Communications buoys, methods and computer program products for selectively transmitting communication signals

• US 8,653,967 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Vosburgh, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl
• Application Number:
  US12/617,103
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.26, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2022/006 specially adapted for measuring or watch purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/18 having means to control attitude or position, e.g. reaction surfaces or tether
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes

Abstract

A method for selectively transmitting communication signals from a communications buoy to a remote receiver, the communications buoy including a sensor and an emitter device, includes: detecting conditions local to the communications buoy using the sensor; generating local conditions data corresponding to the local conditions detected by the sensor; using the local conditions data, determining and/or predicting a clear transmission time during which communication signals from the emitter device have an adequately clear transmission path to the remote receiver for successful transmission of communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver; and adaptively transmitting communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.

Claims

1. A method for selectively transmitting communication signals from a communications buoy to a remote receiver, the communications buoy including a sensor and an emitter device, the method comprising:

detecting conditions local to the communications buoy using the sensor;

generating local conditions data corresponding to the local conditions detected by the sensor;

using the local conditions data, determining and/or predicting a clear transmission time during which communication signals from the emitter device have an adequately clear transmission path to the remote receiver for successful transmission of communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver; and

adaptively transmitting communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time;

wherein generating the local conditions data includes deriving the local conditions data from sensor signals generated by the sensor, the sensor signals corresponding to the conditions local to the emitter device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the communications buoy is a floating aquatic communications buoy including a radio transmitter;

the emitter device is a radio antenna; and

the method includes generating radio signals from the radio transmitter to the remote receiver during one or more clear transmission times while the communications buoy is floating on a body of water.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor signals are reflective of the location of the communications buoy with respect to water waves between the communications buoy and the remote receiver.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining and/or predicting the clear transmission time includes predicting one or more future clear transmission times using the local conditions data.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein predicting one or more future clear transmission times includes programmatically analyzing the local conditions data using a predictive filter.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein predicting one or more future clear transmission times includes predicting the one or more future clear transmission times using at least one sensor signal representative of:

an acceleration of the communications buoy;

a velocity of the communications buoy;

a position of the communications buoy;

a tilt of the communications buoy;

a directional orientation of the communications buoy; and

intensity of signals received by the communications buoy.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein predicting one or more future clear transmission times includes estimating a position of the communications buoy relative to the height of at least one aquatic wave with respect to a transmission path from the communications buoy to the remote receiver.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining and/or predicting the clear transmission time includes generating a statistical representation of one or more sea state attributes of a body of water upon which the communications buoy is floating.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

generating local conditions data corresponding to the local conditions detected by the sensor includes generating position data corresponding to an elevation of the communications buoy and/or an orientation of the communications buoy with respect to the horizon;

determining and/or predicting the clear transmission time includes using the position data to predict when the emitter device will be desirably positioned and/or oriented with respect to the remote receiver; and

adaptively transmitting communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver includes determining when to generate signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver based on the prediction.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining and/or predicting the clear transmission time includes comparing the local conditions data to a threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the local conditions data corresponds to an intensity of light incident upon the emitter device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting conditions local to the communications buoy using the sensor includes imaging surrounding aquatic waves using a camera forming a part of the communications buoy.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein adaptively transmitting communication signals includes selectively controlling the start and termination of transmission of the communications signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein adaptively transmitting communication signals includes selectively controlling a transmission power level of the communications signals transmitted from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein adaptively transmitting communication signals includes selectively controlling a data transmission rate of the communications signals transmitted from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein adaptively transmitting communication signals includes actively orienting the emitting device to selectively control a compass direction of transmission of the communication signals as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein adaptively transmitting communication signals includes segmenting a message into a plurality of message segments and transmitting the respective message segments at temporally spaced apart times determined and/or predicted by the communications buoy to be clear transmission times.

18. A communications buoy for selectively transmitting communication signals to a remote receiver, the communications buoy comprising:

an emitter device to transmit communication signals to the remote receiver;

a sensor to detect conditions local to the communications buoy using the sensor;

a controller configured to;

generate local conditions data corresponding to the local conditions detected by the sensor, including deriving the local conditions data from sensor signals generated by the sensor, the sensor signals corresponding to the conditions local to the emitter device;

determine and/or predict, using the local conditions data, a clear transmission time during which communication signals from the emitter device have an adequately clear transmission path to the remote receiver for successful transmission of communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver; and

adaptively transmit communication signals from the emitter device to the remote receiver as a function of the determined and/or predicted clear transmission time.