U.S. patent application number 12/051085 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-24 for wireless communication device and method with an orientation detector.
This patent application is currently assigned to MOTOROLA INC. Invention is credited to RACHID M. ALAMEH, GREG R. BLACK, DANIEL J. SADLER.
Application Number | 20090239591 12/051085 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41089415 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090239591 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ALAMEH; RACHID M. ; et
al. |
September 24, 2009 |
WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND METHOD WITH AN ORIENTATION
DETECTOR
Abstract
A wireless communication device (200) is disclosed. It can
include: an electronic device (210) including a display (240); a
wearable device (242) including a first orientation detector (244)
configured to detect a suitable display viewing orientation; and a
controller (220) including a power saving module (290) coupled to
the electronic device (210), the controller (220) configured to
control the operations of at least the display (240) in response to
a suitable orientation detection. Advantageously, the wireless
communication device (200) can provides a simple, portable, compact
and robust power savings feature that can actuate a display when
properly orientated for viewing by a user and not actuate the
display when not suitably oriented.
Inventors: |
ALAMEH; RACHID M.; (CRYSTAL
LAKE, IL) ; BLACK; GREG R.; (VERNON HILLS, IL)
; SADLER; DANIEL J.; (GILBERT, AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MOTOROLA INC
600 NORTH US HIGHWAY 45, W4 - 39Q
LIBERTYVILLE
IL
60048-5343
US
|
Assignee: |
MOTOROLA INC
LIBERTYVILLE
IL
|
Family ID: |
41089415 |
Appl. No.: |
12/051085 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/574 ;
455/575.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02D 70/162 20180101;
Y02D 30/70 20200801; H04M 1/6066 20130101; Y02D 70/124 20180101;
H04W 52/027 20130101; H04W 4/16 20130101; Y02D 70/166 20180101;
Y02D 70/26 20180101; H04M 1/05 20130101; Y02D 70/144 20180101; H04M
2250/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/574 ;
455/575.2 |
International
Class: |
H04B 1/38 20060101
H04B001/38; H04M 1/00 20060101 H04M001/00 |
Claims
1. A wireless communication device, comprising: an electronic
device including a display; a wearable device including a first
orientation detector configured to detect a suitable display
viewing orientation; and a controller including a power saving
module coupled to the electronic device, the controller configured
to control the operations of at least the display in response to a
suitable orientation detection.
2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
electronic device includes a second orientation detector and the
display is controlled in response to the first and second
orientation detectors.
3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
electronic device includes a second orientation detector and the
display is controlled in response to the first and second
orientation detectors, such that the display is enabled when the
first and second orientations detectors are possibly aligned.
4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
orientation detector includes at least one of a light source and
light detector and the electronic device includes at least one of a
light detector and a light source, respectively.
5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
display includes a primary display on a front side of the
electronic device and a secondary illumination display.
6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
display includes at least at least one of a primary display,
secondary display, primary and secondary display illumination,
keypad illumination, key illumination, side button illumination,
backlighting, user input illumination, screen navigation,
touchscreen, joystick illumination and track-ball illumination.
7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the power
saving module includes at least one of a privacy device, access
device and authentication device.
8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured to control the operations of at least one
of font size, screen resolution, screen active area, light
intensity and contrast.
9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
orientation detector includes at least one of an accelerometer,
magnetometer, compass, light emitter and radiation emitters.
10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
orientation detector includes detecting the orientation of the
wearable device and the electronic device and enabling a second
orientation detector thereafter.
11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further
comprising an energy storage device comprises at least one of a
battery, a fuel cell, a fuel container and an electrochemical
capacitor.
12. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the
wearable device is worn such that it follows a user's head
position.
13. A wireless communication device with an energy storage device,
comprising: a wireless communication device including a display; a
wearable device including a first orientation detector configured
to detect a suitable display viewing orientation; a controller
coupled to the wireless communication device, the controller
configured to control the operations of the wireless communication
device and to control the operations of the display in response to
a suitable orientation detection, the electronic device including a
power saving module coupled to the electronic device; memory
coupled to the controller; and a transceiver coupled to the
controller.
14. A wireless communication method configured with an energy
storage device and interoperable with a wearable device method,
comprising: providing a wearable device, a wireless communication
device including a display, and a controller configured to control
the operations of the wireless communication device; detecting a
suitable display orientation; and controlling the operations of at
least the display in response to a suitable orientation
detection.
15. The wireless communication method of claim 14, wherein the
providing step includes providing at least a primary display and a
secondary illumination display.
16. The wireless communication method of claim 14, further
comprising providing an energy storage device including at least
one of a battery, a fuel cell, a fuel container and an
electrochemical capacitor.
17. The wireless communication method of claim 14, wherein the
detecting step includes providing a first order approximation
possible line of sight alignment between the wearable device and
the communication device, based on a sensor sensing motion.
18. A wireless communication method, comprising: providing a
wearable device, a wireless communication device including a
display, and a controller configured to control the operations of
the wireless communication device; detecting a suitable display
orientation; and controlling the operations of at least the display
in response to a suitable orientation detection.
19. The wireless communication method of claim 18, wherein the
providing step includes providing memory and a transceiver coupled
to the controller.
20. The wireless communication method of claim 18, wherein the
providing step includes providing the wearable device in a personal
area network headset.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] The present disclosure is directed to a wireless
communication and computing device and method with an orientation
detector.
[0003] 2. Introduction
[0004] Wireless communication and computing devices (herein
referred to individually and collectively as wireless communication
devices) are multi-function in nature, with each function, or
application, satisfying a user's purpose. Some applications are
more important to a user than others, depending on context. For
example a phone calling function may be of considerably greater
importance than a gaming application. The importance may also be
dependant on the location or position of the device vis-a-vis the
user. For example a display function is of lesser importance when
not in position suitable for viewing by a user. Wireless
communication devices may contain data of a valuable or sensitive
nature. A user may therefore have a need for the operation of the
device to be secure and private. The security and privacy may also
be dependant on the location or position of the device vis-a-vis
the user. For example a display device may be less private when not
in position suitable for viewing by a user.
[0005] Wireless computing devices, such as mobile devices, operate
with a limited energy supply, such as a battery, fuel cell or the
like. While the energy supply is generally rechargeable, it may not
always be convenient or even possible for a user to recharge the
energy supply. Accordingly, there is a need to maximize the useful
time of device operation. Thus, there is a need for disabling of
operational modes, in order to conserve energy or prolong useful
battery life. For a mobile computing device having several
operational modes, this disabling may not be convenient or easy for
a user. There is a need for a method and device for automatically
disabling operational modes, for example, according to its
importance and recent state.
[0006] Thus, there is a need for a method and device for prolonging
the useful life of an energy storage device in wireless
communication devices, and for secure and private operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited
and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be
obtained, a more particular description of the disclosure briefly
described above will be rendered by reference to specific
embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments
of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be
limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described and
explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of
the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication
system according to one embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless
communication device according to one embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wireless communication
according to one embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 4 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation
of a wireless communication device according to another
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation
of a wireless communication device according to another
embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation
of a wireless communication device according to another
embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation
of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram of an orientation
detector for a wireless communication device according to one
embodiment; and
[0016] FIG. 9 is an exemplary block diagram of an orientation
detector for a wireless communication device according to another
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a system 100
according to one embodiment. The system 100 can include a network
110, a terminal 120, and a base station 130. The terminal 120 may
be a wireless communication device, such as a wireless telephone, a
cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a
personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device
that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a
network including wireless network. The network 110 may include any
type of network that is capable of sending and receiving signals,
such as wireless signals. For example, the network 110 may include
a wireless telecommunications network, a cellular telephone
network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Third Generation (3G)
network, a satellite communications network, and other like
communications systems. Furthermore, the network 110 may include
more than one network and may include a plurality of different
types of networks. Thus, the network 110 may include a plurality of
data networks, a plurality of telecommunications networks, a
combination of data and telecommunications networks and other like
communication systems capable of sending and receiving
communication signals. In operation, the terminal 120 can
communicate with the network 110 and with other devices on the
network 110 by sending and receiving wireless signals via the base
station 130.
[0018] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a wireless
communication and/or computing device 200, such as the terminal
120, according to one embodiment. The wireless communication device
200 can include a housing 210, a controller 220 coupled to the
housing 210, audio input and output circuitry 230 coupled to the
housing 210, a display 240 coupled to the housing 210, a
transceiver 250 coupled to the housing 210, a user interface 260
coupled to the housing 210, a memory 270 coupled to the housing
210, an antenna 280 coupled to the housing 210 and the transceiver
250, and a removable subscriber module (SIM) 285 coupled to the
controller 220. The wireless communication device 200 can include
wireless communication device 200 also includes a power saving
module 290 coupled to the controller 220. The power saving module
290 can reside within the controller 220, can reside within the
memory 270, can be autonomous modules, can be software, can be
hardware, or can be in any other format useful for a module on a
wireless communication device 200.
[0019] The display 240 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a
light emitting diode (LED) display, a plasma display, or any other
means for displaying information. The transceiver 250 may include a
transmitter and/or a receiver. The audio input and output circuitry
230 can include a microphone, a speaker, a transducer, or any other
audio input and output circuitry. The user interface 260 can
include a keypad, buttons, a touch pad, a joystick, an additional
display, or any other device useful for providing an interface
between a user and an electronic device. The memory 270 may include
a random access memory, a read only memory, an optical memory or
any other memory that can be coupled to a wireless communication
device.
[0020] In its simplest form, a wireless communication device 200 is
shown in FIG. 2. It can include: an electronic device 210 including
a display 240; a wearable device 242 including a first orientation
detector 244 configured to detect a suitable display viewing
orientation; and a controller 220 including a power saving module
290 coupled to the electronic device 210, the controller 220
configured to control the operations of at least the display 240 in
response to a suitable orientation detection. Advantageously, the
wireless communication device 200 can provides a simple, portable,
compact and robust power savings feature that can actuate a display
when properly orientated for viewing by a user, and not actuate the
display when not suitably oriented.
[0021] In addition, the wireless communication device 210 can
provide a privacy feature, access feature and authentication
feature, to enable the display only when properly oriented.
[0022] In FIG. 3, an embodiment of a wireless communication device
300 (200 in FIG. 2), is shown. The electronic device 302 (210 in
FIG. 2) can include a second orientation detector 304 and the
display 240 is controlled in response to the first 244 and second
orientation detectors 304, such that the display 240 is enabled
when the first and second orientation detectors 244 and 304 are
possibly aligned.
[0023] This arrangement provides a display enabled or on, such as
backlighting and/or the monitor enabled, when properly oriented,
and off when not suitably oriented.
[0024] In more detail, in one embodiment, orientation detector 244
can include at least one of a light source 306 and light detector
308, and orientation detector 304 includes at least one of a light
detector 310 and a light source 312, respectively. This arrangement
allows optimization of orientation detectors to minimize energy
drain from energy storage devices in the wireless communication
device 302 and the wearable device 242.
[0025] In one arrangement, the display includes a primary display
314 on a front side of the electronic device 302 and a secondary
illumination display, such as a key-illumination 316. Thus, a
plurality of displays can be controlled or enabled, individually or
collectively as desired, such as an LCD and illuminated keys, as
shown in FIG. 3. As should be understood by those skilled in the
art, various display(s) and features can be provided, such as, at
least one of a primary display, secondary display, primary and
secondary display illumination, keypad illumination, key
illumination, side button illumination, backlighting, user input or
screen navigation devices such as a capacitive touchscreen,
joystick, track-ball and associated device illumination. In the
case where a secondary display is located on the device, such that
the viewing direction is different from the primary display viewing
direction then a separate dedicated orientation sensor may be
employed for the secondary display. Advantageously, this can
provide a user with a number of options when suitably oriented.
[0026] The electronic device 302 can include at least one of a
privacy feature, access feature and authentication feature, to
actuate a display only when properly oriented. Thus, in a desk top
application, for example, a video display may be disabled when the
user is not in a position to view the display. These features could
be of even greater importance than power saving concerns. For
example, if an application were to require the user to provide
sensitive information, for example personal health information or a
bank account information which is shown on the display, the privacy
and security of that information would be enhanced and preserved,
if the screen were blocked out or disabled whenever the user's line
of sight is directed away from the device, or similarly whenever
the display is oriented away from the user's viewing direction.
[0027] Turning to the controller 220 in FIG. 2, the controller 220
can be configured to control the operations of at least one of font
size, screen resolution, screen active area, light intensity and
contrast. This provides not only the ability to enable and disable
the display, but to provide a range of power settings and viewing
experiences depending, for example, on the viewing angle or
distance. The power saving and privacy features may be employed to
display related modes, such as micro-processors for controlling the
display, a display driver for integrated circuits, and a display
memory device. The power-saving and privacy features may be
employed on non-display modes as well, such as user interface
devices including keypads, optical navigation, touch sensitive
surfaces, joysticks, trackballs, and the like. The power saving and
privacy features may also be employed on other modes such as
personal area and local area communications devices, such as
Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Near Field Communication (NFC) devices which
may be used for communication between the wireless communication
device 302 and the wearable device 242.
[0028] In connection with the orientation detectors 244 and 304,
they can include one or more of an accelerometer, magnetometer,
compass, light or other radiation emitters and detectors. In a
preferred embodiment, the orientation detectors 244 and 304 each
includes an accelerometer, for detecting proper orientation and
desired alignment. For example a three dimensional accelerometer
may be employed on the wearable device and mobile communication and
computing device. The accelerometers may be used to infer the
device tilt with respect to the earth by measuring the direction of
gravitational force. Tilt data may then be employed to enable or
disable a device operational mode. A second preferred embodiment
may employ light emitters on a wearable device for directing light
along the line of site of the user, and light detectors on the
mobile communication and computing device for detecting a component
of the directed light arriving normal to the display. Alternatively
the source may be on the mobile communication and computing device
and the detector on the wearable device. While the first preferred
embodiment has the advantage of simplicity it has the disadvantage
of not providing a completely reliable indication that the device
is in a suitable orientation vis-a-vis the user. The second
preferred embodiment may have the disadvantage of the light emitter
and sensor causing unwanted power drain from an energy source.
Thus, a third preferred embodiment is a combination of the first
and second preferred embodiments, whereby an accelerometer is used
to enable the light emitter and sensors, thereby reducing the power
drain and providing a more accurate indication of device
orientation. Referring to FIG. 3, the orientation detectors 244 can
include detecting the orientation of the wearable device 242 and
the electronic device 302 and enabling a second orientation
detector 304 thereafter.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the wireless communication device
302 includes an energy storage device, such as, at least one of a
battery, a fuel cell, a fuel container and an electrochemical
capacitor, which are particularly adapted for portable applications
in electronic components with displays, such as mobile
telephones.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the wearable device 242 can be worn such
that it moves in unison with a user's head position and maintains
substantial alignment with a user's line of sight 320. Alignment
may be described as being located within a virtual cone 324
constructed by rotating at angle .alpha. around the line of sight
320, as depicted in FIG. 3.
[0031] Advantageously, this arrangement follows and tracks a line
of sight, which is directed normal to a virtual plane of the user's
face. In one embodiment, the wearable device 242 can be embedded in
an ear piece, such as in a Bluetooth headset or attached to a
user's glasses, for example, such that the device moves with the
user's head, and can thereby provide an approximate measure of the
variable line of sight.
[0032] Returning to the wireless communication device 200 shown in
FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, it can include a two way radio,
a mobile telephone and the like, and include: a housing 210; a
controller 220 coupled to the housing 210, the controller 220
configured to control the operations of the wireless communication
device; memory 270 coupled to the controller 220; memory 270
coupled to the controller 220; a transceiver 250 coupled to the
controller 220; and a power saving module 290. It can further
include a wearable device 242 including a first orientation
detector 244 configured to detect a suitable display viewing
orientation and the controller 220 can be coupled to the wireless
communication device 200, the controller 220 configured to control
the operations of the wireless communication device and to control
the operations of at least one display in response to a suitable
orientation detection. Advantageously, the wireless communication
device can provide power savings when not in a suitable
orientation, thus providing longer energy storage or battery life
and an enhanced user experience.
[0033] In FIG. 4, a wireless communication method 400 with a
wearable device is shown. It can include the steps of: providing
402 a wearable device, a wireless communication device including a
display, and a controller configured to control the operations of
the wireless communication device; detecting 404 a suitable display
orientation; and controlling 406 the operations of at least the
display in response to a suitable orientation detection. This
method 400 can provide power savings when not in a suitable
orientation. Additionally, the method 400 can provide a privacy
feature, a security feature, an access feature and/or an
authentication feature, to enable the display only when properly
oriented, as detailed above.
[0034] As detailed earlier, the method 400 can also provide at
least a primary display and a secondary illumination display, as
desired. The method thereby enables energy consumption only on the
displays which are suitable for viewing, along with associated
modes and devices.
[0035] In a portable application, for example, the method 400 can
provide an energy storage device including at least one of a
battery, a fuel cell, a fuel container and an electrochemical
capacitor. The method is particularly adapted for saving power in
such applications.
[0036] In one arrangement, the providing step 402 can include
providing the wearable device in a personal area network headset,
such as a Bluetooth headset, which step can be particularly useful
in two radio and mobile phone applications, for example.
[0037] Also, in one arrangement, the providing step 402 can include
providing memory and a transceiver coupled to the controller, which
step is useful in two way radio and mobile phone applications, for
example.
[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the detecting step 404 can
include providing a first level detection configured to detect a
first orientation vector of a communication and computing device
with respect to a force of gravity vector, and a second level
detection configured to detect a second orientation vector of a
wearable device with respect to the force of gravity vector. The
detecting step can include determining that both of the orientation
vectors are suitable for viewing. The detecting step can further
include determining that the first and second devices are
compatibly oriented for viewing. For example, if a first and second
orientations are toward the horizon then the devices may be
compatibly oriented for viewing, however if the first and second
devices are both oriented in parallel with the gravity vector, for
example, both toward ground or both toward the sky, then the
devices are not compatibly oriented. Alternatively the compatible
orientation for viewing can be detected by detecting alignment of a
light source and a light detector.
[0039] FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart 500 illustrating the
operation of a wireless communication device according to an
embodiment. At step 505 the process begins, such as when a device
is turned on or a display is manually enabled. The display remains
off or is turned off at step 510. At step 515 the orientation is
determined of a first device. If at step 515 the determined
orientation is suitable for viewing then at step 520 the
orientation is determined of second device. If at step 515 the
determined orientation is not suitable for viewing then the flow
returns to step 510 and the device is turned off. If at step 520
the determined orientation is suitable for viewing then at step 525
the display is turned on and the flow returns to step 515. If at
step 520 the determined orientation is not suitable for viewing
then the flow returns to step 510 and the display is turned
off.
[0040] FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart 600 illustrating the
operation of a wireless communication device according to another
embodiment. At step 605 the process begins, such as when a device
is turned on or a display is manually enabled. The display remains
off or is turned off at step 610. At step 615 the orientation
alignment of a first device and a second device is determined. If
at step 615 the determined orientations are suitably aligned for
viewing is then at step 620 the display is turned on and the flow
returns to step 615. If at step 615 the determined orientations are
not suitably aligned for viewing then the flow returns to step 610
and the display is turned off.
[0041] FIG. 7 is an exemplary flowchart 700 illustrating the
operation of a wireless communication device according to an
embodiment. At step 705 the process begins, such as when a device
is turned on or a display is manually enabled. The display remains
off or is turned off at step 710. At step 715 the orientation is
determined of a first device. If at step 715 the determined
orientation is suitable for viewing then at step 720 the
orientation is determined of second device. If at step 715 the
determined orientation is not suitable for viewing then the flow
returns to step 710 and the device is turned off. If at step 720
the determined orientation is not suitable for viewing then the
flow returns to step 710 and the device is turned off. If at step
720 the determined orientation is suitable for viewing then at step
725 the orientation alignment of a first device and a second device
is determined. If at step 725 the determined orientations are
suitably aligned for viewing, then at step 730 the display is
turned on and the flow returns to step 715. If at step 715 the
determined orientations are not suitably aligned for viewing then
the flow returns to step 710 and the display is turned off.
[0042] There are three infrared (IR) embodiments. FIG. 8 is an
exemplary block diagram 800 according to one embodiment,
illustrating how the communication device 302 and the wearable
device 242 wirelessly communicate. In this embodiment, the wearable
device 242 includes a transmitter 802 and the communication device
302 includes a receiver 804, in the form of Infra red transmitter
and receiver. The transmitter 802 is driven by a clock source, such
as from a processor or a stand alone oscillator. The clock source
can be shaped to generate narrow pulses before transmission, to
minimize light emitting diode (LED) ON time for power saving. For
example, using a 5 Hz square wave oscillator (which equates to 200
ms oscillation period), an LED peak current of 2 mA results in LED
IR average current of 11 mA. This is very high for product
implementation. Preferably, if pulses of about 100 ns duration are
used, the LED average current becomes about 0.5 microA, a much more
acceptable value. Low cost LEDs are readily available for much less
than 100 nS pulse durations. The pulses are fed into an LED driver,
such as a simple transistor switch operating in on/off mode.
[0043] Turning to the receiver 804, a PIN/receiver diode (PN
junction with an intrinsic layer) can be used as a detector. As
should be understood by those skilled in the art, phototransistors
or other light devices can be used. The PIN diode can be ac coupled
into a preamp stage for background noise rejection and filtering
and to minimize forward biasing or saturating the PIN diode under
high interference. The preamp can be a trans-impedance type
commonly used in this type of application. Other schemes can be
used, such as dc coupling, high impedance preamps and the like.
Following the preamp, the signal undergoes further band limiting,
LP filtering, and additional amplification via a post amp. Then the
amplified pulses are rectified for received signal presence or
absence detection. The rectified signal can be used to drive a
comparator stage, A/D stage or others for providing display
lighting control.
[0044] Alternatively, in a second embodiment, the wearable device
242 could include the receiver and the communication device 302
could include the transmitter, as should be understood.
[0045] In one embodiment, the TX transmit pulses or IR receiver can
be powered on, based on a sensor, such as a tilt accelerometer in
one or both of a headset and a handset, indicating a general first
order approximation possible line of sight alignment between the
wearable device 242 and the communication device 302.
[0046] The second embodiment has the IR transmitter in the handset
and IR receiver in the headset. Transmission and reception can be
enabled all the time or as driven by other sensors, as detailed
above. Once the IR receiver receives an IR signal from the handset,
it communicates back to the handset via a wireless link, for
example a Bluetooth (BT) or other available wireless link, to
control the display lighting.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 9, a third embodiment is provided
illustrating how the communication device 302 and the wearable
device 242 wirelessly communicate. Transmission/reception of the IR
hardware can be enabled all the time, or as driven by other sensors
as detailed previously. Other possibilities can include an IR
transceiver in the handset being on and transmitting pulses, an IR
receiver in the headset being on and receiving from handset. When a
signal is received, the headset transmitter is enabled to
communicate back to a handset for display lighting control. It is
easy to envisage by those skilled in the art, other combinations
and powering hardware enabling sequences or as driven by other
sensors.
[0048] The devices 200 and 300 and method 400 are preferably
implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controllers,
flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general
purpose or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or
microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an
integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as
a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the
like. In general, any device on which resides a finite state
machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures
may be used to implement the processor functions of this
disclosure.
[0049] While this disclosure has been described with specific
embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be
interchanged, added, or substituted in the other embodiments. Also,
all of the elements of each figure are not necessary for operation
of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one of ordinary skill in
the art of the disclosed embodiments would be enabled to make and
use the teachings of the disclosure by simply employing the
elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the preferred
embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to
be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
[0050] In this document, relational terms such as "first,"
"second," and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity
or action from another entity or action without necessarily
requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between
such entities or actions. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or
any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive
inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that
comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements
but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to
such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded
by "a," "an," or the like does not, without more constraints,
preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the
process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
Also, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more.
The terms "including," "having," and the like, as used herein, are
defined as "comprising."
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