METHODS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SENSORS

• US 20140152434A1
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Frohlick, Eric, Chen, Xiaofan, Eerpina, Srinivas, Guarin, Ronaldo J., Angell, William D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• 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 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Generally, smart sensors, logic to process messages from smart sensors, and smart sensor systems are described herein. Embodiments may comprise logic such as hardware and/or code to communicate events as messages via a messaging system to post the messages to a messaging account. The messaging system may be a texting service like Twitter™ that captures the messages and then re-broadcasts the messages, e.g., immediately as a tweet or a cellular text message. In some embodiments, the smart sensor comprises a communications module with a Twitter™ application program interface (API) on a communications platform with a software/hardware framework to interconnect with one or more pluggable monitors with sensors. In other embodiments, the communications module may be integrated with one or more monitors. Further embodiments comprise a smart-device, which can provide status updates and event notifications to a user.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one sensor to produce a sensor signal representative of sensor data;

logic to generate a message comprising at least some of the sensor data; and

a communication module to transmit the message to a messaging system as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to further determine whether to transmit the message as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email based at least in part on the sensor data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises wireless communication technology.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one antenna is to transmit and receive.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to further transmit the message to the messaging system via a cellular network or a wireless local area network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message comprises metadata comprising at least a portion of the sensor data.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one sensor;

one or more processors;

at least one computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

produce a sensor signal representative of sensor data based on signals received at the at least one sensor;

generate a message comprising at least some of the sensor data; and

transmit the message to a messaging system as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to determine whether to transmit the message as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email based at least in part on the sensor data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor comprises wireless communication technology.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one antenna to transmit and receive signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication module is further to transmit the message to the messaging system via a cellular network or a wireless local area network.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the message comprises metadata comprising at least a portion of the sensor data.

15. At least one computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

produce a sensor signal representative of sensor data based at least in part on signals received at one or more sensors of the computing device;

generate a message comprising at least some of the sensor data; and

transmit the message to a messaging system as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to determine whether to transmit the message as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email based at least in part on the sensor data.

17. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed, cause the computing device to transmit the message to the messaging system via a cellular network or a wireless local area network.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the message comprises metadata that comprises at least a portion of the sensor data.

19. A method comprising:

producing a sensor signal representative of sensor data based at least in part on signals received at one or more sensors;

generating a message comprising at least some of the sensor data; and

transmitting the message as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email to a messaging system.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining whether the message is transmitted as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email based at least in part on the sensor data.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the message to the messaging system via a cellular network or a wireless local area network.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the message comprises metadata comprising at least a portion of the sensor data.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for producing a sensor signal representative of sensor data based at least in part on signals received at one or more sensors of the apparatus;

means for generating a message comprising at least some of the sensor data; and

means for transmitting the message to a messaging system as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for determining whether to transmit the message as a cellular text message, a tweet or an email based at least in part on the sensor data.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for transmitting is to further transmit the message to the messaging system via a cellular network or a wireless local area network.