INTERFACING APPLICATION PROGRAMS AND MOTION SENSORS OF A DEVICE

• US 20090184849A1
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Jiang, Joseph, Sachs, David, NASIRI, Steven S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/02 containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] B81B7/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/42 for indicating rate of turn; for integrating rate of turn
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Interfacing application programs and motion sensors of a device. In one aspect, a high-level command is received from an application program running on a motion sensing device, where the application program implements one of multiple different types of applications available for use on the device. The high-level command requests high-level information derived from the output of motion sensors of the device that include rotational motion sensors and linear motion sensors. The command is translated to cause low-level processing of motion sensor data output by the motion sensors, the low-level processing following requirements of the type of application and determining the high-level information in response to the command. The application program is ignorant of the low-level processing, and the high-level information is provided to the application program.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interface for one or more application programs provided on a motion sensing device, the method comprising:

receiving a high-level command from an application program running on the motion sensing device, wherein the application program implements one of a plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device, the high-level command requesting high-level information derived from the output of at least one motion sensor of the motion sensing device;

translating the high-level command to cause low-level processing of multiple axes of motion sensor data output by the motion sensors, the low-level processing following requirements of the type of application and intelligently determining the high-level information from the motion sensor data in response to receiving the high-level command, wherein the at least one motion sensor includes at least one rotational motion sensor or at least one linear motion sensor sensors; and

providing the high-level information to the application program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the requirements of the type of application include a precise sampling rate for the motion sensor data obtained from the motion sensors.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor data is obtained from the motion sensors at a precise sampling rate following a requirement of the application, and wherein at least two of the plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device have different sampling rate requirements for the motion sensor data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the high-level information to the application program includes providing the high-level information such that it is received by the application program at a sampling rate appropriate to the type of the application implemented by the application program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the high-level information is received by the application program at a sampling rate lower than the sampling rate used to sample the motion sensor data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of different application programs that implement the different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device run simultaneously on the motion sensing device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of different application programs require the high-level information to be provided at different sampling rates from each other, and wherein the sampling rate of the motion sensor data for one of the applications is obtained by filtering the sampling rate of the motion sensor data for a different one of the applications.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device include at least one of a motion sensing application, an image stabilization application, and a navigation application.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing of the motion sensor data includes running one or more motion algorithms in the background during the operation of the motion sensing device, the motion algorithms checking the motion sensor data for one or more conditions to be met, which causes the application program to be notified.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising buffering the motion sensor data obtained at a higher sampling rate and with precise timing requirements, and processing the buffered motion sensor data and providing the buffered motion sensor data to the application program at a lower sampling rate and relaxed timing requirements.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of rotational motion sensors include three gyroscopes, and wherein the plurality of linear motion sensors include three accelerometers, the gyroscopes and accelerometers providing 6-axis sensing.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the high level information is further determined from additional sensors of the motion sensing device, the additional sensors including at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a compass.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the low-level processing includes examining all the outputs of all of the motion sensors of the motion sensing device to determine the high-level information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the low-level processing determines to selectively use only a subset of the axes of the motion sensors for the type of application after examining all of the outputs of the motion sensors.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the low-level processing turns off the operation of motion sensors not used for the type of application to save power consumption or processing bandwidth.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the low-level processing determines which outputs of the motion sensors to selectively use in determining the high-level information, based on the particular high-level command.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the low-level processing is performed at least in part by a motion processing unit distinct from and in communication with an application processor of the motion sensing device.

18. A method for providing motion sensor data from motion sensors on a motion sensing device to an application program running on the motion sensing device, the method comprising:

sampling motion sensor data output by the motion sensors at a first sampling rate, wherein the motion sensors include a plurality of rotational motion sensors and a plurality of linear motion sensors;

storing the motion sensor data in a buffer; and

retrieving at least a portion of the buffered motion sensor data for the application program at a second sampling rate required by an application implemented by the application program, the second sampling rate being lower than the first sampling rate.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the buffer is a hardware buffer implemented in a motion processing unit separate from an application processor.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the buffer is a software buffer implemented in memory, and wherein an interrupt routine samples the motion sensor data and interrupts a application processor running the application program to retrieve at least a portion of the buffered motion sensor data.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein a motion processing unit separate from an application processor scans the stored motion sensor data to detect properties relevant to the application program.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein a motion processing unit separate from an application processor reduces the motion sensor data in the buffer to a set of features relevant to the application program, and wherein the retrieved portion of the buffered motion sensor data is the set of features.

23. A method for processing motion sensor data from motion sensors on a motion sensor device, the method comprising:

sampling motion sensor data output by the motion sensors at a first sampling rate, such that the motion sensor data is used to provide information to a first application program implementing a first application on the motion sensor device, wherein the motion sensors include a plurality of rotational motion sensors and a plurality of linear motion sensors; and

low-pass filtering the motion sensor data to a second sampling rate lower than the first sampling rate, wherein the filtered motion sensor data is used to provide information to a second application program implementing a second application on the motion sensor device different from the first application, wherein the first and second application programs are running simultaneously on the motion sensor device, and wherein the first application requires motion sensor data to be sampled at sampling rate greater than the second sampling rate.

24. A computer readable medium storing program instructions to be executed by a computer and for providing an interface for one or more application programs provided on a motion sensing device, the program instructions performing steps comprising:

receiving a high-level command from an application program running on the motion sensing device, wherein the application program implements one of a plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device, the high-level command requesting high-level information derived from the output of a plurality of motion sensors of the motion sensing device;

translating the high-level command to cause low-level processing of multiple axes of motion sensor data output by the motion sensors, the low-level processing following requirements of the type of application and intelligently determining the high-level information from the motion sensor data in response to receiving the high-level command, wherein the motion sensors include at least one rotational motion sensor and at least one linear motion sensor; and

providing the high-level information to the application program.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein the requirements of the type of application include a precise sampling rate for the motion sensor data obtained from the motion sensors.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein the motion sensor data is obtained from the motion sensors at a precise sampling rate following a requirement of the application, and wherein at least two of the plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device have different sampling rate requirements for the motion sensor data.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein providing the high-level information to the application program includes providing the high-level information such that it is received by the application program at a sampling rate appropriate to the type of the application implemented by the application program.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 24 wherein a plurality of different application programs that implement the different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device run simultaneously on the motion sensing device.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28 wherein the plurality of different application programs require the high-level information to be provided at different sampling rates from each other, and wherein the sampling rate of the motion sensor data for one of the applications is obtained by filtering the sampling rate of the motion sensor data for a different one of the applications.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 24 further comprising buffering the motion sensor data obtained at a higher sampling rate and with precise timing requirements, and processing the buffered motion sensor data and providing the buffered motion sensor data to the application program at a lower sampling rate and relaxed timing requirements.

31. A motion sensing device including an interface for one or more application programs provided on the motion sensing device, the motion sensing device comprising:

a motion processing unit including a plurality of motion sensors for sensing the motion of the motion sensing device, the motion sensors including at least one rotational motion sensor and at least one linear motion sensor; and

an application processor coupled to the motion processing unit, the application processor providing an application program that implements one of a plurality of different types of applications available for use on the motion sensing device, and

an application interface that receives a high-level command from the application program, the high-level command requesting high-level information derived from the output of the motion sensors of the motion sensing device, wherein the application interface translates the high-level command to cause low-level processing of motion sensor data output by the motion sensors, the low-level processing following requirements of the type of application and determining the high-level information in response to receiving the high-level command, and wherein the application interface provides the high-level information to the application program.

32. A method for providing an interface for an application program running on a handheld electronic device, the electronic device comprising a display and a set of motion sensors sensing rotational rate around at least three axes and linear acceleration along at least three axes, the method comprising:

receiving a high-level command from the application program, the high-level command requesting high-level motion information; and

providing high-level motion information to the application program, where the high-level motion information is based on motion sensor data produced by at least one motion sensor and on the high-level command.

33. A method for providing an interface for a plurality of motion-responsive application programs running on a handheld electronic device, the electronic device comprising a display and a set of motion sensors sensing rotational rate around at least one axis and linear acceleration along at least one axis, each of the motion-responsive application programs capable of utilizing high-level motion information, the method comprising:

receiving a high-level command from at least one motion-responsive application program, the high-level command requesting specific high-level motion information; and

providing high-level motion information to the application program, where the high-level motion information is based on motion sensor data produced by at least one motion sensor and on the high-level command.