Dynamic Sensor State Adjustment for System Overhead Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

The integration of multiple sensors in electronic devices and systems leads to increased system overhead, including power consumption and resource usage, making it challenging to ensure accurate and efficient data handling while managing these costs.

Innovation Solution

A computer system and method that categorize sensor data and identify overhead attributes to adjust the state of sensors, such as deactivating or changing sampling rates, to optimize system resources based on data uniqueness, confidence, and overhead attributes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple sensors are integrated into electronic devices to increase function and capabilities, then the device can track more health metrics and provide more information, but system overhead including power consumption and resource usage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunction and capabilitiesVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of sensor sampling rates based on real-time activity detection. The system transitions between different operational states (low-power mode and high-accuracy mode) by adjusting sensor activation and sampling frequencies according to detected user activity levels, thereby optimizing power consumption while maintaining necessary functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters (sampling rates, sensor activation states) dynamically based on detected conditions. When low activity is detected, the system reduces sampling rates and deactivates certain sensors; when high activity is detected, it increases sampling rates and activates additional sensors, thus adapting power consumption to actual needs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunction and capabilitiesVSAvoidsystem overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments sensor management into distinct operational modes and groups sensors based on their functionality and power consumption characteristics. The system divides sensor operations into core essential sensors and optional supplementary sensors, managing them differently based on activity levels and power availability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a unified sensor management framework that handles multiple sensor types through a common architecture. The processor coordinates multiple sensors and can substitute between different sensor types based on availability and power constraints, reducing overall system complexity through standardized management protocols

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If sensors operate at high sampling rates to ensure accurate data, then measurement precision is improved, but power consumption and system overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of sensor dataVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic sampling with variable intervals based on detected activity levels. During low-activity periods, sensors operate at reduced sampling rates with longer intervals between measurements. During high-activity periods, the system transitions to higher sampling rates with shorter intervals, ensuring accurate data capture only when necessary

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by operating sensors at reduced sampling rates during periods when full accuracy is not required. Instead of maintaining maximum sampling rates continuously, the system uses lower sampling rates during low-activity states and only increases to full sampling rates when activity detection indicates the need for high-precision data

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10871393B2Dynamic sensor performance adjustment

Publication Date: 2020.12.22 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Systems are provided for optimizing system overhead when handling multiple input streams of sensor data is configured to identify a set of sensors that are configured to communicate sensor data to the computer system. The systems are configured to receive sensor data from each sensor within the set of sensors and to categorize the sensor data received from each sensor within the set of sensors. Additionally, the systems are configured to identify an overhead attribute associated with each sensor within the set of sensors and to adjust a state of at least one sensor within the set of sensors based upon both a category and an overhead attribute associated with each of the sensors.