Method and apparatus for positioning with always on barometer

• US 9,970,757 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Das, Saumitra Mohan, Mohammad Mirzaei, Faraz
• Primary Examiner(s): CAPUTO, LISA M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woodward, Nathaniel T
• Application Number:
  US14/272,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20150192414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 73384, 702138
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/94 characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory processor-readable media of the present disclosure are presented for efficiently executing applications based on pressure sensor data. In some embodiments, a method includes monitoring pressure, and determining a rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds a predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold. The method further includes subsequently determining that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold. The method further includes determining a change in pressure has exceeded a predetermined pressure-change threshold, and performing floor disambiguation.

Claims

1. A method for detecting floor changes on a mobile device, the method comprising:

using a first processing core of the mobile device to;

monitor a pressure;

determine a rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds a predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

subsequently determine that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

write sensor data to a shared memory independently accessible by the first processing core and a second processing core, the sensor data indicative of a change in the pressure;

determine the change in the pressure has exceeded a predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

provide, to the second processing core, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the change in the pressure has exceeded the predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

performing floor disambiguation based on the sensor data, wherein performing the floor disambiguation comprises using the second processing core of the mobile device to read the sensor data from the shared memory.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a time-to-live (TTL) validity period associated with the change in the pressure;

determining that the TTL validity period associated with the change in the pressure has expired; and

disregarding the rate of change in the pressure and the change in the pressure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the mobile device is located in an indoor venue;

wherein performing the floor disambiguation is based, at least in part, on the determination that the mobile device is located in the indoor venue.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a velocity of the mobile device exceeds a velocity threshold; and

disregarding the pressure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first processing core comprises a sensor core.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second processing core comprises an application core, and the sensor core uses less power than the application core.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor disambiguation is further based on data received from one or more terrestrial wireless transceivers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the first processing core of the mobile device to provide, to the second processing core, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the first processing core of the mobile device to obtained the predetermined pressure-change threshold from the shared memory.

10. A mobile device comprising:

a sensor core configured to;

monitor pressure;

determine a rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds a predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

subsequently determine that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

write sensor data to a shared memory independently accessible by the sensor core and a second processing core, the sensor data indicative of a change in the pressure;

determine the change in the pressure has exceeded a predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

provide, to the second processing core, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the change in the pressure has exceeded the predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

an application core configured to perform floor disambiguation based on the sensor data, wherein performing the floor disambiguation comprises using the second processing core of the mobile device to read the sensor data from the shared memory.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor core is further configured to:

receive a time-to-live (TTL) validity period associated with the change in the pressure;

determine that the TTL validity period associated with the change in the pressure has expired; and

disregard the rate of change in the pressure and the change in the pressure.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein:

the sensor core is configured to determine the mobile device is located in an indoor venue; and

the application core is configured to perform the floor disambiguation based, at least in part, on the determination that the mobile device is located in the indoor venue.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor core is further configured to:

determine a velocity of the mobile device exceeds a velocity threshold; and

disregard the pressure.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the floor disambiguation is further based on data received from one or more terrestrial wireless transceivers.

15. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor core uses less power than the application core.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor core is further configured to provide, to the second processing core, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold.

17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor core is further configured to obtain the predetermined pressure-change threshold from the shared memory.

18. A mobile device comprising:

a first processing means for;

monitoring pressure;

determining a rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds a predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

subsequently determining that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

writing sensor data to a shared data storage means independently accessible by the first processing means and a second processing means, the sensor data indicative of a change in the pressure;

determining the change in the pressure has exceeded a predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

providing, to the second processing means, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the change in the pressure has exceeded the predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

the second processing means for performing floor disambiguation based on the sensor data, wherein the second processing means is configured to read the sensor data from the shared data storage means as part of performing the floor disambiguation.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising means for:

receiving a time-to-live (TTL) validity period associated with the change the in pressure;

determining that the TTL validity period associated with the change in the pressure has expired; and

disregarding the rate of change in the pressure and the change in the pressure.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for determining the mobile device is located in an indoor venue; and

means for performing the floor disambiguation based, at least in part, on the determination that the mobile device is located in the indoor venue.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for determining a velocity of the mobile device exceeds a velocity threshold.

22. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the first processing means include a sensor core.

23. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the second processing means includes an application core, and wherein the sensor core uses less power than the application core.

24. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the floor disambiguation is further based on data received from one or more terrestrial wireless transceivers.

25. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions, comprising:

code configured to cause a first processing core of a mobile device to;

monitor pressure;

determine a rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds a predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

subsequently determine that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold;

write sensor data to a shared memory independently accessible by the first processing core and a second processing core, the sensor data indicative of a change in the pressure;

determine the change in the pressure has exceeded a predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

provide, to the second processing core, an interrupt indicative of the determination that the change in the pressure has exceeded the predetermined pressure-change threshold; and

code for performing floor disambiguation based on the sensor data, wherein the code for performing the floor disambiguation is configured to cause the second processing core of the mobile device to read the sensor data from the shared memory.

26. The processor-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

code for receiving a time-to-live (TTL) validity period associated with the change in the pressure;

code for determining that the TTL validity period associated with the change in the pressure has expired; and

code for disregarding the rate of change in the pressure and the change in the pressure.

27. The processor-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

code for determining the mobile device is located in an indoor venue;

wherein the code for performing floor disambiguation includes code for basing the floor disambiguation, at least in part, on the determination that the mobile device is located in the indoor venue.

28. The processor-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

code for determining a velocity of the mobile device exceeds a velocity threshold; and

code for disregarding the pressure.

29. The processor-readable medium of claim 25, wherein:

the code configured to cause the first processing core of the mobile device to monitor the pressure over time, determine the rate of change in the pressure over time exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold, subsequently determine that the rate of change in the pressure over time no longer exceeds the predetermined rate-of-pressure-change threshold, write sensor data to the shared memory, and determine the change in the pressure has exceeded the predetermined pressure-change threshold is configured to be executed using a sensor core; and

wherein the code for performing floor disambiguation is configured to be executed using an application core, wherein the sensor core uses less power than the application core.

30. The processor-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the floor disambiguation is further based on data received from one or more terrestrial wireless transceivers.