BAN system, terminal apparatus, BAN communications method, and computer product

• US 9,560,488 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kunitake, Toshihiro, Akano, Hiroki, Iwamasa, Yuki, Matsumoto, Eiji, Ida, Ichirou, Kikuzuki, Tatsuya, Kasai, Kazumi, Ninomiya, Teruhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US14/751,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 434 65- 66
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration 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 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A BAN system includes multiple terminal apparatuses connected by wireless communication, where a terminal apparatus of the multiple terminal apparatuses is configured to identify in which direction acceleration has changed, the direction being identified based on a measurement result of a sensor of the terminal apparatus, the sensor being configured to measure acceleration; and to refer to information that specifies corresponding to places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses is to be attached to a body, directions in which acceleration changes when the body performs a given behavior, and determines based on the identified direction, a place where the terminal apparatus is attached to the body.

Claims

1. A body area network system comprising:

a plurality of terminal apparatuses connected by wireless communication, wherein

a terminal apparatus of the plurality of terminal apparatuses is configured to;

identify in which direction acceleration has changed, the direction being identified based on a measurement result of a sensor of the terminal apparatus, the sensor being configured to measure acceleration, and

refer to information that specifies corresponding to places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses is to be attached to a body, directions in which acceleration changes when the body performs a given behavior, and determines based on the identified direction, a place where the terminal apparatus is attached to the body.

2. The body area network system according to claim 1, further comprising

a base station apparatus that is connected to the plurality of terminal apparatuses by wireless communication, wherein

the information specifies corresponding to the places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses is to be attached to the body, a sequence in which connection signals that include identification information of the plurality of terminal apparatuses are to be transmitted to the base station apparatus,

the terminal apparatus transmits a connection signal that includes the identification information of the terminal apparatus to the base station apparatus, consequent to a time arriving that is based on a time when the direction in which acceleration changed is identified and that is based on the sequence in which the connection signal is to be transmitted corresponding to the determined place, and

the base station apparatus identifies based on the connection signals received from the plurality of terminal apparatuses, the places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses is attached.

3. The body area network system according to claim 2, wherein

the base station apparatus is attached to the body, which is among a plurality of bodies,

the base station apparatus detects that a change in acceleration occurred, the change being detected based on a measurement result of a sensor of the base station apparatus, the sensor being configured to measure acceleration, and

the base station apparatus identifies the terminal apparatus that is attached to the body to which the base station apparatus is attached, the terminal apparatus being identified based on the connection signal received from the terminal apparatus, a time when the detected change in acceleration occurred, and a time when the connection signal is received from the terminal apparatus.

4. The body area network system according to claim 3, wherein

the base station apparatus transmits to the terminal apparatus, a response signal that includes identification information of the base station apparatus, the response signal being transmitted between the time when the connection signal is received from the terminal apparatus and a time when a first given period elapses, and

the terminal apparatus identifies the base station apparatus that is attached to the body to which the terminal apparatus is attached, the base station being identified based on the response signal received between a time when the connection signal is transmitted to the base station apparatus and a time when a second given period that is greater than or equal to the first given period elapses.

5. The body area network system according to claim 4, wherein

the base station apparatus transmits the response signal to the terminal apparatus, when a random period elapses that is less than the first given period, which is from the time when the connection signal is received from the terminal apparatus.

6. The body area network system according to claim 4, wherein

the base station apparatus transmits the response signal to the terminal apparatus multiple times from the time when the connection signal is received from the terminal apparatus until the first given period elapses, and

the terminal apparatus identifies the base station apparatus that is attached to the body, the base station apparatus being identified based on radio wave strength of the response signal received between the time when the connection signal is transmitted to the base station apparatus and the time when the second given period elapses.

7. A terminal apparatus among a plurality of terminal apparatuses connected by wireless communication, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to measure acceleration; and

a processor configured to;

identify in which direction acceleration has changed, based on a measurement result of the sensor, and

refer to information that specifies corresponding to places where the terminal apparatus is to be attached to a body, directions in which acceleration changes when the body performs a given behavior, and determine based on the identified direction, a place where the terminal apparatus is attached to the body.

8. A body area network communications method executed by a terminal apparatus among a plurality of terminal apparatuses connected by wireless communication, the body area network communications method comprising:

identifying in which direction acceleration has changed, the direction being identified based on a measurement result of a sensor of the terminal apparatus, the sensor being configured to measure acceleration; and

referring to information that specifies corresponding places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses are to be attached to a body, directions in which acceleration changes when the body performs a given behavior and determining based on the identified direction, a place where the terminal apparatus is attached to the body.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium storing therein a body area network communications program that causes a terminal apparatus among a plurality of terminal apparatuses connected by wireless communication to execute a process comprising:

identifying in which direction acceleration has changed, the direction being identified based on a measurement result of a sensor of the terminal apparatus, the sensor being configured to measure acceleration; and

referring to information that specifies corresponding places where the plurality of terminal apparatuses are to be attached to a body, directions in which acceleration changes when the body performs a given behavior and determining based on the identified direction, a place where the terminal apparatus is attached to the body.