Sensor Processor FIFO Queue for Mobile Device Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Using the main application processor to acquire sensor data in mobile devices is computationally expensive and power-intensive, leading to rapid battery consumption, especially when continuous or frequent data acquisition is required.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a sensor processor to acquire and store sensor data in FIFO queues, allowing the main application processor to remain in an inactive state, and configuring the sensor processor to replace stale data or discount stored data when queues are full to make room for new data, thus reducing power consumption and extending battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the main application processor is used to acquire sensor data continuously, then sensor data can be obtained for location-based services, but battery power is consumed rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensor data acquisition function into a separate sensor processor that operates independently from the main application processor. The sensor processor is dedicated to acquiring and storing sensor data in FIFO queues, while the main application processor remains inactive or sleeps. This segmentation allows sensor data to be collected continuously without requiring the main application processor to be active, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining sensor data acquisition capability and reducing battery power consumption.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a sensor processor is introduced to acquire and store sensor data in FIFO queues, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor processor is designed as a dedicated component that performs multiple functions: acquiring sensor data from sensors, storing it in FIFO queues, managing queue overflow by removing old data, and providing data to applications. By consolidating these functions into a single specialized processor, the patent reduces overall system complexity compared to having the main application processor handle all these tasks separately, while still achieving lower power consumption.
3Productivity
If sensor data is stored in FIFO queues and old data is removed when full, then recent sensor data is available for applications, but historical data is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of data retention policy by implementing a fixed-size FIFO queue with automatic overflow handling. When the queue is full, old data is removed to make room for new data, ensuring that recent sensor data is always available for applications. This parameter change (from unlimited historical storage to limited recent storage) resolves the contradiction between maintaining recent data availability and preserving historical data, as the system prioritizes recent data based on the FIFO principle.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for acquiring and batching sensor data using a mobile device are described. In one example, a system in a mobile device is provided. The system includes one or more sensors, a memory, a sensor processor, and a main application processor. The sensor processor is configured to determine sensor data using the one or more sensors on an interval basis and store the sensor data into one or more first-in, first-out (FIFO) queues. Additionally, the sensor processor is configured to replace at least a portion of the stored sensor data if a main application processor of the mobile device does not request the stored sensor data within a certain amount of time. The main application processor is configured to receive data indicating a request for sensor data for a recent time period and, in response, to retrieve the sensor data from the one or more FIFO queues.