Low power management of multiple sensor chip architecture

• US 9,329,701 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lautner, Douglas A, Debates, Scott P, Hor-Lao, Mary K, Forest, Francis W, Shah, Jagatkumar V
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, ALBERT C
• Application Number:
  US13/930,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/80 comprising an array of processing units with common control, e.g. single instruction multiple data processors G06F15/82 takes precedence ; for correlation function computation G06F17/15
• 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: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method, device, system, or article of manufacture is provided for low-power management of multiple sensor chip architecture. In one embodiment, a method comprises, at a computing device that includes a first processor, a second processor and a third processor, receiving, at the first processor, first sensor data from a first sensor; determining, at the first processor, a motion state of the computing device using the first sensor data; in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to a predetermined motion state, activating the second processor; receiving, at the second processor, second sensor data from a second sensor; determining, by the second processor, that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data; and, in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data, sending the motion state to the third processor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computing device that includes a first processor, a second processor and a third processor,

receiving, at the first processor, first sensor data from a first sensor;

determining, at the first processor, a motion state of the computing device using the first sensor data;

in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to a predetermined motion state, activating the second processor;

receiving, at the second processor, second sensor data from a second sensor;

determining, by the second processor, that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data;

determining whether an accumulated time of the computing device in the motion state exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data and that the accumulated time exceeds the predetermined threshold, sending the motion state to the third processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the motion state to the third processor is performed by the first processor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the motion state to the third processor includes activating, by the first processor, the third processor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the motion state to the third processor is performed by the second processor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the motion state to the third processor includes activating, by the second processor, the third processor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first processor, from the third processor, a request for the motion state.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the second processor, from the third processor, a request for the motion state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the motion state of the computing device using the first sensor data includes using a first predetermined signature.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the motion state of the computing device using the second sensor data includes using a second predetermined signature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined motion state is driving.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing, by the first processor, a current consumption of the second processor using the motion state.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing, by the first processor, a current consumption of the third processor using the motion state.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing, by the second processor, a current consumption of the third processor using the motion state.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the current consumption of the second processor using the motion state includes:

determining, by the first processor, that the motion state corresponds to the computing device being motionless for at least a minimum stationary time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the current consumption of the second processor using the motion state includes:

determining, by the first processor, that the motion state corresponds to the computing device being in motion for at least a minimum move time.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the first processor, a modality of the computing device using the motion state.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the second processor, a modality of the computing device using the motion state.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor uses less average current consumption than the second sensor.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensor.

21. A system, comprising:

a first processor operatively coupled to a first sensor;

a second processor operatively coupled to the first processor and a second sensor;

a third processor operatively coupled to the second processor;

wherein the first processor is configured to;

receive first sensor data from the first sensor;

determine a motion state of the system using the first sensor data; and

in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to a predetermined motion state, activate the second processor;

wherein the second processor is configured to;

receive second sensor data from the second sensor; and

determine that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data;

determine whether an accumulated time of the system in the motion state exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

wherein in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data and that the accumulated time exceeds the predetermined threshold, sending the motion state to the third processor.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first processor is operatively coupled to the third processor;

and

wherein the first processor is further configured to;

in response to determining that the motion state corresponds to the predetermined motion state using the second sensor data, activate the third processor.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the first sensor is an accelerometer.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the first sensor is a gyroscope.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the second sensor is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) transceiver.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the second sensor is a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) transceiver.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the first processor is a sensor hub processor.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the second processor is a low-power processor.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the third processor is an application processor.

30. A method, comprising:

at a computing device having a first processor, a second processor and a third processor;

receiving, at the first processor, first sensor data from a first sensor;

determining, at the first processor, that the computing device has changed from being stationary to being in motion using the first sensor data;

in response to determining that the computing device has changed, activating, by the first processor, the second processor;

determining, by the second processor, a motion state of the computing device using the first sensor data;

determining whether an accumulated time of the computing device in the motion state exceeds a predetermined threshold;

in response to determining the motion state of the computing device and that the accumulated time exceeds the predetermined threshold, activating the third processor; and

sending the motion state to the third processor.

31. A method, comprising:

at a computing device that includes a first processor, a second processor and a third processor,

performing, at the first processor, an algorithm using a first level of confidence associated with a first sensor;

in response to determining that a second level of confidence associated with a second sensor is needed, activating the second processor;

determining, by the second processor, a result of the algorithm using the second level of confidence associated with the second sensor and according to whether an accumulated time of the computing device in a motion state exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the result of the algorithm corresponds to a predetermined result, sending the result of the algorithm to the third processor.