Networked Sensor Array for Consistent Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Networked electronic devices face discrepancies in sensor data due to extrinsic variables, leading to inconsistent measurements among devices during group activities, which can question the validity and accuracy of sensor data.
Innovation Solution
A networked sensor array is formed to share data among multiple devices, allowing for error reduction, data replacement for missing or corrupted data, and reduced sensor sample rates to conserve power without compromising accuracy, ensuring consistent measurement results across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor data is collected from multiple devices independently, then each device can operate autonomously, but measurement discrepancies occur due to extrinsic variables affecting each device differently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines sensor data from multiple devices by forming a networked sensor array that aggregates measurements from all participating devices. This merging approach allows the system to average out extrinsic variable effects and produce a consolidated measurement that is more reliable than individual device measurements, directly resolving the measurement consistency issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a coordinator device that acts as an intermediary to manage the networked sensor array. This coordinator receives data from all devices, performs aggregation and validation, and distributes results back to participants. The intermediary handles the complexity of data synchronization and extrinsic variable compensation, isolating this complexity from individual devices while improving overall measurement reliability.
2Measurement precision
If sensor sample rate is increased to improve measurement accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines data from multiple devices sampling at lower rates to achieve the equivalent measurement precision of a single device sampling at a high rate. By aggregating measurements across the networked sensor array, the system maintains accuracy while each individual device consumes less power due to reduced sampling requirements.
3Measurement precision
If data is shared among all devices in the network, then measurement accuracy improves through error reduction, but communication overhead and data processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential sensor measurement data from each device for sharing across the network, rather than transmitting all raw sensor data. This selective extraction approach reduces communication overhead and processing requirements while still providing sufficient information for accurate aggregation and extrinsic variable compensation.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device is disclosed. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a first sensor configured to measure a first type of sensor data at a first sampling rate. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a communication interface configured to: detect a proximity of one or more network capable devices, different from the electronic device, form a sensor network with at least one of the one or more network capable devices, exchange operational parameters with the at least one of the one or more network capable devices, and coordinate data measurement by the first sensor based on the exchanged operational parameters. In some examples, coordinating measuring of data by the first sensor further comprises selecting the reduced sampling rate of the first sensor based on a total number of devices participating in the sensor network having sensors capable of measuring the first type of sensor data.