Systems and methods for using radio frequency signals and sensors to monitor environments

• US 10,156,852 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zainar, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Locix, Inc
• Inventors: Bakhishev, Teymur, Subramanian, Vivek, Pavate, Vikram, Ylamurto, Tommi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US14/988,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/383 Indoor data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

Systems and methods for using radio frequency signals and sensors to monitor environments (e.g., indoor environments) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for providing a wireless asymmetric network comprises a hub having one or more processing units and at least one antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) communications in the wireless asymmetric network and a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the hub in the wireless asymmetric network. The one or more processing units of the hub are configured to execute instructions to determine at least one of motion and occupancy within the wireless asymmetric network based on a power level of the RF communications.

Claims

1. A system for providing a wireless asymmetric network, comprising:

a hub having one or more processing units and at least one antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) communications in the wireless asymmetric network; and

a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the hub in the wireless asymmetric network, wherein the one or more processing units of the hub are configured to execute instructions to determine for a first time period a first power level including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information to determine time averaged RSSI of received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the hub, to determine whether the first power level is a baseline power level to indicate a baseline condition with no occupancy or motion for the first time period, to determine for a second time period a second power level including RSSI information to determine time averaged RSSI of received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the hub, to determine whether the second power level is a first threshold power level or a second threshold power level to indicate at least one of motion of humans or pets and occupancy of humans or pets for the second time period within the wireless asymmetric network, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet and the second threshold power level that is below the first threshold power level indicates occupancy of a human or pet between sensor node pairs or positioned between a sensor node and the hub.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units of the hub are configured to execute instructions to determine at least one of motion and occupancy within the wireless asymmetric network based on determining motion of humans or pets and occupancy of humans or pets within an indoor environment that is associated with the wireless asymmetric network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet, a second threshold power level that is below the first threshold power level indicates occupancy of a smaller human or pet, and a third threshold power level that is above the baseline power level indicates when a reflective surface or other disturbance is positioned between sensor node pairs or positioned between a sensor node and the hub.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units of the hub are configured to execute instructions to determine location information for the plurality of sensor nodes based on receiving RF communications from the plurality of sensor nodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors have a threshold density in spacing from each other in order to determine a baseline power level and a threshold power level.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first hub is powered by a mains electrical source and the plurality of sensor nodes are each powered by a battery source to form the wireless asymmetric network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein an asymmetry of available power for the hub and the plurality of sensor nodes is exploited to enhance battery life and communication range in a wireless sensor network of the plurality of sensor nodes based on low-duty cycle networking to reduce transmission-related energy consumption of the plurality of sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing instructions;

one or more processing units to execute instructions for monitoring a plurality of sensor nodes in a wireless network architecture; and

radio frequency (RF) circuitry to transmit RF communications to and receive RF communications from the plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional communications with the RF circuitry of the apparatus in the wireless network architecture, wherein the one or more processing units of the apparatus are configured to execute instructions to negotiate a timing of at least one periodic guaranteed time slot for the plurality of sensor nodes to be capable of periodic bi-directional communications with the apparatus, to determine for a first time period a first power level including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information to determine time averaged RSSI of received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the apparatus, to determine whether the first power level is a baseline power level to indicate a baseline condition with no occupancy or motion for the first time period, to determine for a second time period a second power level including RSSI information to determine time averaged RSSI of received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the apparatus, to determine whether the second power level is a first threshold power level or a second threshold power level to indicate at least one of motion of humans or pets and occupancy of humans or pets for the second time period within the wireless asymmetric network, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet and the second threshold power level that is below the first threshold power level indicates occupancy of a human or pet between sensor node pairs or positioned between a sensor node and the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processing units of the hub are configured to execute instructions to determine at least one of motion and occupancy within the wireless network architecture based on determining motion of humans or pets and occupancy of humans or pets within an indoor environment that is associated with the wireless network architecture.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet, a second threshold power level that is below the first threshold power level indicates occupancy of a smaller human or pet, and a third threshold power level that is above the baseline power level indicates when a reflective surface or other disturbance is positioned between sensor node pairs or positioned between a sensor node and the hub.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the power level comprises received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information including baseline values of RSSI for the baseline level to be compared with threshold values of RSSI for the threshold level to determine the motion condition or the occupancy condition.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes includes a first group of sensor nodes and a second group of sensor nodes, wherein a transmitter of at least one of the first group of sensor nodes is configured to be operable during a first periodic guaranteed time slot and a transmitter of at least one of the second group of sensor nodes is configured to be operable during the first or a second periodic guaranteed time slot.

13. A method for determining motion or occupancy in a wireless network architecture, comprising:

transmitting, with radio frequency (RF) circuitry including at least one antenna of a hub, RF communications to a plurality of sensor nodes in the wireless network architecture;

receiving, with the RF circuitry including at least one antenna of the hub, RF communications from the plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the RF circuitry of the hub in the wireless network architecture;

determining for a first time period, with one or more processing units of the hub or sensor nodes, a first power level including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information to determine time averaged RSSI for received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the hub;

determining whether the first power level is a baseline power level to indicate a baseline condition with no occupancy or motion for the first time period;

determining for a second time period a second power level including RSSI information to determine time averaged RSSI of received RF communications between two sensor nodes of the plurality of sensor nodes or between a sensor node and the hub; and

determining whether the second power level is a first threshold power level or a second threshold power level to indicate at least one of motion of humans or pets and occupancy of humans or pets for the second time period within an indoor environment that is associated with the wireless network architecture, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet and the second threshold power level that is below the first threshold power level indicates occupancy of a human or pet between sensor node pairs or positioned between a sensor node and the hub.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first threshold power level that is below the baseline power level indicates motion of a human or pet, a second threshold power level that is further below the baseline power level indicates occupancy of a smaller human or pet, and a third threshold power level that is above the baseline power level indicates when a reflective surface or other disturbance is positioned between sensor node pairs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the power level information comprises received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information including instantaneous values of RSSI to be compared with threshold values to determine the motion condition or the occupancy condition.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the power level information comprises received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information to be used to determine at least one of time averaged RSSI and frequency analysis of variations of RSSI to determine the motion condition or the occupancy condition.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a path to guide movement of a robot within the indoor environment based on the determination of the occupancy condition which indicates an occupancy within an area of the indoor environment.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a position of a robot within the indoor environment based on the power level information for the received RF communications.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

capturing image data with a robot;

capturing image data with at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors;

determining a mapping of the robot within the indoor environment based on the image data of the robot, image data of the at least one sensor, and the power level information for the received RF communications.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an event that is not considered normal within the indoor environment;

generating at least one communication with the hub or at least one sensor to indicate detection of the event;

sending the at least one communication to the robot;

activating the robot to investigate the event by moving to a position in proximity to the detected event;

capturing images of a region associated with the event; and

determining whether the event has occurred based on the images captured by the robot.