METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING FOR WIRELESS SENSORS

• US 20110134906A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Baheti, Pawan Kumar, Garudadri, Harinath, Majumdar, Somdeb
• Application Number:
  US12/777,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20110134906A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0658 Clock or time synchronisation among packet nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method for compressed sensing (CS). The CS is a signal processing concept wherein significantly fewer sensor measurements than that suggested by Shannon/Nyquist sampling theorem can be used to recover signals with arbitrarily fine resolution. In this disclosure, the CS framework is applied for sensor signal processing in order to support low power robust sensors and reliable communication in Body Area Networks (BANs) for healthcare and fitness applications.

Claims

1. A method of processing data, the method comprising:

maintaining, at a first apparatus, a first clock signal;

transmitting, from the first apparatus, a clock synchronization signal for synchronizing a second clock signal, at a second apparatus, to the first clock signal;

receiving, at the first apparatus, one or more packets comprising a first set of samples indicative of an input over a period of time, the first set of samples corresponding to the second clock signal; and

generating, at the first apparatus, a second set of samples based, at least in part, on the first set of samples, wherein the second set of samples corresponds to the first clock signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the clock synchronization signal is transmitted aperiodically.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount to which the first and second clock signals are not synchronized; and

comparing the amount to a threshold;

wherein the clock synchronization signal is transmitted if the comparison indicates that the amount exceeds the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a time duration between any two adjacent samples in the second set of samples is the same.

6. An apparatus for processing data, the apparatus comprising:

a processing system, configured to maintain a first clock signal;

a transmitter configured to transmit a clock synchronization signal for synchronizing a second clock signal to the first clock signal; and

a receiver configured to receive one or more packets comprising a first set of samples indicative of an input over a period of time, the first set of samples corresponding the second clock signal;

wherein the processing system is further configured to generate a second set of samples based, at least in part, on the first set of samples, the second set of samples corresponding to the first clock signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the clock synchronization signal aperiodically.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing system is configured to:

determine an amount to which the first and second clock signals are not synchronized; and

compare the amount to a threshold;

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the clock synchronization signal if the comparison indicates that the amount exceeds the threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a time duration between any two adjacent samples in the second set of samples is the same.

11. An apparatus for processing data, the apparatus comprising:

means for maintaining a first clock signal;

means for transmitting a clock synchronization signal for synchronizing a second clock signal to the first clock signal;

means for receiving one or more packets comprising a first set of samples indicative of an input over a period of time, the first set of samples corresponding the second clock signal; and

means for generating a second set of samples based, at least in part, on the first set of samples, the second set of samples corresponding to the first clock signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for transmitting is configured to transmit the clock synchronization signal aperiodically.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining an amount to which the first and second clock signals are not synchronized; and

means for comparing the amount to a threshold;

wherein the means for transmitting is configured to transmit the clock synchronization signal if the comparison indicates that the amount exceeds the threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a time duration between any two adjacent samples in the second set of samples is the same.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method comprising;

maintaining a first clock signal;

transmitting a clock synchronization signal for synchronizing a second clock signal to the first clock signal;

receiving one or more packets comprising a first set of samples indicative of an input over a period of time, the first set of samples corresponding to the second clock signal; and

generating a second set of samples based, at least in part, on the first set of samples, wherein the second set of samples corresponds to the first clock signal.

17. A mobile phone comprising:

an antenna;

a processing system configured to maintain a first clock signal;

a transmitter configured to transmit, via the antenna, a clock synchronization signal for synchronizing a second clock signal to the first clock signal; and

a receiver configured to receive, via the antenna, one or more packets comprising a first set of samples indicative of an input over a period of time, the first set of samples corresponding the second clock signal;

wherein the processing system is further configured to generate a second set of samples based, at least in part, on the first set of samples, the second set of samples corresponding to the first clock signal.

18. A method of data communication, the method comprising:

receiving a clock synchronization signal;

adjusting a clock signal based, at least in part, on the clock synchronization signal;

generating a first set of samples corresponding to the adjusted clock signal;

generating one or more packets comprising, at least in part, the first set of samples; and

transmitting the one or more packets.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the clock synchronization signal is received aperiodically.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a request for the input over a period of time, and wherein generating the first set of samples is performed responsive to the request.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein a total number of samples in the first set of samples is lower than a number of samples corresponding to Nyquist rate sampling over the period of time.

23. An apparatus for data communication, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a clock synchronization signal

a processing system configured to;

adjust a clock signal based, at least in part, on the clock synchronization signal;

generate a first set of samples corresponding to the adjusted clock signal;

generate one or more packets comprising, at least in part, the first set of samples; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the one or more packets.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing system comprises a hardware finite state machine.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the clock synchronization signal aperiodically.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a request for the input, and wherein the processing system is configured to generate the first set of samples responsive to the request.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a total number of samples in the first set of samples is lower than a number of samples corresponding to Nyquist rate sampling over the period of time.

29. An apparatus for data communication, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a clock synchronization signal;

means for adjusting a clock signal based, at least in part, on the clock synchronization signal;

means for generating a first set of samples corresponding to the adjusted clock signal;

means for generating one or more packets comprising, at least in part, the first set of samples; and

means for transmitting the one or more packets.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising means for receiving a request for the input over the period of time, and wherein the means for generating is configured to generate the first set of samples responsive to the request.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein a time duration between at least two adjacent samples in the first set of samples is different from a time duration between at least two other adjacent samples in the first set of samples.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein a total number of samples in the first set of samples is lower than a number of samples corresponding to Nyquist rate sampling over the period of time.

33. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method comprising;

receiving a clock synchronization signal;

adjusting a clock signal based, at least in part, on the clock synchronization signal;

generating a first set of samples corresponding to the adjusted clock signal;

generating one or more packets comprising, at least in part, the first set of samples; and

transmitting the one or more packets.

34. A sensing device comprising:

a transducer configure to receive an input;

a receiver configured to receive a clock synchronization signal;

a processing system configured to;

adjust a clock signal based, at least in part, on the clock synchronization signal;

generate a first set of samples corresponding to the clock signal, based, at least in part, on the input;

generate one or more packets comprising, at least in part, the first set of samples; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the one or more packets.