Method and apparatus for lowering power use by a ranging receiver

摘要

Equipment and a method by which power consumed by a ranging receiver ( 12 ) is reduced without appreciably impairing performance of the GPS receiver ( 12 ), the method including: a step ( 21 ) in which a controller ( 15 ) reads sensor signals provided by a motion sensor ( 14 ) mechanically coupled to the ranging receiver ( 12 ); and a step ( 22 ) in which the controller ( 15 ) powers down selected components of the ranging receiver ( 12 ) based on whether the sensor signals indicate only at most insubstantial motion of the ranging receiver ( 12 ). The motion sensor is advantageously a motion sensor constructed using MEMS technology, but at any rate is of a type using so little power as to provide a power savings when used according to the invention, i.e. when it is always on and at least partially based on its sensor signals, the ranging receiver ( 12 ) is sometimes at least partially turned off.