TRACKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20150319687A1
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: FARLEY, Richard O., KRISHNASWAMY, Dilip, DING, Gang
• Granted Patent: US 9,723,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A collaborative method for a node includes forming a local network with at least one other node using a lower power subsystem; selecting a master node from among the local network based on a first set of criteria; and communicating with a back end server over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) using a higher power subsystem. An apparatus may include a first subsystem for communicating with a local network; and a second subsystem having an active mode and an inactive mode, the second subsystem for communicating with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) when in the active mode, the apparatus selecting the active mode or inactive mode based on a set of criteria.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collaborative communication, the apparatus comprising:

a first processing node having a low power subsystem to connect, in a local network, with at least one other processing node, the first processing node being configured to be selectively enabled as a first master node in the local network, based on a first set of criteria;

the first processing node having a high power subsystem for communicating over a wireless wide area network (WWAN), the first processing node configured to activate the high power subsystem in response to the first processing node being enabled as the first master node, the first processing node being configured to communicate with a back end server over the WWAN using the high power subsystem of the first processing node, when the high power subsystem is activated;

the first processing node being configured to be selectively disabled from being the first master node, based on a second set of criteria;

the first processing node being further configured to deactivate the high power subsystem of the first node while maintaining operation of the low power subsystem of the first node, in response to the first processing node being disabled from being the first master node such that one of the at least one other processing nodes may be selected as a second master node in the local network for communicating with the back end server;

wherein the second set of criteria includes at least one of (i) a WWAN condition and (ii) a transition cost of changing a power state of the high power subsystem.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first set of criteria includes at least one of:

WWAN load, WWAN availability, WWAN channel bandwidth, WWAN code availability, WWAN time utilization, quality of at least one link in at least one subsystem, type of WWAN protocol, remaining battery life, a cost associated with data collection process from a collection of objects, a transition cost of changing power states in at least one subsystem, energy efficiency, number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the WWAN, and number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the local network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein apparatus is configured to form the local network with at least one other apparatus that comprises the at least one other processing node.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor module for sensing one or more parameters relating to one or more assets associated with the apparatus;

wherein the low power subsystem communicates data in the local network, the data comprising at least data relating to the one or more parameters.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an RFID module for reading one or more RFID tags of one or more assets associated with the apparatus;

wherein the low power subsystem communicates data in the local network, the data comprising at least data relating to the one or more RFID tags.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a protocol for communicating over the WWAN is selected based on a third set of criteria.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the third set of criteria includes at least one of WWAN load, WWAN availability, WWAN channel bandwidth, WWAN code availability, WWAN time utilization, quality of WWAN link, and number of nodes allowed to participate in the WWAN.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first master node is further configured to transmit, either directly or through at least another master node, at least the data received from the master node of the different local network to the back end server.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first master node includes a receiver that receives data from a master node of a different local network.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first master node includes a transmitter configured to transmit, either directly or through at least another master node, at least the data received from the master node of the different local network to the back end server.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the partial data is compressed.

12. An apparatus for collaborative communication, the apparatus comprising a first processing node comprising:

low power subsystem means for connecting, in a local network, with at least one other processing node,

means for selectively enabling the first processing node as a first master node in the local network, based on a first set of criteria;

high power subsystem means for communicating over a wireless wide area network (WWAN);

means for activating the high power subsystem in response to the first processing node being enabled as the first master node, the first processing node being configured to communicate with a back end server over the WWAN using the high power subsystem of the first processing node, when the high power subsystem is activated;

means for selectively disabling the first processing node from being the first master node, based on a second set of criteria;

means for deactivating the high power subsystem of the first node while maintaining operation of the low power subsystem of the first node, in response to the first processing node being disabled from being the first master node such that one of the at least one other processing nodes may be selected as a second master node in the local network for communicating with the back end server;

wherein the second set of criteria includes at least one of (i) a WWAN condition and (ii) a transition cost of changing a power state of the high power subsystem.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first set of criteria includes at least one of:

WWAN load, WWAN availability, WWAN channel bandwidth, WWAN code availability, WWAN time utilization, quality of at least one link in at least one subsystem, type of WWAN protocol, remaining battery life, a cost associated with data collection process from a collection of objects, a transition cost of changing power states in at least one subsystem, energy efficiency, number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the WWAN, and number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the local network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein apparatus is configured to form the local network with at least one other apparatus that comprises the at least one other processing node.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

sensor means for sensing one or more parameters relating to one or more assets associated with the apparatus;

wherein the low power subsystem communicates data in the local network, the data comprising at least data relating to the one or more parameters.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

RFID reading means for reading one or more RFID tags of one or more assets associated with the apparatus;

wherein the low power subsystem communicates data in the local network, the data comprising at least data relating to the one or more RFID tags.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for selecting a protocol for communicating over the WWAN based on a third set of criteria.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the third set of criteria includes at least one of WWAN load, WWAN availability, WWAN channel bandwidth, WWAN code availability, WWAN time utilization, quality of WWAN link, and number of nodes allowed to participate in the WWAN.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a first subsystem for communicating with a local network;

a second subsystem having an active mode and an inactive mode, the second subsystem for communicating with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) when in the active mode; and

a memory comprising processor executable code and/or data, the processor executable code and/or data, when executed by the processor, configures the apparatus to select the active mode or inactive mode based on a set of criteria.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the set of criteria includes at least one of:

WWAN load, WWAN availability, WWAN channel bandwidth, WWAN code availability, WWAN time utilization, quality of at least one link in at least one subsystem, type of WWAN protocol, remaining battery life, a cost associated with data collection process from a collection of objects, a transition cost of changing power states in at least one subsystem, energy efficiency, number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the WWAN, and number of apparatuses allowed to participate in the local network.