Multi-sensor data collection and/or processing

• US 8,718,938 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolf, Thomas G., Sheynblat, Leonid, Hodisan, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): TISSOT, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/054,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 701/530, 701/518, 701/525, 701/224, 701/200, 701/214, 701/215, 701/221, 701/216, 701/300, 701/205, 701/206, 702/92, 702/93, 702/104, 342/357.14, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/457, 342/174, 73/11.6, 73/17.5, 73 177- 178, 333/56, 332/72, 33316-329, 333/55.R, 333/17.R, 333/04, 333/13
• US Class Current: 701/530
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• 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 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/02 Rotary gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/70 Regulating power factor; Regulating reactive current or power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the control and utilization of multiple sensors within a device. For an example, motion of a device may be detected in response to receipt of a signal from a first sensor disposed in the device, and a power state of a second sensor also disposed in the device may be changed in response to detected motion.

Claims

1. A mobile station, comprising:

an accelerometer associated with a multi-sensor measurement processor unit;

a gyroscope coupled to the multi-sensor measurement processing unit; and

a geomagnetic sensor positioned externally to the multi-sensor measurement processor unit and coupled to the multi-sensor measurement processor unit, wherein the multi-sensor processor unit is adapted to;

detect motion based at least on sensor data from the accelerometer and the geomagnetic sensor;

compensate the geomagnetic sensor for tilt based at least on roll and pitch sensor data from the accelerometer; and

calibrate the gyroscope using measurement data from the tilt-compensated geomagnetic sensor by computing a measurement of a change in angular information measured by the tilt compensated geomagnetic sensor and another measurement of the change in angular information measured by the gyroscope to be calibrated.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is disposed internally to the multi-sensor measurement processor unit.

12. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the mobile station is a portable communication device.

13. The mobile station of claim 12 wherein the portable communication device is a personal communication system.

14. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the multi-sensor processor unit is further adapted to:

correct the measurement of the change in angular information measured by the tilt compensated geomagnetic sensor based on temperature measured by a temperature sensor.

3. A method to calibrate a multi-sensor measurement processing unit comprising:

detecting motion based at least on sensor data from an accelerometer and sensor data from a geomagnetic sensor;

tilt-compensating the geomagnetic sensor based at least on the sensor data from the accelerometer, wherein the sensor data from the accelerometer comprises roll and pitch measurement data;

computing an amount of rotation of the processing unit from a first orientation to a second orientation;

using the amount of rotation to convert first accelerometer information from the accelerometer while at the second orientation to second accelerometer information corresponding to the first orientation of the processing unit; and

calibrating a gyroscope using the measurement data from the tilt-compensated geomagnetic sensor by computing a measurement of a change in angular information measured by the tilt compensated geomagnetic sensor and another measurement of the change in angular information measured by the gyroscope to be calibrated.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the computing uses information from a gyroscope to compute the amount of rotation.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining a net displacement by adding the second acceleration information to previously measured acceleration information from the accelerometer.

4. A multi-sensor measurement processing unit comprising:

means for detecting motion based at least on sensor data from an accelerometer and sensor data from a geomagnetic sensor;

means for tilt-compensating the geomagnetic sensor based at least on the sensor data from the accelerometer, wherein the sensor data from the accelerometer comprises roll and pitch measurement data;

means for computing an amount of rotation of the processing unit from a first orientation to a second orientation;

means for using the amount of rotation to convert first accelerometer information from the accelerometer while at the second orientation to second accelerometer information corresponding to the first orientation of the processing unit; and

means for calibrating a gyroscope using measurement data from the tilt-compensated geomagnetic sensor by computing a measurement of a change in angular information measured by the tilt compensated geomagnetic sensor and another measurement of the change in angular information measured by the gyroscope to be calibrated.

8. The multi-sensor measurement processing unit of claim 4 wherein the means for computing uses information from a gyroscope to compute the amount of rotation.

9. The multi-sensor measurement processing unit of claim 4 further comprising means for determining a net displacement by adding the second acceleration information to previously measured acceleration information from the accelerometer.

5. A computer-readable storage medium comprising program code, to calibrate a multi-sensor measurement processing unit, stored thereon:

code for detecting motion based at least on sensor data from an accelerometer and sensor data from a geomagnetic sensor;

code for tilt-compensating the geomagnetic sensor based at least on the sensor data from the accelerometer, wherein the sensor data from the accelerometer comprises roll and pitch measurement data;

code for computing an amount of rotation of the processing unit from a first orientation to a second orientation;

code for using the amount of rotation to convert first accelerometer information from the accelerometer while at the second orientation to second accelerometer information corresponding to the first orientation of the processing unit; and

code for calibrating a gyroscope based, at least in part, on the measurement data from the tilt-compensated geomagnetic sensor by computing a measurement of a change in angular information measured by the tilt compensated geomagnetic sensor and another measurement of the change in angular information measured by the gyroscope to be calibrated.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 wherein the code for computing uses information from a gyroscope to compute the amount of rotation.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 further comprising code for determining a net displacement by adding the second acceleration information to previously measured acceleration information from the accelerometer.