Moving object sensing control apparatus and method with power saving

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11086383-B2
Application number	US-202016737193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2020
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A moving object sensing control circuit includes: a control circuit configured to determine, based on a mode signal, whether to operate in a sensing mode or a power saving mode, and control, in the power saving mode, a sensing operation in a sensing stage and a standby operation in a standby stage; an LC oscillation circuit configured to generate an oscillation signal based on an impedance value corresponding to relocation of a moving object, by performing the sensing operation or the standby operation in response to control of the control circuit; and a sensing circuit configured to obtain a period count value of the sensing oscillation signal using a reference oscillation signal and a main oscillation signal, and output an output signal having movement information of the moving object based on the period count value, by performing the sensing operation in response to the control of the control circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A moving object sensing control circuit, comprising:
a control circuit configured to:
determine, based on a mode signal, whether to operate in a sensing mode or a power saving mode, and
control, in the power saving mode, a sensing operation in a sensing stage and a standby operation in a standby stage;

an LC oscillation circuit configured to generate a sensed oscillation signal based on an impedance value corresponding to relocation of a moving object, by performing the sensing operation in the sensing stage or the standby operation in the standby stage in response to control of the control circuit; and
a sensing circuit configured to obtain a period count value of the sensed oscillation signal using a reference oscillation signal and a main oscillation signal, and output an output signal having movement information of the moving object based on the period count value, by performing the sensing operation in the sensing stage or the standby operation in the standby stage in response to the control of the control circuit,
wherein the control circuit is further configured to control, in the standby stage, powering down of the LC oscillation circuit and holding of the output signal.

2. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a main oscillation circuit configured to generate the main oscillation signal by performing the sensing operation in the sensing stage or the standby operation in the standby mode in response to the control of the control circuit.

3. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to control, in the standby stage, powering down of the main oscillation circuit.

4. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to receive a set time signal or a synchronous clock signal during the standby stage, determine a sensing time of the sensing stage and a standby time of the standby stage based on the synchronous clock signal, control the sensing operation during the sensing time based on the set time signal, and control the standby operation during the standby time based on the set time signal.

5. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 4 , wherein the LC oscillation circuit comprises:
a first oscillation circuit configured to generate a first sensed oscillation signal based on a first impedance value corresponding to relocation of a first detected location of the moving object during the sensing operation; and
a second oscillation circuit configured to generate a second sensed oscillation signal based on a second impedance value corresponding to relocation of a second detected location of the moving object during the sensing operation.

6. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 5 , wherein the sensing circuit comprises:
a frequency divider configured to divide a frequency of the reference oscillation signal and output a frequency-divided reference oscillation signal;
a first period counting circuit configured to generate a first sensed signal having a first period count value counted using the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal with respect to the first sensed oscillation signal;
a second period counting circuit configured to generate a second sensed signal having a second period count value counted using the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal with respect to the second sensed oscillation signal; and
a calculation circuit configured to calculate the first and second sensed signals to generate the output signal.

7. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 6 , wherein the first period counting circuit comprises:
a first period counter configured to count a period of the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal using the first sensed oscillation signal to generate the first period count value for the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal; and
a first filter configured to amplify the first period count value using an accumulated gain to generate a first amplified period count value and provide the first amplified period count value as the first sensed signal.

8. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 6 , wherein the second period counting circuit comprises:
a second period counter configured to count a period of the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal using the second sensed oscillation signal to generate the second period count value for the frequency-divided reference oscillation signal; and
a second filter configured to amplify the second period count value using an accumulated gain to generate a second amplified period count value and provide the second amplified period count value as the second sensed signal.

9. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 6 , wherein the calculation circuit is further configured to generate the output signal by dividing the first sensed signal by the second sensed signal.

10. The moving object sensing control circuit of claim 6 , wherein the sensing stage and the standby stage are repeated in an alternating manner.

11. A moving object sensing control method of a moving object sensing control apparatus, comprising:
initiating a power saving mode in response to the power saving mode being selected from among a sensing mode and the power saving mode based on a mode signal;
performing a sensing operation using a main oscillation circuit, an LC oscillation circuit and a sensing circuit of the moving object sensing control apparatus during a sensing time in the power saving mode;
performing a standby operation by holding a power-down state for each of the main oscillation circuit, the LC oscillation circuit and the sensing circuit during a standby time, after the sensing time, in the power saving mode; and
re-initiating the sensing operation by controlling powering-on for each of the main oscillation circuit, the LC oscillation circuit and the sensing circuit after the standby time.

12. The moving object sensing control method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, after re-initiating the sensing operation, a termination signal indicating whether to terminate the sensing operation; and
continuing with the sensing operation in response to the termination signal indicating that the sensing operation is not to be terminated, or terminating the sensing operation in response to the termination signal indicating that the sensing operation is to be terminated.

13. The moving object sensing control method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the sensing operation comprises:
initiating the sensing operation using the main oscillation circuit, the LC oscillation circuit and the sensing circuit; and
continuing to perform the sensing operation until the sensing time elapses.

14. The moving object sensing control method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the standby operation comprises:
initiating the standby operation, after the sensing time elapses, to power down the main oscillation circuit and the LC oscillation circuit, and to hold an output signal of the sensing circuit; and
continuing to perform the standby operation until the standby time elapses.

15. The moving object sensing control method of claim 11 , wherein the re-initiation of the sensing operation comprises:
powering on the main oscillation circuit, the LC oscillation circuit, and the sensing circuit.

16. The moving object sensing control method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the sensing operation comprises:
generating, by the LC oscillation circuit, a sensing oscillation signal base

Assignees

• Samsung Electro Mech

Inventors

• Lee Jong Woo
• Ryu Je Hyuk
• Ko Joo Yul
• Lee Soo Woong
• Ji Yong Woon

Classifications

• G04G19/00

  Electric power supply circuits specially adapted for use in electronic time-pieces · CPC title

• G06F3/0362

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title

• H03B5/18

  with frequency-determining element comprising distributed inductance and capacitance · CPC title

• G01D5/24

  by varying capacitance · CPC title

• H02K11/21

  Devices for sensing speed or position, or actuated thereby (specially adapted for machines having non-mechanical commutating devices H02K29/06, H02K29/14) · CPC title