ACTIVITY STATE CLASSIFICATION

• US 20100134241A1
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SNIF Labs Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SNIF Labs Incorporated
• Inventors: Aylward, Ryan, Gips, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/553,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• 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: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and device may comprise receiving a signal from a sensor attached to an object. The signal may represent a characteristic of the object. An activity state of the object may be classified based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. Further, a locomotive rate corresponding to the activity state of the object may be determined. Moreover a ping period based upon, a least in part, the locomotive rate may be calculated. A transmitter may transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the ping period.

Claims

1. ) A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a sensor attached to an object, the signal representing a characteristic of the object;

classifying an activity state of the object based upon, at least in part, the characteristic;

determining a locomotive rate corresponding to the activity state of the object;

calculating a ping period based upon, a least in part, the locomotive rate; and

transmitting, via a transmitter, pings based upon, at least in part, the ping period.

2. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dynamically adjusting the ping period of the transmitter based upon, at least in part, a real-time activity state classification of the object, the real-time activity state classification based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.

3. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decreasing the ping period based upon, at least in part, an increase in the locomotive rate of the object.

4. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

increasing the ping period based upon, at least in part, a decrease in the locomotive rate of the object.

5. ) The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic of the object is at least one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning system, a feature of a visible light detector, a switch, and a feature of a received infrared signal.

6. ) The method of claim 1 wherein the activity state of the object is at least one of inactive, low activity, walking, jogging, running, trotting, galloping, sprinting, biking, rolling, driving, sliding, and being carried.

7. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing an acceleration of the object to approximate velocity of the object over a period of time.

8. ) The method of claim 1 wherein the locomotive rate corresponds to a total amount of motion of the object during a sample interval.

9. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuously classifying the activity state of the object based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.

10. ) A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a sensor traveling with an object, the signal representing a characteristic of the object;

classifying an activity state of the object based upon, at least in part, the characteristic, the activity state indicative of the movement of the object;

calculating a ping period based upon, at least in part, the characteristic; and

transmitting, via a transmitter, pings based upon, at least in part, the ping period.

11. ) The method of claim 10 further comprising:

decreasing the ping period based upon, at least in part, a change in the activity state of the object.

12. ) The method of claim 10 further comprising:

increasing the ping period based upon, at least in part, a change in the activity state of the object.

13. ) The method of claim 10 wherein the characteristic is at least one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning system, a switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a feature of a received infrared signal.

14. ) A device comprising:

a controller configured to;

receive a signal from a sensor, the sensor configured to sense a characteristic of an object, the signal representing the characteristic of the object;

classify an activity state of the object based upon, at least in part, the characteristic; and

regulate power drawn from a battery based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.

15. ) The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further configured to calculate a ping period based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.

16. ) The device of claim 15 further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the ping period.

17. ) The device of claim 14 further comprising:

a voltage regulator configured to regulate power drawn from the battery based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.

18. ) The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further configured to regulate power drawn from the battery based upon, at least in part, the activity state.

19. ) The device of claim 14 wherein the characteristic is at least one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning system, a switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a feature of a received infrared signal.

20. ) The device of claim 16 wherein at least one packet of at least one of the pings includes information representing the activity state of the object.