Systems and methods for collecting sensor data in a network of moving things

• US 10,194,264 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexar Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Veniam Inc.
• Inventors: Azevedo, Joao, Costa, Rui, Russell, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US15/213,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20170086054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 4554221, 455431, 4554321, 455434
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for collecting data in a network of moving things. As non-limiting examples, various aspects of this disclosure provide systems and methods for operating sensor systems and collecting data from sensor systems in a power-efficient and network-efficient manner.

Claims

1. A communication network mobile access point (MAP) comprising:

a plurality of wireless transceivers operable to provide wireless communication between the MAP and a vehicle communication network, and to provide wireless local area network (WLAN) access point services; and

at least one module comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the at least one module is operable to, at least;

receive an initial list of sensors from which the MAP is to collect sensor data while the MAP travels along an expected travel route; and

while the MAP is traveling along the expected travel route;

utilize a first wireless transceiver of the plurality of wireless transceivers to provide WLAN access point services to a client device;

as the MAP travels within wireless communication range of a first in-range sensor of the initial list of sensors;

utilize the first wireless transceiver to establish a wireless communication link with the first in-range sensor;

collect sensor data from the first in-range sensor; and

utilize a second wireless transceiver of the plurality of wireless transceivers to communicate the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor to a destination node via the vehicle communication network;

receive information from a second access point of the vehicle communication network; and

in response to the received information;

change the initial list of sensors to an updated list of sensors from which the MAP is to collect sensor data while the MAP travels along the expected route; and

as the MAP travels within wireless communication range of a second in-range sensor of the updated list of sensors;

 

utilize the first wireless transceiver to establish a wireless communication link with the second in-range sensor;

 

collect sensor data from the second in-range sensor; and

 

utilize the second wireless transceiver to communicate the sensor data collected from the second in-range sensor to a destination node via the vehicle communication network.

2. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to, prior to said establishing the wireless communication link with said first in-range sensor:

identify a location of the MAP; and

identify said first in-range sensor based, at least in part, on the identified location of the MAP.

3. The MAP of claim 1, wherein:

the initial list of sensors comprises sensor location information for the first in-range sensor;

the initial list of sensors comprises sensor wake-up signal information for the first in-range sensor; and

the at least one module is operable to, while the MAP is traveling along the expected travel route and prior to said establishing the wireless communication link with the first in-range sensor;

determine a location of the MAP;

identify, based at least in part on the determined location of the MAP and on the sensor location information of the initial list of sensors, the first in-range sensor;

determine, based at least in part on the sensor wake-up information of the initial list of sensors, characteristics of a first signal that will wake the first in-range sensor from a sleep mode; and

utilize the first wireless transceiver to transmit the first signal comprising the determined characteristics to wake the first in-range sensor from the sleep mode.

4. The MAP of claim 1, wherein:

the second access point comprises a second MAP;

the received information comprises information from the second MAP indicating that the second MAP has collected information from a particular sensor of the initial list of sensors; and

the at least one module is operable to change the initial list of sensors to an updated list of sensors by, at least in part, removing the particular sensor from the initial list of sensors or flagging the particular sensor on the initial list of sensors.

5. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the received information originates at a central controller and comprises information identifying sensors within a particular geographic area in which the MAP is traveling.

6. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to remove an already-serviced sensor from the initial list of sensors or to flag the already-serviced sensor on the initial list of sensors based, at least in part, on a communication from the already-serviced sensor indicating that the already-serviced sensor'"'"'s data has already been collected.

7. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to remove an already-serviced sensor from the initial list of sensors or to flag the already-serviced sensor on the initial list of sensors based, at least in part, on a communication indicating that sensor data from the already-serviced sensor has been collected by another MAP.

8. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to change the initial list of sensors by, at least in part, coordinating sensor data collecting with one or more other MAPs, wherein said coordinating is performed at a MAP level of the vehicle communication network.

9. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to receive the initial list of sensors from a Fixed AP of the vehicle communication network while the MAP is traveling.

10. The MAP of claim 9, wherein the received initial list of sensors comprises a list of sensors within a geographical region associated with the Fixed AP.

11. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the initial list of sensors comprises sensor location information for all stationary sensors on the initial list of sensors.

12. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the initial list of sensors is organized in an order in which the MAP is expected to encounter each sensor of the initial list of sensors as the MAP travels along the expected travel route.

13. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the initial list of sensors is received from another AP, and comprises information indicating a manner in which sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor is to be communicated from the MAP to another node of the communication network.

14. The MAP of claim 1, wherein:

the initial list of sensors comprises first information indicating that sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor is to be communicated immediately; and

the updated list of sensors comprises second information indicating that sensor data collected from the second in-range sensor is to be communicated in a delay-tolerant manner.

15. The MAP of claim 13, wherein the information indicating a manner in which sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor is to be communicated from the MAP to another node of the communication network comprises information regarding time constraints associated with communication of the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor.

16. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine a manner in which to communicate the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor to a destination, and communicate the collected sensor data to the destination in the determined manner.

17. The MAP of claim 16, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine to delay communicating the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor to the destination until the MAP is within range of an available Wi-Fi hotspot.

18. The MAP of claim 16, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine the manner in which to communicate the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor based, at least in part, on a value of the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor, where the value is indicative of a sensed condition.

19. The MAP of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to notify other MAPs that the sensor data collected from the first in-range sensor has been collected.

20. A communication network mobile access point (MAP) comprising:

one or more wireless transceivers operable to provide wireless communication between the MAP and a vehicle communication network, and to provide wireless local area network (WLAN) access point services; and

at least one module comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the at least one module is operable to, at least;

while the MAP is traveling;

utilize a first wireless transceiver of the one or more wireless transceivers to provide WLAN access point services to a client device;

receive a list of sensors from a fixed access point (FAP) of the vehicle communication network, wherein the list of sensors comprises information identifying one or more sensors in a geographical region associated with the FAP and from which the MAP is to collect sensor data as the MAP travels through the geographical area;

utilize the first wireless transceiver to transmit a first signal comprising characteristics to wake a target sensor of the list of sensors;

utilize the first wireless transceiver to establish a wireless communication link with the target sensor of the list of sensors;

collect sensor data from the target sensor over the wireless communication link;

communicate information to an access point of the vehicle communication network indicating that the collected sensor data has been collected;

determine a manner in which to communicate the collected sensor data to a destination;

communicate the collected sensor data to the destination in the determined manner; and

when the sensor data has been collected from the target sensor;

flag the target sensor in the list of sensors as a sensor from which sensor data has been collected;

or

remove the target sensor from the list of sensors.