SENSOR NETWORK MANAGEMENT

• US 20100315207A1
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Brake, Desiree D., Bullard, Gregory T., Pruetting, Christopher J., Thomas, Jason C., Winchell, Diane M., Stits, Raymond S., Ryberg, Jason T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• 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 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for managing other apparatuses. In certain aspects, an apparatus for managing other apparatuses includes a processing system configured to receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, and to send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatus sends a report to the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses, and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to determine when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate and to send a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses requesting sensor data on which the report is based.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to determine when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate and to send a message to different ones of the other apparatuses requesting reports for the contaminate.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the positive detection for the contaminate from the one of the other apparatuses is false based on the reports for the contaminate from the different ones of the other apparatuses.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to receive historical sensor data from one of the other apparatuses, to determine a setting for the at least one parameter based at least on the historical sensor data, and to send a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses to adjust the at least one parameter based at least on the setting.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein processing system is configured to receive a load report from a communication network and to send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses to stop reporting based at least on the load report.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing system is configured to instruct the communication network to broadcast a message to stop reporting to a plurality of the other apparatuses.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to receive a load report from a communication network, to receive a number of reported detections for a contaminate from a plurality of the other apparatuses, and to adjust the number of reported detections based at least on the load report.

16. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate; and

sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses requesting sensor data on which the report is based.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate; and

sending a message to different ones of the other apparatuses requesting reports for the contaminate.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining whether the positive detection for the contaminate from the one of the other apparatuses is false based on the reports for the contaminate from the different ones of the other apparatuses.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving historical sensor data from one of the other apparatuses;

determining a setting for the at least one parameter based at least on the historical sensor data; and

sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses to adjust the at least one parameter based at least on the setting.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a load report from a communication network; and

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses to stop reporting based at least on the load report.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising instructing the communication network to broadcast a message to stop reporting to a plurality of the other apparatuses.

30. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a load report from a communication network;

receiving a number of reported detections for a contaminate from a plurality of the other apparatuses; and

adjusting the number of reported detections based at least on the load report.

31. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

means for receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

means for sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

38. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate; and

means for sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses requesting sensor data on which the report is based.

39. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate; and

means for sending a message to different ones of the other apparatuses requesting reports for the contaminate.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for determining whether the positive detection for the contaminate from the one of the other apparatuses is false based on the reports for the contaminate from the different ones of the other apparatuses.

41. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for receiving historical sensor data from one of the other apparatuses;

means for determining a setting for the at least one parameter based at least on the historical sensor data; and

means for sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses to adjust the at least one parameter based at least on the setting.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

43. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for receiving a load report from a communication network; and

means for sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses to stop reporting based at least on the load report.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising means for instructing the communication network to broadcast a message to stop reporting to a plurality of the other apparatuses.

45. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

means for receiving a load report from a communication network;

means for receiving a number of reported detections for a contaminate from a plurality of the other apparatuses; and

means for adjusting the number of reported detections based at least on the load report.

46. A machine-readable medium for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to:

receive one or more reports from other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus.

47. A data fusion center for managing apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the apparatuses, and

send a message to at least one of the apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the apparatuses sends a report to the data fusion center;

an antenna; and

a transmitter configured to receive the one or more reports and send the message to the at least one of the apparatuses via the antenna.