CONFIGURABLE CONTEXT AWARE SENSORS IN IOT SMART SPACES

• US 20180288159A1
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: MOUSTAFA, HASSNAA, KAMATH, SANJANA K., SCHOOLER, EVE M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,721,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Each of a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices includes at least one sensor. At least some of the plurality of IoT devices may have a single, low power, state. At least some of the plurality of IoT devices may have a first, low-power, low-bandwidth, “STANDBY” state and a second, high-power, high-bandwidth, “ACTIVE” state. Controller circuitry, that may include sensor abstraction circuitry and/or analytics circuitry receives a signal from a first IoT device, analyzes the signal and determines whether to transition a second IoT device from the STANDBY state to the ACTIVE state. The controller circuitry beneficially minimizes power consumption and bandwidth requirements for the second IoT device. The controller circuitry also determines at least one of: an event context or an environmental context.

Claims

1. A system to control a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors operably coupled to a respective one of a corresponding plurality of IoT devices;

at least one controller communicably coupled to at least some of the plurality of sensors;

at least one user interface communicably coupled to the at least one controller, the user interface to provide information indicative of at least one defined event action criteria;

at least one storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one controller, cause the at least one controller to;

receive, from a first sensor in a low power operating state and included in the plurality of sensors, a first signal that includes information indicative of an occurrence of at least one defined event;

determine whether the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

transition a second sensor remote from the first sensor and included in the plurality of sensors from a low-power operating state to a high-power operating state responsive to a determination that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

receive, from the second sensor included in the plurality of sensors, a signal that includes information indicative of an occurrence of at least one defined event;

determine at least one event context using at least one of;

the information included in the first signal provided by the first sensor; and

the information included in the second signal provided by the second sensor; and

determine an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the determined at least one event context.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the at least one controller to:

contemporaneously capture information associated with the at least one defined event using at least the first sensor and the second sensor; and

provide the information associated with the at least one defined event captured by at least the first sensor and the second sensor to the at least one user interface.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the at least one controller to:

determine at least one environmental context using at least one of;

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor; and

determine an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the at least one determined event context and the at least one determined environmental context.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the at least one controller to:

communicate the information associated with the at least one defined event to at least some of the sensors included in the plurality of sensors responsive to a determination by the at least one controller that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria.

5. The system of claim 1:

wherein the first sensor includes a first type of sensing element;

wherein the second sensor includes a second type of sensing element; and

wherein the first type of sensing element differs from the second type of sensing element.

6. The system of claim 1:

wherein each respective one of at least some of the plurality of IoT devices includes the at least one controller;

wherein each respective controller includes at least one of;

sensor abstraction circuitry or analytics circuitry disposed in each of at least some of the plurality of sensors;

wherein each of the plurality of sensors is communicably coupled to at least one other of the plurality of sensors; and

wherein the instructions are individually executed in each of the at least some of the IoT devices by at least one of;

the sensor abstraction circuitry or the analytics circuitry.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the instructions that cause the at least one controller to determine at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor, further cause the at least one controller to;

determine, by analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor, a first event context using the information provided by the first sensor;

communicate, via communications circuitry coupled to the first sensor, the determined first event context to analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor;

determine, by analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, a second event context using the information provided by the first sensor;

communicate, via communications circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the determined second event context to the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor; and

determine, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor and the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the at least one event context based at least in part on the determined first event context and the determined second event context.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the instructions that cause the at least one controller to determine at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor, further cause the at least one controller to;

communicate, via communication circuitry coupled to the first sensor, information provided by the first sensor to the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor;

communicate, via communications circuitry coupled to the second sensor, information provided by the second sensor to the analytics circuitry in the first sensor; and

determine, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor, the event context based on the information provided by the first sensor and the information received from the second sensor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions that cause the at least one controller to determine at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor, further cause the at least one controller to;

determine, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the event context based on the information received from the first sensor and the information provided by the second sensor.

10. The system of claim 1:

wherein the at least one controller comprises a central controller communicably coupled to each sensor included in the plurality of sensors; and

wherein each of the plurality of sensors is communicably coupled to at least one other of the plurality of sensors.

11. A method of controlling a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one controller, a first signal that includes information indicative of an occurrence of at least one defined event, the first signal provided by a first sensor included in a plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the at least one controller, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is operably coupled to a respective one of the plurality of IoT devices;

determining, by the at least one controller, whether the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

activating, by the at least one controller, a second sensor included in the plurality of sensors responsive to a determination by the at least one controller that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

receiving a second signal that includes information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event, the second signal provided by the second sensor included in the plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the at least one controller;

determining, by the at least one controller, at least one event context using at least one of;

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor; and

determining, by the at least one controller, an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the determined at least one event context.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

contemporaneously capturing, by the at least one controller, information associated with the at least one defined event using at least the first sensor and the second sensor; and

causing, by the at least one controller, a display of the information associated with the at least one defined event captured by at least the first sensor and the second sensor on at least one user interface communicably coupled to the at least one controller.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, by the at least one controller, at least one environmental context using at least one of;

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor; and

determining, by the at least one controller, an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the at least one determined event context and the at least one determined environmental context.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicating, by the at least one controller, the information associated with the at least one defined event to at least some of the sensors included in the plurality of sensors responsive to a determination by the at least one controller that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria.

15. The method of claim 11:

wherein receiving a first signal provided by a first sensor comprises receiving the first signal provided by a first sensor that includes a first type of sensing element;

wherein receiving a second signal provided by a second sensor comprises receiving the second signal provided by a second type of sensing element that differs from the first type of sensing element.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicably coupling the plurality of sensors such that each sensor included in the plurality of sensors communicably couples to at least one other sensor included in the plurality of sensors;

wherein each respective one of at least some of the plurality of IoT devices includes at least a portion of the at least one controller including at least one of;

sensor abstraction circuitry or analytics circuitry.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein determining at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor comprises;

determining, by analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor, a first event context using the information provided by the first sensor;

communicating, by communications circuitry coupled to the first sensor, the determined first event context to analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor;

determining, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, a second event context using the information received from the first sensor;

communicating, via communications circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the determined second event context to the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor; and

determining, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor and the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the at least one event context based at least in part on the determined first event context and the determined second event context.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein determining at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor comprises;

communicating, via communication circuitry coupled to the first sensor, information provided by the first sensor to analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor;

communicating, via communications circuitry coupled to the second sensor, information provided by the second sensor to the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor; and

determining, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the first sensor, the event context based on the information provided by the first sensor and the information received from the second sensor.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining at least one event context using at least one of:

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor comprises;

determining, by the analytics circuitry coupled to the second sensor, the event context based on the information received from the first sensor and the information provided by the second sensor.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

communicably coupling each of the plurality of sensors to the at least one controller wherein the at least one controller comprises a central controller communicably coupled to each sensor included in the plurality of sensors.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

communicably coupling each of at least some of the plurality of sensors to at least one other of the plurality of sensors.

22. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that includes instructions, that when executed by at least one controller, causes the at least one controller to:

receive a first signal that includes information indicative of an occurrence of at least one defined event, the first signal provided by a first sensor included in a plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the at least one controller, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is operably coupled to a respective one of a corresponding plurality of IoT devices;

determine whether the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

activate a second sensor included in the plurality of sensors responsive to a determination by the at least one controller that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria;

receive a second signal that includes information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event, the second signal provided by the second sensor included in the plurality of sensors communicably coupled to the at least one controller;

determine at least one event context using at least one of;

the information included in the first signal provided by the first sensor; and

the information included in the second signal provided by the second sensor; and

determine an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the determined at least one event context.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 22 wherein the machine-readable medium includes instructions that further cause the at least one controller to:

contemporaneously capture information associated with the at least one defined event using at least the first sensor and the second sensor; and

cause a display of the information associated with the at least one defined event captured by at least the first sensor and the second sensor on at least one user interface communicably coupled to the at least one controller.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 22 wherein the machine-readable medium includes instructions that further cause the at least one controller to:

determine at least one environmental context using at least one of;

the information provided by the first sensor; and

the information provided by the second sensor; and

determine an activation interval duration for the second sensor based at least in part on the at least one determined event context and the at least one determined environmental context.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 22 wherein the machine-readable medium includes instructions that further cause the at least one controller to:

communicate the information associated with the at least one defined event to at least some of the sensors included in the plurality of sensors responsive to a determination by the at least one controller that the information indicative of the occurrence of the at least one defined event fulfills the at least one defined event action criteria.