IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,289,619
Granted Patent B2
US 11,289,619 · App. 16/671,729 · Granted Mar 29, 2022

Automatically limiting power consumption by devices using infrared or radio communications

Inventors: Gian Martini (Porto Alegre, BR); Mauricio Martins da Costa (Porto Alegre, BR)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
H01L31/1116G06F1/3206H01L29/41775H01L29/66378H01L29/745H04W52/0254H05B47/19
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,289,619
App. No.
16/671,729
Filed
Nov 1, 2019
Granted
Mar 29, 2022
Kind
B2
Examiner
ZAIDI, IQBAL
Art Unit
2464
USPC
370/311
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and processor-readable storage media for automatically limiting power consumption by devices using infrared or radio communications are provided herein. An example computer-implemented method includes detecting, via at least one photodiode of an emitting sensor, one or more signals output by a user device within a predetermined proximity; automatically transitioning, via utilizing at least one transistor connected to the photodiode, and in response to detecting the one or more signals, the emitting sensor from a first power-consumption state to a second power-consumption state; transmitting one or more signals in response to transitioning from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state; and subsequent to transmitting, automatically transitioning, via utilizing the at least one transistor, the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed during which no signals were detected.

Claims (35)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, via at least one photodiode of an emitting sensor, one or more signals output by a user device within a predetermined proximity;

automatically transitioning, via utilizing at least one transistor connected to the at least one photodiode, and in response to detecting the one or more signals, the emitting sensor from a first power-consumption state to a second power-consumption state, wherein the first power-consumption state represents less power consumption than does the second power-consumption state, wherein the at least one transistor comprises a gate turn-off thyristor comprising at least one radio signal transistor, and wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state comprises activating the gate turn-off thyristor;

transmitting one or more signals in response to transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state; and

subsequent to transmitting the one or more signals, automatically transitioning, via utilizing the at least one transistor, the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode, wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state comprises deactivating the gate turn-off thyristor;

wherein the method is performed by the emitting sensor comprising a processor coupled to a memory.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one radio signal transistor comprises two radio signal transistors comprising a first transistor with high gain and a second transistor with low reverse current.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises consumption of one or more nanowatts of power from at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one battery comprises at least one battery with a self-discharge rate below a predetermined threshold.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one battery with a self-discharge rate below a predetermined threshold comprises at least one of a zinc-carbon battery, an alkaline battery, and a lithium-ion battery.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises a rate of one or more microampere hours in connection with at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount of time during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode comprises one or more milliseconds.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more signals detected via the at least one photodiode comprises an infrared pulse.

9. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device:

to detect, via at least one photodiode of an emitting sensor, one or more signals output by a user device within a predetermined proximity;

to automatically transition, via utilizing at least one transistor connected to the at least one photodiode, and in response to detecting the one or more signals, the emitting sensor from a first power-consumption state to a second power-consumption state, wherein the first power-consumption state represents less power consumption than does the second power-consumption state, wherein the at least one transistor comprises a gate turn-off thyristor comprising at least one radio signal transistor, and wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state comprises activating the gate turn-off thyristor;

to transmit one or more signals in response to transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state; and

subsequent to transmitting the one or more signals, to automatically transition, via utilizing the at least one transistor, the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode, wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state comprises deactivating the gate turn-off thyristor.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the one or more signals detected via the at least one photodiode comprises an infrared pulse.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the at least one radio signal transistor comprises two radio signal transistors comprising a first transistor with high gain and a second transistor with low reverse current.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises consumption of one or more nanowatts of power from at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises a rate of one or more microampere hours in connection with at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined amount of time during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode comprises one or more milliseconds.

15. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

the at least one processing device being configured:

to detect, via at least one photodiode of an emitting sensor, one or more signals output by a user device within a predetermined proximity;

to automatically transition, via utilizing at least one transistor connected to the at least one photodiode, and in response to detecting the one or more signals, the emitting sensor from a first power-consumption state to a second power-consumption state, wherein the first power-consumption state represents less power consumption than does the second power-consumption state, wherein the at least one transistor comprises a gate turn-off thyristor comprising at least one radio signal transistor, and wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state comprises activating the gate turn-off thyristor;

to transmit one or more signals in response to transitioning the emitting sensor from the first power-consumption state to the second power-consumption state; and

subsequent to transmitting the one or more signals, to automatically transition, via utilizing the at least one transistor, the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode, wherein automatically transitioning the emitting sensor from the second power-consumption state to the first power-consumption state comprises deactivating the gate turn-off thyristor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the one or more signals detected via the at least one photodiode comprises an infrared pulse.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the at least one radio signal transistor comprises two radio signal transistors comprising a first transistor with high gain and a second transistor with low reverse current.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises consumption of one or more nanowatts of power from at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first power-consumption state comprises a rate of one or more microampere hours in connection with at least one battery of the emitting sensor.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined amount of time during which no signals were detected via the at least one photodiode comprises one or more milliseconds.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (051302/0528) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); SECUREWORKS CORP.
Reel/Frame 060438/0593 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 051449 FRAME 0728 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058002/0010 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 31, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 051449/0728 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Dec 16, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051302/0528 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 1, 2019
From: MARTINI, GIAN; MARTINS DA COSTA, MAURICIO
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 050891/0464 →
Continuity (1)
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