Reconfigurable sensor unit for electronic device

An electronic device, comprising:

• a printed circuit board (PCB) having at least one conductive trace thereon;
• a system on chip (SoC) mounted on the PCB and electrically coupled to the at least one conductive trace;
• and
• a sensor chip mounted on the PCB in a spaced apart relation with the SoC and electrically coupled to the at least one conductive trace such that the sensor chip and SoC are electrically coupled;
• wherein the sensor chip comprises:
• configuration registers configured to store and output configuration data;
• a MEMS sensor configured to generate a plurality of analog data outputs;
• a selection circuit receiving the plurality of analog data outputs and configured to pass a selected one of the plurality of analog data outputs;
• an analog to digital converter configured to convert the selected one of the plurality of analog data outputs to digital data;
• a programmable logic device (PLD) configured to receive the digital data, the PLD further configured to perform an extraction of features of the digital data in accordance with the configuration data, the configuration data comprising changeable parameters of the extraction;
• and
• a classification circuit configured to process the extracted features of the digital data so as to generate a context of an electronic device into which the sensor chip is incorporated relative to its surroundings, the processing being performed using a processing technique operating in accordance with the configuration data, wherein the configuration data further comprises changeable parameters of the processing technique.