Sensor device, system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11956324-B2
Application number	US-202117143776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2021
Priority date	Jan 7, 2021
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

An integrated circuit includes sensing circuitry and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry processes received sensor-session requests and received sensor-service requests. Processing a received sensor-service request includes determining a type of the received sensor-service request. In response to determining the received sensor-service request is of a first type, results information is generated in response to the received sensor-service request of the first type based on sensor data generated by the sensing circuitry. In response to determining the received sensor-service request is of a second type, remote-server processing based on the received sensor-service request of the second type is initiated, and a response to the received sensor-service request of the second type is generated based on a received response to the initiated remote-server processing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a host processor, which in operation, executes an application that generates sensor-service-authorization requests and sensor-service requests; and
an integrated sensor device integrated into a chip and coupled to the host processor, the integrated sensor device including:
sensing circuitry integrated into the chip, wherein the sensing circuitry, in operation, generates sensor data related to one or more physical conditions;
processing circuitry integrated into the chip and coupled to the sensing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry, in operation,
receives a sensor-service request in clear text from the host processor;
determines a type of a sensor-service request received from the host processor;
in response to determining the received sensor-service request is of a first type, generates results information in response to the sensor-service request of the first type based on generated sensor data and transmits the results information in clear text to the host processor; and
in response to determining the sensor-service request is of a second type:
initiates remote-server processing based on the sensor-service request of the second type, wherein the initiating comprises sending an encrypted communication from the integrated sensor device to the remote server via the host processor, without decrypting of the encrypted communication by the host processor; and
generates a response to the sensor-service request of the second type based on a response to the initiated remote-server processing; and

encryption circuitry integrated into the chip, wherein the encryption circuitry, in operation, encrypts communications from the integrated sensor device to the remote server and decrypts communications from the remote server to the integrated sensor device, wherein, in operation, the encrypted communications are transmitted between the integrated sensor device and the remote server via the application executing on the host processor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry, in operation, responds to a received sensor-service-authorization request by requesting remote-server verification that the application is authorized to receive sensor services.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the processing circuitry, in operation, responds to a failure to receive verification that the application is authorized by denying access to sensor services to the application.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein authorizations of the application periodically expire and the processing circuitry, in operation, initiates remote-server reauthorization of the application in response to expiration of an authorization of the application.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein authorizations of the application periodically expire and the processing circuitry, in operation, initiates remote-server reauthorization of the application in anticipation of expiration of an authorization of the application.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first type of request comprises requests directed to functions embedded in the integrated sensor device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the functions embedded in the integrated sensor device include:
compensating for environmental factors;
initiating periodic remote-server reauthorization; or
combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the second type of request comprises requests directed to cloud-based functionality.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the cloud-based functionality includes:
sensor diagnostic functionality;
sensor aging compensation functionality;
sensor environmental factor compensation functionality;
dashboard functionality;
artificial intelligence classification based on sensor data;
artificial intelligence classification based on results information; or
combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the environmental factors include temperature, pressure, illumination, sensor location, sensor position, sensor orientation, long-term sensor drift, or combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising a remote server, which, in operation, generates encrypted responses to the initiated remote-server processing.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the integrated sensor device is a first integrated sensor device, comprising a second integrated sensor device, wherein the remote server, in operation, generates the encrypted response to the initiated remote-server processing based on sensor data generated by the first integrated sensor device and sensor data generated by the second integrated sensor device.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensing circuitry includes a humidity sensor, a chemical sensor, a biochemical compound sensor, a radioisotope sensor, an infrared sensor, an air quality sensor, a water quality sensor, a thermal sensor, an organic compound detector, or combinations thereof.

14. An integrated sensor device, comprising:
sensing circuitry integrated into a chip, wherein the sensing circuitry, in operation, generates sensor data related to one or more physical conditions;
processing circuitry integrated into the chip and coupled to the sensing circuitry; and
encryption circuitry integrated into the chip, wherein
the processing circuitry, in operation, processes received sensor-session requests and received sensor-service requests of an application executing on a host processor, wherein the processing a received sensor-service request includes:
receiving the sensor-service request in clear text from the host processor;
determining a type of the received sensor-service request;
in response to determining the received sensor-service request is of a first type:
generating first results information in response to the received sensor-service request of the first type based on generated sensor data; and
transmitting the first results information to the host processor in clear text; and

in response to determining the received sensor-service request is of a second type:
initiating remote-server processing based on the received sensor-service request of the second type, wherein the initiating comprises encrypting, by the encryption circuitry, a communication directed to a remote server, and sending the encrypted communication to the remote server via the host processor, without decrypting of the encrypted communication by the host processor;
generating second results information in response to the received sensor-service request of the second type based on a received response to the initiated remote-server processing; and
transmitting the second results information to the host processor in clear; and

the encryption circuitry, in operation, encrypts communications from the integrated sensor device to the remote server and decrypts communications from the remote server to the integrated sensor device to prevent access by the host processor to communications between the integrated sensor device and the remote server, wherein, in operation, the encrypted communications are transmitted between the integrated sensor device and the remote server via the application executing on the host processor.

15. The integrated sensor device of claim 14 wherein processing circuitry, in operation, responds to a received sensor-session request by requesting remote-server verification that an application associated with the received sensor-session request is authorized to receive sensor services.

16. The integrated sensor device of claim 15 wherein the processing circuitry, in operation, responds to a failure to receive verification that the appli

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Alessi Enrico Rosario
• Passaniti Fabio

Classifications

• H04L67/51 Primary

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title

• G06F21/602

  Providing cryptographic facilities or services · CPC title

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title