Transmit Power Scaling Method and System to Detect Occurrences Using Geographically Distributed Sensors

• US 20100211359A1
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indian Institute of Science
• Original Assignee: Indian Institute of Science
• Inventors: Mehta, Neelesh B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• 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: H04Q 2209/20 using a distributed architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/28 using user profile, e.g. mobile speed, priority or network state, e.g. standby, idle or non transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• 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

Sensors within sensor node networks may communicate bio-event or other types of measurement results/decisions between each other using signal transmission variations. Each sensor node within a network and between networks may transmit and receive signals. A sensor node may scale a signal transmission power in a manner that is proportional to a confidence level of a decision or measurement about an event being detected. Each sensor node will receive transmissions from neighboring nodes, and can refine an estimate about an occurrence of the event at its location based on received signal strengths, for example.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions for causing a processing unit to perform the functions of:

receiving a measurement indicating a detected occurrence by a sensor unit;

making a determination about a level of confidence that the occurrence relates to an event being monitored; and

establishing a signal transmit power level of the sensor unit to be proportional to the level of confidence.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising accumulating measurements from the sensor unit, and wherein making the determination about the level of confidence that the occurrence relates to the event being monitored comprises determining an amount of accumulation of measurements.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein making the determination about the level of confidence that the occurrence relates to the event being monitored comprises determining a magnitude of the measurement.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, further comprising establishing the level of confidence to be proportional to the magnitude of the measurement.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving measurements indicating detected occurrences by multiple sensors; and

making a single determination about a level of confidence that the occurrences relate to the event being monitored.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal from a second sensor unit;

determining a signal strength of the signal; and

adjusting the level of confidence based on the signal strength.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signals from other sensors; and

adjusting the level of confidence based on a number of received signals.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a signal from a second sensor unit;

determining a level of correlation between the signal and the measurement indicating the detected occurrence by the sensor unit; and

adjusting the level of confidence based on the level or correlation between the signal and the measurement indicating the detected occurrence by the sensor unit.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising establishing a signal transmit frequency level of the sensor unit to be proportional to the level of confidence, wherein the signal transmit frequency level indicates how often the sensor unit transmits signals.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signals broadcast by other sensor units;

determining a signal strength of the received signals; and

determining a boundary region of the event being monitored based on the signal strength of the received signals, wherein the boundary region of the event is a geographical area in which occurrences related to the event are detected by all sensor units within the geographical area.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising establishing a two dimensional map indicating the boundary region of the event.

12. A system for determining a transmit power level, comprising:

a sensing unit for making a measurement indicative of a detected occurrence;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting wireless signals; and

a processing unit for receiving the measurement and making a determination about a level of confidence that the occurrence relates to an event being monitored, the processing unit establishing a signal transmit power level of the transceiver to be proportional to the level of confidence.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit accumulates measurements from the sensing unit and makes the determination about the level of confidence that the occurrence relates to the event being monitored based on an amount of accumulation of measurements.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the transceiver receives a signal from a neighboring sensor indicating a detected occurrence by the neighboring sensor and adjusts the level of confidence.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a second sensing unit for making measurements indicative of detected occurrences, and wherein the processing unit receives measurements from the sensing unit and the second sensing unit and makes a single determination about a level of confidence that detected occurrences relate to the event being monitored.

16. A method for detecting occurrences using geographically distributed sensors, comprising:

making measurements indicating detected occurrences by sensors;

each sensor making a determination about a level of confidence that an occurrence relates to an event being monitored;

each sensor broadcasting a signal with a power level proportional to the level of confidence determined by the sensor;

at each sensor, receiving signals broadcasted by other sensors;

determining a signal strength of received signals;

each sensor adjusting the level of confidence that the occurrence relates to the event being monitored based on the signal strength of received signals; and

each sensor rebroadcasting the signal with a power level proportional to the adjusted level of confidence determined by the sensor.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

a monitoring receiving signals broadcast by the sensors

determining a signal strength of the received signals; and

determining a boundary region of the event being monitored based on the signal strength of the received signals, wherein the boundary region of the region is a geographical area in which occurrences related to the event are detected by all sensor nodes within the geographical area.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising establishing a two dimensional map indicating the boundary region of the event.

19. The method claim 16, further comprising each sensor adjusting the level of confidence that the occurrence relates to the event being monitored based on a number of signals received.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a level of noise within the received signals; and

adjusting the determined signal strength of the received signals based on the level of noise.