METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING SLEEP MODE USING A LOW POWER PROCESSOR IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

A method and an apparatus for controlling a sleep mode in a portable terminal having a main controller and a sub-controller operating at low power are provided. The method includes detecting, by the sub-controller, a first sensor signal generated by a first sensor when the main controller is in the sleep mode, extracting a sensed pattern from the detected first sensor signal, determining whether the extracted sensed pattern is substantially identical with a preset wake-up pattern, and cancelling the sleep mode by waking-up the main controller when the extracted sensed pattern is substantially identical with the wake-up pattern.