System and method for the assisted calibration of sensors distributed across different devices

• US 11,181,402 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Issued: 11/23/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Inventors: Abrahamsson, Magnus, Klinghult, Gunnar, Kristensson, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Betsch, Regis J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knox, Kaleria
• Application Number:
  US14/357,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,315 Days
• Field of Search: 600595, 463 8, 7554042, 702104
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

Sensors in one or more remote devices provide sensor output to a device having a controller. The controller analyzes the sensor data to determine the accuracy of the sensors outputting the sensor data. Based on the analysis, the controller calculates a calibration value to utilize in calibrating one or more of the sensors in the remote devices, or in one or more other devices.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating a selected sensor by a communications device, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data at the communication device from a plurality of remote sensors distributed across a plurality of remote electronic devices different from the communications device, wherein the received sensor data includes data from at least one sensor that is different than the selected sensor and outputs data indicative of different physical property than the selected sensor;

determining a sensor calibration value based on the received sensor data, wherein determining the sensor calibration value comprises evaluating sensor data for the selected sensor based at least on the data from the at one least sensor that is different than the selected sensor; and

calibrating the selected sensor using the sensor calibration value, wherein calibrating the selected sensor comprises;

generating an initialization command for the selected sensor based on the sensor calibration value; and

sending the initialization command to the selected sensor to execute a function that resets, initializes, or recalibrates the selected sensor in accordance with the sensor calibration value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an accuracy of the selected sensor by analyzing sensor data received from the selected sensor based on the sensor data received from the plurality of remote sensors; and

calculating the sensor calibration value based at least in part on the determined accuracy of the selected sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein calibrating the selected sensor further comprises updating a sensor calibration parameter associated with the selected sensor based on the determined sensor calibration value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected sensor comprises one of the plurality of remote sensors distributed across the plurality of remote electronic devices different from the communications device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the sensor data comprises comparing the sensor data received from the selected sensor to predetermined sensor data, and further comprising calculating the predetermined sensor data based on the sensor data output by the plurality of remote sensors distributed across the plurality of remote electronic devices different from the communications device.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein analyzing the sensor data comprises:

determining movement for a device that includes the selected sensor; and

comparing the sensor data received from the selected sensor to the determined movement.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein analyzing the sensor data comprises:

retrieving, from a memory, a user activity profile for a user of the device associated with the selected sensor based on the sensor data output by the selected sensor; and

comparing the sensor data output by the selected sensor to information associated with the user activity profile to determine the accuracy of the selected sensor.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving the sensor data output by the plurality of remote sensors comprises receiving the sensor data at a network server, and wherein determining the sensor calibration value comprises calculating the sensor calibration value based on the received sensor data.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising compensating the sensor data received from the selected sensor using the sensor calibration value.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein calibrating the selected sensor further comprises calibrating, based on the determined sensor calibration value, one or more functions that interpret the sensor data output by the selected sensor.

11. A communications device for calibrating a selected sensor of the communications device, the communications device comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive sensor data output by a plurality of remote sensors distributed across a plurality of remote electronic devices different from the communications device, wherein the received sensor data includes data from at least one senor that is different than the selected sensor and outputs data indicative of a different physical property than the selected sensor; and

a processing circuit configured to;

determine a sensor calibration value for the selected sensor based on the received sensor data, wherein to determine the sensor calibration value the processing circuit is configured to evaluate sensor data for the selected sensor based at least on the data from the at least one sensor that is different than the selected sensor, and

calibrate the selected sensor based on the sensor calibration value, wherein, to calibrate the selected sensor, the processing circuit is configured to;

generate an initialization command for the selected sensor based on the sensor calibration value; and

send the initialization command to the selected sensor to execute a function that resets, initializes, or recalibrates the selected sensor in accordance with the sensor calibration value.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determine an accuracy of the selected sensor by analyzing the sensor data output by the selected sensor based on the sensor data received from the plurality of remote sensors; and

calculate the sensor calibration value based at least in part on the determined accuracy of the selected sensor.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

calculate predetermined sensor data based on the received sensor data output by the plurality of remote sensors; and

compare the sensor data output by the selected sensor to the predetermined sensor data to determine the accuracy of the selected sensor.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determine movement for the remote device having the selected sensor; and

compare the sensor data output by the selected sensor to the determined movement.

15. The device of claim 12 further comprising a memory configured to store user activity profiles, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

retrieve a user activity profile from the memory based on the sensor data output by the selected sensor; and

compare the sensor data output by the selected sensor to information in the user activity profile to determine the accuracy of the selected sensor.

16. The device of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit is further configured to calibrate the selected sensor by updating a sensor calibration parameter associated with the selected sensor.

17. The device of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit is further configured to compensate the sensor data output by the selected sensor based on the received sensor data.

18. The device of claim 11 wherein the selected sensor comprises a sensor integrated in the communications device, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to calibrate the integrated sensor based on the received sensor data.

19. The device of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit is further configured to calibrate the selected sensor by calibrating, based on the determined sensor calibration value, one or more functions that interpret data output by the selected sensor.