SENSOR NETWORKS BASED ON WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20080076450A1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Agrawal, Avneesh, Nanda, Sanjiv
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Techniques for using wireless devices to implement sensor networks are described. For cognitive radio, a wireless device obtains measurements for a first system (e.g., a broadcast system) with which the wireless device is not in communication. The wireless device sends the measurements and associated location information and/or timestamps via a second system (e.g., a cellular system). A server receives measurements from a number of wireless devices and determines the coverage of the first system based on the measurements. For other applications, a wireless device obtains sensor information from at least one sensor at the wireless device and sends the sensor information and associated location information and/or timestamps via a wireless system. A server receives the sensor information and associated information from a number of wireless devices, aggregates the sensor information, and constructs a map. The wireless device may develop a user profile based on the sensor information and associated information.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to obtain measurements for a first communication system with which a wireless device is not in communication, and to send the measurements via a second communication system; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to obtain signal strength measurements for a frequency band used by the first communication system and not used by the second communication system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine location information and a timestamp for each of the measurements, and to send the measurements and associated location information and timestamps via the second communication system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store the measurements until communication is established with the second communication system, and to send the measurements when communication is established.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication system is a broadcast system and the second communication system is a cellular system.

6. A method comprising:

obtaining measurements for a first communication system with which a wireless device is not in communication; and

sending the measurements via a second communication system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining measurements comprises

obtaining signal strength measurements for a frequency band used by the first communication system and not used by the second communication system.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining location information and a timestamp for each of the measurements, wherein the measurements and associated location information and timestamps are sent via the second communication system.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining measurements for a first communication system with which a wireless device is not in communication; and

means for sending the measurements via a second communication system.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for obtaining measurements comprises means for obtaining signal strength measurements for a frequency band used by the first communication system and not used by the second communication system.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

means for determining location information and a timestamp for each of the measurements, wherein the measurements and associated location information and timestamps are sent via the second communication system.

12. A computer program product, comprising:

computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to obtain measurements for a first communication system with which a wireless device is not in communication; and

code for causing the computer to send the measurements via a second communication system.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to receive measurements from a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the measurements are for a first communication system with which the plurality of wireless devices are not in communication and are received via a second communication system, and to determine coverage of the first communication system based on the measurements; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to obtain location information and timestamps associated with the measurements, and to determine the coverage of the first communication system based on the measurements and the associated location information and timestamps.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive signal strength measurements for a frequency band used by the first communication system and not used by the second communication system, and to determine whether a wireless device is within the coverage of the first communication system, the wireless device being allowed to operate on the frequency band if not within the coverage of the first communication system.

16. A method comprising:

receiving measurements from a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the measurements are for a first communication system with which the plurality of wireless devices are not in communication and are received via a second communication system; and

determining coverage of the first communication system based on the measurements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurements comprise signal strength measurements for a frequency band used by the first communication system and not used by the second communication system, the method further comprising:

determining whether a wireless device is within the coverage of the first communication system, the wireless device being allowed to operate on the frequency band if not within the coverage of the first communication system.

18. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to obtain sensor information from at least one sensor at a wireless device, and to send the sensor information via a wireless communication system; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate at least one of location information and timestamps with the sensor information, and to send the sensor information and the associated location information and timestamps, if any, via the wireless communication system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive pilot from at least one fixed station and to determine the location information based on identification information for the at least one fixed station.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the location information based on measurements for satellites in a satellite positioning system (SPS).

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to store the sensor information until communication is established with the wireless communication system, and to send the sensor information when communication is established.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to communicate with the wireless communication system via a cellular radio technology to send the sensor information.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to communicate with the wireless communication system via a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio technology to send the sensor information.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a microphone, a camera, a light sensor, a radio receiver, a motion sensor, a gyroscope, a thermometer, and a radiation sensor.

26. A method comprising:

obtaining sensor information from at least one sensor at a wireless device; and

sending the sensor information via a wireless communication system.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

associating at least one of location information and timestamps with the sensor information, and

sending the sensor information and the associated location information and timestamps, if any, via the wireless communication system.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the sending the sensor information comprises

storing the sensor information until communication is established with the wireless communication system, and

sending the sensor information when communication is established.

29. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to receive sensor information from a plurality of wireless devices, the sensor information being obtained from sensors at the wireless devices, to aggregate the sensor information from the plurality of wireless devices, and to construct a map based on the aggregated sensor information; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive location information associated with the sensor information and to construct the map further based on the location information.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive timestamps associated with the sensor information and to construct the map further based on the timestamps.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the map comprise one of a coverage map, a population density map, a traffic prediction map, a weather prediction map, and a radiation detection map.

33. A method comprising:

receiving sensor information from a plurality of wireless devices, the sensor information being obtained from sensors at the wireless devices;

aggregating the sensor information from the plurality of wireless devices; and

constructing a map based on the aggregated sensor information.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving location information associated with the sensor information, and wherein the map is constructed further based on the location information.

35. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to obtain sensor information from at least one sensor at a wireless device, and to develop a user profile based on the sensor information; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate at least one of location information and timestamps with the sensor information.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control operation of the wireless device based on the user profile.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate at least one message based on the user profile.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a microphone, a camera, a light sensor, a radio receiver, a motion sensor, a gyroscope, a thermometer, and a radiation sensor.

40. A method comprising:

obtaining sensor information from at least one sensor at a wireless device; and

developing a user profile based on the sensor information.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

controlling operation of the wireless device based on the user profile.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

generating at least one message based on the user profile.