Sensor System Event-Driven Power Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor systems face challenges in achieving power savings, especially when performing composite sensing with multiple sensors, as they struggle to appropriately control power consumption based on specific conditions, leading to high maintenance costs due to frequent battery replacements.
Innovation Solution
A sensor system that determines the occurrence of events based on detection values and sets operating parameters for each sensor autonomously, optimizing power usage by changing the operational state of required sensors to conserve energy, while non-required sensors are kept in a power-saving mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors operate continuously for composite sensing, then measurement capability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the operational state of sensors adjustable rather than fixed. The control unit dynamically changes operating parameters (sampling period, resolution, stop/start) of individual sensors based on detected events, allowing the system to adapt between high measurement capability and low power consumption states
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying sensor operating parameters (sampling period, resolution, operational state) based on event detection. When specific events are detected, the control unit changes parameters of relevant sensors to optimize measurement while reducing power consumption for non-critical sensors
2Measurement precision
If sensors operate with high sampling frequency and resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent directly applies parameter changes by adjusting sampling period and resolution of sensors based on event detection. The control unit can increase sampling frequency and resolution when events require precise measurement, and decrease them during normal operation to save power
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts measurement parameters rather than maintaining fixed high-resolution operation. The control unit real-time modifies operational parameters based on detected events, enabling the system to achieve high measurement precision only when necessary
3Reliability
If all sensors remain operational to detect events, then event detection reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary sensors for event detection at any given time. The control unit identifies which sensors are needed based on detected events and keeps only those operational, while placing non-essential sensors in low-power or stopped states
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines which sensors should be operational based on event detection needs. The control unit continuously adjusts the operational state of sensors, activating only those required for current event detection while deactivating others to reduce power consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor system has a plurality of sensors and is capable of measuring a plurality of physical quantities. The sensor system includes an operation setting section configured to set operations of the plurality of sensors and an event determining section configured to determine that a prescribed event has occurred when output values of at least a part of the sensors among the plurality of sensors satisfy event conditions corresponding to an occurrence of the prescribed event. When the event determining section determines that the prescribed event has occurred, the operation setting section is configured to change an operational state of a sensor which, among the plurality of sensors, is required to determine an occurrence of an associated event, which is an event that may occur in association with the occurrence of the prescribed event.