Method and apparatus for a virtual accelerometer system

• US 7,647,195 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DP Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kinsolving, Arthur, Kahn, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano; Edward R
• Application Number:
  US11/776,535
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 734/88, 734/89, 734/90, 734/91, 735/041.8, 735/10, 702/1, 702/127, 702/141, 702/155, 702/158, 702/160, 702/187, 702/189, 710/33, 719/310, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/818 Fishing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8035 Virtual fishing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a virtual accelerometer is described. The virtual accelerometer includes an active process identifier engine to identify any active application that may use accelerometer data. The virtual accelerometer also includes an intelligent signal interpretation and separation (ISIS) engine to separate raw accelerometer data for each of the active applications that use the accelerometer data. Additionally, the virtual accelerometer includes a universal application program interface (API) to provide separated accelerometer data to an application.

Claims

1. A virtual accelerometer receiving data from a real accelerometer, the virtual accelerometer comprising:

an active process identifier engine to identify any active applications that may use accelerometer data;

an Intelligent Signal Interpretation and Separation (ISIS) Engine to separate raw accelerometer data for each of the active applications that use accelerometer data; and

a universal application program interface (API) to provide separated accelerometer data to an application.

2. The virtual accelerometer of claim 1, wherein the active process identifier engine is further to turn off the real accelerometer when no applications are using the accelerometer data.

3. The virtual accelerometer of claim 1, further comprising:

a sample rate selector to select a sample rate for the real accelerometer based on the identified active applications.

4. The virtual accelerometer of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustment logic to remove an application from a list of active applications receiving accelerometer data, based on current activity levels.

5. The virtual accelerometer of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustment logic to adjust motion data used by the ISIS engine based on a current activity level of the user.

6. The virtual accelerometer of claim 1, further comprising:

a registration logic to enable a user to register motion data for an application, the motion data used by the ISIS engine to identify a portion of the accelerometer data associated with the application.

7. The virtual accelerometer of claim 6, further comprising:

the registration logic to utilize a set of sample motions by the user to set the motion data.

8. The virtual accelerometer of claim 6, further comprising:

a calibration logic to calibrate sample motion data based on actual user motion.