U.S. patent application number 12/553900 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-03 for activity state classification.
Invention is credited to Ryan Aylward, Jonathan Gips.
Application Number | 20100134241 12/553900 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41725314 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100134241 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gips; Jonathan ; et
al. |
June 3, 2010 |
ACTIVITY STATE CLASSIFICATION
Abstract
A method and device may comprise receiving a signal from a
sensor attached to an object. The signal may represent a
characteristic of the object. An activity state of the object may
be classified based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.
Further, a locomotive rate corresponding to the activity state of
the object may be determined. Moreover a ping period based upon, a
least in part, the locomotive rate may be calculated. A transmitter
may transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the ping
period.
Inventors: |
Gips; Jonathan; (Boston,
MA) ; Aylward; Ryan; (Boston, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP
10 ST. JAMES AVENUE
BOSTON
MA
02116-3889
US
|
Family ID: |
41725314 |
Appl. No.: |
12/553900 |
Filed: |
September 3, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61093909 |
Sep 3, 2008 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/5.1 ;
340/10.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02D 70/166 20180101;
Y02D 70/142 20180101; H04W 52/0229 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101;
Y02D 30/70 20200801; H04L 43/50 20130101; Y02D 70/162 20180101;
Y02D 70/164 20180101; H04L 41/12 20130101; Y02D 70/144 20180101;
H04W 8/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/5.1 ;
340/10.3 |
International
Class: |
G06F 7/04 20060101
G06F007/04; H04Q 5/22 20060101 H04Q005/22 |
Claims
1) A method comprising: receiving a signal from a sensor attached
to an object, the signal representing a characteristic of the
object; classifying an activity state of the object based upon, at
least in part, the characteristic; determining a locomotive rate
corresponding to the activity state of the object; calculating a
ping period based upon, a least in part, the locomotive rate; and
transmitting, via a transmitter, pings based upon, at least in
part, the ping period.
2) The method of claim 1 further comprising: dynamically adjusting
the ping period of the transmitter based upon, at least in part, a
real-time activity state classification of the object, the
real-time activity state classification based upon, at least in
part, the characteristic.
3) The method of claim 1 further comprising: decreasing the ping
period based upon, at least in part, an increase in the locomotive
rate of the object.
4) The method of claim 1 further comprising: increasing the ping
period based upon, at least in part, a decrease in the locomotive
rate of the object.
5) The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristic of the object
is at least one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an
orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature
derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a
feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a
tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a
dead reckoning system, a feature of a visible light detector, a
switch, and a feature of a received infrared signal.
6) The method of claim 1 wherein the activity state of the object
is at least one of inactive, low activity, walking, jogging,
running, trotting, galloping, sprinting, biking, rolling, driving,
sliding, and being carried.
7) The method of claim 1 further comprising: processing an
acceleration of the object to approximate velocity of the object
over a period of time.
8) The method of claim 1 wherein the locomotive rate corresponds to
a total amount of motion of the object during a sample
interval.
9) The method of claim 1 further comprising: continuously
classifying the activity state of the object based upon, at least
in part, the characteristic.
10) A method comprising: receiving a signal from a sensor traveling
with an object, the signal representing a characteristic of the
object; classifying an activity state of the object based upon, at
least in part, the characteristic, the activity state indicative of
the movement of the object; calculating a ping period based upon,
at least in part, the characteristic; and transmitting, via a
transmitter, pings based upon, at least in part, the ping
period.
11) The method of claim 10 further comprising: decreasing the ping
period based upon, at least in part, a change in the activity state
of the object.
12) The method of claim 10 further comprising: increasing the ping
period based upon, at least in part, a change in the activity state
of the object.
13) The method of claim 10 wherein the characteristic is at least
one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation,
a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF
signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived
from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature
derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning
system, a switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a
feature of a received infrared signal.
14) A device comprising: a controller configured to: receive a
signal from a sensor, the sensor configured to sense a
characteristic of an object, the signal representing the
characteristic of the object; classify an activity state of the
object based upon, at least in part, the characteristic; and
regulate power drawn from a battery based upon, at least in part,
the characteristic.
15) The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further
configured to calculate a ping period based upon, at least in part,
the characteristic.
16) The device of claim 15 further comprising: a transmitter
configured to transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the ping
period.
17) The device of claim 14 further comprising: a voltage regulator
configured to regulate power drawn from the battery based upon, at
least in part, the characteristic.
18) The device of claim 14 wherein the controller is further
configured to regulate power drawn from the battery based upon, at
least in part, the activity state.
19) The device of claim 14 wherein the characteristic is at least
one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation,
a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF
signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived
from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature
derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning
system, a switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a
feature of a received infrared signal.
20) The device of claim 16 wherein at least one packet of at least
one of the pings includes information representing the activity
state of the object.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/093,909 filed on 3 Sep. 2008, the entire
contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This disclosure relates to a discovery protocol and, more
particularly, to a system and method for discovering devices.
[0003] Some devices, such as wireless sensors including active
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags may be capable of
discovering other devices. To receive signals and, in turn,
discover devices which may have sent those signals, the devices may
need to have a receiver that may be powered on and off. Further, in
order to be discovered by other devices, these same devices may
need to transmit one or more signals.
[0004] Additionally, while transmitting and receiving signals,
these devices may require additional power. The device's receiver
may be continuously powered on for a relatively long time before a
signal is received, and in turn, before another device is
discovered. Further, the device may transmit many signals before
another device receives one of those signals, and, in turn,
discovers that device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In a first implementation, a method may comprise receiving a
signal from a sensor attached to an object. The signal may
represent a characteristic of the object. The method may further
comprise classifying an activity state of the object based upon, at
least in part, the characteristic. Moreover, a locomotive rate
corresponding to the activity state of the object may be
determined. Furthermore a ping period based upon, a least in part,
the locomotive rate may be calculated. Additionally, a transmitter
may transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the ping
period.
[0006] One or more of the following features may be included. The
ping period of the transmitter may be dynamically adjusted based
upon, at least in part, a real-time activity state classification
of the object. The real-time activity state classification may be
based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. The ping period
may be decreased based upon, at least in part, an increase in the
locomotive rate of the object. Further, the ping period may be
increased based upon, at least in part, a decrease in the
locomotive rate of the object. The characteristic may be at least
one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation,
a feature derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF
signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived
from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature
derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning
system, a switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a
feature of a received infrared signal. Further, the activity state
of the object may be at least one of inactive, low activity,
walking, jogging, running, trotting, galloping, sprinting, biking,
rolling, driving, sliding, and being carried.
[0007] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise
processing an acceleration of the object to approximate velocity of
the object over a period of time. The locomotive rate may
correspond to a total amount of motion of the object during a
sample interval. The activity state of the object may be based
upon, at least in part, the characteristic.
[0008] In a second implementation, a method may comprise receiving
a signal from a sensor traveling with an object. The signal may
represent a characteristic of the object. An activity state of the
object may be classified based upon, at least in part, the
characteristic. The activity state may be indicative of the
movement of the object. Further, a receiver may be duty cycled
based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. Moreover a ping
period may be calculated based upon, a least in part, the
characteristic. Additionally, a transmitter may transmit pings
based upon, at least in part, the ping period.
[0009] One or more of the following features may be included. The
ping period may be decreased, based upon, at least in part, a
change in the activity state of the object. The ping period may be
increasing based upon, at least in part, a change in the activity
state of the object. Additionally, the characteristic may be at
least one of an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an
orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature
derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a
feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a
tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a
dead reckoning system, a switch, a feature of a visible light
detector, and a feature of a received infrared signal.
[0010] In a third implementation, a device may comprise a
controller. The controller may be configured to receive a signal
from a sensor. The sensor may be configured to sense a
characteristic of an object. Further, the signal may represent the
characteristic of the object. The controller may be further
configured to classify an activity state of the object based upon,
at least in part, the characteristic. The controller may also be
configured to regulate power drawn from a battery based upon, at
least in part, the characteristic.
[0011] One or more of the following features may be included. The
controller may be further configured to calculate a ping period
based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. A transmitter may
be configured to transmit pings based upon, at least in part, the
ping period. At least one packet of at least one of the pings may
include information representing the activity state of the object.
A voltage regulator may be configured to regulate power drawn from
the battery based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. The
controller may be further configured regulate power drawn from the
battery based upon, at least in part, the activity state.
Additionally, the characteristic may be at least one of an
acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an orientation, a feature
derived from image processing, a feature derived from RF signal
processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a feature derived from a
cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a tilt, a feature derived
from an acoustic signal, a feature of a dead reckoning system, a
switch, a feature of a visible light detector, and a feature of a
received infrared signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a monitoring system;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a transmitter and
receiver;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a discovery process implemented by
the monitoring system of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of signals transmitted and
received by the monitoring system of FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an activity state classification
process implemented by a monitoring device;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the monitoring device worn
by a human; and
[0018] FIG. 7 is a table showing parameters used by the monitoring
device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a monitoring
system 10. Monitoring system 10 is merely an example of a system
and/or device which may be configured to operate in accordance with
the discovery protocol of the subject application. Monitoring
system 10 may include RF module 102. Monitoring system 10 may be a
monitoring device or electronic tag which may be attached to an
object or worn by a person or animal. In one embodiment, as shown
in FIG. 2, an RF module (e.g., RF module 200) may include
transmitter 202 and receiver 204. Monitoring system 10 may comprise
several components housed in an enclosure 100. Enclosure 100 may be
of a compact form that may be attached to an object. For example,
enclosure 100 may be worn by an animal such as a dog. The enclosure
100 may be fixed to a collar or other device. In such a case,
enclosure 100 may take the form of a conventional tag, such as a
dog tag, or an ID tag worn by an employee at a workplace, such as a
hospital. Monitoring system 10 may include an integrated
microcontroller (IMC) and radio frequency (RF) module 102, flash
memory storage 104, a plurality of sensors 106, soft switch 108,
light emitting diode (LED) controller 110 which may control an LED
112, battery 114, power management circuitry 116 and docking port
118.
[0020] Additionally, plurality of sensors 106 may include
temperature sensor 106a and accelerometer 106b, which may measure
environmental conditions relative to monitoring device 10. One or
more of plurality of sensors 106 may measure one or more
characteristics of an object that monitoring device 10 may be
attached to. For example, temperature sensor 106a may receive
environmental input 120, and may be adapted to detect the ambient
air temperature of the environment or the temperature of a nearby
surface, such as the surface of the object attached to monitoring
system 10. Again by example, accelerometer 106b may be a 3-axis
accelerometer which may detect acceleration, deceleration and other
movements of the monitoring system 10 and/or the object it may be
attached to. Accelerometer 106b may utilize four analog outputs to
provide measurements in real time to IMC module 102. Alternatively,
other sensors may be substituted for or added to plurality of
sensors 106, thereby providing other measurements relating to the
environment or the object. For example, alternative sensors may
measure ambient light, humidity, altitude, or heart rate of the
object (e.g., a person, animal, etc.).
[0021] IMC module 102 may perform a number of functions as
determined by the mode of operation of monitoring device 10. IMC
102 may receive analog signals from plurality of sensors 106, and
may convert the signals to digital signals with an
analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Further, IMC 102 may capture and
process the signals according to one or more software or firmware
programs stored at IMC 102 or flash memory 104. The signals may be
processed at IMC 102, for example, by sampling the signals at
variable intervals, deriving a conditioned selection of signals,
detecting an event based on the signals, or producing data relating
to a set of signals. The processed event data may be stored to
flash memory 104 through a serial peripheral interface (SPI). The
event data may also be sent to the radio (RF) module (at IMC 102)
with antenna 120, where it may be transmitted via wireless
communication 122 to computer 124 or remote device 126. Computer
124 may be a base station, a personal computer, or other system.
Remote device 126 may be similar system and/or device to monitoring
system 10, and may include any of the features of monitoring system
10. The RF module at IMC 102 may also receive wireless signals from
computer 124 or remote device 126, enabling data transfer or other
communication.
[0022] For example, one mode of operation of monitoring device 10
may be discovery mode and/or ping mode. While in discovery mode
and/or ping mode, monitoring device 10 may be configured to operate
in accordance with the discovery protocol of the subject
application.
[0023] In some embodiments, computer 124 may connect to a base
station via a universal serial bus (USB) connection or similar
connection. The base station may be USB or wall powered and may be
capable of communicating to the tag (e.g., monitoring system 10).
The base station may typically reside in a user's home, or any
other suitable location. The base station may also serve as a
charging dock for the tag (e.g., monitoring system 10).
[0024] IMC 102 may be programmed to detect a particular reading or
signal ("event"), which may be received from one or more of the
plurality of sensors 106 or communication with computer 124 or
remote device 126. In response to the event, IMC 102 may send a
signal to LED controller 110, which may indicate to activate one or
more LED lights 112. LED lights 112 may turn on or enter a blinking
pattern to indicate the occurrence of the event. For example, One
or more LED lights 112 may flash to indicate that battery 114 is
low on power, the ambient temperature has reached a threshold, or
another remote device 126 is nearby.
[0025] Further, soft switch 108 may connect to IMC 102 and may be
configured to toggle modes of operation of monitoring system 10,
such as power on, power off and low power operation. IMC 102 may
also interface with docking port 118, which may be connected to a
port of a base station. Through this link, IMC 120 may transfer
data stored at flash memory 104, as well as information about
monitoring device 10 such as hardware and software settings,
storage capacity, and firmware version. IMC 102 may also receive
commands and data from the base station, such as a command to
update firmware of IMC 102, accompanied by updated firmware.
[0026] In one embodiment, monitoring device 10 may be a tag worn by
a pet animal such as a dog. The pet animal may be the object and/or
agent monitored by monitoring device 10. One or more of the
plurality of sensors 106 may detect or measure the temperature
and/or acceleration, for example, of the pet animal, and a radio
receiver at IMC 120 and/or the RF module may receive signals from a
second tag (e.g., a tag including remote device 126). The second
tag may be worn by a second pet animal. This data may be processed
by IMC 102 to produce event data. The event data may relate to the
environment and the behavior of the pet animal, such as its
activities (e.g., whether it is walking, running or at rest) and
its interaction with other animals as evidenced by signals received
by the second tag (e.g., remote device 126). The event data may be
transferred to computer 124 in real time, or may be stored to flash
memory 104 for transfer at a later time. Computer 124 may include
and/or be communicably attached to a base station, which may
communicate with monitoring device 10 by receiving the event data
and sending commands and other signals to monitoring device 10.
Computer 124 may report the event data or transfer the data to a
server on a computer network. A pet owner may access computer
system 124 or the network in order to monitor the behavior of his
or her pet animal.
[0027] In another embodiment, monitoring device 10 may be a tag,
strip, insert, etc. (e.g., an ID tag) worn by a human (e.g., a
worker in a building or a nurse in a hospital). For example, if
monitoring device 10 is an ID tag worn by a nurse in a hospital,
monitoring device 10 may be in communication with a base station
located in the hospital. Monitoring device 10 may relay information
describing the nurse's movement in around the hospital to the base
station. Further, monitoring device 10 may be in communication with
other devices in the hospital (e.g., remote device 126), and may
discover such devices in accordance with the discovery protocol of
the subject application. Monitoring device 10 may provide various
alerts based upon, at least in part, the nurse's movement around
the hospital or in relation to the other devices.
[0028] Various client electronic devices may be directly or
indirectly coupled to the network. For example, personal computers
may be directly coupled to the network via a hardwired network
connection. Notebook computers may be directly coupled to the
network via a hardwired network connection. Laptop computers may be
wirelessly coupled to the network via a wireless communication
channel established between the laptop computer and a wireless
access point (i.e., WAP), which may be directly coupled to the
network. The WAP may be, for example, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth device that is capable of
establishing wireless communication channel between a laptop
computer and the WAP. A personal digital assistant may be
wirelessly coupled the network via wireless communication channel
established between the personal digital assistant and a cellular
network/bridge, which may be directly coupled the network.
[0029] As is known in the art, all of the IEEE 802.11x
specifications may use Ethernet protocol and carrier sense multiple
access with collision avoidance (i.e., CSMA/CA) for path sharing.
The various 802.11x specifications may use phase-shift keying
(i.e., PSK) modulation or complementary code keying (i.e., CCK)
modulation, for example. As is known in the art, Bluetooth is a
telecommunications industry specification that allows e.g., mobile
phones, computers, and personal digital assistants to be
interconnected using a short-range wireless connection.
The Discovery Protocol
[0030] As discussed above monitoring device 10 may include IMC 102,
which may include an RF module. In other embodiments, the RF module
may be separate from IMC 102. Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, RF module
200 may include a transmitter 202 and a receiver 204, both of which
may be included in monitoring device 10. Transmitter 202 and
receiver 204 may also be separate devices. As shown in FIG. 3,
transmitter 202 and receiver 204 may, either alone or in
conjunction with other devices described above, perform discovery
process 300 in accordance with a discovery protocol described
herein. For illustrative purposes, transmitter 202 and receiver 204
are discussed throughout this disclosure as being configured to
transmit and receive RF signals, however they may operate with any
other type of communication signal. For example transmitter 202 and
receiver 204 may transmit and receive infrared signals, visible
light signals, acoustic signals, or data modulated in other
mediums.
[0031] For illustrative purposes only, transmitter 202 and receiver
204 will be discussed throughout this disclosure as being
associated with monitoring device 10. When transmitting and
receiving RF signals, monitoring device 10 may be in RF mode. In RF
mode, transmitter 202 and receiver 204 may be configured to
transmit and receive RF signals. However monitoring device 10 may
switch to other modes in order to communicate (i.e., transmit and
receive) using Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi (802.11), and/or infrared
(IR) signals.
[0032] Transmitter 202 may transmit 302 a plurality of transmit
pings 206 at transmit interval 208. Transmit interval 208 may
correspond to the time (e.g., N seconds) between the transmission
of each ping. In some embodiments, N may be between 3 and 12
seconds, or any other number which may be used in each particular
monitoring system. Each transmit ping may be a burst (e.g., a
number M) of short RF packets. In some embodiments, M may be
between 96 and 320, or any other number which may be used in each
particular monitoring system. Calibration of different monitoring
systems using different signal types, etc., may yield other optimal
values for N and M. Each packet (e.g., an RF packet) may include,
inter alia, a device identifier, status information, and/or a
counter value. Different counter values may correspond to different
positions of packets in each burst. Further, each RF packet may be
spaced apart at a burst interval (e.g., B milliseconds). In other
words, each RF packet in each transmit ping may be B milliseconds
apart.
[0033] Receiver 204 may listen 304 for a live ping (e.g., live ping
210). Live ping 210 may have been transmitted by a different
transmitter associated with a different monitoring device (e.g.,
remote device 126), for the purposes of detection and/or discovery.
For the purposes of this disclosure, listening means that the
receiver (e.g., receiver 204) is "on", receiving, or otherwise able
to detect signals. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, receiver 204 may
be configured to be turned on at a beginning of assess interval
402, and off at an end of detect duration 404. When "off", the
receiver may be asleep, or otherwise using substantially less power
than when "on". As shown in FIG. 4, assess interval 402 may
correspond to an amount of time each packet in a ping (e.g., live
ping 210) is spaced apart (e.g., B), multiplied an amount of
packets (e.g., M) in live ping 210 (e.g., B*M). The plurality of
packets in a ping (e.g. live ping 210) may be referred to herein as
a burst.
[0034] Further, detect duration 404 may correspond to the amount of
time each packet in a ping (e.g., live ping 210) is spaced apart
(e.g., B) plus an amount of time each packet is in the air. B may
also be referred to herein as a "burst interval". Each packet may
be on the air and in progress for a transmit time (e.g., P
milliseconds). The transmit time may correspond to a time required
for a packet to travel from one device to another. Accordingly,
detect duration 404 may be B+P=R milliseconds long. In other words,
at least one packet in a transmit ping may be received in R
milliseconds. B, M, and P may be calculated and calibrated such
that as long as each packet in a ping (e.g., live ping 210) has a
transmit time (e.g., transmit time 408 of P milliseconds or less),
another device (e.g., remote device 126) will receive the at least
one packet of the ping. In some embodiments, transmit time may also
include the time required for a packet to be received in its
entirety, including processing time at the receiving device. In
some situations, a portion of a packet may be received and may be
rejected, however an entire packet may still be received in the
transmit time. It follows that in some embodiments, transmit time P
must be less than the amount of time B (e.g., one burst interval)
that each packet in a ping (e.g., live ping 210) is spaced
apart.
[0035] As discussed above, receiver 204 may be configured to be
turned on at the beginning of assess interval 402, and off at an
end of detect duration 404. This process, wherein receiver 204 is
powered on/off, or is otherwise inactive for a period of time, may
be referred to herein as "duty cycling" the receiver. A "duty
cycle" may be a percentage of time that the receiver is in an "on"
state. For example, if the receiver (e.g., receiver 204) is "on"
(i.e., active, or listening) for 25 seconds, and "off" for 75
seconds, its duty cycle may be 25/100, or 25%. Monitoring device 10
may be configured such that receiver 204 is duty cycled to minimize
its power usage, while maximizing its discoverability when in
discovery or ping mode. Accordingly, receiver 204 may be duty
cycled based upon, at least in part, either the assess interval,
the detect duration, or both. In some embodiments, the receiver may
be duty cycled based upon, at least in part, information in at
least one packet of the live ping.
[0036] Further, receiver 204 may receive 306 live ping 210.
Receiving live ping 210 may include receiving one or more packets
of the total number of packets (e.g., M) in live ping 210. As
discussed above, live ping 210 may have been sent by another
monitoring device, (e.g., remote device 210). For illustrative
purposes, assume that each system/device (e.g., monitoring system
10 and/or remote device 126) listens for R milliseconds (e.g.,
detect duration 404 of B+P milliseconds) to detect any pings which
may be in progress (e.g., live ping 210). Further, assume each
packet of a ping (e.g., live ping 210) may include a device
identifier, status information, and a counter value. The counter
value may correspond to different positions of packets in each
burst. If one of the devices receives a packet (e.g., from live
ping 210), it can use a counter value of the packet to determine
delay duration 212. In other words the device (e.g., monitoring
system 10) may calculate (via, e.g., IMC 102) delay duration 212 in
order to delay transmitting a new ping (e.g., new pings 214).
[0037] Accordingly, transmitter 202 may delay 308, after live ping
210 is received, transmission of a new ping (e.g., new pings 214)
for delay duration 212. Once a new ping has been delayed in time,
the transmitter may transmit 310 the new ping (e.g., new pings 214)
at transmit interval 208. In other words, the transmitter may
resume pinging at a base value of N (e.g., transmit interval 208).
In this way, the new ping may be received by the device which sent
live ping 210 (e.g., remote device 126), and other systems and/or
devices in the environment may eventually receive the new ping
after each one has performed a discovery process similar to
discovery process 300.
[0038] In some embodiments, at least one of the transmit ping, the
live ping, and the new ping includes a plurality of packets, each
transmitted at a burst interval (e.g., burst interval 406). The
burst interval may correspond to a time each packet in the
plurality of packets is spaced apart. In some systems, the burst
interval may typically be between 1 and 2 milliseconds. As shown in
FIG. 4, burst interval 406 may refer to "t-burst" in some systems,
and to "t-packet", in other systems. Burst interval 406 may be
measured in a variety of ways, including along a rising edge from
one packet to the next (i.e., t-burst). In other embodiments, all
pings are transmitted at burst interval 406. Some systems may
include a transmit time (i.e., t-packet) and at least one
transmitted packet may be received in the transmit time. In one
embodiment, the transmit time is less than one burst interval. It
should be noted that different applications may have different
maximum size packets. As such, t-burst may be set according to the
maximum size packet that may be sent. Also, in some applications,
each packet in the burst may be the same size, however in other
applications, packets within a burst may be sized differently.
[0039] In another implementation, transmitter 202 may delay, after
live ping 210 is received, transmission of a new ping (e.g., new
pings 214) for an additional backoff duration (e.g., backoff
duration 216). Backoff duration 216 may be a random duration. If
the number of devices in the environment is large enough that the
channel on which the devices are communicating cannot be shared at
the desired ping rate without collisions, applying the delay
duration may effectively reduce the ping rate (i.e., increase N) by
spacing out the transmissions. However, in this situation,
transmitting devices may constantly be in contention. Random
backoff duration 216 may help ensure that contending devices still
discover other devices equally. In other words, delay duration and
backoff duration 216 may be configured to prevent pings from
colliding for up to N/(B*M) devices, where N is a transmit interval
(e.g., transmit interval 208), B is the burst interval, and M is
the number of packets in the ping (e.g., live ping 210).
[0040] In another embodiment, and for example, both monitoring
system 10 (which may also be a monitoring device) and remote device
126, the radio (e.g., RF module which may include a transmitter
and/or receiver) may be configured to operate within the 2.4 GHz
industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. Further, the radio
may use 2 FSK (frequency-shift keying) with no Manchester encoding,
a frequency deviation of 140 kHz, and a data rate of 250 kbps. The
tag (e.g., monitoring system 10) may be capable of a max output
power of 1 dBm, while the base station (e.g., base station 124) may
be capable of up to 0 dBm. A four byte preamble, four byte sync
word, and 16 bit CRC (cyclic redundancy check) may be included in
each packet.
[0041] Channel sharing may be limited to time division schemes
based on the assessment and backoff described above. Based on
typical usage, transmitter duty cycle for a single device (e.g.,
monitoring system 10) may be less than 6% in ping mode. While in
file transfer mode, the transmitter uses as much of the channel as
possible, with carrier sense before each transmission to avoid
collisions.
[0042] Further, in ping mode, there may be no opportunity for
frequency diversity because it may be desired that devices discover
each other quickly and with minimal power. Therefore, all devices
may ping on one default channel. However, in file transfer mode,
both devices may have an opportunity to synchronize with one
another for the duration of the file transfer. At this point, some
frequency agility may be possible to avoid channels with heavy
traffic and increase the reliability of the protocol. When it is
time to initiate a file transfer, the base station may send out
notification of its preferred file transfer channel in the file
transfer request ping. Then, it may begin operating in file
transfer mode on this new channel. The tag addressed by the file
transfer request may also switch to the new channel and enter file
transfer mode. On failure or completion of the file transfer, both
devices may revert to ping mode on the default channel. Failure
also may result in the base station moving the preferred file
transfer channel to the next in a rotating list.
Activity State Classification
[0043] Ping mode may allow each device (e.g., monitoring device 10
and/or remote device 126) in an environment to maintain up-to-date
knowledge about the presence of other devices. The environment may
be an area in which there are multiple devices (e.g. monitoring
device 10 and/or remote device 126) that are discoverable to one
another. The environment may also be referred to as a network.
Further, ping mode may be optimized such that real-time activity
classification may be used to dynamically adjust ping periods, such
that the average ping period for each discoverable device in the
network is maximized, while reliable device discovery is
maintained. In other words, shorter ping periods (i.e., faster ping
rates) may be necessary when devices are in a state of motion. This
may cause frequent changes to the network structure (i.e., ping
periods of each device) in the environment
[0044] For example, if two devices, or tags, (e.g., monitoring
device 10 and/or remote device 126) are passing by each other, then
at least one of the devices must broadcast its ping during the
limited time period when the devices are proximate in order for the
devices to discover each other and for the encounter to be
registered. On the other hand, if the two tags are stationary, the
network structure is unlikely to change and the ping periods may be
increased (i.e., the ping rates decreased). In other words, ping
rates may be increased with increased movement to enhance
discoverability. Maximization of the average ping period of each
device in the system may result in saving power as the transmitter
may be duty cycled for longer periods of time when devices are
moving slowly, or are stationary.
[0045] Referring now to FIGS. 5-7 there is shown an activity state
classification process 500. Monitoring device 600 may be similar to
monitoring system and/or device 10, may include any of the features
thereof, and may be a tag worn by a human. Monitoring device 600
may be worn as a bracelet around the wrist, as a necklace around
the neck, or may be otherwise attached to a human. For exemplary
purposes, monitoring device 600 is shown as being worn by a human
(e.g., human 614), however other configurations are possible.
Similarly, monitoring device 600 may be worn by a pet animal, such
as a dog. Similar to monitoring system 10, monitoring device 600
may include one or more sensors (e.g., sensor 602), a receiver
(e.g. receiver 604), a transmitter (e.g., transmitter 606), a
controller (e.g., controller 608) and a battery (e.g., battery
610). Controller 608 may be similar to IMC 102 of monitoring system
10. In some embodiments, controller 608 may be any type of
microcontroller, microprocessor, or processor configured to perform
the operations described herein. Further receiver 604 and
transmitter 606 may be included in a single module, such as a
transceiver or RF module. Similarly, receiver 604, transmitter 606,
and controller 608 may be part of the same module, such as IMC/RF
module 102 of monitoring system 10.
[0046] Controller 608 may receive 502 signal 612 from sensor 602.
Sensor 602 may be attached to an object (e.g., human 614, an
animal, a gurney, a hospital bed, a wheelchair, an intravenous pump
machine, a cleaning cart, a car, etc.) via monitoring device 600.
In some embodiments, sensor 602 may be attached to the object by
itself, independent of monitoring device 600. In such systems,
sensor 602 may communicate with a controller (e.g., controller 608)
wirelessly in order for the controller to receive the signal.
Sensor 602 may also simply travel with the object, or may otherwise
be configured to sense a characteristic of the object. Signal 612
may represent a characteristic of the object. For example, signal
612 may represent an acceleration, a deceleration, a velocity, an
orientation, a feature derived from image processing, a feature
derived from RF signal processing, a feature derived from a GPS, a
feature derived from a cell tower triangulation, a vibration, a
tilt, a feature derived from an acoustic signal, a feature of a
dead reckoning system, a switch, a feature of a visible light
detector, and a feature of a received infrared signal.
[0047] Further, controller 608 may classify 504 activity state 702
of the object (e.g., human 614) based upon, at least in part, the
characteristic. Activity state 702 may be indicative of a movement
of the object (e.g., human 614). For example, and as shown in FIG.
7, activity state 702 of human 614 may be classified as inactive
(S.sub.I), low activity (S.sub.L), walking (S.sub.W), jogging
(S.sub.J), or running (S.sub.R). If the object were a dog, the
activity state of the dog may additionally be classified as
trotting (S.sub.T) or galloping (S.sub.G). Other states may include
sprinting, biking, rolling, driving, sliding, and being carried.
Activity states may have different classifications for a number of
different objects such as different animals, hospital equipment,
cars, planes, etc., based upon the types of movement these objects
may undertake. Activity states may be defined by observing
movements of each object and classifying them. When classifying
activity state 702, based upon the characteristic, controller 608
may do so by using values of the characteristic, which may be
derived from signal 612.
[0048] Additionally, controller 608 may determine 506 locomotive
rate 704. Locomotive rate 704 (L) may correspond to activity state
702 of the object (e.g. human 614). Locomotive rate 704 may be used
to calculate locomotion (LO), or the total (i.e., integral) amount
of motion (i.e., movement) of the object (e.g., human 614) over a
period of time (i.e., a sample interval, D). In other words, the
total movement of an object from time1 (t1) to time2 (t2) (e.g.,
D.sub.t1,t2) may be LO.sub.t1,t2. Locomotion may not depend on the
path of the movement of the object. Since locomotion may be the
total movement of the object, L.sub.t1,t2 may be greater than or
equal to D.sub.t1,t2. Several methods may be used to calculate L
from the sensor signal and/or other measurements. For example,
accelerometer readings may be integrated to approximate velocity
over a period of time (i.e., a sample interval). Another method may
take advantage of the activity state classification described
above. For example, given an activity state (e.g., activity state
702, S), locomotive rate 704 of that state, L.sub.S, may be defined
by looking up a value in a table (e.g., FIG. 7) indexed by S.
Controller 608 may look up locomotive rate 704, corresponding to
activity state 702, or any other values in the table of FIG. 7, and
may use those values to make further calculations. A table such as
that in FIG. 7 may be stored in flash memory which may be included
in monitoring device 600.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, each activity state 702 may have
corresponding locomotive rate 704. Where the activity state is
"inactive" (S.sub.i), the locomotive rate (L.sub.i) may be
approximated at 0.0001 m/s. It should be noted that all values in
FIG. 7 are shown for exemplary purposes only. Values for locomotive
rate 704 may be calculated through research and empirical methods,
measured, averaged, or experimentally found, for any type of
object. For example, if a human (e.g., human 614) has an activity
state of "walking", the locomotive rate (L.sub.w) may have been
approximated, or statistically calculated to be on average 1
m/s.
[0050] The table in FIG. 7 may include values for other parameters
including but not limited to those shown in FIG. 7. One such
parameter may be device range 706. In some systems, each device in
the environment may have the same device range. In other systems,
the device range of each device may be different. Device range 706
may be a maximum distance that a device's (e.g., monitoring device
600) pings may travel while still being receivable at a receiver of
another device. In other words, device range 706 may be a maximum
distance away from another device, at which the device (e.g.,
monitoring device 600) is still discoverable to the other
device.
[0051] Controller 608 may calculate 508 a ping period (e.g., ping
period 708) based upon, a least in part, locomotive rate 704. Ping
period 708 (N) may be a number of seconds per ping period unit. As
shown in FIG. 7, ping period 708 may be defined in terms of unit
time over ping period unit (i.e., s/ping period unit). Given
activity state 702, locomotive rate 704, and device range 706,
controller 608 may calculate ping period 708 (N) using Formula 1
(below).
N(s/ping period unit)=R(m/ping period unit)/L(m/s) Formula 1
[0052] In some embodiments, controller 608 may calculate ping rate.
Further, in some systems, it may be necessary to bound the formula.
To bound the formula, constants, C1, and/or C2 may be used. C1 may
be a lower limit, and may ensure that ping period 708 (N) is not
shorter than the time it takes to burst the ping itself (e.g., B*M,
as discussed above). C2 may be an upper limit, and may ensure that
devices (e.g., monitoring device 600) that may leave the network
(i.e., environment) for reasons other than movement may be
detected. For example if a device (e.g., monitoring device 600)
loses power, it may lead to a time between pings that is greater
than the maximum period. The values C1 and C2 may be specific to
each particular application or each particular object (e.g., human
614, a dog, a car, etc.). When using the two constants C1 and C2,
controller 608 may calculate ping period 708 (N) using Formula 2
(below).
N (s/ping period unit)=min(max(R(m/ping period unit)/L(m/s),
C.sub.1), C.sub.2) Formula 2
[0053] In some embodiments controller 608 may calculate ping period
708 (N) using only C1 or only C2. Moreover, controller 608 may duty
cycle a transmitter (e.g., transmitter 606) based upon, at least in
part, ping period 708. In other words controller 608 may turn
transmitter 606 "on" and "off" based on ping period 708. If
locomotive rate 704 is relatively low (i.e., the activity state is
inactive) and in turn Formula 2 yields a high ping period (N),
controller 608 may turn transmitter 606 to an "off" (or otherwise
inactive, asleep, or using less power) mode for longer periods of
time. Conversely, if locomotive rate 704 is relatively high (i.e.,
the activity state is jogging or running) and in turn Formula 2
yields a low ping period (N), controller 608 may turn transmitter
606 to an "on" (or otherwise active, awake, or using more power)
mode for longer periods of time. In this way, controller 608 may be
configured to efficiently use transmitter 606 to be discovered by
other devices in the environment while saving power.
[0054] Moreover controller 608 may be configured to cause
transmitter 606 to transmit 512 pings based upon, at least in part,
ping period 708. For example, if locomotive rate 704 is increased
(i.e., the object is moving faster), controller 608 may decrease
the amount of time between each ping (i.e., decrease the ping
period) transmitted. In other words, controller 608 may increase
the ping rate of transmitter 606. If locomotive rate 704 is
decreased (i.e., the object is moving slower), controller 608 may
increase the amount of time between each ping (i.e., increase the
ping period). In other words, controller 608 may decrease the ping
rate of transmitter 606. In one embodiment, at least one packet of
at least one of the pings transmitted by transmitter 606 may
include information representing the activity state (e.g., activity
state 702) of the object (e.g., human 614).
[0055] In this way, controller 608 may be configured to use
transmitter power efficiently, while still allowing other devices
in the environment to discover it. As such, controller 608 may
maximize discoverability by increasing ping rates during high
periods of locomotion while minimizing power consumption through
reducing transmissions of pings during low states of
locomotion.
[0056] In another embodiment, controller 608 may decrease the ping
period of pings transmitted by transmitter 606 based upon, at least
in part, a change in the activity state of the object. Further,
controller 608 may increase the ping period of pings transmitted by
transmitter 606 based upon, at least in part, a change in the
activity state of the object. In this situation, controller 608 may
control the ping period of pings transmitted by transmitter 606
without use of the locomotive rate.
[0057] In one implementation, controller 608 may dynamically adjust
the ping period of the transmitter based upon, at least in part, a
real-time activity state classification of the object. The
real-time activity state classification may be based upon, at least
in part, the characteristic. As discussed above controller 608 may
classify 504 activity state 702 of the object (e.g., human 614)
based upon, at least in part, the characteristic. If controller 608
continuously runs an activity state classifier (i.e., continuously
classifies the activity state of the object), it may continuously
use locomotive rate 704 to calculate the ping period. In this way,
controller 608 may dynamically adjust the ping period or ping rate
of transmitter 606.
[0058] Various operations and features have been described above,
however some embodiments may not require each operation and/or
feature. For example, controller 608 may duty cycle transmitter 606
based upon, at least in part, the characteristic which is
represented by signal 612, without using locomotive rate 704.
Controller 608 may also use signal 612 to directly control the duty
cycling of transmitter 606. In other embodiments, ping period 708
may be calculated based upon, at least in part, the characteristic.
Controller 608 may calculate ping period 708 without using
locomotive rate 704.
[0059] In one implementation controller 608 may regulate power
drawn from a battery (e.g., battery 610) based upon, at least in
part, the characteristic, or signal 612. For example, controller
608 may regulate the power that transmitter 606 draws from battery
610 by duty cycling transmitter 606 and/or controlling the
transmission of pings transmitted by transmitter 606 based upon the
characteristic, or signal 612. Further a voltage regulator, which
may be part of power management circuitry 116 may be used to
regulate power drawn from the battery based upon the
characteristic, or signal 612. Additionally, controller 608 may be
configured to regulate power drawn from the battery 610 based upon,
at least in part, activity state 702.
[0060] Some of the embodiments described above may be implemented
as software modules executed by a processor of a computing system,
and/or in a computer program product that may be stored on a
storage device, storage medium, or computer readable medium having
instructions that when executed by a processor perform portions of
the discovery process above. The storage device, storage medium, or
computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, any
type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, compact disk
read only memories (CD-ROMS), compact disk rewritables (CD-RWs),
magneto-optical disks, semiconductor devices such as read-only
memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) such as dynamic and
static RAMs, electronically erasable programmable read-only
memories (EEPROMs), flash memories, magnetic or optical cards, or
any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.
Other embodiments may be implemented as software modules executed
by a programmable control device.
[0061] A number of implementations have been described.
Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may
be made. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of
the following claims.
* * * * *