SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SELF-LOCATING WIRELESS SENSORS

• US 20100026514A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, Jeffrey M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,500,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.490
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/38 Determining a navigation solution using signals transmitted by a satellite radio beacon positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A wireless sensor network is disclosed that comprises a plurality of wireless sensors and a wireless sensor base station. The wireless sensor base station sends a request to one of the wireless sensors requesting the location information for the selected wireless sensor. The wireless sensor determines its location using a location information determination method, associates its identity information with the location information, and sends the identity information and the location information to the wireless sensor base station. The wireless sensor continuously sends updated location information to the wireless sensor base station as the wireless sensor moves within the wireless sensor network. The wireless sensor base station displays the identity information and the location information of the wireless sensor on a display unit.

Claims

1. A wireless sensor that comprises a wireless sensor location controller that determines a location of the wireless sensor.

2. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller determines a location of the wireless sensor in response to a request from a wireless sensor base station.

3. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller associates identity information of the wireless sensor with location information of the wireless sensor.

4. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller determines a location of the wireless sensor whenever the wireless sensor changes its location.

5. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller provides location information of the wireless sensor to an external wireless device.

6. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller determines a location of the wireless sensor using one of:

global positioning system (GPS) technology, time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal measurement technology, angle of arrival (AOA) signal measurement technology, and signal strength measurements of one of;

a signal that is transmitted by the wireless sensor and a signal that is received by the wireless sensor.

7. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller generates a beacon signal that uniquely identifies the wireless sensor.

8. The wireless sensor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor location controller generates an alert signal that signifies that an event of interest has occurred with respect to the wireless sensor.

9. A wireless sensor network comprising:

at least one wireless sensor that comprises a wireless sensor location controller that determines a location of the wireless sensor; and

a wireless sensor base station that communicates with the at least one wireless sensor.

10. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor location controller of the wireless sensor determines a location of the wireless sensor in response to a request from the wireless sensor base station.

11. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor location controller of the wireless sensor determines a location of the wireless sensor whenever the wireless sensor changes its location.

12. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor location controller of the wireless sensor determines a location of the wireless sensor using one of:

global positioning system (GPS) technology, time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal measurement technology, angle of arrival (AOA) signal measurement technology, and signal strength measurements of one of;

a signal that is transmitted by the wireless sensor and a signal that is received by the wireless sensor.

13. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor base station comprises a wireless sensor location controller of the base station that comprises a database that contains location information for each wireless sensor in the wireless sensor network.

14. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor base station comprises a wireless sensor location controller of the base station that provides for display on a display unit of the base station location information for each wireless sensor in the wireless sensor network.

15. A wireless sensor network that comprises:

at least one wireless sensor; and

a wireless sensor location controller that determines a location of the wireless sensor.

16. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 15 wherein the wireless sensor location controller determines a location of the wireless sensor using one of:

global positioning system (GPS) technology, time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal measurement technology, angle of arrival (AOA) signal measurement technology, and signal strength measurements of one of;

a signal that is transmitted by the wireless sensor and a signal that is received by the wireless sensor.

17. The wireless sensor network as set forth in claim 16 wherein the wireless sensor network is a multi tier wireless sensor network that comprises a plurality of multi tier wireless network elements.

18. A method for operating a wireless sensor network comprising the steps of:

providing at least one wireless sensor that comprises a wireless sensor location controller that determines a location of the wireless sensor; and

providing a wireless sensor base station that communicates with the at least one wireless sensor.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

sending a request from the wireless sensor base station to the at least one wireless sensor to obtain location information of the wireless sensor;

in response to the request from the wireless sensor base station, determining a location of the at least one wireless sensor; and

sending the wireless sensor location information of the at least one wireless sensor to the wireless sensor base station.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the step of determining a location of the at least one wireless sensor comprises determining the location of the at least one wireless sensor using one of:

global positioning system (GPS) technology, time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal measurement technology, angle of arrival (AOA) signal measurement technology, and signal strength measurements of one of;

a signal that is transmitted by the wireless sensor and a signal that is received by the wireless sensor.

21. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

in response to a change of location of the at least one wireless sensor, determining new location information of the at least one wireless sensor; and

sending the new location information of the at least one wireless sensor to the wireless sensor base station.

22. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

in response to an occurrence of an event of interest with respect to the at least one wireless sensor, generating an alert signal in the wireless sensor location controller of the at least one wireless sensor; and

sending the alert signal to the wireless sensor base station.

23. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising the steps of:

sending location information for the at least one wireless sensor to the wireless sensor base station;

recording the location information of the at least one wireless sensor in a database in the wireless sensor base station; and

displaying the location information of the at least one wireless sensor on a display unit of the wireless sensor base station.