Value acquiring method, sensor control apparatus, sensor control method, sensor control medium, and acquisition interval control medium

• US 9,439,027 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yokota, Koichi, Shiotsu, Shinichi, Sugano, Hiroyasu, Tanaka, Hideki, Itasaki, Akira, Yamashita, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Henson, Mischita
• Application Number:
  US13/421,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A sensor value is obtained by a sensor included in a terminal from among a plurality of terminals each of which includes the sensor, the acquired sensor value is stored along with an identifier used to identify a terminal with which the acquired sensor value was acquired, identifiers are extracted with which a difference of corresponding stored sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value by comparing stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers, an instruction for acquiring the sensor value is transmitted to at least one of the terminals corresponding to the extracted identifiers, and an instruction for extending an interval of acquiring the sensor value is transmitted to the terminals which are other than the at least one of the terminals corresponding to the extracted identifiers.

Claims

1. A sensor value acquiring method executed by a computer that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals through a wireless communication link, the method comprising:

acquiring, by the computer, a plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established, the plurality of sensor values being obtained by the plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals;

storing, by the computer, each of the acquired sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the acquired sensor values was acquired;

comparing, by the computer, the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers;

extracting, by the computer, mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value;

determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and

transmitting, by the computer, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the

second sensor value to the second time interval.

2. The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1,

wherein the instruction includes an instruction to change a setting of the sensor included in the at least second mobile terminal to disable the sensor to acquire the sensor value, the setting being to be updated with the second time interval.

3. The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the second sensor value acquired from the at least second mobile terminal with the first sensor value

acquired from the at least first mobile terminal;

determining whether a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value;

transmitting, when the difference is determined to be equal to or smaller than the threshold value, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the interval of transmitting the second sensor value from the second time interval to a third time interval which is longer than the second time interval.

4. The sensor value acquiring method according to Claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the interval of transmitting the second sensor value from the third time interval to the second time interval when the difference is determined to be larger than the threshold value.

5. The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring the sensor value from the mobile terminal through a wireless communication in the acquiring;

grouping mobile terminals according to electric wave intensities obtained when sensor values are obtained;

comparing the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers for each grouped mobile terminals;

extractinq, for each

grouped mobile terminals, mobile terminals, as the mobile terminals in the same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values;

determining, for each grouped mobile terminals, the at least first mobile terminal and the at least second mobile terminal;

transmitting, for each grouped mobile terminals, to the at least second mobile terminal the instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval.

6. The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein

the wireless communication link is established using a plurality of access points, and

the method further comprising:

specifying, by the computer, mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established using a same access point among the plurality of access points;

comparing, by the computer, stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers of the specified mobile terminals;

extracting, by the computer, from the specified mobile terminals, mobile terminals with which the difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; and

determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, the at least first mobile terminal and the at least second mobile terminal.

7. A sensor control apparatus

that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals, the sensor control apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive the plurality of sensor values obtained by the plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals from the plurality of mobile terminals through a communication network;

a storage device configured to store each of the sensor values received by the receiver along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the received sensor values was obtained; and

a processor configured to;

compare the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers;

extract mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value;

determine, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and

transmit, to the at least second mobile terminal, an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval.

8. A sensor control method employed in a system including a plurality of mobile terminals having sensors and a server which is coupled to the terminals through a wireless communication link and which controls the plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of the sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, the plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals;

storing, by the server, each of the received sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the received sensor values was obtained;

comparing, by the server, the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers;

extracting, by the server, mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value;

determining, by the server, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and

transmitting, by the server, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of

transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval.

9. A sensor value acquiring method executed by a computer that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire sensor values of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals through a wireless communication link, the method comprising:

acquiring, by the computer, a plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established, the plurality of sensor values being obtained by the sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals;

storing, by the computer, each of the acquired sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the acquired sensor values was acquired;

acquiring, by the computer, electric wave intensities of the wireless communication link when the plurality of sensor values are obtained from the plurality of mobile terminals;

specifying mobile terminals located in a certain area based on the acquired electric wave intensities;

comparing, by the computer, stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers of the specified mobile terminals;

extracting, by the computer, from the specified mobile terminals, mobile terminals with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value;

determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and

transmitting, by the computer, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval.