SENSOR INTERFACE, AND METHODS AND APPARATUS PERTAINING TO SAME

• US 20070239399A1
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheynblat, Leonid, Patwari, Srinivas, Wilson, Bruce, Adappa, Abhishek, Yuen, Ricky
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A sensor interface is provided with a number of sensor inputs and a number of client inputs. The client inputs are configured to receive a number of data requests from a number of clients. The number of data requests include at least one data request that specifies a particular type of data to be returned, without identifying a particular physical sensor to be used in acquiring the particular type of data. A processor is configured to i) determine what sensor data can be used to satisfy the number of data requests, ii) configure ones of the sensor inputs to receive sensor data from a number of physical sensors, and iii) if possible, satisfy the number of data requests using the received sensor data. Methods and apparatus pertaining to such a sensor interface are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A sensor interface, comprising:

a number of sensor inputs;

a number of client inputs configured to receive a number of data requests from a number of clients, wherein the number of data requests include at least one data request that specifies a particular type of data to be returned, without identifying a particular physical sensor to be used in acquiring the particular type of data; and

a processor configured to i) determine what sensor data can be used to satisfy the number of data requests, ii) configure ones of the sensor inputs to receive sensor data from a number of physical sensors, and iii) if possible, satisfy the number of data requests using the received sensor data.

2. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to dynamically discover the number of physical sensors.

3. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to dynamically discover at least one physical sensor that resides outside of a device in which the sensor interface is installed.

4. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the number of sensor inputs is a plurality of sensor inputs.

5. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the number of physical sensors is a plurality of physical sensors.

6. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the number of client inputs is a plurality of client inputs.

7. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the number of clients is a plurality of clients.

8. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by combining at least some of the sensor data.

9. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by converting at least one piece of sensor data.

10. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to select from between two or more ways to satisfy a data request using the sensor data.

11. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to select from between two or more ways to satisfy a data request using the sensor data, and wherein the selection is made to conserve power provided to the number of physical sensors.

12. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to enable only those of the number of physical sensors that are needed to satisfy the data requests.

13. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to configure at least one of the number of physical sensors, as necessary to satisfy the data requests.

14. The sensor interface of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to arbitrate the satisfaction of data requests requiring conflicting configurations of the at least one physical sensor that the processor is configured to configure.

15. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to configure at least one of the number of physical sensors, to satisfy multiple competing ones of the data requests in parallel.

16. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to i) read quality of service requests associated with one or more of the data requests, ii) determine what sensor data can be used to satisfy the quality of service requests, and iii) if possible, satisfy the one or more data requests in accord with any associated quality of service requests.

17. The sensor interface of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to, in response to at least one of the quality of service requests, combine at least some of the sensor data to satisfy at least one of the data requests.

18. The sensor interface of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by returning both data, and an indicator of the quality of the data.

19. The sensor interface of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by returning both data, and an indicator of the validity of the data.

20. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by returning both data, and an indicator of the quality of the data.

21. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to satisfy at least one of the data requests by returning both data, and an indicator of the validity of the data.

22. The sensor interface of claim 1, further comprising a wireless interface, wherein the processor is configured to initiate, via the wireless interface, a broadcast of an existence of at least one of the physical sensors.

23. The sensor interface of claim 1, further comprising a wireless interface, wherein the processor is configured to initiate, via the wireless interface, a broadcast of an existence of the sensor interface.

24. The sensor interface of claim 1, wherein the number of client inputs include i) at least one wired client input that is dedicated to receive data requests from clients installed on a mobile device in which the sensor interface is physically installed, and ii) at least one wireless client input that is configured to receive data requests from clients external to the mobile device in which the sensor interface is physically installed.

25. A method, comprising:

receiving data requests from a number of clients, wherein the data requests include at least one data request that specifies a particular type of data to be returned, without identifying a particular physical sensor to be used in acquiring the particular type of data;

determining what sensor data can be used to satisfy the data requests;

dynamically discovering a number of physical sensors from which a device can currently receive sensor data;

receiving, from ones of the number of physical sensors, some or all of the sensor data that can be used to satisfy the data requests; and

if possible, satisfying the data requests using the received sensor data.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, enabling those of the number of physical sensors that are used to satisfy the data requests.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising, configuring at least one of the number of physical sensors, as necessary to satisfy the data requests.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising, combining at least some of the received sensor data.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising, converting at least some of the received sensor data.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising, broadcasting an existence of at least one of the dynamically discovered physical sensors.

31. A handheld mobile device, comprising:

a number of installed applications;

a number of sensor communication interfaces; and

a sensor interface configured to,

provide an application programming interface (API), wherein the API is configured to i) receive data requests from the number of installed applications, and ii) return responses to the data requests to the number of installed applications;

host a number of sensor drivers configured to communicate with a number of physical sensors via the number of sensor communication interfaces; and

if possible, satisfy the data requests by i) determining what sensor data can be used to satisfy the data requests, ii) using at least one of the sensor drivers to obtain some or all of the sensor data that can be used to satisfy the data requests, and iii) if possible, use the obtained sensor data to satisfy the data requests.

32. The handheld mobile device of claim 31, wherein the number of installed applications include at least one of:

a web browser, a camera, a pedometer, and a global positioning system.

33. The handheld mobile device of claim 31, wherein the sensor interface i) provides a virtual sensor that combines at least some of the received sensor data, and ii) satisfies at least one of the data requests using an output of the virtual sensor.

34. The handheld mobile device of claim 31, wherein the sensor interface i) provides a virtual sensor that converts at least some of the received sensor data, and ii) satisfies at least one of the data requests using an output of the virtual sensor.