SOFTWARE FRAMEWORK AND DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM FOR MULTI-SENSOR SYSTEMS

• US 20120151432A1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Long, Kent D., Logan, John, Iannacito, Paul A., Woolley, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

The disclosed software framework and development platform facilitates software development for multi-sensor systems. In some implementations, developers can select a sensor board that includes a desired combination of sensor devices. The sensor board can be coupled to a development board that includes a target processor and other circuitry to facilitate development and testing of a system that includes the target processor and the sensors. Various software support tools are provided including an Application Programming Interface (API) that provides API abstractions for software drivers for the sensors on the sensor board. By using the abstractions of the API, a software developer does not have to write code (“glue”) to interact with the various software drivers. Additionally, the API provides access to a variety of software library functions for performing data scaling, unit conversion and mathematical functions and algorithms.

Claims

1. A software development system, comprising:

a development board including an interface, a board controller and a target processor;

a sensor board coupled to the development board through the interface, the sensor board including multiple sensor devices;

memory storing program code, which, when executed by the target processor, provides access to software drivers or software library functions for interacting with the multiple sensors through software abstractions.

2. The system of claim 1, where the software abstractions provide an option of receiving raw sensor data or processed sensor data, where the processed sensor data is provided by one or more of the software library functions.

3. The system of claim 1, where the sensors are from a group of sensors including accelerometers, gyro sensors, magnetometers, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, light sensors, proximity sensors, and touch sensors.

4. A method comprising:

receiving a request for sensor data from a requestor;

identifying a target sensor for providing the sensor data;

determining that processed sensor data is requested;

requesting raw data from the target sensor;

processing the raw sensor data; and

returning the processed sensor data to the requestor.