System of power-saving in MEMS sensor applications

• US 9,846,054 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Waters, Deric Wayne, Janardhanan, Jayawardan, Thukral, Saket
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US14/830,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/185 for gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/20 Analysing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A system comprises a plurality of sensors, a sensor processor, and a sampling rate engine. The sensor processor is coupled to an output of each sensor of the plurality of sensors. The sensor processor estimates user dynamics in response to a first output signal of a first sensor of the plurality of sensors. The sampling rate engine is coupled to an output of the sensor processor./ The sampling rate engine determines a sampling rate value of a second sensor of the plurality of sensors in response to a user dynamics value from the sensor processor. The second sensor comprises a selectable sampling rate. The selectable sampling rate is configured in response to the sampling rate value determined by the sampling rate engine.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of sensors;

a sensor processor coupled to an output of each sensor of the plurality of sensors, the sensor processor estimating user dynamics in response to a first output signal of a first sensor of the plurality of sensors;

a sampling rate engine coupled to an output of the sensor processor, the sampling rate engine determining a sampling rate value of a second sensor of the plurality of sensors in response to a user dynamics value from the sensor processor, wherein the sensor processor is configured to override the sampling rate in response to a system application; and

wherein the second sensor comprises a selectable sampling rate, the selectable sampling rate configured in response to the sampling rate value determined by the sampling rate engine.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a rate control generator configured to receive the sampling rate value determined by the sampling rate engine and coupled to the second sensor, wherein the selectable sampling rate is selected in response to an output of the rate control generator, the output of the rate control generator determined in response to the sampling rate value.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the second sensor comprises a first ADC and a second ADC, and wherein the selectable sampling rate comprises selecting one of a sampling rate of the first ADC and a sampling rate of the second ADC.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor processor is configured to estimate a physical parameter using sensor data from at least two sensors of the plurality of sensors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor estimates user dynamics with an accelerometer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor estimates user dynamics with an altimeter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor is configured to set a respective calibration sampling rate for each sensor of the plurality of sensors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a magnetometer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor is configured to track a yaw of the system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor processor is configured to track a heading of the system.