Apparatus and control method for intelligent sensor device

• US 7,016,812 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kei, Aritsuka, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S. W.
• Application Number:
  US10/702,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 702/122, 702/182, 702/188, 482/8, 709220-253
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

An intelligent sensor device and a method for controlling an intelligent sensor device are provided. In one example, the sensor device includes a memory; a radio frequency communicator configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to an external device having an external application; a radio frequency controller configured to control the radio frequency communicator; a processor; a process controller configured to instruct the processor to load one or more scripts into the memory; one or more sensors; and a sensor driver controller configured to activate one or more appropriate sensors based on a request received from the external application, wherein the process controller is further configured to instruct the processor to execute an appropriate script based on the request received from the external application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a sensor device, the method comprising:

loading one or more scripts into a memory of the sensor device;

receiving a request from an external application;

activating one or more sensors based on the request from the external application;

receiving sensed data from the one or more sensors; and

converting the sensed data into converted sensed data having a format compatible with the external application by executing a loaded script based on the request from the external application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the converted sensed data to obtain processed information by executing a loaded script based on the request from the external application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting the processed information to an external device having the external application, wherein the processed information satisfies the request from the external application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a power supply of the sensor device to determine an available power level for the sensor device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein based on the available power level and hardware ability of the sensor device, the method further comprises changing at least one of:

a radio frequency transmission rate,

a sampling frequency of the one or more sensors,

a sensed data accuracy of the sensed data, and

the loaded scripts.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising constructing a radio frequency controlling parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level;

a transmission distance between the sensor device and the external device; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising constructing a process controlling parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level;

transmission ability; and

performance of the processor.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising constructing a sensor control parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising constructing a schedule for transmitting the processed information based on at least one of:

the available power level; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

10. A sensor device, comprising:

a memory;

a radio frequency communicator configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to an external device having an external application;

a radio frequency controller configured to control the radio frequency communicator;

a processor;

a process controller configured to instruct the processor to load one or more scripts into the memory;

a sensor; and

a sensor driver controller configured to activate the sensor based on a request received from the external application,

wherein the process controller is further configured to instruct the processor to execute a loaded script based on the request received from the external application to convert sensed data from the sensor into converted sensed data having a format compatible with the external application.

11. The sensor device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to process the converted sensed data according to the appropriate loaded script to obtain processed information.

12. The sensor device of claim 11, wherein the process controller is further configured to initiate transmitting of the processed information to the external device having the external application, wherein the processed information satisfies the request received from the external application.

13. The sensor device of claim 10, further comprising:

a power supply; and

a power supply monitor configured to monitor the power supply to determine an available power level for the sensor device, and further configured to send the available power level to at least one of the radio frequency controller, the sensor driver controller, and the process controller.

14. The sensor device of claim 13, wherein the radio frequency controller is further configured to construct a radio frequency controlling parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level;

a transmission distance between the sensor device and the external device; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

15. The sensor device of claim 10, further comprising a sensed data selector configured to connect the sensed data to the loaded script.

16. The sensor device of claim 11, wherein the processor controller is further configured to instruct the processor to compress and encode the processed information.

17. The sensor device of claim 13, wherein the process controller is further configured to construct a process controlling parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level;

transmission ability; and

performance of the processor.

18. The sensor device of claim 13, wherein the sensor driver controller is configured to construct a sensor control parameter table based on at least one of:

the available power level; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

19. The sensor device of claim 13, further comprising a scheduler configured to construct a schedule for transmitting processed information based on at least one of:

the available power level; and

hardware ability of the sensor device.

20. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for controlling a sensor device, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

loading one or more scripts into a memory of the sensor device;

receiving a request from an external application to obtain particular sensor information;

activating one or more sensors based on the request from the external application;

receiving sensed data from the one or more sensors; and

executing a loaded script based on the request from the external application to convert the sensed data into converted sensed data having a format compatible with the external application.