Automatic Fall Behind Warning Method And System

• US 20100184425A1
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Kuen-Ming, Chu, Jenn-Lien, Sheng, Yu-Shiang
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

Disclosed relates to an automatic fall behind warning method and system applied in a group activity environment. Each individual in the group corresponds to a node and all of such nodes form an independent network. The method initializes an outside node table for the group and gets a link quality index table (LQI table) among the nodes on the network. A table specifying outside and inside nodes for the network topology is generated via an algorithm. Then the method checks if there is a node being disappeared from the outside nodes of the generated table. If not, it updates the outside node table and continues to get a newest LQI table. If so, the node falls behind is confirmed and a warning notice is automatically generated once the disappeared node is not an inside node is verified. Otherwise, the method returns to the step of updating the outside node table.

Claims

1. An automatic fall behind warning method, applicable to a group activity environment, each individual of said group carrying a communication device corresponding to a node, all said nodes forming an independent network, said method comprising:

initializing an outside node table for said group;

obtaining a link quality index (LQI) table among said nodes on said network currently;

generating a list specifying outside and inside nodes for a current network topology via an algorithm;

checking whether a node disappearing from said outside nodes of said generated list;

if not, updating said outside node table and returning to said step of obtaining an LQI table among said nodes on said network currently;

if so, checking whether said fall behind node being an inside node; and

if said fall behind node being an inside node, returning to said step of updating said outside node table;

otherwise, determining said disappearing node being falling behind and issuing a warning.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group activity environment means any communication device carried by an individual of a group is able to communicate with at least another communication device carried by another individual of said group.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group includes at least two individuals.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said fall behind means at least two individuals cannot connect within said group, defined as a fall behind event.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said connection means the capability to perform connection to the network formed by said group.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said individual carries a communication device corresponding to a node, and all nodes form said independent network through a common communication protocol.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outside determination algorithm further includes:

executing connection between two nodes according to said LQI table, by starting with the strongest connection signal strength, and checking whether the path formed by said connections forming any loop and having two or more loops;

if having two or more loops, checking whether any two loops having overlapped path;

otherwise, checking whether all the connections being examined;

if having overlapped path, deducting start and end nodes from said overlapped path and the remaining nodes being labeled as inside nodes;

then returning to check whether all the connections being examined; and

if not all the connections being examined, returning to the step of executing connection between two nodes according to said LQI table, otherwise, terminating said algorithm.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, said method does not require to use relative position information of two nodes of said network.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said group activity environment has each individual scattering within said group.

10. An automatic fall behind warning system, comprising a plurality of wireless communication devices, applicable to a group activity environment, each of said plurality of wireless communication devices corresponding to a node, all nodes forming an independent network, each wireless communication device comprising:

a network management intermediate module for managing network related information of each node;

an outside determination module for monitoring the signal strength of neighboring nodes of each node and generating an outside node table for network topology;

a fall behind warning module for comparing said outside node table, determining whether a fall behind event occurring, and automatically sending a warning if so;

a group management module for activating said network management intermediate module and managing network setting of each node; and

a wireless communication module for activating a wireless network to perform wireless communication among said nodes.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said related information at least includes initializing network information, adding to network information, allocating network address information, information of neighboring nodes of each node, and routing information of communication protocol.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, said system implements each of said plurality of wireless communication devices via the same wireless communication device.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said network management intermediate module further includes:

a one hop table for recording information of neighboring nodes of each node;

a routing table for recording routing information of said communication protocol; and

two fields for recording specific network ID and allocated network address of individuals of said group.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said wireless communication device further includes a low power monitoring module for monitoring power usage of said device and issuing a warning when said power being lower than a threshold.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said group activity environment means any wireless communication device carried by an individual of said group is able to communicate with at least a wireless communication device carried by another individual of said group, and uses wireless communication signal for network topology determination and message transmission.

16. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said group includes at least two individuals.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, said system describes said network topology with wireless signal coverage range of said wireless communication device carried by individuals of said group.

18. The system as claimed in claim 10, said system does not require equipment deployment in an external environment.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said equipment deployment in said external environment is chosen from the group consisting of GPS satellite, wireless base station and wireless sensor network.

20. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each individual of said group is equipped with one of said plurality of wireless communication devices.