System and method for managing sensor network uplink and downlink communications

• US 9,736,553 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: He, Jin, Shaw, Venson M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US15/090,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0241 Data exchange details, e.g. data protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• 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 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

A network includes a supervisory sensor in communication with a wireless network and a non-supervisory sensor in communication with the supervisory sensor, wherein the non-supervisory sensor communicates with the wireless network through the supervisory sensor. The supervisory sensor may be configured to receive downloads from a server communicating through the wireless network and to collect data from the non-supervisory sensor. The supervisory sensor may be configured to transmit the collected data to a server on the wireless network. Moreover, the non-supervisory sensor and the supervisory sensor each have an active state and an inactive state and wherein the supervisory sensor may be in the active state while the non-supervisory sensor is in the inactive state.

Claims

1. A network comprising:

a supervisory sensor in communication with a server over a wireless network; and

a non-supervisory sensor that communicates with the wireless network through the supervisory sensor, and wherein the supervisory sensor stops communication with the wireless network and transfers a communication function to the non-supervisory sensor based on a command from the server.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the supervisory sensor comprises a temperature sensor, location tracking sensor, or fluid level sensor.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the supervisory sensor collects data from the non-supervisory sensor.

4. The network of claim 3, wherein the supervisory sensor transmits the collected data from the non-supervisory sensor to the server on the wireless network.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the supervisory sensor changes to an inactive state based on one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of time of day, location, or network congestion.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the supervisory sensor comprises altitude sensors, speed sensors, heat sensors, CO2 sensors, or motion sensors.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the server monitors an environment by collecting data from the non-supervisory sensor.

8. A supervisory sensor comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

receiving data from a non-supervisory sensor via a first communication interface;

transmitting the data to a server via a second communication interface connected with a wireless network; and

disabling the second communication interface to the wireless network based on a command from the server to transfer supervisory functions to the non-supervisory sensor.

9. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, the operations further comprising changing to an inactive state based on one or more criteria.

10. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, the operations further comprising changing to an inactive state based on one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of time of day, location, or network congestion.

11. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, the operations further comprising cycling between an active state and an inactive state.

12. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, wherein the supervisory sensor changes to another sensor based on one or more criteria that comprise fault detection, traffic congestion, or timing.

13. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, wherein the non-supervisory sensor comprises a temperature sensor, location tracking sensor, fluid level sensor, inventory sensor, altitude sensor, speed sensor, chemical sensor, heat sensor, CO2 sensor, or motion sensor.

14. The supervisory sensor of claim 8, wherein the non-supervisory sensor changes to another sensor based on one or more criteria that comprise fault detection, traffic congestion, or timing.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause said computing device to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving, by supervisory sensor, data from a non-supervisory sensor via a first communication interface;

transmitting, by the supervisory sensor, the data to a server via a second communication interface connected with a wireless network; and

disabling the second communication interface to the wireless network based on a command from the server to transfer supervisory functions to the non-supervisory sensor.

16. The computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal of claim 15, the operations further comprising changing to an inactive state based on one or more criteria.

17. The computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal of claim 15, the operations further comprising changing to an inactive state based on one or more criteria, wherein the one or more criteria comprises at least one of time of day, location, or network congestion.

18. The computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal of claim 15, wherein the supervisory sensor changes to a sensor that is not supervisory based on one or more criteria.

19. The computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal of claim 15, wherein the supervisory sensor changes to a sensor that is not supervisory based on one or more criteria that comprise fault detection, traffic congestion, or timing.

20. The computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal of claim 15, wherein the non-supervisory sensor changes to a sensor that is supervisory based on one or more criteria that comprise fault detection, traffic congestion, or timing.