Sensor API framework for cloud based applications

• US 10,248,184 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sharma, Piyush, Swaminathan, Ashwin, Brunner, Christopher, Chari, Murali R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Diem K
• Application Number:
  US13/292,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20130117769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,701 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0293 having a sub-controller with a low clock frequency switching on and off a main controller with a high clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a framework exposing an API (application programming interface) to web-based server applications on the internet or in the cloud is presented. The API allows server applications to retrieve sensor data from a mobile device via a low-power sensor core processor on a mobile device. This API eliminates effort and cost associated with developing and promoting a new mobile device client application. The API framework includes APIs that web-based application may use to fetch sensor data from one or more particular sensors on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile device for providing a common API (application programming interface), the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device and from a first web-based server application, a first request for sensor data using the common API;

receiving, at the mobile device and from a second web-based server application unrelated to the first web-based server application, a second request for sensor data using the common API, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data are wirelessly received from different servers using the common API;

processing, in the mobile device, the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data on a sensor core processor and bypassing a client application processor in the mobile device;

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

replying, from the mobile device, to the first request for sensor data with a first response comprising the sensor data; and

replying, from the mobile device, to the second request for sensor data with a second response, separate from the first response, comprising the sensor data, wherein the first response comprising the sensor data and the second response comprising the sensor data are wirelessly sent to the different servers using the common API.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request for sensor data comprises an indication of a triggering event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the triggering event comprises a certain condition from a second sensor providing data separate from the sensor data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing a sensor core client on the sensor core processor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data from the sensor comprises sensor data from a plurality of sensors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises:

an accelerometer; and

a gyroscope.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a magnetometer.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises an ambient light sensor (ALS).

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a microphone.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor comprises a camera.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising executing a sensor core client on the sensor core processor for each of the plurality of sensors.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the mobile device and from a third web-based server application, a third request for sensor data that is time critical, the third request for sensor data is wirelessly received from a server using a protocol that is not the common API;

processing, in the mobile device, the third request for sensor data on the client application processor;

receiving, at the client application processor, sensor data from at least one sensor;

replying, from the mobile device, to the third request for sensor data with a third response comprising the sensor data from the at least one sensor.

16. A mobile device for providing a common API (application programming interface), the mobile device comprising:

means for receiving, at the mobile device and from a first web-based server application, a first request for sensor data using the common API;

means for receiving, at the mobile device and from a second web-based server application unrelated to the first web-based server application, a second request for sensor data using the common API, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data are wirelessly received from different servers using the common API;

means for processing, in the mobile device, the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data and bypassing a client application processor in the mobile device;

means for receiving, in the mobile device, sensor data from a sensor;

means for replying, from the mobile device, to the first request for sensor data with a first response comprising the sensor data; and

means for replying, from the mobile device, to the second request for sensor data with a second response, separate from the first response, comprising the sensor data, wherein the first response comprising the sensor data and the second response comprising the sensor data are wirelessly sent to the different servers using the common API.

17. A mobile device comprising a processor and a memory wherein the memory includes software instructions for:

receiving, at the mobile device and from a first web-based server application, a first request for sensor data using a common API (application programming interface);

receiving, at the mobile device and from a second web-based server application unrelated to the first web-based server application, a second request for sensor data using the common API, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data are wirelessly received from different servers using the common API;

processing, in the mobile device, the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data on a sensor core processor and bypassing a client application processor in the mobile device;

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

replying, from the mobile device, to the first request for sensor data with a first response comprising the sensor data; and

replying, from the mobile device, to the second request for sensor data with a second response, separate from the first response, comprising the sensor data, wherein the first response comprising the sensor data and the second response comprising the sensor data are wirelessly sent to the different servers using the common API.

18. A non-transient computer-readable storage medium including program code stored thereon for a mobile device to provide a common API (application programming interface), comprising program code for:

receiving, at the mobile device and from a first web-based server application, a first request for sensor data using the common API;

receiving, at the mobile device and from a second web-based server application unrelated to the first web-based server application, a second request for sensor data using the common API, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data are wirelessly received from different servers using the common API;

processing, in the mobile device, the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data on a sensor core processor and bypassing a client application processor in the mobile device;

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

replying, from the mobile device, to the first request for sensor data with a first response comprising the sensor data; and

replying, from the mobile device, to the second request for sensor data with a second response, separate from the first response, comprising the sensor data, wherein the first response comprising the sensor data and the second response comprising the sensor data are wirelessly sent to the different servers using the common API.

19. A mobile device for providing a common API (application programming interface), the mobile device comprising:

a modem coupled to a wireless antenna;

at least one sensor;

a client application processor coupled to the modem and the at least one sensor;

a sensor core processor coupled to the modem and the at least one sensor, wherein the sensor core processor is configured to;

receive via the modem and from a first web-based server application, a first request for sensor data using the common API;

receive via the modem and from a second web-based server application unrelated to the first web-based server application, a second request for sensor data using the common API, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data are wirelessly received from different servers using the common API;

process the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data, wherein the first request for sensor data and the second request for sensor data bypass the client application;

receive sensor data from a first sensor;

reply to the first request for sensor data via the modem with a first response comprising the sensor data; and

reply to the second request for sensor data via the modem with a second response, separate from the first response, comprising the sensor data, wherein the first response comprising the sensor data and the second response comprising the sensor data are wirelessly sent to the different servers using the common API.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the first request for sensor data comprises an indication of a triggering event.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein the triggering event comprises a certain condition from a second sensor providing data separate from the sensor data.

22. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the sensor core processor comprises a sensor core client.

23. The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein the sensor data from the first sensor comprises sensor data from the plurality of sensors.

24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises one or more of a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor (ALS), a microphone, and a camera.

25. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the sensor core processor comprises a plurality of sensor core clients corresponding to the plurality of sensors.

26. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the client application processor is configured to:

receive via the modem a third request for sensor data that is time critical the third request for sensor data is wirelessly received from a server using a protocol that is not the common API;

process the third request for sensor data;

receive sensor data from the at least one sensor;

reply to the third request for sensor data via the modem with a third response comprising the sensor data from the at least one sensor.