Sensor data acquisition in a user equipment

• US 10,021,002 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Keskin, Mustafa, Gilmore, Robert, Sezan, Muhammed
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US15/192,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20170373956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present application relates to acquiring sensor data at a user equipment (UE). The described aspects include receiving a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors. The described aspects further include activating, by a controller at the UE, the one or more sensors in response to receiving the first input. Further, the described aspects include receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors. The described aspects include determining whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied. Additionally, the described aspects include adjusting an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on determining that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring sensor data at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors;

activating, by a controller at the UE, the one or more sensors in response to receiving the first input;

receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

determining whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied includes determining that a storage capacity level of a storage device satisfies a storage capacity threshold; and

adjusting an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on determining that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied further includes determining that a power supply of the UE satisfies a power supply threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes adjusting an output depth at an analog-to-digital converter based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes deactivating at least a subset of the one or more sensors based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes adjusting at least one of a recording interval of at least one of the one or more sensors, a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors, or a compression rate of sensor data from at least one of the one or more sensors based on determining that the storage capacity level of the storage device satisfies the storage capacity threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied further includes receiving a second input representing a deactivation of the one or more sensors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes deactivating at least a subset of the one or more sensors in response to receiving the second input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the sensor data to a remote entity in response to receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied includes determining that at least one channel condition of a channel on which the sensor data is transmitted satisfies a channel condition threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes adjusting at least an acquisition rate of at least one of the one or more sensors or a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, on a display of the UE, a set of sensor identifiers each associated with a distinct sensor of the one or more sensors for selection by a user; and

receiving a third input representing a selection of one or more sensor identifiers from the set of sensor identifiers, wherein the one or more sensors corresponds to one or more selected sensors.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first input corresponds to a first input type or a second input type, wherein activating the one or more sensors includes activating a first number of the one or more sensors based on determining that the first input corresponds to the first input type or activating a second number of the one or more sensors different from the first number based on determining that the first input corresponds to the second input type.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving sensor data from each of the one or more sensors includes:

receiving analog sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

converting, at the controller, the analog data received from each of the one or more sensors to digital sensor data; and

transferring, from the controller to a storage device at the UE, the digital sensor data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors, wherein the transferring occurs periodically based on a defined time interval.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the one or more sensors includes enabling a minimum subset of one or more circuits from a set of circuits used to acquire data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first input includes detecting a concurrent triggering of two or more buttons of the UE for a defined time period.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors is configured to adjust at least one of a recording interval of at least one of the one or more sensors, a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors, or a compression rate of sensor data from at least one of the one or more sensors based on determining that the storage capacity level of the storage device satisfies the storage capacity threshold.

16. An apparatus for acquiring sensor data, comprising:

means for receiving a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors;

means for activating, by a controller at a user equipment (UE), the one or more sensors in response to receiving the first input;

means for receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

means for determining whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, wherein the means for determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied is configured to determine that a storage capacity level of a storage device satisfies a storage capacity threshold; and

means for adjusting an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on determining that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied is further configured to determine whether a power supply of the UE satisfies a power supply threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors is configured to adjust an output depth at an analog-to-digital converter based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors is configured to deactivate at least a subset of the one or more sensors based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied is further configured to receive a second input representing a deactivation of the one or more sensors.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors is configured to deactivate at least a subset of the one or more sensors in response to receiving the second input.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for transmitting the sensor data to a remote entity in response to receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied is configured to determine that at least one channel condition of a channel on which the sensor data is transmitted satisfies a channel condition threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the means for adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors is configured to adjust at least an acquisition rate of at least one of the one or more sensors or a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, comprising code to:

receive a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors;

activate, by a controller at a user equipment (UE), the one or more sensors in response to the reception of the first input;

receive sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to the activation of the one or more sensors;

determine whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, wherein the determination whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied comprises to determine that a storage capacity level of a storage device satisfies a storage capacity threshold; and

adjust an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on the determination that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the determination whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied further comprises to determine that a power supply of the UE satisfies a power supply threshold.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the adjustment of the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors comprises to adjust an output depth at an analog-to-digital converter based on the determination that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the adjustment of the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors comprises to deactivate at least a subset of the one or more sensors based on the determination that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the adjustment of the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors comprises to adjust at least one of a recording interval, a sampling rate, or a compression rate based on the determination that the storage capacity level of the storage device satisfies the storage capacity threshold.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the determination whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied further comprises to receive a second input representing a deactivation of the one or more sensors.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising code to transmit the sensor data to a remote entity in response to the reception of the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the determination whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied comprises to determine that at least one channel condition of a channel on which the sensor data is transmitted satisfies a channel condition threshold.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the adjustment of the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors comprises to adjust at least an acquisition rate of at least one of the one or more sensors or a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors.

35. An apparatus for acquiring sensor data, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors;

activate, by a controller at a user equipment (UE), the one or more sensors in response to receiving the first input;

receive the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

determine whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, wherein to determine whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that a storage capacity level of a storage device satisfies a storage capacity threshold; and

adjust an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on determining that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to determine whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that a power supply of the UE satisfies a power supply threshold.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein to adjust the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to adjust an output depth at an analog-to-digital converter based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein to adjust the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to deactivate at least a subset of the one or more sensors based on determining that the power supply of the UE satisfies the power supply threshold.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to adjust the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to adjust at least one of a recording interval, a sampling rate, or a compression rate based on determining that the storage capacity level of the storage device satisfies the storage capacity threshold.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to determine whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, the at least one processor is further configured to receive a second input representing a deactivation of the one or more sensors.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein to adjust the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to deactivate at least a subset of the one or more sensors in response to receiving the second input.

42. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit the sensor data to a remote entity in response to receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein to determine whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, the at least one processor is further configured to determine that at least one channel condition of a channel on which the sensor data is transmitted satisfies a channel condition threshold.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein to adjust the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to adjust at least an acquisition rate of at least one of the one or more sensors or a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors.

45. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

present, on a display of the UE, a set of sensor identifiers each associated with a distinct sensor of the one or more sensors for selection by a user; and

receive a third input representing a selection of one or more sensor identifiers from the set of sensor identifiers, wherein the one or more sensors corresponds to one or more selected sensors.

46. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine whether the first input corresponds to a first input type or a second input type, wherein to activate the one or more sensors, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to activate a first number of the one or more sensors based on determining that the first input corresponds to the first input type or activate a second number of the one or more sensors different from the first number based on determining that the first input corresponds to the second input type.

47. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to receive sensor data from each of the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive analog sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

convert, at the controller, the analog data received from each of the one or more sensors to digital sensor data; and

transfer, from the controller to a storage device at the UE, the digital sensor data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors, wherein the transferring occurs periodically based on a defined time interval.

48. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to activate the one or more sensors, the at least one processor is further configured to enable a minimum subset of one or more circuits from a set of circuits used to acquire data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors.

49. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein to receive the first input, the at least one processor is further configured to detect a concurrent triggering of two or more buttons of the UE for a defined time period.

50. A method of acquiring sensor data at a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving a first input representing a request to activate one or more sensors;

activating, by a controller at the UE, the one or more sensors in response to receiving the first input;

receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

transmitting the sensor data to a remote entity in response to receiving the sensor data from each of the one or more sensors;

determining whether a sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied includes determining that at least one channel condition of a channel on which the sensor data is transmitted satisfies a channel condition threshold; and

adjusting an acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors based on determining that the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein determining whether the sensor adjustment condition has been satisfied further includes receiving a second input representing a deactivation of the one or more sensors.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes deactivating at least a subset of the one or more sensors in response to receiving the second input.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein adjusting the acquisition characteristic of the one or more sensors includes adjusting at least an acquisition rate of at least one of the one or more sensors or a sampling rate of at least one of the one or more sensors.

54. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

presenting, on a display of the UE, a set of sensor identifiers each associated with a distinct sensor of the one or more sensors for selection by a user; and

receiving a third input representing a selection of one or more sensor identifiers from the set of sensor identifiers, wherein the one or more sensors corresponds to one or more selected sensors.

55. The method of claim 50, further comprising determining whether the first input corresponds to a first input type or a second input type, wherein activating the one or more sensors includes activating a first number of the one or more sensors based on determining that the first input corresponds to the first input type or activating a second number of the one or more sensors different from the first number based on determining that the first input corresponds to the second input type.

56. The method of claim 50, wherein receiving sensor data from each of the one or more sensors includes:

receiving analog sensor data from each of the one or more sensors in response to activating the one or more sensors;

converting, at the controller, the analog data received from each of the one or more sensors to digital sensor data; and

transferring, from the controller to a storage device at the UE, the digital sensor data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors, wherein the transferring occurs periodically based on a defined time interval.

57. The method of claim 50, wherein activating the one or more sensors includes enabling a minimum subset of one or more circuits from a set of circuits used to acquire data corresponding to each of the one or more sensors.

58. The method of claim 50, wherein receiving the first input includes detecting a concurrent triggering of two or more buttons of the UE for a defined time period.