Compressed sensing with machine-to-machine communication

Abstract

Some examples include a plurality of secure low-power compressive sensing sensor blocks able to communicate with each other and with a computing device to perform spatial and/or temporal compressive sensing. As one example, a first sensor block may obtain data by randomly sampling a sensor signal from a first sensor coupled to the first sensor block. The first sensor block may send the data obtained from the randomly sampled sensor signal to at least one other sensor block of the plurality of sensor blocks, wherein the data is distributed to the plurality of sensor blocks. In addition, at least one of the first sensor block or another sensor block may process the data to at least one of packetize or encrypt the data. The first sensor block and/or the other sensor block may send the processed data to the computing device.

1 . A compressive sensing sensor block comprising:
 a compressed sensing block including a circuit to take a random sample of a sensor signal from a first sensor, and output first sensor data comprising the random sample of the sensor signal from the first sensor;   a post processor coupled to the compressed sensing block to receive the first sensor data comprising the random sample of the sensor signal from the first sensor; and   a communication interface coupled to the post processor to send, in a communication, the first sensor data comprising the random sample of the sensor signal from the first sensor to another compressive sensing sensor block, wherein receipt, at the other compressive sensing sensor block, of the communication including the first sensor data comprising the random sample of the sensor signal from the first sensor conserves power in the other compressive sensing sensor block by causing the other compressive sensing sensor block to delay taking a next random sample of a sensor signal of a second sensor associated with the other compressive sensing sensor block.   
     
     
         2 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 1 , wherein post processor is configured to:
 convert the first data into compressed sensing data by at least one of packetizing or encrypting the data; and   cause the communication interface to send the compressed sensing data to a computing device.   
     
     
         3 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the communication interface comprises a transmitter and an antenna for wirelessly sending at least one of:
 the first data to the other compressive sensing sensor block; or   the compressed sensing data to the computing device.   
     
     
         4 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the communication interface comprises a wired connection for sending at least one of:
 the first data to the other compressive sensing sensor block; or   the compressed sensing data to the computing device.   
     
     
         5 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the post processor utilizes a random number generator for encrypting the compressed sensing data prior to sending to the computing device. 
     
     
         6 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the compressed sensing block comprises a random number generator and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), wherein the random number generator causes, at least in part, the ADC to take the random sample. 
     
     
         7 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the compressive sensing sensor block and a plurality of other compressive sensing sensor blocks are configured to send at least one of respective sensor data or respective compressed sensing data in at least one of:
 a point-to-point network configuration; or   a multi-hop network configuration; or   a mesh network configuration.   
     
     
         8 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a storage for receiving the first data prior to sending to the other compressive sensing sensor block, wherein at least one of the storage, the post-processor, or the communication interface cycle between an active state and a quiescent state based at least in part on at least one of:
 an occurrence of sampling of the sensor signal by the compressive sensing sensor block;   an amount of compressed sensing data stored in the storage reaching a threshold amount; or   an input from a user or a computing device.   
     
     
         9 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a clock gate in communication with the compressed sensing block to gate a clock signal controlled by a random time instance, wherein the random time instance is based at least in part on at least one of:
 a network IP address;   a signal from a computing device generated at least in part by a random number generator or a pseudorandom number generator; or   a unique parameter.   
     
     
         10 . The compressive sensing sensor block as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the computing device programmed to at least one of:
 reconstruct the compressed sensing data to generate a representation of the sensor signal;   perform predictive analytics on the reconstructed compressed sensing data; or   provide access of third party tools to the compressed sensing data.   
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 obtaining, by a first sensor block of a plurality of sensor blocks, first sensor data from a randomly sampled sensor signal from a first sensor coupled to the first sensor block;   sending, by the first sensor block, a communication including the first sensor data obtained from the randomly sampled first sensor signal of the first sensor to a second sensor block of the plurality of sensor blocks, wherein, receipt, at the second sensor block, of the communication including the first sensor data obtained from the randomly sampled first sensor signal conserves power in the second sensor block by causing the second sensor block to delay taking a next random sample of a second sensor signal of a second sensor coupled to the second sensor block.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein obtaining the first sensor data from the randomly sampled first sensor signal is performed using a compressed sensing block included in the first sensor block, the compressed sensing block comprising a random number generator and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), wherein the random number generator causes, at least in part, the ADC to obtain the first sensor data from the random sample of the first sensor signal. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising randomly duty cycling individual ones of the sensor blocks to cause the individual sensor blocks to randomly sample respective sensor signals from respective sensors coupled to the respective sensor blocks. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising using a clock gate to gate a clock signal controlled by a random time instance to cause the first sensor block to randomly sample the first sensor signal, wherein the random time instance is based at least in part on at least one of:
 a network IP address;   a signal from a computing device generated at least in part by a random number generator or a pseudorandom number generator; or   a unique parameter.   
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the first sensor block and the plurality of other sensor blocks are configured to distribute respective sensor data to the plurality of sensor blocks using at least one of:
 a point-to-point network configuration;   a multi-hop network configuration; or   a mesh network configuration;   the method further comprising:
 processing the respective sensor data to at least one of packetize or encrypt the respective sensor data to generate compressed sensing data; and 
 sending the compressed sensing data to a computing device. 
   
     
     
         16 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of sensor blocks, each sensor block able to communicate with at least one other sensor block of the plurality of sensor blocks, each sensor block comprising:
 a compressed sensing block to receive a sensor signal, the compressed sensing block including a circuit to take a random sample of the sensor signal and output sensor data comprising the random sample; 
 a post processor coupled to the compressed sensing block to receive the sensor data; and 
 a communication interface coupled to the post processor to send the sensor data to at least one of another sensor block or a computing device, 
   wherein a first sensor block of the plurality of sensor blocks is configured to:   obtain first data from a randomly sampled first sensor signal from a respective first sensor coupled to the first sensor block; and   send a communication including the first sensor data obtained from the randomly sampled first sensor signal to a second sensor block of the plurality of sensor blocks, wherein, receipt, at the second sensor block, of the communication including the first sensor data obtained from the randomly sampled first sensor signal conserves power in the second sensor block by causing the second sensor block to delay taking a next random sample of a second sensor signal of a second sensor associated with the second sensor block.   
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising the computing device, wherein at least one of the sensor blocks is further configured to send the sensor data to the computing device, wherein the computing device is programmed to:
 receive the sensor data; and   reconstruct the sensor data to generate a representation of the sensor signal.   
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of sensor blocks are configured to distribute the sensor data among the plurality of sensor blocks using at least one of:
 a point-to-point network configuration;   a multi-hop network configuration; or   a mesh network configuration.   
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the compressed sensing block of each of the sensor blocks comprises a random number generator and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and wherein the random number generator causes, at least in part, the ADC to take respective random samples. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein each of the sensor blocks includes a clock gate to gate a clock signal controlled by a random time instance to cause the sensor block to randomly sample a respective sensor signal of a respective sensor coupled to each respective sensor block, wherein the random time instance is based at least in part on at least one of:
 a network IP address;   a signal from the computing device generated at least in part by a random number generator or a pseudorandom number generator; or   a unique parameter.