Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods

• US 20040229613A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Skorpik, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,130,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods are described. In one aspect, a wireless communication device includes a housing, wireless communication circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to communicate wireless signals, movement circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to provide movement data regarding movement sensed by the movement circuitry, and event processing circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to process the movement data, and wherein at least a portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in a first operational state having a different power consumption rate compared with a second operational state.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a housing;

wireless communication circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to communicate wireless signals;

movement circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to provide movement data regarding movement sensed by the movement circuitry; and

event processing circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to process the movement data, and wherein at least a portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in a first operational state having a different power consumption rate compared with a second operational state.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the movement circuitry is configured to provide the movement data regarding movement of the wireless communication device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device is associated with an article, and wherein the movement circuitry is configured to provide the movement data regarding movement of the article.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry consumes less power in the first operational state compared with the second operational state.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in the first operational state in the absence of the movement event, and to operate in the second operational state in the presence of a sensed movement event.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry changes operation from the first operational state to the second operational state responsive to the occurrence of a sensed movement event.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a power source coupled with the housing and configured to provide power originating from entirely within the device.

8. The device of claim 1 further comprising a storage device coupled with the housing and configured to store information regarding the movement data.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to communicate wireless signals comprising an identifier of the wireless communication device.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to communicate wireless signals responsive to a received interrogation signal.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to communicate wireless signals comprising movement data.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the first operational state comprises a dormant operational state wherein substantially no processing of the movement data is provided by the portion of the event processing circuitry and the second operational state comprises an active operational state wherein processing of the movement data by the event processing circuitry is provided by the portion of the event processing circuitry.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry comprises digitization circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, and wherein the digitization circuitry is configured to receive analog signals generated within the movement circuitry, and to output digital signals corresponding to the analog signals.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry comprises amplification circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, and wherein the amplification circuitry is configured to amplify signals from the movement circuitry.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the event processing circuitry comprises control circuitry, and wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry comprises the control circuitry.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to digitize signals from the movement circuitry and indicative of the movement data.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein the movement circuitry is configured to sense movement events along a plurality of axes of movement, and wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to monitor movement along less than all of the axes of movement during the first operational state, and to monitor movement along an increased number of axes compared with the first operational state during the second operational state.

18. The device of claim 1 wherein the portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in the second operational state for a predetermined period, and wherein the event processing circuitry returns to the first operational state after the predetermined period.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the movement circuitry comprises an accelerometer.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry comprises radio frequency identification device (RFID) communication circuitry configured to implement RFID communications with an interrogator.

21. The device of claim 1 further comprising event detection circuitry configured to receive the movement data and to control operation of the event processing circuitry between the first and second operational states responsive to the movement data.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the event detection circuitry is configured to detect events within the movement data and to control the operation of the event processing circuitry responsive to the detection.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the event detection circuitry is configured to detect positive and negative events along at least one axes of movement.

24. A wireless communication device comprising:

means for communicating wireless communication signals;

means for monitoring movement of the wireless communication device;

means for operating the wireless communication device in a plurality of different operational states having different rates of power consumption during the monitoring, and wherein the means for operating comprises means for operating in one of the operational states during an absence of movement of the wireless communication device, and a second operational state in a presence of movement of the wireless communication device, the second operational state having an increased rate of power consumption compared with the first operational state.

25. A movement monitoring method comprising:

providing a wireless communication device;

communicating wireless communication signals with respect to an external device using the wireless communication device;

monitoring movement of the wireless communication device using electrical circuitry of the wireless communication device;

providing movement data regarding the movement of the wireless communication device;

operating the wireless communication device in a plurality of different operational states having different rates of energy consumption corresponding to a presence and an absence of movement of the wireless communication device.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the monitoring comprises detecting a movement event of the wireless communication device, and changing the operational state of the wireless communication device responsive to the detecting.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the providing movement data comprises providing movement data corresponding to a plurality of axes of movement, and the monitoring comprises monitoring movement along less the plurality of axes of movement before the changing.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

performing substantially no processing of the movement data during an initial operational state; and

processing the movement data during a subsequent operational state responsive to the detecting.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the processing comprises digitizing the movement data.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the processing comprises amplifying the movement data.

31. The method of claim 25 further comprising storing the movement data internally of the wireless communication device.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein the communicating comprises outputting the wireless communication signals from the wireless communication device, the wireless communication signals comprising an identifier of the wireless communication device.

33. The method of claim 25 wherein the communicating comprises outputting the wireless communication signals from the wireless communication device, the wireless communication signals comprising the movement data.

34. The method of claim 25 wherein the monitoring movement comprises monitoring movement using an accelerometer.

35. The method of claim 25 wherein the communicating comprises receiving an interrogation signal, and outputting the wireless communication signals responsive to the receiving.

36. A movement monitoring method comprising:

providing a plurality of wireless communication devices and an interrogator;

monitoring movement of the wireless communication devices using respective individual ones of the wireless communication device, the monitoring comprising operating the wireless communication devices in a first operational state in the absence of a movement event and having reduced power consumption rate and a second operational state in the presence of a movement event and having an increased power consumption rate compared with the power consumption rate of the first operational state; and

communicating movement data obtained by the monitoring from the wireless communication devices to the interrogator.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

detecting a movement event during the monitoring of one of the wireless communication devices; and

changing the operational mode of the one wireless communication device responsive to the detecting.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring movement along a different number of axes of movement corresponding to operation in respective ones of the operational states.

39. The method of claim 36 further comprising processing the movement data using the wireless communication devices only operating in the second operational state.