ENERGY EFFICIENT CONTINUOUS SENSING FOR COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES
First Claim
1. A system for conserving energy in a mobile communications device, comprising:
- a mobile communications device;
a low-power processor integral to the mobile communications device that is coupled to a primary processor of the mobile communications device via one or more data channels;
a plurality of sensors coupled to the low-power processor;
wherein the low-power processor receives and processes inputs from one or more of the sensors via one or more data channels while the mobile communications device is in a low-power state; and
wherein the low-power processor stores inputs received from the one or more sensors in a memory device that is accessible to the primary processor of the mobile communications device via one or more data channels when the mobile communications device is not in a low-power state.
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Abstract
A “Communication Device with Energy Efficient Sensing” provides various techniques for enabling a variety of sensor-based applications and processes while conserving energy on mobile communications devices. More specifically, the Communication Device with Energy Efficient Sensing provides a novel sensing architecture for mobile communications devices where sampling and, in various embodiments, processing, of sensor data received from one or more sensors is offloaded to a dedicated low-power processor having the capability to interact with a primary processor of the communications device. Such sensors include, but are not limited to accelerometers, ambient light sensors, compasses, microphones, pressure sensors, touch sensors, low-power radio devices, etc. This approach enables the communications device to perform continuous sensing with a low power overhead. In various tested embodiments, it has been observed that that the sensing architecture described herein can be two to three orders of magnitude more energy efficient in comparison to conventional communications devices.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for conserving energy in a mobile communications device, comprising:
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a mobile communications device; a low-power processor integral to the mobile communications device that is coupled to a primary processor of the mobile communications device via one or more data channels; a plurality of sensors coupled to the low-power processor; wherein the low-power processor receives and processes inputs from one or more of the sensors via one or more data channels while the mobile communications device is in a low-power state; and wherein the low-power processor stores inputs received from the one or more sensors in a memory device that is accessible to the primary processor of the mobile communications device via one or more data channels when the mobile communications device is not in a low-power state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for reducing energy usage in a mobile communications device, comprising steps for:
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coupling a low-power processor to a primary processor of a mobile communications device, wherein the low-power processor continues to operate while the primary processor is in a sleep state; coupling a plurality of sensors to the low-power processor, wherein one or more of the sensors provide inputs to the low-power processor while the primary processor is in a sleep state; and wherein the low-power processor stores the inputs received from the one or more sensors in a memory device that is accessible to the primary processor and one or more applications running on an operating system (OS) layer running on the primary processor when the primary processor of the mobile communications device is not in a sleep state. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A mobile phone having reduced energy usage during continuous sensing operations, comprising:
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a low-power processor coupled to a primary processor of a mobile phone via one or more data channels; a plurality of sensors coupled to the low-power processor, wherein the low-power processor receives inputs from one or more of the sensors; power control circuitry coupled to electronic components of the mobile phone for placing the primary processor into a sleep state while allowing the low-power processor to continue receiving inputs from one or more of the sensors; and wherein the low-power processor stores inputs received from the one or more sensors to a memory device that is accessible to the primary processor when the mobile phone is in a wake state. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification