Power management using a low-power radar
Techniques and apparatuses are described that enable power management using a low-power radar. The described techniques enable a radar system to reduce overall power consumption, thereby facilitating incorporation and utilization of the radar system within power-limited devices. In one aspect, the radar system can replace other power-hungry sensors and provide improved performance in the presence of different environmental conditions, such as low lighting, motion, or overlapping targets. In another aspect, the radar system can cause other components within the electronic device to switch to an off-state based on detected activity in an external environment. By actively switching the components between an on-state or the off-state, the radar system enables the computing device to respond to changes in the external environment without the use of an automatic shut-off timer or a physical touch or verbal command from a user.
1. An apparatus comprising:
multiple components respectively configured to selectively operate according to an on-state or an off-state, the off-state consuming less power than the on-state; and
a radar system configured to:
transmit and receive radar signals;
process the received radar signals to detect a user within an external environment;
monitor, based on the received radar signals, a distance between the radar system and the user; and
responsive to the distance between the radar system and the user changing, adjust power consumption of the apparatus by switching states of one or more components of the multiple components between the on-state and the off-state, the multiple components being external to the radar system.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple components include a camera, the camera configured to capture an image of a portion of the external environment during the on-state; and
the radar system is configured to adjust the power consumption of the apparatus by switching a state of the camera between the on-state and the off-state.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple components include a wireless communication transceiver, the wireless communication transceiver configured to transmit and receive wireless communication signals during the on-state; and
the radar system is configured to adjust the power consumption of the apparatus by switching a state of the wireless communication transceiver between the on-state and the off-state.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple components include a gyroscope, the gyroscope configured to determine an orientation of the apparatus during the on-state; and
the radar system is configured to adjust the power consumption of the apparatus by switching a state of the gyroscope between the on-state and the off-state.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a smartphone.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radar system is configured to increase the power consumption of the apparatus by switching a state of at least one component of the multiple components from the off-state to the on-state before the user physically touches the apparatus or voices a verbal command to the apparatus.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radar system is configured to:
detect at least one activity associated with the user, the at least one activity comprising one or more of the following:
a change in a presence of the user;
a change in a type of motion performed by the user;
a change in the distance to the user;
a change in a velocity of a motion performed by the user; or
a change in a reflected signal strength associated with the user; and
adjust the power consumption of the apparatus responsive to detecting the at least one activity.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple components include a display, the display configured to present visual content to the user during the on-state; and
the radar system is configured to:
cause a state of the display to be in the off-state responsive to the distance being greater than a predetermined distance; and
increase the power consumption of the apparatus by switching the state of the display from the off-state to the on-state responsive to the distance being less than or equal to the predetermined distance.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the radar system is configured to decrease the power consumption of the apparatus by switching the state of the display from the on-state to the off-state responsive to the distance being greater than the predetermined distance.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the radar system is configured to gradually increase the power consumption of the apparatus as the user approaches the apparatus; and
the radar system is configured to gradually decrease the power consumption of the apparatus as the user moves away from the apparatus.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multiple components include a speaker, the speaker configured to present audio content to the user during the on-state; and
the radar system is configured to:
cause a state of the speaker to be in the on-state responsive to the distance being less than a predetermined distance; and
decrease the power consumption of the apparatus by switching the state of the speaker from the on-state to the off-state responsive to the distance being greater than the predetermined distance.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the radar system is configured to adjust the power consumption of the apparatus by adjusting power consumption of the radar system.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the radar system includes a power management module, the power management module configured to cause the radar system to dynamically adjust the power consumption of the radar system to detect different activities associated with the user.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the radar system is configured to reduce power consumption of the radar system during inactive time periods by switching respective operations of one or more internal components within the radar system from the on-state to the off-state.
15. A method comprising:
transmitting and receiving radar signals via a radar system;
processing the received radar signals to detect a user within an external environment;
monitoring, based on the received radar signals, a distance between the radar system and the user; and
responsive to the distance changing, adjusting power consumption of a computing device by switching states of one or more components of the computing device between an on-state and an off-state, the off-state consuming less power than the on-state, the one or more components being external to the radar system.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more components comprise at least one of the following:
a global positioning system;
a wireless communication transceiver;
a display;
a speaker;
a camera;
a gyroscope; or
an accelerometer.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the adjusting of the power consumption comprises:
responsive to the distance between the user and the computing device increasing over time, decreasing the power consumption of the computing device by increasing a quantity of the components that are in the off-state; and
responsive to the distance between the user and the computing device decreasing over time, increasing the power consumption of the computing device by decreasing the quantity of the components that are in the off-state.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining a direction of motion associated with the user based on the received radar signals,
wherein the adjusting of the power consumption comprises increasing the power consumption responsive to the direction of the motion indicating at least a portion of the user is approaching the computing device.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising causing the radar system to operate at a low-power mode while transmitting and receiving the radar signals.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the computing device comprises a smartphone.