Collaborative sensor network

• US 10,313,447 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shoof Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shoof Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Flammer, III, George H., Gottlib, Elad
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US16/114,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20190068714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 455500, 455 411- 413
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system comprises a first peer sensor tag configured to sense first sensor data using a first local sensor of the first peer sensor tag and a second peer sensor tag configured to sense second sensor data using a second local sensor of the second peer sensor tag while the second peer sensor tag is not within a communication range of the first peer sensor tag. The second peer sensor tag is configured to detect a first beacon signal of the first peer sensor tag, the first beacon signal including at least a portion of the first sensor data, the first beacon signal being transmitted according to a first network communication protocol. The second peer sensor tag is configured to obtain the at least a portion of the first sensor data from the first beacon signal. A base station is configured to detect a second beacon signal of the second peer sensor tag, the first beacon signal including the at least a portion of the first sensor data and at least a portion of the second sensor data. The base station is configured to obtain the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data from the second beacon signal, and to provide the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data to a server system using a second network communication protocol different from the first network communication protocol.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first peer sensor tag configured to sense first sensor data using a first local sensor of the first peer sensor tag;

a second peer sensor tag configured to;

sense second sensor data using a second local sensor of the second peer sensor tag while the second peer sensor tag is not within a communication range of the first peer sensor tag;

detect a first beacon signal of the first peer sensor tag, the first beacon signal including at least a portion of the first sensor data, the first beacon signal being transmitted according to a first network communication protocol; and

obtain the at least a portion of the first sensor data from the first beacon signal; and

a base station configured to;

detect a second beacon signal of the second peer sensor tag, the second beacon signal including the at least a portion of the first sensor data and at least a portion of the second sensor data;

obtain the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data from the second beacon signal; and

provide the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data to a server system, the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data being provided using a second network communication protocol different from the first network communication protocol.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor data comprises temperature data, and the first local sensor of the first peer sensor tag comprises a temperature sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor data comprises humidity data, and the second local sensor of the second peer sensor tag comprises a humidity sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network communication protocol comprises a low-power network communication protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second network communication protocol comprises an Internet-based network communication protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second peer sensor tag is further configured to validate a source of the first beacon signal prior to obtaining the at least a portion of the first sensor data from the first beacon signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second peer sensor tag is further configured to generate additional sensor data based on the at least a portion of the first sensor data, the at least a portion of the second sensor data, and one or more tag rules executing on the second peer sensor tag.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the additional sensor data is generated in response to a trigger condition of the one or more tag rules, and the additional sensor data is capable of facilitating generation of a corresponding alert or notification.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more tag rules is at least partially user-defined by a user associated with an entity operating the second peer sensor tag.

10. A method comprising:

sensing, by a first peer sensor tag, first sensor data, the first sensor data being sensed by a first local sensor of the first peer sensor tag;

sensing, by a second peer sensor tag, second sensor data, the second sensor data being sensed by a second local sensor of the second peer sensor tag while the second peer sensor tag is not within a communication range of the first peer sensor tag;

detecting, by the second peer sensor tag, a first beacon signal of the first peer sensor tag, the first beacon signal including at least a portion of the first sensor data, the first beacon signal being transmitted according to a first network communication protocol;

obtaining, by the second peer sensor tag, the at least a portion of the first sensor data from the first beacon signal;

detecting, by a base station, a second beacon signal of the second peer sensor tag, the second beacon signal including the at least a portion of the first sensor data and at least a portion of the second sensor data, the second beacon signal being transmitted according to the first network communication protocol;

obtaining, by the base station, the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data from the second beacon signal; and

providing, by the base station, the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data to a server system, the at least a portion of the first sensor data and the at least a portion of the second sensor data being provided using a second network communication protocol different from the first network communication protocol.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first sensor data comprises temperature data, and the first local sensor of the first peer sensor tag comprises a temperature sensor.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second sensor data comprises humidity data, and the second local sensor of the second peer sensor tag comprises a humidity sensor.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first network communication protocol comprises a low-power network communication protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second network communication protocol comprises an Internet-based network communication protocol.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising validating, by the second peer sensor tag, a source of the first beacon signal prior to obtaining the at least a portion of the first sensor data from the first beacon signal.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating, by the second peer sensor tag, additional sensor data based on the at least a portion of the first sensor data, the at least a portion of the second sensor data, and one or more tag rules executing on the second peer sensor tag.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional sensor data is generated in response to a trigger condition of the one or more tag rules, and the additional sensor data is capable of facilitating generation of a corresponding alert or notification.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the one or more tag rules is at least partially user-defined by a user associated with an entity operating the second peer sensor tag.