Transmit power scaling method and system to detect occurrences using geographically distributed sensors

• US 9,749,716 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Indian Institute of Science
• Original Assignee: Indian Institute of Science
• Inventors: Mehta, Neelesh B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, L.
• Application Number:
  US14/816,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• 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: H04Q 2209/20 using a distributed architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/28 using user profile, e.g. mobile speed, priority or network state, e.g. standby, idle or non transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Sensors within sensor node networks may communicate bio-event or other types of measurement results/decisions between each other using signal transmission variations. Each sensor node within a network and between networks may transmit and receive signals. A sensor node may scale a signal transmission power in a manner that is proportional to a confidence level of a decision or measurement about an event being detected. Each sensor node will receive transmissions from neighboring nodes, and can refine an estimate about an occurrence of the event at its location based on received signal strengths, for example.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor unit and from a first sensor unit, a first signal indicative of an occurrence of an event;

determining, by the processor unit, a level of confidence that the event occurred based on the first signal;

receiving, by the processor unit and from a second sensor unit, a second signal indicative of the occurrence of the event;

adjusting, by the processor unit, the level of confidence based on a signal strength of the second signal from the second sensor unit;

establishing, by the processor unit, a signal transmit power level for a third signal, from the first sensor unit, that corresponds to the adjusted level of confidence; and

causing, by the processor unit, the first sensor unit to transmit the third signal from the first sensor unit to a neighbor sensor unit at the established signal transmit power level, thereby enabling the first sensor unit to perform as a beacon and communicate the occurrence of the event as a warning to one of a user or a vehicle located in a boundary region of the occurred event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the processor unit, the first signal comprises receiving measurements from the first sensor unit, and wherein determining the level of confidence that the event occurred comprises determining a quantity of the measurements received, from the first sensor unit, that indicate the occurrence of the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of confidence that the event occurred comprises determining a magnitude of a measurement received from at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the level of confidence comprises establishing the level of confidence to be proportional to the magnitude of the measurement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the level of confidence and the magnitude of the measurement have a linear relationship.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the level of confidence and the magnitude of the measurement have an exponential relationship.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving multiple signals from multiple sensor units, wherein each signal of the multiple signals indicates at least one of a plurality of occurrences; and

making a single determination about a level of confidence that the plurality of occurrences relates to the event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a signal strength of the third signal, from the first sensor unit, is proportional to the established signal transmit power level.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of signals, from other sensor units, indicative of the occurrence of the event; and

adjusting the level of confidence based on a quantity of the plurality of signals.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a level of correlation between the second signal from the second sensor unit and a measurement by the first sensor unit; and

adjusting the level of confidence based on the level of correlation between the second signal from the second sensor unit and the measurement by the first sensor unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first signal indicates the measurement by the first sensor unit.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising establishing a signal transmit frequency level of the first sensor unit that is proportional to the adjusted level of confidence, wherein the signal transmit frequency level indicates a frequency of transmission of signals of the first sensor unit.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving signals transmitted from other sensor units;

determining a signal strength of the signals transmitted from the other sensor units; and

determining the boundary region of the event based on the signal strength of the signals transmitted from the other sensor units, wherein the boundary region of the event includes a geographical area in which occurrences related to the event are detected by sensor units within the geographical area.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising establishing a two-dimensional map indicative of the boundary region of the event.

15. A system, comprising:

a first sensor unit configured to generate a first signal indicative of an occurrence of an event;

a transceiver configured to receive, from a second sensor unit, a second signal indicative of the occurrence of the event; and

a processor unit coupled to the first sensor unit and the transceiver, and configured to;

receive the first signal from the first sensor unit;

determine a strength of the first signal, wherein the strength of the first signal is indicative of a boundary region of the occurred event;

determine a level of confidence that the event occurred based on the strength of the first signal;

determine a strength of the second signal, wherein the strength of the second signal is indicative of the boundary region of the occurred event;

adjust the level of confidence based on the strength of the second signal from the second sensor unit;

establish a signal transmit power level for a third signal, from the first sensor unit, that corresponds to the adjusted level of confidence; and

cause the first sensor unit to transmit the third signal, from the first sensor unit to a neighbor sensor unit, at the established signal transmit power level, thereby to enable the first sensor unit to perform as a beacon and communicate the occurrence of the event as a warning to one of a user or a vehicle located in the boundary region of the occurred event.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the processor unit is configured to receive measurements from the first sensor unit, and

to determine the level of confidence that the event occurred, the processor unit is configured to determine a quantity of the measurements received, from the first sensor unit, that indicate the occurrence of the event.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the level of confidence that the event occurred, the processor unit is configured to determine a magnitude of a measurement received from at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause one or more processors to perform or control performance of operations to:

detect, from a first sensor unit, a first signal indicative of an occurrence of an event;

determine a level of confidence that the event occurred based on the first signal;

detect, from a second sensor unit, a second signal indicative of the occurrence of the event;

adjust the level of confidence based on a signal strength of the second signal from the second sensor unit;

establish a signal transmit power level for a third signal, from the first sensor unit, that corresponds to the adjusted level of confidence; and

cause the first sensor unit to transmit the third signal, from the first sensor unit to a neighbor sensor unit, at the established signal transmit power level, thereby to enable the first sensor unit to perform as a beacon and communicate the occurrence of the event as a warning to one of a user or a vehicle located in a boundary region of the occurred event.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions comprise instructions that, in response to execution, cause the one or more processors to perform or control performance of at least one operation to:

obtain, by the one or more processors, measurements from the first sensor unit,

wherein a quantity of the measurements received, from the first sensor unit, that indicate the occurrence of the event is used to determine the level of confidence that the event occurred.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein a magnitude of a measurement received, from at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, is used to determine the level of confidence that the event occurred.