Determining Sensor Information in the Background On a Mobile Device

• US 20140343896A1
• Filed: 08/15/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Le Grand, Etienne, Agopian, Mathias
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3096 wherein the means or processing minimize the use of computing system or of computing system component resources, e.g. non-intrusive monitoring which minimizes the probe effect: sniffing, intercepting, indirectly deriving the monitored data from other directly available data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems for acquiring and batching sensor data using a mobile device are described. In one example, a system in a mobile device is provided. The system includes one or more sensors, a memory, a sensor processor, and a main application processor. The sensor processor is configured to determine sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis and store the sensor data into one or more first-in, first-out (FIFO) queues. Additionally, the sensor processor is configured to replace at least a portion of the stored sensor data if a main application processor of the mobile device does not request the stored sensor data within a certain amount of time. The main application processor is configured to receive data indicating a request for sensor data for a recent time period and, in response, to retrieve the sensor data from the one or more FIFO queues.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

one or more sensors;

a memory;

a sensor processor, the sensor processor configured to;

determine sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis,

store the sensor data into one or more first-in, first-out (FIFO) queues in the memory as the sensor data is determined, and

replace at least a portion of the stored sensor data if a main application processor of the mobile device does not request the stored sensor data within a certain amount of time; and

a main application processor, the main application processor configured to;

receive data indicating a request for sensor data for a recent time period, and

in response to receiving the data indicating the request, retrieve the sensor data for the recent time period from the one or more FIFO queues.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein replacing at least a portion of the stored sensor data comprises discounting a portion of the sensor data that is stored in a given FIFO queue of the one or more FIFO queues when the given FIFO queue is full, such that additional sensor data for a subsequent interval may be stored into the given FIFO queue.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises erasing an element of sensor data at a front of the given FIFO queue.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises:

determining that one or more elements of sensor data stored in the given queue are indicative that the mobile device is at rest for an elapsed period of time; and

erasing the determined one or more elements from the given FIFO queue.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor is further configured to determine sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis for a predetermined length of a time in response to receiving a request from the main application processor.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein determining sensor data using the one or more sensors comprises combining sensor data received from at least two of the one or more sensors.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein combining sensor data received from at least two of the one or more sensors comprises combining sensor data received from an accelerometer and a gyroscope to determine a change in position of the mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of the following types of sensors:

a global positioning system, a Wi-Fi sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetic sensor, and a pressure sensor.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor is further configured to determine the sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis while the main application processor is inactive and the mobile device is in a sleep mode.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the main application processor is further configured to determine, using the retrieved sensor data for the recent time period, an estimate of a geographic location of the mobile device.

11. A method of batching sensor data while a main application processor of a mobile device is in an inactive state, the method comprising:

receiving, by a sensor processor and from the main application processor, data indicating a request to collect sensor data using one or more sensors of the mobile device, wherein the sensor processor is configured to collect sensor data using less power than the main application processor uses when determining sensor data;

in response to receiving the data indicating the request, the sensor processor determining sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis;

storing, by the sensor processor, the determined sensor data into one or more first-in, first out (FIFO) queues of a memory;

determining, by the sensor processor, that a given one of the one or more FIFO queues is full; and

in response to determining that a given one of the one or more FIFO queues is full, discounting, by the sensor processor, a portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue of the one or more FIFO queues, such that additional sensor data for a subsequent interval may be stored into the given FIFO queue.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises erasing an element of sensor data at a front of the given FIFO queue.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises:

determining that one or more elements of sensor data stored in the given queue are indicative that the mobile device is at rest for an elapsed period of time; and

erasing the determined one or more elements from the given FIFO queue.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the sensor data using the one or more sensors comprises combining sensor data received from at least two of the one or more sensors.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the sensor processor and from the main application processor, a determined position of the mobile device, and

wherein combining sensor data received from at least two of the one or more sensors comprises;

combining sensor data received from an accelerometer and a gyroscope to calculate a change in position of the mobile device; and

advancing the determined position of the mobile device based on the calculated change in position.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of the following types of sensors:

a global positioning system, a Wi-Fi sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetic sensor, and a pressure sensor.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a sensor processor, cause the sensor processor to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from a main application processor of a mobile device, data indicating a request to collect sensor data using one or more sensors of the mobile device;

in response to receiving the data indicating the request, determining sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis without using the main application processor;

storing the determined sensor data into one or more first-in, first out (FIFO) queues of a memory;

determining that a given one of the one or more FIFO queues is full; and

in response to determining that a given one of the one or more FIFO queues is full, discounting a portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue of the one or more FIFO queues, such that additional sensor data for a subsequent interval may be stored into the given FIFO queue.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises erasing an element of sensor data at the front of the given FIFO queue.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein discounting the portion of the sensor data that is stored in the given FIFO queue comprises:

determining that one or more elements of sensor data stored in the given queue are indicative that the mobile device is at rest for an elapsed period of time; and

erasing the determined one or more elements from the given FIFO queue.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of the following types of sensors:

a global positioning system, a Wi-Fi sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetic sensor, and a pressure sensor.