Cooperative task execution in instrumented roadway systems

• US 10,257,593 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Tamer E., Moore, Jr., John E., Singi, Rajeshkumar N., Wentworth, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Balseca, Frankln D
• Application Number:
  US15/825,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for relaying a sensor communication to a central monitoring system by utilizing a crowdsourcing model. The method includes: obtaining a registered device through crowdsourcing; registering the registered device into a central monitoring system; configuring the registered device to communicate with a plurality of road management sensors and with the central monitoring system; monitoring and gathering location information of the registered device by the central monitoring system; transmitting, via the central monitoring system, a request to gather a sensor communication from a sensor to the registered device; executing the request, via the registered device, by capturing the sensor communication emitted from the sensor, wherein the sensor communication is emitted using a passive radio-frequency identification tag; and relaying at least a part of the sensor communication from the registered device to the central monitoring system.

Claims

1. A method for relaying a sensor communication to a monitoring system by utilizing a crowdsourcing model, the method comprising:

configuring a user-device to communicate with a plurality of road management sensors;

receiving, by the user-device, a request to gather a sensor communication from a sensor to the user-device;

executing the request, via the user-device, by capturing the sensor communication emitted from the sensor;

examining, by the user-device, the sensor communication to identify a relay point to which the sensor communication is to be transmitted; and

relaying, by the user-device, to the relay point, the sensor communication and a location of the sensor, wherein the relay point determines a first central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication being indicative of a malfunction at the sensor, the relay point determines a second central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication not being indicative of the malfunction at the sensor, and wherein the determination of a destination central monitoring system for the sensor communication is further based on attributes of the sensor communication, a timestamp at which the sensor communication is captured, and a location of the sensor initiating the sensor communication so that the destination central monitoring system communicates with a corresponding repair crew to be dispatched to the sensor in case of malfunction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor communication is emitted using a passive radio-frequency identification tag.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user-device comprises a vehicle capable of using wireless techniques.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user-device comprises a mobile device capable of using wireless techniques.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor communication comprises at least one of:

location information, sensor status information, sensor communication timestamp information, and sensor communication destination information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location of the sensor is transmitted by the user-device based on a location of the user-device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request to gather the sensor communication from the sensor is based on location information of the user-device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request to gather the sensor communication from the sensor is based on route patterns of the user-device obtained by monitoring location information of the user-device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, crediting a user who operates the user-device for relaying the sensor communication to the central monitoring system.

10. A computer program product for relaying a sensor communication to a monitoring system by utilizing a crowdsourcing model, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage device, the computer readable storage device comprising computer executable instructions that cause a processing circuit to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by a user-device, a request to gather a sensor communication from a sensor to the user-device;

executing the request, via the user-device, by capturing the sensor communication emitted from a sensor from a plurality of road management sensors;

examining, by the user-device, the sensor communication to identify a relay point to which the sensor communication is to be transmitted; and

relaying, by the user-device, to the relay point, the sensor communication and a location of the sensor, wherein the relay point determines a first central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication being indicative of a malfunction at the sensor, the relay point determines a second central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication not being indicative of the malfunction at the sensor, and wherein the determination of a destination central monitoring system for the sensor communication is further based on attributes of the sensor communication, a timestamp at which the sensor communication is captured, and a location of the sensor initiating the sensor communication so that the destination central monitoring system communicates with a corresponding repair crew to be dispatched to the sensor in case of malfunction.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the sensor communication is emitted using a passive radio-frequency identification tag.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the request to gather the sensor communication from the sensor is based on route patterns of the user-device obtained by monitoring location information of the user-device.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the sensor communication comprises at least one of:

location information, sensor status information, sensor communication timestamp information, and sensor communication destination information.

14. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the location of the sensor is transmitted by the user-device based on a location of the user-device.

15. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein the request to gather the sensor communication from the sensor is based on location information of the user-device.

16. A system for relaying a sensor communication to a monitoring system by utilizing a crowdsourcing model, the system comprising:

a user-device comprising;

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a module communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, wherein the module is configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving, by the user-device, a request to gather a sensor communication from a sensor to the user-device;

executing the request, via the user-device, by capturing the sensor communication emitted from a sensor from a plurality of road management sensors;

examining, by the user-device, the sensor communication to identify a relay point to which the sensor communication is to be transmitted; and

relaying, by the user-device, to the relay point, the sensor communication and a location of the sensor, wherein the relay point determines a first central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication being indicative of a malfunction at the sensor, the relay point determines a second central monitoring system to which the sensor communication is to be forwarded in response to the sensor communication not being indicative of the malfunction at the sensor, and wherein the determination of a destination central monitoring system for the sensor communication is further based on attributes of the sensor communication, a timestamp at which the sensor communication is captured, and a location of the sensor initiating the sensor communication so that the destination central monitoring system communicates with a corresponding repair crew to be dispatched to the sensor in case of malfunction.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the sensor communication is emitted using a passive radio-frequency identification tag.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the request to gather the sensor communication from the sensor is based on route patterns of the user-device obtained by monitoring location information of the user-device.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the sensor communication comprises at least one of:

location information, sensor status information, sensor communication timestamp information, and sensor communication destination information.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the location of the sensor is transmitted by the user-device based on a location of the user-device.