Measuring in a mobile communications terminal

• US 10,231,175 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lindoff, Bengt, Gustafsson, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph E
• Application Number:
  US14/898,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A general sensor comprising at least one sensor, a short range communications interface, a long range communications interface and a controller, wherein said controller is configured for: detecting a first access point through said short range communications interface; receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensor from said first access point; causing said at least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions; receiving sensor data from said at least one sensor; and for reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.

Claims

1. A general sensor comprising:

at least one sensor;

a short range communications interface;

a long range communications interface;

a controller; and

a memory from which the controller retrieves and executes instructions that determine sensor functionality,

wherein said controller is configured for;

detecting a first access point through said short range communications interface;

receiving an application program comprising operating instructions for said at least one sensor from said first access point;

storing the operating instructions into the memory;

causing said at least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions;

receiving sensor data from said at least one sensor; and

for

reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.

2. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for:

detecting a second access point through said short range communications interface;

receiving operating instructions for said at least one sensor from said second access point; and

determining whether at least one of said at least one sensors should operate according to said operating instructions, and, if so, causing said least one of said at least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions.

3. The general sensor according to claim 2, wherein said controller is further configured for determining whether to receive operating instructions from said second access point based on a priority scheme for said first access point and said second access point.

4. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for detecting that a connection with said first access point is not available through said short range communications interface and, in response thereto, refraining from reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.

5. The general sensor according to claim 4, wherein said controller is further configured for determining that a threshold time since the detection that the connection is not available has passed and then refraining from reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.

6. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for detecting that a connection with said first access point is not available through said short range communications interface and, in response thereto, control the operation of said at least one sensor according to previously received operating instructions.

7. The general sensor according to claim 6, wherein said previously received operating instructions are stored in the memory.

8. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for processing said sensor data before reporting said sensor data.

9. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured for reporting sensor data to said first access point and in response thereto receive updated operating instructions.

10. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of said operating instructions are specific to one of said at least one sensor.

11. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said operating instructions are arranged to specify that at least one of said at least one sensor is to remain inactive.

12. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said operating instructions are based on an operating context, wherein said operating context is taken from a group comprising spatial locality, temporal locality, company policy, regional regulations, and seasonal aspects.

13. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said long range communications interface is a cellular communications interface.

14. The general sensor according to claim 1, wherein said short range communications interface is arranged to operate according to a standard taken from a group of standards comprising:

Bluetooth®

, Near Field Communication (NFC), a WLAN-associated technology standard, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Sigfox.

15. A Mobile communications terminal comprising a general sensor according to claim 1.

16. The mobile communications terminal according to claim 15, wherein said mobile communications terminal is a mobile telephone or an internet tablet.

17. A method for use in a general sensor comprising at least one sensor, a short range communications interface, a long range communications interface, said method comprising:

detecting a first access point through said short range communications interface;

receiving an application program comprising operating instructions for said at least one sensor from said first access point;

storing the operating instructions into a memory;

retrieving the operating instructions from the memory and executing the retrieved operating instructions to cause said at least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions;

receiving sensor data from said at least one sensor; and

reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.

18. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when loaded and executed on a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for use in a general sensor comprising at least one sensor, a short range communications interface, a long range communications interface, said method comprising:

detecting a first access point through said short range communications interface;

receiving an application program comprising operating instructions for said at least one sensor from said first access point;

storing the operating instructions into a memory;

retrieving the operating instructions from the memory and executing the retrieved operating instructions to cause said at least one sensor to operate according to said operating instructions;

receiving sensor data from said at least one sensor; and

reporting said sensor data through said long range communications interface.