Lid Controller Hub Local Sensor Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laptops face challenges in efficiently processing sensor data from lid sensors such as microphones, cameras, and touchscreens, leading to increased power consumption, latency, and reduced user experience due to the need for data transmission across the hinge to the base for processing.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a lid controller hub that processes sensor data locally in the lid, including neural network accelerators, to enable features like Wake on Voice and Face, while reducing power consumption and latency by synchronizing touch sensor data with the display's refresh rate and operating in a trusted execution environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If sensor data is transmitted across the hinge to the base for processing, then the laptop can utilize centralized computing resources, but power consumption increases and latency is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the processing system into two segments: a lid controller hub for local sensor data processing and a base computing system for higher-level tasks. This segmentation allows critical sensor data to be processed locally without transmission delays, reducing both power consumption and latency while maintaining centralized processing for non-critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid controller hub acts as an intermediary between the lid sensors and the base computing system. It receives sensor data locally, performs preliminary processing, and only transmits processed results or selected data to the base, thereby reducing transmission power consumption and eliminating latency for time-critical operations.
2Ease of operation
If sensor data is transmitted across the hinge to the base for processing, then centralized processing can be utilized, but user experience deteriorates due to latency
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the processing architecture into lid-based and base-based processing units, the system delivers immediate local responses for user interactions while maintaining centralized processing capabilities, thereby improving user experience without sacrificing processing power.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid controller hub performs preliminary processing of sensor data locally before transmission to the base. This preliminary action ensures that time-critical processing is completed immediately, improving user experience while the base system handles less time-sensitive tasks.
3Shape
If wires are routed across the hinge to connect lid sensors to the base, then data transmission is enabled, but the laptop design becomes less aesthetically pleasing and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control functions by placing a controller hub in the lid, which locally manages sensor data. This eliminates the need for complex wire routing across the hinge, simplifying the mechanical structure and improving aesthetic design while maintaining full data transmission capabilities through simplified local processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The control functions are extracted from the base and placed into the lid controller hub. This extraction removes the need for extensive wiring across the hinge, reducing structural complexity and allowing for cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing laptop designs.
4Productivity
If a lid controller hub is implemented to process sensor data locally, then power consumption and latency are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid controller hub is designed as a multi-functional unit that handles multiple sensor types (cameras, microphones, touchscreens) and performs various processing tasks locally. This universal approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate components, improving processing efficiency while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the control functions for multiple lid sensors into a single lid controller hub. This consolidation improves productivity by enabling local processing of all sensor data while actually reducing device complexity compared to having separate controllers for each sensor type.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for interfacing with a universal serial bus (USB) camera by a controller hub are disclosed. In one embodiment, a controller hub includes a USB multiplexer, allowing the USB camera connected to the multiplexer to be controlled by a component of the controller hub or by a host controller of a host system. In another embodiment, a USB camera is connected to a controller hub, and the controller hub includes USB video class (UVC) function circuitry to send images from the USB camera to a host controller of a host system. The images can also be processed by a component of the controller hub.