Method of motion processing and related mobile device and microcontroller unit

• US 9,885,734 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited (Central People's Government of The People's Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited (Central People's Government of The People's Republic of China)
• Inventors: Liou, Shun-Nan, Li, Chin-Lung, Hsu, Chien-Chih
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, TOAN M
• Application Number:
  US15/357,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20170082651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/14 by recording the course traversed by the object G01C21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/10 with provision for switching-in of additional or auxiliary indicators or recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

Methods of motion processing and related devices are provided. A representative method includes: generating a plurality of first sensor samples; generating a plurality of second sensor samples at a sampling rate according a first clock signal; storing the second sensor samples in a first buffer; fetching the first sensor samples; fetching the second sensor samples in batches from the first buffer; merging the first sensor samples and the second sensor samples to form a sensing merged signal; storing the sensing merged signal in a second buffer; providing a first preset processing signal; and selectively performing a second preset processing according to the first preset processing signal.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

an accelerometer, generating acceleration signals;

a gyroscope, generating samples at a sampling rate according a first clock of the gyroscope, storing said samples in a first buffer of the gyroscope;

a microcontroller unit (MCU), coupled to the accelerometer and the gyroscope, comprising a second buffer, fetching the samples from the first buffer of the gyroscope in batches, merging the acceleration signals and the samples to store a sensing merged signal in the second buffer according to the acceleration signals and the samples; and

a central processing unit (CPU), coupled to the MCU, receiving a first preset processing signal based on a calculating according to the sensing merged signal from the MCU, and performing a second preset processing according to the first preset processing signal;

wherein the CPU selectively fetches the sensing merged signal from the MCU and receives the first preset processing signal, and selectively performs the second preset processing according to the sensing merged signal and the first preset processing signal, respectively;

wherein, when the MCU operates in a batch mode, the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal are respectively received and fetched in batches by the CPU according to a second clock different from the first clock; and

wherein when the MCU operates in a bypass mode, the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal are not received and fetched in batches.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein a number of times the MCU fetches the samples during a first time interval is smaller than a number of times the gyroscope generates one of the samples during the first time interval.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein a number of times the CPU selectively receives and fetches the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal during a second time interval is smaller than a number of times the MCU fetches the samples during the second time interval.

4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the number of times the MCU fetches the samples during the first time interval is smaller than the number of times the sensor generates one of the samples during the first time interval to reduce computed accumulated error and/or power consumption of the MCU, and the number of times the CPU selectively received and fetches the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal during the second time interval is smaller than the number of times the MCU fetches the samples during the second time interval to reduce power consumption of the CPU.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the CPU sleeps until the CPU wakes up in response to a notification generated by the MCU to perform the fetching.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the micro-processor is configured to generate a step counting information according to the acceleration signals generated by the accelerometer, and responsive to the step counting information reaching a predetermined number, the MCU is further configured to wake up the CPU using the notification.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the CPU wakes up without notification from the MCU and then performs the fetching.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the MCU never sleeps.

9. A method of motion processing of a mobile device having a first sensor, a second sensor, a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a central processing unit (CPU), the method comprising:

generating a plurality of first sensor samples;

generating a plurality of second sensor samples at a sampling rate according a first clock signal;

storing the second sensor samples in a first buffer;

fetching the first sensor samples;

fetching the second sensor samples in batches from the first buffer;

merging, by the MCU, the first sensor samples and the second sensor samples to form a sensing merged signal;

storing the sensing merged signal in a second buffer;

providing a first preset processing signal; and

selectively performing a second preset processing according to the first preset processing signal;

wherein, when operating in a batch mode, the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal are respectively received and fetched in batches by the CPU according to a second clock different from the first clock to reduce power consumption; and

wherein, when operating in a bypass mode, the sensing merged signal is not fetched in batches.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein selectively performing the second preset processing is performed according to the sensing merged signal and the first preset processing signal, respectively.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a number of times the fetching the second sensor samples is performed during a first time interval is smaller than a number of times the generating the second sensor samples is performed during the first time interval.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a number of times the receiving the first preset processing signal and the fetching the sensing merged signal during a second time interval is smaller than a number of times the fetching the second sensor samples during the second time interval.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the number of times the fetching of the second sensor samples is performed during the first time interval is smaller than the number of times the generating of the second sensor samples is performed during the first time interval to reduce computed accumulated error and/or power consumption, and the number of times selectively receiving the first preset processing signal and fetching the sensing merged signal during the second time interval is smaller than the number of times the fetching of the second sensor samples is performed during the second time interval to reduce power consumption.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising waking up to perform the fetching.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating step counting information according to the first sensor samples; and

responsive to the step counting information reaching a predetermined number, using a notification signal to perform the waking up.

16. A method of motion processing of a mobile device having a first sensor, a second sensor, a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a central processing unit (CPU), the method comprising:

generating a plurality of sensor samples;

fetching the sensor samples;

performing a first preset processing according to the sensor samples;

storing the sensor samples and/or a result of the first preset processing in a buffer;

selectively performing a second preset processing, after fetching the result or receiving a signal based on the result, according to the sensor samples and the result;

wherein the result or the sensor samples are fetched in batches;

wherein, in generating the plurality of sensor samples, first sensor samples and second sensor samples are generated, with the second sensor samples being generated according to a first clock; and

merging, by the MCU, the first sensor samples and the second sensor samples to form a sensing merged signal;

wherein, when operating in a batch mode, the first preset processing signal and the sensing merged signal are respectively received and fetched in batches by the CPU according to a second clock different from the first clock to reduce power consumption; and

wherein, when operating in a bypass mode, the sensing merged signal is not fetched in batches.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selectively fetching the sensing merged signal; and

the performing the second preset processing is selectively performed according to the sensing merged signal and the first preset processing signal.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising waking up to perform the fetching.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating step counting information; and

responsive to the step counting information reaching a predetermined number, using a notification signal to perform the waking up.