System and method for microlocation sensor communication

• US 10,820,173 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2019
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Stitt, Raymond Michael, Smith, Eric John, Zoerner, Tyler Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US16/511,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20190342728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and a method to wirelessly synchronize, monitor, or communicate, or a combination thereof, amongst sensors (e.g., sensors, hubs, sensor controllers, etc.) in a Bluetooth Low Energy-based microlocation system. The system or method, or both, may use the BLE hardware (e.g., transmitters, receivers, antennas, etc.) to interleave a communications protocol within the connection interval gaps of the BLE protocol used to communicate with devices.

Claims

1. A system for communicating sensor information pertaining to a location of a portable device relative to a vehicle, the system comprising:

a controller device disposed on the vehicle, said controller device configured to communicate with a plurality of sensor devices, said controller device configured to receive a plurality of packets from a first set of said plurality of sensor devices;

each of said plurality of sensor devices disposed on the vehicle, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to obtain a sensed characteristic, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to generate a data packet with sensor information indicative of said sensed characteristic, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to transmit said data packet to at least one of said controller device and another of said plurality of sensor devices, wherein each of said plurality of sensor devices is configured to obtain said sensed characteristic by at least one of sensing said sensed characteristic and receiving said sensed characteristic from another of said plurality of sensor devices;

wherein a first sensor device is included in said first set of said plurality of sensor devices, and a second sensor device is included in a second set of said plurality of sensor devices; and

wherein said first sensor device of said first set is configured to transmit said data packet to said controller device during a first time frame in which said second sensor device transmits said data packet with sensor information, wherein, during a second time frame subsequent to said first time frame, said controller device receives said sensor information generated by said second sensor device, whereby said controller device disposed on the vehicle is operable to receive data packets from said first sensor device disposed on the vehicle and said second sensor device disposed on the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a third sensor device is included in said first set, wherein said third sensor device is configured to receive said data packet transmitted by said second sensor device during said first time frame, and wherein said third sensor device is configured to transmit said data packet during said second time frame with sensor information generated by said second sensor device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said first sensor device simultaneously a) transmits said data packet to said controller device and b) receives said data packet from said second sensor device, and wherein, during said second time frame, said first sensor device transmits said data packet with said sensor information to said controller device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said first sensor device only obtains said sensed characteristic by receiving said sensed characteristic from another sensor device of said plurality of said sensor devices.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said characteristic sensed by said first sensor device is different from said characteristic sensed by said second sensor device.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein, during said first time frame, said first sensor device transmits said data packet while said third sensor device simultaneously receives sensor information from said second sensor device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein, during said first time frame, said third sensor device receives sensor information from said second sensor device.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein, during said first time frame, said first sensor device communicates with said controller device via a first communication frequency and said third sensor device communicates with said second sensor device via a second communication frequency different from said first communication frequency.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein, during said second time frame, said third sensor device communicates with said controller device.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said controller device is configured to broadcast a command packet to said plurality of sensor devices, said command packet including a directive to transmit said data packet with sensor information indicative of said sensed characteristic.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein communications with said controller device are conducted in accordance with a communication protocol, wherein said plurality of sensor devices receive communications with respect to the portable device in accordance with at least one of a Bluetooth Low Energy communications protocol and an Ultra-Wideband protocol.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said controller device communicates connection parameters to said plurality of sensor devices for monitoring communications with the portable device wherein said connection parameters include information facilitating receipt of communications from the portable device during a plurality of connection intervals;

wherein, during each of said plurality of connection intervals, said portable device communicates data via a communication link with said controller device in accordance with a Bluetooth low energy protocol;

wherein each of said plurality of sensors includes Bluetooth low energy hardware capable of receiving communications from the portable device transmitted via said communication link; and

wherein said first and second time frames are defined within a gap time frame of each connection interval during which communications from the portable device are absent, and wherein communications from said first sensor device and said second sensor device are defined according to a communication protocol different from said Bluetooth low energy protocol and communicated via said Bluetooth low energy hardware.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said controller device is configured to receive sensor information from each of said plurality of sensors for every connection interval of the communications protocol utilized for communications with the portable device.

14. The system of claim 13 comprising a plurality of said controller devices, and wherein each of said plurality of controller devices is configured to communicate with more than one of said plurality of sensor devices, and wherein each of said plurality of controller devices is configured to receive sensor information from each of said more than one sensor device for every connection interval of said communications protocol utilized for communications with the portable device.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said sensed characteristic obtained by each of said plurality of sensors pertains to communications received from the portable device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said sensed characteristic is at least one of signal strength, angle of arrival, and time of flight with respect to communications received from the portable device.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said sensed characteristic is indicative of communications transmitted to the portable device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said sensed characteristic is a signal strength of communications transmitted to the portable device.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors is configured to sense a plurality of characteristics, and wherein at least one of said plurality of characteristics includes an environmental characteristic.

20. A system for collecting sensor information pertaining to a location of a portable device relative to a vehicle, said system comprising:

a plurality of sensor devices disposed on the vehicle, said plurality of sensor devices configured to communicate sensor information, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to obtain a sensed characteristic, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to generate sensor information indicative of said sensed characteristic, each of said plurality of sensor devices configured to obtain said sensed characteristic by at least one of sensing said sensed characteristic and receiving said sensed characteristic from another of said plurality of said sensor devices;

a communication controller disposed on the vehicle, said communication controller configured to collect sensor information from said plurality of sensor devices;

wherein a first sensor device of said plurality of sensor devices is configured to collect sensor information from a second sensor device of said plurality of sensor devices, wherein said first sensor device receives sensor information from said second sensor device during a time frame in which a third sensor device of said plurality of sensor devices transmits sensor information to said communication controller; and

wherein said first sensor device generates an aggregate data packet with sensor information received from said second sensor device, wherein said first sensor device transmits said aggregate data packet to said communication controller, whereby said communication controller disposed on the vehicle is operable to receive sensor information generated by said first, second, and third sensor devices, whereby said first, second, and third sensors are disposed on the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said first sensor device and said third sensor device are the same sensor device.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein said first sensor device only obtains said sensed characteristic by receiving said sensed characteristic from another sensor device of said plurality of said sensor devices.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein said characteristic sensed by said first sensor device is different from said characteristic sensed by said second sensor device.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein said communication controller is configured to broadcast a command packet to said plurality of sensor devices, said command packet including a directive to communicate said sensed characteristic.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein said first sensor device receives sensor information from said second sensor device during a first time frame, and wherein said third sensor device transmits sensor information during said first time frame, and wherein reception of sensor information from said second sensor device overlaps with transmission of sensor information to said communication controller during said first time frame.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein said third sensor device transmits sensor information at a first frequency during said first time frame, and wherein said second sensor device transmits sensor information at a second frequency during said first time frame.

27. The system of claim 20 wherein said characteristic sensed by each of said plurality of sensors is at least one of signal strength, angle of arrival, and time of flight with respect to communications received from the portable device.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein communications with said communication controller are conducted in accordance with a communication protocol;

wherein communications among said plurality of sensor devices are conducted in accordance with the same communication protocol; and

wherein said communication controller communicates connection parameters to said plurality of sensor devices regarding communications with a portable device to facilitate receipt of communications transmitted via a communication link with the portable device.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said connection parameters include information facilitating receipt of communications from the portable device during a plurality of connection intervals;

wherein, during each of said plurality of connection intervals, said portable device communicates data via said communication link with said communication controller in accordance with at least one of a Bluetooth low energy protocol and an Ultra-Wideband protocol; and

wherein each of said plurality of sensors includes at least one of Bluetooth low energy hardware and Ultra-Wideband hardware capable of receiving communications from the portable device transmitted via said communication link.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein said time frame is defined within a gap time frame of each connection interval during which communications from the portable device are absent, and wherein communications from the first sensor device and said second sensor device are defined according to a communication protocol different from a Bluetooth low energy protocol and communicated via Bluetooth low energy hardware.