U.S. patent application number 11/723088 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-04 for wake-up device and method for generating a control signal.
Invention is credited to Olle Bliding, Johan Horberg, Lars Knutsson.
Application Number | 20070229257 11/723088 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36991975 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070229257 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bliding; Olle ; et
al. |
October 4, 2007 |
Wake-up device and method for generating a control signal
Abstract
A wake-up device for generating a control signal is presented.
The wake-up device comprises a sensor for detecting an input
signal, that comprises at least one knock, and an electrical
circuitry for processing the detected input signal and generating
said control signal. Further, a method for generating a control
signal from a wake-up device is also presented.
Inventors: |
Bliding; Olle; (Halmstad,
SE) ; Knutsson; Lars; (Halmstad, SE) ;
Horberg; Johan; (Halmstad, SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 8910
RESTON
VA
20195
US
|
Family ID: |
36991975 |
Appl. No.: |
11/723088 |
Filed: |
March 16, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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PCT/SE06/00345 |
Mar 17, 2006 |
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11723088 |
Mar 16, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
340/566 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07C 2009/00642
20130101; G07C 2209/64 20130101; G07C 2009/00373 20130101; G07C
9/00182 20130101; E05B 49/00 20130101; G07C 2209/65 20130101; E05B
2047/0091 20130101; G07C 9/00309 20130101; Y10T 70/7136 20150401;
G07C 2009/00793 20130101; G07C 9/00174 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/566 |
International
Class: |
G08B 13/00 20060101
G08B013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 18, 2005 |
SE |
0500616-8 |
Claims
1. A wake-up device for generating a control signal comprising a
sensor for detecting an input signal, that comprises at least one
knock, and an electrical circuitry for processing the detected
input signal and generating said control signal.
2. A wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor is
selected from the group consisting of acoustic sensors and
vibration sensors.
3. A wake-up device according to claim 2, wherein said sensor is
selected from the group consisting of microphones and
accelerometers.
4. A wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical
circuitry is configured to detect at least one of the signal
intensity, the number of knocks, and the frequency distribution of
the input signal.
5. A wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical
circuitry comprises a filter for filtering the input signal.
6. A wake-up device according to claim 5, wherein said filter is a
band pass filter.
7. A wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical
circuitry is configured to apply a predetermined criteria to the
detected input signal for deciding whether or not the control
signal should be generated.
8. A method for generating a control signal from a wake-up device,
comprising the steps of detecting at least one knock as an input
signal, processing the detected signal, and generating said control
signal.
9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising detecting at
least one of the signal intensity, the number of knocks, and the
frequency distribution of the input signal.
10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising filtering the
detected input signal.
11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising filtering
the detected input signal by means of a band pass filter.
12. A method according to claim 8, further comprising applying a
predetermined criteria to the detected input signal for deciding
whether or not the control signal should be generated.
Description
PRIORITY STATEMENT
[0001] This non-provisional application is a continuation-in-part
of, and claims priority under at least one of 35 U.S.C. Section
365(c) and 35 U.S.C. Section 120 of, prior International
Application No. PCT/SE2006/000345 filed Mar. 17, 2006, which
designated the United States of America and which claims priority
on Swedish Patent Application number 0500616-8 filed Mar. 18, 2005,
the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated herein
by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a wake-up device for
generating a control signal comprising a sensor for detecting an
input signal, and an electrical circuitry for processing the
detected input signal and generating said control signal. The
present invention also relates to a method for generating a control
signal from a wake-up device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Wireless systems are today used in a vast amount of
applications. Such systems can be utilized for continuous transfer
of data as well as intermittent data transfer. Standards, like e.g.
Bluetooth.TM., have therefore been developed for enabling the
implementation of such wireless systems.
[0004] Considering wireless systems in general, the overall power
consumption can be derived from the actual transfer of data signals
(e.g. an audio signal, a video signal or similar), and from the
establishment of communication between the wireless system devices.
In cases where the wireless system is used for intermittent data
transfer, different solutions apply in order to reduce the power
consumption due to establishment of communication between the
devices. The devices may for instance comprise an internal clock
and a computer program, allowing the communication to occur at
different predetermined instants of time. If the internal clocks of
the different wireless system devices are synchronized, one device
will begin to "look" for data, and at the same time a corresponding
device will begin to transmit data. In the time gap between the
predetermined instants of time, the devices may be in a sleep-mode,
thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the wireless
system.
[0005] SE-0500616-8 discloses a method for unlocking a lock by a
lock device enabled for short-range wireless data communication in
compliance with a communication standard. The method further
involves the introductory steps of detecting the presence of a user
in a vicinity of said lock device and in response triggering
performance of detecting a key device within operative range of the
lock device. This allows the lock device to rest in a sleep mode
with negligible power consumption during periods of inactivity.
Only elements that handle the detection of the user's presence will
need to be active during such a sleep mode. In turn, such optimum
power preservation allows implementing the lock device as a
stand-alone device that may operate autonomously for long periods
of time, powered by its own power source such as batteries.
[0006] The presence of the user may be detected by receiving a
detection signal from a proximity sensor positioned and adapted to
monitor the vicinity of said lock device. The proximity sensor may
be selected from the group consisting of: an IR (Infra-Red) sensor,
an ultra-sound sensor, an optical sensor, an RF (Radio Frequency)
sensor or a pressure sensor.
[0007] The above technique suffers from certain drawbacks. Firstly,
such detection of the user's presence may induce several
unintentional activations of the radio communication. Secondly,
such proximity sensor requires an increased need of service and
maintenance of the wireless system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In view of the above, an objective of the invention is to
solve or at least reduce the problems discussed above.
[0009] A specific objective of the present invention is to provide
a wake-up device that detects knocks.
[0010] This is generally achieved by the attached independent
patent claims.
[0011] A first aspect of the invention is a wake-up device for
generating a control signal comprising a sensor for detecting an
input signal, that comprises at least one knock, and an electrical
circuitry for processing the detected input signal and generating
said control signal. Thus, the wake-up device can be mounted inside
existing housings, e.g. doors, and the number of unintentional
activations is reduced.
[0012] The sensor may be selected from the group consisting of
acoustic sensors and vibration sensors, and more particularly from
the group consisting of microphones and accelerometers. This is
advantageous in that equipment known per se can be used.
[0013] The electrical circuitry may be configured to detect at
least one of the signal intensity, the number of knocks and the
frequency distribution of the input signal, which is advantageous
in that the knock may be distinguished from noise.
[0014] The electrical circuitry may comprise a filter for filtering
the input signal, which is advantageous in that a knock may be even
better distinguished from noise.
[0015] The filter may be a band pass filter, which is advantageous
in that equipment known per se can be used.
[0016] The electrical circuitry may be configured to apply a
predetermined criteria to the detected input signal for deciding
whether or not the control signal should be generated. This is
advantageous in that a complex or coded knock pattern may be used
as input signal.
[0017] A second aspect of the present invention is a method for
generating a control signal from a wake-up device. The method
comprises the steps of detecting at least one knock as an input
signal, processing the detected signal, and generating said control
signal.
[0018] At least one of the signal intensity, the number of knocks
and the frequency distribution of the input signal may be
detected.
[0019] The detected input signal may further be filtered,
preferably by means of a band pass filter.
[0020] A predetermined criteria to the detected input signal for
deciding whether or not the control signal should be generated may
be applied.
[0021] The advantages of the first aspect of the invention are also
applicable for this second aspect of the invention.
[0022] Other objectives, features and advantages of the present
invention will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from
the attached dependent claims as well as from the drawings.
[0023] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be
interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical
field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references
to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]" are to
be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said
element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly
stated otherwise. All references to "a knock" are to be interpreted
openly as referring to at least one impact on a surface. Such
impact may be performed by a human finger, fist, foot or other body
part, any tool or object operated by a human, etc. The steps of any
method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact
order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The above, as well as additional objectives, features and
advantages of the present invention, will be better understood
through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed
description of embodiments of the present invention, with reference
to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be
used for similar elements.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a telecommunication
system, including a wireless key device implemented by a mobile
terminal, an embodiment of a wireless lock device for a lock in a
door, a wireless administrator device implemented by a mobile
terminal, an administrator server, a mobile telecommunications
network and a couple of other elements, as an example of an
environment in which the present invention may be applied.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the wireless
key device of FIG. 1, and in particular some external components
that are part of a user interface towards a user of the wireless
key device.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating internal
components and modules, including one embodiment of the present
invention, of the wireless lock device as shown in FIG. 1.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The present invention may advantageously be implemented in a
mobile telecommunications system, one example of which is
illustrated in FIG. 1 and further described in SE-0500616-8.
Central elements in FIG. 1 are a wireless key device (KD) 100 and a
wireless lock device (LD) 140. The purpose of the lock device 140
is to control some sort of lock mechanism in a lock, which in the
illustrated example is a door lock on a door 150. In turn, the lock
device 140 is operated by the key device when brought in the
vicinity of the lock device. In more particular, both the key
device 100 and the lock device 140 are enabled for short-range
wireless data communication in compliance with a communication
standard. In the preferred embodiment, this communication standard
is Bluetooth.TM.. Having been the de facto standard for short-range
wireless data communication for mobile devices during several years
already, Bluetooth.TM. is believed to be very well known to the
skilled person, and no particulars about Bluetooth.TM. as such are
consequently given herein.
[0030] As with most other contemporary mobile telecommunications
systems, the system of FIG. 1 provides various telecommunications
services such as voice calls, data calls, facsimile transmissions,
music transmissions, still image transmissions, video
transmissions, electronic message transmissions and electronic
commerce for mobile terminals in the system, such as aforementioned
mobile terminal 100, another mobile terminal 106, personal digital
assistants (PDA) or portable computers. It is to be noticed that
these various telecommunications services are not central to the
invention, and for different embodiments, different ones of the
telecommunications services may or may not be available.
[0031] In FIG. 1, the key device 100 is implemented by any
commercially available, Bluetooth.TM.-enabled mobile terminal 100,
one embodiment 200 of which is shown in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 2,
and as is well known in the art, the mobile terminal 200 comprises
an apparatus housing 201, a loudspeaker 202, a display 203, an
input device 204a-c, and a microphone 205. In the disclosed
embodiment, the input device 204a-c includes a set of keys 204a
arranged in a keypad of common ITU-T type (alpha-numerical keypad),
a pair of soft keys or function keys 204b, and a biometrical data
reader 204c in the form of a fingerprint sensor. Hence, a graphical
user interface 206 is provided, which may be used by a user of the
mobile terminal 200 to control the terminal's functionality and get
access to any of the telecommunications services referred to above,
or to any other software application executing in the mobile
terminal. The keypad 204a may be used for entering a PIN code to be
used for authenticating the key device 100 in the lock device 140
in order to decide whether or not to unlock the lock controlled by
the lock device. The biometrical data reader 204c may be used
correspondingly to produce a digital fingerprint sample from the
user, said fingerprint sample being used for authenticating the key
device 100 in the lock device 140 by matching with prestored
fingerprint templates.
[0032] In addition, but not shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal
200 of course comprises various internal hardware and software
components, such as a main controller (implemented e.g. by any
commercially available Central Processing Unit (CPU), Digital
Signal Processor (DSP) or any other electronic programmable logic
device); associated memory, such as RAM memory, ROM memory, EEPROM
memory, flash memory, hard disk, or any combination thereof;
various software stored in the memory, such as a real-time
operating system, a man-machine or user interface, device drivers,
and one or more various software applications, such as a telephone
call application, a contacts application, a messaging application,
a calendar application, a control panel application, a camera
application, a mediaplayer, a video game, a notepad application,
etc; various I/O devices other than the ones shown in FIG. 2, such
as a vibrator, a ringtone generator, an LED indicator, volume
controls, etc; an RF interface including an internal or external
antenna as well as appropriate radio circuitry for establishing and
maintaining an RF link to a base station; aforementioned
Bluetooth.TM. interface including a Bluetooth.TM. transceiver;
other wireless interfaces such as WLAN, HomeRF or IrDA; and a SIM
card with an associated reader.
[0033] The mobile terminals 100, 106 are connected to a mobile
telecommunications network 110 through RF links 103, 108 via base
stations 104, 109. The mobile telecommunications network 110 may be
in compliance with any commercially available mobile
telecommunications standard, such as GSM, UMTS, D-AMPS or
CDMA2000.
[0034] The mobile telecommunications network 110 is operatively
connected to a wide area network 120, which may be Internet or a
part thereof. Various client computers and server computers,
including a system server 122, may be connected to the wide area
network 120.
[0035] A public switched telephone network (PSTN) 130 is connected
to the mobile telecommunications network 110 in a familiar manner.
Various telephone terminals, including a stationary telephone 132,
may be connected to the PSTN 130.
[0036] The lock device 140 is a stand-alone, autonomously operating
device which requires no wire-based installations, neither for
communication nor for power supply. Instead, the lock device 140 is
powered solely by a local battery power unit 303 and interacts with
the key device, as already mentioned, by Bluetooth.TM.-based
activities. To this end, the lock device 140 has a Bluetooth.TM.
radio module 309 with an antenna 310.
[0037] The lock device 140 of the present embodiment further
includes a real-time clock 304 capable of providing the CPU 313
which an accurate value of the current time. A detector 312b may be
positioned to detect that the door 150 is in a properly closed
position, so that the CPU 313 may command locking of the lock 160 a
certain time after a user has opened the door through the key
device 100 and passed therethrough. The detector 312b may be a
conventional magnetic switch having a small magnet mounted to the
door frame and a magnetic sensor mounted at a corresponding
position on the door leaf.
[0038] The lock device 140 may have a simple user interface
involving button(s) 305, a buzzer 312a and LED indicator(s) 312c.
In some embodiments, an authorized administrator (ADM) may
configure the lock device 140 through this user interface. In other
embodiments, though, configuration of the lock device
140--including updating the contents of a local database (LD-DB)
142 stored in memory 311 and containing i.a. key device
authentication data--occurs wirelessly either directly from a
proximate mobile terminal 106 over a Bluetooth.TM. link 116, or by
supplying a key device, for instance key device 100, with
authentication data updating information from a system database 124
at the system server 122 over the mobile telecommunications network
110.
[0039] Since the lock device 140 is a stand-alone, battery-powered
installation which is intended to be operative for long time
periods without maintenance, it is important to keep power
consumption at a minimum. Therefore, the present system is designed
to put itself in a sleep mode after a certain period of inactivity.
In the sleep mode, the elements of the lock device 140 are inactive
and consume negligible power. The way to exit the sleep mode and
enter operational mode is by applying a wake-up control signal 326
on a particular control input on the CPU 313. To this end, the lock
device 140 is provided with a wake-up arrangement 320 according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] In FIG. 4, one embodiment of the present invention is shown.
The wake-up arrangement 320 has a sensor such as an acoustic or
vibration sensor 324 which may be adapted to detect knocks on a
door leaf. Such a sensor may be provided in the form of a
microphone which may be attached via a spacer to the door leaf. The
spacer will then transfer vibrations caused by door knocks to the
microphone. The circuitry 322 may be programmed or designed to
apply predetermined wake-up criteria when decided whether or not to
generate the wake-up control signal 326. Such wake-up criteria may
for instance be related to the intensity of the knock(s), the
number of knocks, and/or the frequency distribution or rhythm of
the knocks. Thus, the wake-up criteria may be the detection of more
than one door knock within a certain time frame. This may prevent
an accidental wake-up because of a spurious detection of a
non-related sound from the environment. Even more advanced wake-up
criteria may be used, such as a given sequence of short and long
door knocks, much like a code of Morse signals.
[0041] In more detail, the electric circuitry 322 may comprise an
amplifier 328, a filter 330, a comparator 334 for comparing the
filtered signal with an intensity reference level 332, and a
processor 336.
[0042] The signal detected by the sensor 324 is thus amplified by
the amplifier 328, and thereafter filtered by the filter 330. The
filter 330 may preferably be a band pass filter of any type known
per se. The amplified and filtered signal is compared to the
reference level 332 by a common comparator 334, in order to reduce
the number of unintentional wake-up operations. If the filtered
signal exceeds the reference level 332, the signal is further
processed by the processor 336.
[0043] The processing step may include several partial steps,
depending on the level of processing. The processor 336 may be
programmed to determine the intensity of the signal. It may further
be programmed to determine the number of knocks in the signal, as
well as it may be programmed to determine the frequency
distribution of the signal. By determining such frequency
distribution, the "rhythm" of a number of knocks may be
determined.
[0044] Further, the processor 336 may be configured to apply a
predetermined criteria to the detected input signal for deciding
whether or not the control signal should be generated. Such
criteria may be fulfilled if the signal intensity exceeds a certain
pre-programmed value. Such criteria may also be fulfilled if the
number of knocks equals a certain pre-programmed value of number of
knocks. Further, such criteria may also be fulfilled if the
frequency distribution or "rhythm" of the number of knocks in the
input signal corresponds to a pre-programmed "rhythm".
[0045] If the detected input signal fulfils the predetermined
criteria, a control signal 326 may be generated. The control signal
may be configured to turn an electronic system from sleep mode to
operation mode.
[0046] Another system in which the present invention may be
implemented will now be described. A wake-up device according to
the present invention may be arranged in a door or a window on a
house which is subject to surveillance by e.g. security officers.
By knocking on the door or window, the wake-up device according to
the present invention decides whether or not a control signal
should be generated. If a control signal is generated, a radio
communication is established between a key device carried by the
security officer, and a stationary device positioned inside the
building. Provided that the key device matches the stationary
device, the radio communication will ensure that the presence of
the security officer is logged.
[0047] The wake-up device according to the present invention may
further comprise an internal memory circuit being connected to a
locally stored database. The database may contain information about
different knock patterns, and identification data corresponding to
each knock pattern. The wake-up device may thereby, together with
the control signal, also generate a signal comprising information
about the detected pattern and hence user information corresponding
to the detected pattern. For the surveillance system described
above, each security officer may have a unique knock pattern. Even
if the security officers share the same key device, the wake-up
device according to the present information will send information
about the user to the surveillance system.
[0048] The invention has mainly been described above with reference
to a few presently preferred embodiments. However, as is readily
appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than
the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of
the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims. The
invention may for instance just as well be used for controlling
other kind of objects than described above, including but not
limited to garage ports and various other equipment at homes,
offices or public buildings. The present invention may be
implemented in a medicine cabinet, as well as safety locks etc.
* * * * *