Sensor network management

• US 8,427,309 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bullard, Gregory T., Brake, Desiree D., Pruetting, Christopher J., Stits, Raymond S., Thomas, Jason C., Winchell, Diane M., Ryberg, Jason Tory
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US12/555,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100315207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for managing other apparatuses. In certain aspects, an apparatus for managing other apparatuses includes a processing system configured to receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, and to send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatus sends a report to the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses, and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

6. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses, and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

7. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses,

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus,

determine when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate, and

send a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses requesting sensor data on which the report is based.

8. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses,

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus,

determine when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate,

determine a geographic area based on a location of said one of the other apparatuses, and

send a message to different ones of the other apparatuses within the geographic area requesting reports for the contaminate.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing system is configured to determine whether the positive detection for the contaminate from the one of the other apparatuses is false based on the reports for the contaminate from the different ones of the other apparatuses.

10. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses,

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus,

receive historical sensor data from one of the other apparatuses,

determine a background level of a contaminate based on the historical sensor data,

determine a setting for the least one parameter based at least on the determined background level, and

send a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses to adjust the at least one parameter based at least on the setting.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

12. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses,

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus,

receive a load report from a communication network, and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses to stop reporting based at least on the load report.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing system is configured to instruct the communication network to broadcast a message to stop reporting to a plurality of the other apparatuses.

14. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses,

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus,

receive a load report from a communication network,

receive a number of reported detections for a contaminate from a plurality of the other apparatuses, and

adjust the number of reported detections based at least on the load report.

15. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

20. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

21. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses;

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus;

determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate; and

sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses requesting sensor data on which the report is based.

22. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses;

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus;

determining when a report from one of the other apparatuses indicates positive detection for a contaminate;

determining a geographic area based on a location of said one of the other apparatuses; and

sending a message to different ones of the other apparatuses within the geographic area requesting reports for the contaminate.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether the positive detection for the contaminate from the one of the other apparatuses is false based on the reports for the contaminate from the different ones of the other apparatuses.

24. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses;

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus;

receiving historical sensor data from one of the other apparatuses;

determining a background level of a contaminate based on the historical sensor data;

determining a setting for the at least one parameter based at least on the determined background level; and

sending a message to the respective one of the other apparatuses to adjust the at least one parameter based at least on the setting.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

26. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses;

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus;

receiving a load report from a communication network; and

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses to stop reporting based at least on the load report.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising instructing the communication network to broadcast a message to stop reporting to a plurality of the other apparatuses.

28. A method performed at an apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses;

sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus;

receiving a load report from a communication network;

receiving a number of reported detections for a contaminate from a plurality of the other apparatuses; and

adjusting the number of reported detections based a least on the load report.

29. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

means for receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

means for sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a type of sensor.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a priority number.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a sensor threshold.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a reporting interval.

34. An apparatus for managing other apparatuses, comprising:

means for receiving one or more reports from the other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

means for sending a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a range from a base station.

35. A non-transitory machine-readable medium for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to:

receive one or more reports from other apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the other apparatuses; and

send a message to at least one of the other apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the other apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the other apparatuses sends a report to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area.

36. A data fusion center for managing apparatuses, comprising:

processing system configured to;

receive one or more reports from the apparatuses, wherein each report comprises data based on at least a sensor measurement at a respective one of the apparatuses, and

send a message to at least one of the apparatuses, wherein the message instructs the at least one of the apparatuses to configure at least one parameter that controls when the at least one of the apparatuses sends a report to the data fusion center, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises a geographical area;

an antenna; and

a transmitter configured to receive the one or more reports and send the message to the at least one of the apparatuses via the antenna.