Seamless and reliable chain of custody transfer over low power wireless protocol

• US 10,362,547 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pisharody, Greeshma, Khanna, Rahul, Carlson, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khirodhar, Maharishi V
• Application Number:
  US15/598,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20180338293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for providing change of custody signaling in a wireless sensor network are disclosed herein. In embodiments, an apparatus for providing transfer of custody signaling in a wireless sensor network (WSN) may be provided. The apparatus may include communications circuitry to interact with a cloud server to receive an instruction regarding a change of custody for at least one sensor node within a WSN, the at least one sensor node assigned to the apparatus for tracking, and the instruction may identify a second apparatus within the WSN to assume custody of the at least one sensor. The apparatus may further include a control unit coupled to the communications circuitry to signal the second apparatus and the at least one sensor node regarding the transfer of custody, wherein the signaling is over a wireless protocol of the WSN.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing signaling for transfer of custody of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprising:

communications circuitry to interact with a cloud server to receive an instruction regarding a transfer of custody for at least one sensor node within the WSN, wherein the at least one sensor node is assigned to the apparatus for tracking and wherein the instruction identifies a second apparatus within the WSN to assume custody of the at least one sensor node; and

control circuitry coupled to the communications circuitry to, in response to the instruction, signal the second apparatus and the at least one sensor node regarding the transfer of custody;

wherein the communications circuitry is further to scan through all channels of the WSN for a ping from an orphan sensor node, and, in response to receipt of the ping, transmit a notification to the cloud server,

wherein the instruction, the signal, the ping and the notification are sent over a wireless protocol of the WSN.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer of custody signaling utilizes periodic beacons that are sent from apparatuses in the WSN for time synchronization.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatuses in the WSN are each assigned one or more sensor nodes to track.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor node is attached to, or packed with, packages or pallets of merchandise in transit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer of custody signaling includes notifying the second apparatus to assume responsibility of tracking the at least one sensor node.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is an asset tracking system server.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer of custody signaling includes notifying the at least one sensor node of a network identification (ID) of the second apparatus and a channel ID on which to receive beacons from the second apparatus, the channel ID being different than the channel ID used by the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless protocol is based on IEEE 802.15.4.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications circuitry is to communicate in multiple radio frequency (RF) protocols, modalities and bands.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the multiple RF protocols include WiFi, cellular and near-field communication (NFC).

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications circuitry is to further receive an acknowledgement from the at least one sensor node.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in response to the communications circuitry not receiving the acknowledgement as to a sensor node, the control circuitry is to signal the cloud server that the sensor node is not operational.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer of custody signaling utilizes periodic beacons that are sent from apparatuses in the WSN for time synchronization.

14. An apparatus for providing signaling for transfer of custody of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprising:

communications circuitry to interact with one of a second apparatus within the WSN or a cloud server to receive an instruction regarding a transfer of custody for at least one sensor node within the WSN, the instruction providing that the custody of the at least one sensor node is to be transferred from the second apparatus to the apparatus; and

control circuitry coupled to the communications circuitry to, upon receipt of the instruction, and in response to it, signal the at least one sensor node to allow the at least one sensor node to join a local network of the apparatus;

wherein the communications circuitry is further to scan through all channels of the WSN for a ping from an orphan sensor node, and, in response to receipt of the ping, transmit a notification to the cloud server,

wherein the instruction, the signal, the ping and the notification are sent over a wireless protocol of the WSN.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the signal to the at least one sensor node is an association beacon.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cloud server is an asset tracking system server.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein apparatuses in the WSN are each assigned one or more sensor nodes to track.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one sensor nodes is attached to, or packed with, at least one package or pallet of merchandise in transit.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is to further perform network discovery following completion of the transfer of custody.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein completion of the transfer of custody includes receiving a response from the at least one sensor nodes that were identified in the instruction.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein network discovery includes:

sending a signal to each sensor node assigned to the custody of the apparatus;

noting which sensor nodes responded;

notifying the cloud server of any missing sensor nodes; and

moving to managed mode for all sensor nodes that did respond.

22. A method to be performed by a computer device providing signaling for transfer of custody of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprising:

obtaining or receiving, by the computer device, from a cloud server, an instruction regarding a transfer of custody for at least one sensor node within the WSN, wherein the at least one sensor node is assigned to the computer device for tracking, and wherein the instruction identifies a second computer device within the WSN to assume custody of the at least one sensor node; and

interacting, by the computer device, in response to the instruction, with the second computer device and the at least one sensor node to provide signaling for transfer of custody of the at least one sensor node;

scanning through all channels of the WSN for a ping from an orphan sensor node;

and, in response to receiving the ping, transmitting a notification to the cloud server,

wherein the instruction, the signal, the ping and the notification are sent over a wireless protocol of the WSN.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transfer of custody signaling utilizes periodic beacons that are sent from apparatuses in the WSN for time synchronization, and wherein the at least one sensor node is attached to, or packed with, at least one package or pallet of merchandise in transit.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the cloud server is an asset tracking system server, and the transfer of custody signaling includes notifying the second computer device to assume responsibility of tracking the at least one sensor node.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising notifying the at least one sensor node of a network identification (ID) of the second computer device and a channel ID on which to receive beacons from the second computer device, the channel ID being different than the channel ID used by the computer device.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving an acknowledgement from the at least one sensor node, and in response to not receiving the acknowledgement, signaling the cloud server that the sensor node is not operational.

27. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media (CRM) comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed cause a computing device to:

interact with a cloud server to receive an instruction regarding a transfer of custody for at least one sensor node within a wireless sensor network (WSN), wherein the at least one sensor node is assigned to the computing device for tracking and wherein the instruction identifies a second computing device within the WSN to assume custody of the at least one sensor node; and

in response to the instruction, signal the second computing device and the at least one sensor node regarding the transfer of custody;

scan through all channels of the WSN for a ping from an orphan sensor node;

and, in response to receipt of the ping, transmit a notification to the cloud server,

wherein the instruction, the signal, the ping and the notification are sent over a wireless protocol of the WSN.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the computing devices in the WSN are each assigned one or more sensor nodes to track, and wherein the at least one sensor node is attached to, or packed with, at least one package or pallets of merchandise in transit.

29. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the transfer of custody signaling includes:

notifying the second computing device to assume responsibility of tracking the at least one sensor node; and

notifying the at least one sensor node of a network identification (ID) of the second computing device and a channel ID on which to receive beacons from the second computing device, the channel ID being different than the channel ID used by the computing device.

30. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 27, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

receive an acknowledgement from the at least one sensor node, and, in response to not receiving the acknowledgement as to a sensor node, signal the cloud server that the sensor node is not operational.