 132, as discussed below. The adaptive state control process allows assembly 126 to enable antenna 132-1 under certain conditions and to disable antenna 132-1 (or place antenna 132-1 in a low-power state) under other conditions. When antenna 132-1 is disabled or in a low-power state, assembly 126 does not transmit signals through antenna 132-1, and thus the power consumption of assembly 126 can be reduced.

[0022]

[0026] Memory 108 stores a plurality of applications executable by processor 104, and those applications include NFC control application 148. Execution of NFC control application 148 by processor 104 configures processor 104 to implement the adaptive state control functionality described above. In some examples, the functionality described below as being implemented via execution of application 148 can be implemented by controller 128 instead of by processor 104. For example, application 148 can be implemented in the firmware of controller 128. In further examples, the functionality discussed below can be shared between processor 104 and controller 128. For example, in that case processor 104 executes a particular part of the adaptive state control process and controller 128 executes the remainder. In other examples, the functionality of application 148 can be implemented in a separate hardware element, such as another ASIC or FPGA, separated from processor 104 and controller 128.

[0023]

[0027] Referring to FIG. 2, a method 200 of adaptive state control is shown. Method 200 is described below in connection with its execution in device 100, particularly via execution of application 148 by processor 104 (or, as described above, via execution of firmware or the like by controller 128).

[0024]

[0028] In block 205, device 100 is configured to set antenna 132-1 of assembly 126 to a first state. Block 205 can be executed when device 100 is powered on and / or when processor 104 receives an input (e.g., from an operator of device 100) to turn on assembly 126. The first state can be a low power state. For example, in the low power state, controller 128 disables power supply to antenna 132-1 and does not initiate the above-described polling cycle or other transmissions via antenna 132-1. In an embodiment including antenna 132-2, it is possible for antenna 132-2 to be enabled (e.g., placed in an active state) in block 205. The state applied to the first antenna 132-1, together with the state applied to the second antenna 132-2, can be referred to as an antenna configuration. In some examples, setting the first state can include activating the switches described above to connect antenna 132-2 to controller 128 and disconnect antenna 132-1 from controller 128. In other examples, the antenna configuration in block 205 can include enabling both antennas 132, for example, placing both antennas in a high power or active state.

[0025]

[0029] In block 210, the processor 104 and / or controller 128 are configured to obtain sensor data associated with one or more objects adjacent to the device 100. The sensor data obtained in block 210 may include, for example, data from the touch panel 120 showing capacitance changes for each of several locations on a grid defined by the touch panel 120. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, a change in capacitance for a given location on the touch panel 120 may indicate the presence of a nearby conductive object (e.g., one in contact with the display 116 or within a few centimeters of the display 116). The more conductive objects there are, and the shorter the distance between those objects and the display 116, the larger the change in capacitance measured on the touch panel 120 may be.

[0026]

[0030] The sensor data obtained in block 210 may include, for example, a set of capacitance measurements from the touch panel 120 in the form of a grid of magnitude values, each representing the magnitude of the change in capacitance detected at a specific location on the touch panel 120. The sensor data obtained in block 210 may also include various other sensor data from one or more of the following: for example, the camera 122, the IMU 124, and proximity sensors (e.g., magnetic proximity sensors). Exemplary uses of such further sensor data are discussed further below.

[0027]

[0031] In block 215, device 100 is configured to determine whether sensor data from block 210 satisfies criteria indicating that an object near the touch panel 120 is another computing device, a short-range communication device such as a payment card, etc. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, another short-range computing device, for example, having an NFC communication assembly, also includes one or more short-range antennas, which may be implemented as coils of wire and / or circuit traces. Thus, if the NFC antenna is close enough to the touch panel 120, the NFC antenna may be detectable by the touch panel 120. However, various other objects may also be detected by the touch panel 120 (or more generally, from the sensor data obtained in block 210). For example, the fingers of the operator of device 100, keys or other metal objects stored in a pocket or wallet near device 100 may be represented in the sensor data from the touch panel 120.

[0028]

[0032] Therefore, in block 215, device 100 attempts to distinguish between the absence of any objects, the presence of objects that are unlikely to be short-range communication devices, and sensor data indicating objects that are likely to be short-range communication devices. Device 100 can extract one or more attributes of the sensor data from block 210 and determine whether those extracted attributes meet one or more predetermined criteria. If the extracted attributes do not meet the criteria, the determination in block 215 is negative, and device 100 returns to block 210 to obtain further sensor data. The frequency with which block 210 is repeated may vary depending on the computing resources of the processor 104 and / or controller 128, as well as the input device (for example, the update frequency of the touch panel 120).

[0029]

[0033] If the extracted attributes meet the criteria, the determination in block 215 is positive, and device 100 proceeds to block 220. In block 220, device 100 is configured to set antenna 132-1 to a second state. The second state may include, for example, powering antenna 132-1 to initiate a polling cycle for communicating with the short-range communication device detected in block 215. In block 220, processor 104 and / or controller 128 may also set antenna 132-2 to an idle state, or otherwise interrupt the polling cycle on antenna 132-2. In other words, in block 220, device 100 may switch to an antenna configuration in which antenna 132-1 is active and antenna 132-2 is idle. In other examples, the second antenna configuration may include disabling or idling the second antenna 132-2 without changing the state of the first antenna 132-1 (for example, if antenna 132-1 was already active in the first antenna configuration from block 205).

[0030]

[0034] Referring to Figure 3, exemplary executions of blocks 210 and 215 are shown. For example, as shown in the upper portion of Figure 3, an operator 300 of device 100 can touch the display 116. Thus, the operator 300's index finger can be detected by the touch panel 120. The sensor data obtained in block 210 may include a grid of capacitance measurements according to a coordinate system 304, for example, including a region 308 corresponding to the location of the operator 300's index finger. An enlarged display of region 308 indicates the magnitude of the measured capacitance change, and accordingly, darker cells in the grid correspond to larger changes in capacitance due to, for example, a nearby, more conductive object, and / or an object physically closer to the touch panel 120. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the nature of the sensor data can vary widely and does not necessarily include a graphical display as shown in Figure 3. For example, the sensor data received from the input panel 120 may, in some examples, include an array of numbers.

[0031]

[0035] In block 215, device 100 can determine one or more attributes 312 from the sensor data, such as the size of a sequence of capacitance changes 316 that exceed a predetermined threshold. For example, in Figure 3, four of the darkest capacitance measurements may exceed the threshold, and device 100 can determine the physical area of ​​those measurements (e.g., 12 square millimeters). It will be understood that the area attribute can be replaced and / or supplemented by the number of measurements exceeding the threshold, one or more other dimensions of those measurements, etc. Device 100 can also determine other attributes, such as the center of the sequence of measurements described above, represented by coordinates in coordinate system 304.

[0032]

[0036] Device 100 can further determine whether attribute 312 satisfies one or more criteria in block 215. For example, device 100 can determine whether the center of set 316 is within a predetermined area 320 in coordinate system 304. For example, assuming that antenna 132-1 is located behind area 320 (as seen in Figure 1), an object detected outside area 320 may be less likely to be another short-range communication device. Device 100 can also determine, for example, whether the size of set 316 (or any other appropriate dimension) exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, a threshold in square millimeters selected to exclude objects such as fingertips). If set 316 is below that threshold, or if the center of set 316 is outside area 320, the determination in block 215 is negative.

[0033]

[0037] Figure 4 shows another exemplary execution of blocks 210 and 215. In Figure 4, a device such as a payment card 400 is shown being held near or tapped against the display 116. The card 400 includes an internally embedded antenna 404, a coil such as a circuit trace or wire. As the card 400 moves closer to the display 116, as shown in the lower portion of Figure 4, the processor 104 is able to obtain sensor data from the input panel 120, including capacitance measurements shown in the enlarged area 408, and to determine attributes 412 such as the coordinates of the center 414 of the capacitance measurements exceeding a threshold, and the size of those capacitance measurements (e.g., area, although other dimensions may also be determined as described above). In this example, the center 414 is within area 320, and the area determined in block 215 (e.g., 176 mm²) 2 The area exceeds the threshold. Therefore, the judgment is positive for block 215.

[0034]

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, after applying a second antenna configuration to set antenna 132-1 to a second state (e.g., enabled for polling) and antenna 132-2 to an idle or disabled state, in block 225, device 100 is configured to determine whether a communication session with another device has been completed. The communication session may include, for example, the exchange of payment information to complete a transaction. In other examples, the communication session may include the exchange of various other data. For example, device 100 may receive and / or transmit authentication data (e.g., device identifier, encryption key, etc.), item identification data (e.g., for reading an identifier from an RFID tag), etc., from other devices.

[0035]

[0039] If the determination in block 225 is positive, device 100 returns to block 205 and returns antenna 132-1 to the first state. If the determination in block 225 is negative, device 100 can determine in block 230 whether a timeout period has elapsed since the execution of block 220. In other words, device 100 can start a timer when antenna 132-1 is set to the second state. The timer can be based on the expected completion time for short-range communications such as tag reading or payment transactions. For example, the timeout period can be between 1 and 5 seconds (however, in other examples, shorter or longer periods can be implemented). Expiration of the timeout period before the communication is completed may indicate that the detection in block 215 was a false positive, for example, that the object represented in the sensor data from block 210 appeared likely to be a communication device but was not. A positive determination in block 230 allows device 100 to return to block 205, reducing the amount of time antenna 132-1 actively polls when it is unlikely that a viable target for polling is within range. If the determination in block 230 is negative, device 100 returns to block 225.

[0036]

[0040] In a further example, as previously described, device 100 may receive additional sensor data in block 210, such as one or more images from camera 122 captured substantially simultaneously with the data from touch panel 120. The sensor data may also include orientation data from IMU 124 and / or sensor data from proximity sensors, in addition to, or instead of, the touch panel data and / or images. Device 100 may be configured to determine attributes from each of the above types of sensor data and to compare those attributes to a corresponding criterion. For example, device 100 may determine the orientation of device 100 by comparing it to a predetermined range of roll, pitch, and yaw angles that are likely to indicate that device 100 is being held relative to another short-range communication device. In a further example, device 100 may detect an object in an image from camera 122, determine the size and / or shape of such an object, and compare it to a range of size and / or shape of a target.

[0037]

[0041] In a further example, referring to Figure 5, the sensor data obtained in block 210 are combined and provided to a classifier run by the processor 104 and / or controller 128 to determine whether the sensor data is likely to indicate a short-range communication device near the display 116. For example, as shown in Figure 5, device 100 can obtain attributes 312 from touch panel data, as well as an image 500 from camera 122 in the form of an array, such as pixels p11, p12, etc. Each pixel may contain numerical values ​​representing, for example, red, green, and blue channels (or another appropriate color space). Device 100 can also obtain orientation data 504 indicating, for example, roll, pitch, and yaw angles. In block 215, device 100 can be configured to run a classifier, such as a neural network, trained with labeled samples of sensor data obtained with a short-range communication device near device 100 and other labeled samples of sensor data obtained without a short-range communication device near device 100. For example, a classifier implemented as a component of application 148 can receive combined input data in the form of a vector 508 assembled from sensor data 412, 500, and 504, and can be configured to determine a classification 512 based on the sensor data (for example, "NFC" for something that looks like an NFC device, or "Other" for an object that appears unlikely to be another short-range communication device). The classification 512 can include a confidence value, for example, expressed as a percentage in this example. The determination in block 215 may be positive, for example, if the class corresponds to a short-range communication device and the confidence exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, 75%, although the threshold can take various other values).

[0038]

[0042] The aforementioned specification describes specific embodiments. However, it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the following claims. Accordingly, this specification and the figures should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of this teaching.

[0039]

[0043] No benefit, advantage, solution to a problem, or any element that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more prominent should be construed as an essential, required, or indispensable feature or element of any or all of the claims. The present invention is defined solely by the appended claims, including any amendments made during the pendency of this application, and all equivalents of those claims issued.

[0040]

[0044] Furthermore, in this document, terms indicating relationships such as first and second, upper and lower may be used only to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” “contains,” and “containing,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, thereby allowing a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, or contains a list of elements to include not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or specific to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “comprises a…”, “has a…”, “includes a…”, or “contains a…” does not preclude the presence of further identical elements in processes, methods, articles, or apparatus that comprise, have, include, or contain that element, unless further constraints apply. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or multiple, unless expressly stated herein otherwise. The terms “substantially”, “essentially”, “approximately”, “about”, or any other variation thereof are defined as “close to” as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, and in one non-limiting embodiment, this term is defined as being within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1%, and in another embodiment within 0.5%.As used herein, the term “combined” is defined as “connected,” but this does not necessarily mean direct or mechanical. A device or structure “configured” in a particular way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways not listed.

[0041]

[0045] In this specification, certain expressions may be used to list combinations of elements. Examples of such expressions include: “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” and “one or more of A, B, or C.” Unless otherwise specified, the above expressions encompass any combination of A and / or B and / or C.

[0042]

[0046] It will be understood that some embodiments may consist of one or more dedicated processors (or “processing devices”), such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors, and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and a set of unique stored program instructions (including both software and firmware) that control the one or more processors to perform some, most, or all of the functions of the methods and / or apparatus described herein in conjunction with specific non-processor circuits. Alternatively, some or all of the functions may be performed by a state machine that does not have stored program instructions, or in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in which some of the functions, or some combinations of some of those functions, are performed as custom logic. Of course, combinations of these two approaches may be used.

[0043]

[0047] Furthermore, embodiments can be implemented as computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable code for programming a computer (including, for example, a processor) to perform the methods described and claimed herein. Examples of such computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, ROMs (Read Only Memory), PROMs (Programmable Read Only Memory), EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and flash memory. Moreover, it is expected that a person of ordinary skill would be able to easily generate such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation, guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein, regardless of the considerable effort and numerous design choices that could be considered, motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations.

[0044]

[0048] This abstract of the disclosure is provided to enable readers to quickly confirm the nature of the technical disclosure. The abstract is presented with the understanding that it is not used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, it is possible to understand that in the aforementioned “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention,” various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of simplifying the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are explicitly listed in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the claims below, the inventive subject matter lies in fewer features than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims below are incorporated into the “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention,” with each claim standing independently as individually claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A method in a computing device, The controller of the computing device includes the step of setting the antenna of the short-range wireless communication assembly to a first state, The controller includes the steps of obtaining sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device, The controller includes the step of determining whether the sensor data satisfies the criteria indicating that the object is a short-range communication device, If the sensor data satisfies the criteria, the step of setting the antenna to a second state. A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of setting the antenna to the first state includes the step of setting the antenna to a low-power state.

3. If the sensor data meets the criteria, the second antenna of the computing device is disabled. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of setting the antenna to the second state includes the step of controlling the antenna to initiate a polling cycle for communicating with the short-range communication device.

5. The steps include determining that communication with the short-range communication device has been completed, The steps of setting the antenna to the first state and The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

6. The steps include determining that the timeout period has elapsed before the completion of the communication with the short-range communication device, The steps of setting the antenna to the first state and The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

7. The step of obtaining the aforementioned sensor data is, The step of determining the position and size of the object detected by the sensor. The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

8. The step of determining whether the sensor data corresponds to a short-range communication device is: A step to determine whether at least one of the position and size satisfies the criteria. The method according to claim 7, including the method described in claim 7.

9. The step of obtaining the aforementioned sensor data is, (i) A step of obtaining an image from the camera of the computing device, (ii) A step of obtaining the orientation of the computing device from the inertial measurement unit (IMU), (iii) Step to obtain proximity measurement value from magnetic sensor The method according to claim 7, further comprising at least one of the following.

10. The step of determining whether the sensor data corresponds to a short-range communication device is: The step of running a classifier based on the sensor data in order to generate a likelihood that the sensor data corresponds to the short-range communication device. The method according to claim 9, including the method described in claim 9.

11. A computing device, A short-range wireless communication assembly including an antenna, Sensors and, Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, Set the aforementioned antenna to the first state, From the aforementioned sensor, sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device is acquired. Determine whether the sensor data satisfies the criteria indicating that the object is a short-range communication device. If the sensor data satisfies the criteria, the antenna is set to the second state. A computing device configured in such a way.

12. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to set the antenna to the first state by setting the antenna to a low-power state.

13. The short-range wireless communication assembly further includes a second antenna, The computing device according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to disable the second antenna of the computing device when the sensor data meets the criteria.

14. The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to set the antenna to the second state by controlling the antenna to initiate a polling cycle for communicating with the short-range communication device.

15. The aforementioned processor further, It is determined that communication with the aforementioned short-range communication device has been completed. Set the antenna to the first state. The computing device according to claim 14, configured as described above.

16. The aforementioned processor further, If it is determined that the timeout period has elapsed before the completion of the communication with the short-range communication device, Set the antenna to the first state. The computing device according to claim 14, configured as described above.

17. The sensor includes a touch panel, The computing device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the sensor data by determining the position and size of an object detected by the touch panel.

18. The computing device according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the sensor data corresponds to a short-range communication device by determining whether at least one of the position and the size satisfies the criteria.

19. The aforementioned processor, (i) Obtaining an image from the camera of the computing device, (ii) Obtaining the orientation of the computing device from the inertial measurement unit (IMU), or (iii) Obtain proximity measurement values ​​from a magnetic sensor The computing device according to claim 17, configured to obtain the sensor data by at least one of the following.

20. The computing device according to claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the sensor data corresponds to a short-range communication device by causing a classifier to run on the sensor data to generate a likelihood that the sensor data corresponds to the short-range communication device.

21. A method in a computing device, Steps include activating the rear-facing antenna of a short-range wireless communication assembly, The controller of the computing device includes the steps of obtaining sensor data associated with an object adjacent to the computing device, The controller includes the step of determining whether the sensor data satisfies the criteria indicating that the object is a short-range communication device, If the sensor data satisfies the criteria, the step of disabling the antenna and A method that includes this.

22. If the sensor data meets the criteria, the step of activating the forward-facing antenna of the short-range wireless communication assembly. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the sensor data includes the position and size of an object detected by the touch panel of the computing device.

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