Sensor power management

• US 10,082,598 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jernigan, Charles Carter
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Roy Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, LYNNE D
• Application Number:
  US14/462,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20160047679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/00 Compasses; Devices for ascertaining true or magnetic north for navigation or surveying purposes using gyroscopic effect G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/00 Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/10 with provision for switching-in of additional or auxiliary indicators or recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/00 Measuring steady of quasi-steady pressure of fluid or fluent solid material by electric or magnetic pressure-sensitive elements G01L11/004 takes precedence; Transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements, used to measure the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or fluent solid material, by electric or magnetic means measuring differences of two or more pressure values G01L13/00; measuring two or more pressure values simultaneously G01L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 19/10 Measuring moisture content, e.g. by measuring change in length of hygroscopic filament; Hygrometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/00 Prospecting or detecting by optical means

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques and configurations for an apparatus to reduce sensor power consumption, in particular, through predictive data measurements by one or more sensors. In one instance, the apparatus may include one or more sensors and a sensor management module coupled with the sensors and configured to cause the sensors to initiate measurements of data indicative of a process in a first data measurement mode, determine a pattern of events comprising the process based on a portion of the measurements collected by the sensors in the first data measurement mode over a time period, and initiate measurements of the data by the one or more sensors in a second data measurement mode. The second data measurement mode may be based on the pattern of events comprising the process. The pattern may indicate a prediction of appearance of events in the process. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting measurements of a process, comprising:

a sensor circuitry including one or more sensors, to collect measurements of the process;

a power source coupled with the sensor circuitry to supply power to the one or more sensors; and

one or more sensor management and data processing modules coupled with the sensor circuitry, to regulate the power source in supplying power to the one or more sensors and operation of the one or more sensors, which includes to;

operate the power source to power on the one or more sensors, to measure the process at a first sampling rate, in a first data measurement mode, over a time period;

determine a pattern of events making up the process, based on the measurements collected by the one or more sensors in the first data measurement mode over the time period, wherein to determine the pattern of events includes to identify data points of the process and time intervals during which the data points are to be measured by the one or more sensors, wherein the pattern includes appearance of the identified data points in the identified time intervals;

operate the power source to power on the one or more sensors to measure the process in a second data measurement mode, which includes to measure the data points at a second sampling rate during the identified time intervals, and refrain from the measurements at the first sampling rate between the identified time intervals, wherein the second sampling rate is different than the first sampling rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are selected from:

an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, an infrared proximity sensor, a visible light sensor, a microphone, a compass, a thermometer, a moisture sensor, or a biometric sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measured data points match the identified data points within a margin of error.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor management and data processing modules are to determine, from the data measured in the second data measurement mode, that a match of the measured data points to the identified data points is above a margin of error;

and

revert to the first data measurement mode of data measurements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise multiple sensors, wherein to measure the process in the first data measurement mode comprises to perform the measurements at the first sampling rate by the multiple sensors, and wherein the second data measurement mode comprises:

to perform the measurements by at least one of the multiple sensors and cease to perform the measurements by at least another one of the multiple sensors, or

to perform the measurements at the second sampling rate by at least one of the multiple sensors and perform the measurements at a third sampling rate by at least another one of the multiple sensors.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor management and data processing modules is to process the measurements of the process.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

operating, by a computing device of a system, a power source coupled with a sensor circuitry of the system, to power on one or more sensors of the system, to cause the one or more sensors to perform measurements of a process in a first data measurement mode, at a first sampling rate, over a first time period;

determining, by the computing device, a pattern of events making up the process, based on the measurements collected by the one or more sensors in the first data measurement mode over the first time period, including identifying data points of the process and time intervals during which the data points are to be measured by the one or more sensors, wherein the pattern includes appearance of the identified data points in the identified time interval; and

operating, by the computing device, the power source to power on the one or more sensors to measure the process in a second data measurement mode, including measuring the data points at a second sampling rate during the identified time intervals, and refraining from the measurements at the first sampling rate between the identified time intervals, wherein the second sampling rate is different than the first sampling rate.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, from the data measured in the second data measurement mode, that a match of the measured data points to the identified data points is above a margin of error; and

reverting, by the computing device, to the measurements in the first data measurement mode.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

11. A non-transient computing device-readable storage medium having instructions that, in response to execution on a computing device of a system, cause the computing device to:

operate a power source coupled with a sensor circuitry of the system, to power on one or more sensors of the system, to cause the one or more sensors to perform measurements of a process, in a first data measurement mode, which includes a periodic performance of the measurements of the process at a first sampling rate, over a time period;

determine a pattern of events making up the process, based on the measurements collected by the one or more sensors in the first data measurement mode over the time period, wherein to determine the pattern of events includes to identify data points of the process and time intervals during which the data points are to be measured by the one or more sensors, wherein the pattern includes appearance of the identified data points in the identified time intervals; and

operate the power source to power on the one or more sensors to measure the process in a second data measurement mode, which includes to measure data points at a second sampling rate during the identified time intervals, and refrain from performance of the measurements at the first sampling rate between the identified time intervals, wherein the second sampling rate is different than the first sampling rate.

12. The non-transient computing device-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, in response to execution on the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

determine, from the data being measured in the second data measurement mode, that a match of the events to the pattern is above a margin of error; and

revert to the first data measurement mode of data measurements.

13. The non-transient computing device-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.