Patent Application
20150327168
The invention relates to adjustment of a measurement interval of the one or more sensors for obtaining sensor data and a transmission interval of the wireless transceiver for transmitting the sensor data in a mobile apparatus.
A mobile apparatus has a limited battery capacity. Measurements with sensors and wireless transmission of sensor data consume battery. In order to conserve battery, two power management schemes are known in the prior art: measurement and transmission are performed according to a predetermined timing, or sensor data measured with one sensor invokes another sensor to perform further measurements. However, such schemes are relatively primitive: they may maximize the duration of the battery, but do not necessarily provide the right kind of sensor data at the right time.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile apparatus comprising: a battery to provide electric energy for operation of the mobile apparatus; a wireless transceiver to communicate with the outside world; one or more sensors to measure the environment of the mobile apparatus; one or more processors; and one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the mobile apparatus at least to: obtain sensor data from the one or more sensors; obtain wireless data with the wireless transceiver; and adjust repeatedly a measurement interval of the one or more sensors for obtaining the sensor data and a transmission interval of the wireless transceiver for transmitting the sensor data on the basis of the obtained sensor data and the obtained wireless data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program comprising computer program code which, when loaded into a mobile apparatus causes the mobile apparatus to perform: obtain sensor data from one or more sensors; obtain wireless data with a wireless transceiver; transmit the sensor data with the wireless transceiver; and adjust repeatedly a measurement interval of the one or more sensors for obtaining sensor data and a transmission interval of the wireless transceiver for transmitting the sensor data on the basis of the obtained sensor data and the obtained wireless data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising: obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors; obtaining wireless data with a wireless transceiver; transmitting the sensor data with the wireless transceiver; and adjusting repeatedly a measurement interval of the one or more sensors for obtaining sensor data and a transmission interval of the wireless transceiver for transmitting the sensor data on the basis of the obtained sensor data and the obtained wireless data.
Example embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
The following embodiments are only examples. Although the specification may refer to “an” embodiment in several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Furthermore, words “comprising” and “including” should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been mentioned and such embodiments may contain also features/structures that have not been specifically mentioned.
It should be noted that while Figures illustrate various embodiments of a mobile apparatus 100, they are simplified block diagrams that only show some structures and functional entities. The connections shown in these Figures are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the described mobile apparatus 100 may also comprise other functions and structures. It should be appreciated that details of some functions, structures, and the protocols used for communication are irrelevant to the actual invention. Therefore, they need not be discussed in more detail here. Although the mobile apparatus 100 has been depicted as comprising separate single entities, different parts may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities; it all depends on design choices and the required level of integration.
In an example embodiment, the computing resource 130 is any resource capable of processing information obtained from the computing resource 130 or information intended for the computing resource 130 such as a computer, a server computer, a cluster of computers, a computing cloud, a centralized computing resource, or a distributed computing resource. In an example embodiment, the computing resource 130 is the server part of the client-server computing model that acts as distributed application which partitions tasks or workloads between the provider of a resource or service, called the server 130, and the service requester, called the client 140. The computing resource 130 may be a host that is running one or more server programs which share their resources with clients 140. The computing resource 130 may also operate according to the cloud computing model implementing the network-based service, which appears to be provided by real hardware, but is in fact provided by virtual hardware, simulated by software running on one or more real computers. Naturally, besides these example embodiments of the computing resource 130, other feasible computing architectures may be utilized as well to implement the hardware and software of the computing resource 130. Consequently, besides operating according to the client/server architecture, push technology may be utilized as well. In push technology, the request for a transaction is initiated by the computing resource 130, whereas with the pull technology the request for the information is initiated by the user device 140 (as in the client-server model). The computing resource 130 may comprise a network communication interface, one or more processors, and one or more memories including computer program code.
In an example embodiment, the user device 140 is a computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, phablet, mobile phone, smartphone, general-purpose mobile computing device, or some other electronic apparatus enabling user interaction, for example. In an example embodiment, the user device 140 is a general-purpose off-the-shelf computing device, as opposed to a purpose-build proprietary equipment, whereby research & development costs will be lower as only the special-purpose software (and not the hardware) needs to be designed, implemented and tested. In an example embodiment, the user device 140 is a smartphone or a tablet employing a multi-touch display and a suitable operating system such as iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, for example. The user device 140 may comprise a user interface, a wireless transceiver, one or more processors, and one or more memories including computer program code. As illustrated in
The mobile apparatus 100 comprises a battery 210 to provide electric energy for operation of the mobile apparatus 100, a wireless transceiver 200 to communicate with the outside world, one or more sensors 206, 208 to measure the environment of the mobile apparatus 100, one or more processors 202, and one or more memories 204 including computer program code 240A.
The battery 210 may be an electric battery converting stored chemical energy into electrical energy. The electric battery may be rechargeable. In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100 may comprise a power interface 214 to receive electrical energy for charging the battery 210. The power interface 214 may couple the mobile apparatus 100 to mains electricity, to a charger connector in a vehicle, or to some other power source enabling the charging of the battery 210. If mains electricity is used, the mobile apparatus 100 may further comprise a transformer. In Finland, for example, the transformer may transform an alternating current with 230 Volts input voltage into lower output voltage of 3 Volts, for example. It is to be noted that even if the mobile apparatus 100 comprises the power interface 214, the mobile apparatus 100 is normally not coupled to a power source, meaning that the mobile apparatus 100 needs to run on its battery 210, although, sporadically, it may be plugged to the power source.
In an example embodiment, the wireless transceiver 200 is a radio transceiver.
In an example embodiment, the wireless transceiver 200 comprises a radio transceiver interoperable with various wireless standard/non-standard/proprietary communication networks 120 such as any mobile phone network, regardless of the generation (such as 2G, 3G, 4G, beyond 4G, etc.) such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), EGPRS (Enhanced GPRS), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System), 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project), IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), LTE (Long Term Evolution, LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), and other radio systems (in their present forms and/or in their evolution forms).
In an example embodiment, the communication network 120 supports the use of subscriber identity module (SIM), which may be an integrated circuit storing subscriber data, which is network-specific information used to authenticate and identify the subscriber on the cellular network. The subscriber identity module may be embedded into a removable SIM card. Consequently, the mobile apparatus 100 may include the SIM card (and a SIM card reader). Alternatively, the mobile apparatus 100 may include a virtual SIM card.
In an example embodiment, the wireless transceiver 200 comprises a short range radio transceiver, including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE (Low Energy), Wi-Fi, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard or its evolution versions (IEEE 802.11 ac etc.), for example.
It is to be noted that the mobile apparatus 100 may comprise either the radio transceiver interoperable with the communication network 120, and/or the short range radio transceiver.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100 may include a wired data interface, such as an Ethernet interface to a fixed data network.
The wireless transceiver 200 of the mobile apparatus 100 enables that sensor data 252 may be transmitted to and wireless data 254 may be obtained from far away, from different cities, countries or even continents.
As shown in
In an example embodiment, the sensor 206, 208 may be a converter that measures a physical quantity and converts it into an electrical signal. Such physical quantities may relate to temperature, humidity, speed, acceleration, or orientation, for example.
In an example embodiment, the sensor may 206, 208 also receive some external data and pass it on, or generate some further data on the basis of the external data. The external data may relate to positioning, for example.
In an example embodiment, the external data includes signals transmitted by satellites of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and/or location coordinates.
In an example embodiment, the external data includes signals relating to the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is an automatic tracking system used on ships for identifying and locating vessels.
In an example embodiment, the sensor 206, 208 may comprise the processor 204 processing the sensor information 210, 212.
In an example embodiment, the processor 204 is a part of a microcontroller. In a further example embodiment, even the transceiver 200 is a part of the microcontroller chip.
As shown in
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100A is attachable to transport goods 300. The term ‘goods’ 300 comprises tangible property commodities, such as raw materials, products, and parts, for example.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100B is attachable to packaging 302 of the transport goods 300.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100C is attachable to a (shipping) container 304 used for shipment, storage and handling of the transport goods 300.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100D is attachable to a vehicle 306 used for transporting the transport goods 300. The term ‘vehicle’ 306 comprises cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats and aircraft, for example.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100 comprises a fastener 212, with which the mobile apparatus 100 may be attached to an object 300, 302, 304, 306, whereby monitoring of the conditions relating to and affecting the transport goods 300 is ensured.
As was explained earlier, with reference to
The term ‘processor’ 202 refers to a device that is capable of processing data, and the term ‘memory’ 204 refers to a device that is capable of storing data.
The processor 202 and the memory 204 may be implemented by an electronic circuitry.
In an example embodiment, the mobile apparatus 100 is encased in a housing enclosing and protecting the electronics of the mobile apparatus 100.
In an example embodiment, the processor 202 may be implemented as a microprocessor implementing functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on an integrated circuit. The CPU is a logic machine executing the computer program code 240A. The computer program code 240A may be coded using a programming language, which may be a high-level programming language, such as C, C++, or Java, or a low-level programming language, such as a machine language, or an assembler. The CPU may comprise a set of registers, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and a control unit (CU). The control unit is controlled by a sequence of code 240A transferred to the CPU from the working memory. The control unit may contain a number of microinstructions for basic operations. The implementation of the microinstructions may vary, depending on the CPU design. The microprocessor may also have an operating system (a dedicated operating system of an embedded system, or a real-time operating system), which may provide the computer program code 240A with system services.
A non-exhaustive list of implementation techniques for the processor 202 and the memory 204 includes, but is not limited to: logic components, standard integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), system-on-a-chip (SoC), application-specific standard products (ASSP), microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, special-purpose computer chips, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and other suitable electronics structures
The computer program code 240A may be implemented by software and/or hardware. In an example embodiment, the software may be written by a suitable programming language, and the resulting executable code 240A may be stored on the memory 204 and run by the processor 202. In an example embodiment, the functionality of the hardware may be designed by a suitable hardware description language (such as Verilog or VHDL), and transformed into a gate-level netlist (describing standard cells and the electrical connections between them), and after further phases the chip implementing the processor 202, memory 204 and the code 240A may be fabricated with photo masks describing the circuitry.
In an example embodiment, the processor 202 and the memory 204 are a part of a microcontroller.
The memory 204 may include a working memory and a non-volatile memory. Such memories may be implemented by a random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), a flash memory, a solid state disk (SSD), PROM (programmable read-only memory), a suitable semiconductor, or any other means of implementing an electrical computer memory.
In an example embodiment, described in
An example embodiment illustrated in
Now that the mobile apparatus 100 and its operation environment have been described, we may concentrate on describing the dynamic functionality of the mobile apparatus 100 with reference to
The one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 to obtain 230 sensor data 250 from the one or more sensors 206, 208, and to obtain 234 wireless data 254 with the wireless transceiver 200.
In addition, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 to adjust 232 repeatedly a measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and a transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250 on the basis of the obtained sensor data 250 and the obtained wireless data 254.
The ‘measurement interval’ determines the measuring sequence: the time intervals at which the sensors 206, 208 perform the measurement in order to obtain the sensor data 250. It is to be noted that there may be a common time interval utilized by all sensors 206, 208, and/or sensor-specific time intervals for each sensor 206, 208. The ‘transmission interval’ determines the transmission sequence: the time intervals at which the wireless transceiver 200 transmits the gathered sensor data 250, 252. It is to be noted that there may be a common time interval at which the mobile apparatus 100 transmits the gathered sensor data 250, possibly formulated into a predetermined reporting format, and possibly including, additionally or exclusively, summarized sensor data and/or conclusions. Alternatively or additionally, the common transmission interval may be overridden by sensor-specific or event-specific transmission requirements.
Consequently, by adjusting the measurement interval and the transmission interval on the basis of the both the sensor data 250 and the wireless data 254, the mobile apparatus 100 achieves a balance between the battery consumption 210 and the timeliness and/or precision of the generated and transmitted sensor data 250, 252.
Next, with reference to
The method starts in 400.
In 402, sensor data is obtained from one or more sensors.
In 404, wireless data is obtained with a wireless transceiver.
In 406, the sensor data is transmitted with the wireless transceiver.
In 408, a measurement interval 410 of the one or more sensors for obtaining sensor data and a transmission interval 412 of the wireless transceiver for transmitting the sensor data are adjusted repeatedly 414 on the basis of the obtained sensor data and the obtained wireless data.
The method ends in 416.
The already described example embodiments of the mobile apparatus 100 and the example embodiments that will be described in the following for the mobile apparatus 100 may be utilized to enhance the method with various further example embodiments. For the sake of keeping the description compact, the description that follows for
Next, with reference to
In an example embodiment illustrated in
The required operation time of the mobile apparatus 100 may be estimated while commissioning the mobile apparatus 100 and stored in configuration data 236 in the memory 204. Alternatively or additionally, the required operation time may be adjusted during the run-time in the mobile apparatus 100 on the basis of the information received in the wireless data 254, or in the computing resource 130 such that the adjusted required operation time is transmitted to the mobile apparatus 100 in the wireless data 254. In an example embodiment, the estimated required operation is based on the estimated time it takes for the transport goods 300 to travel from the starting point to the destination, possibly extended by a suitable safety margin.
If the estimated required operation time changes, the measurement interval and/or the transmission interval may be calculated anew on the basis of the adjusted required operation time.
In a further example embodiment illustrated in
The predetermined circumstances change condition may be expressed as one or more threshold values for the sensor data 250 and/or a reception of a specific command in the wireless data 254.
In an example embodiment, the provision of more frequent and/or more accurate sensor data 250, 252 may be ended if a timeout expires (meaning that operation 508 has lasted for a predetermined time period) or if the exceptional circumstances are restored back to normal 510, 512, whereupon operation 500 may resumed, or else if the exceptional circumstances continue 510, 514, operation 508 may be continued.
Next, with reference to
First, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A are further configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 further, in order to perform the adjustment 232, to lengthen 606 the measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252, if the sensor data 250 indicates that the mobile apparatus 100 remains stationary 600, 602. For example, sensor data 250 obtained from an acceleration sensor 206 may indicate that the mobile apparatus 100 does not move at all, whereupon it may assumed that the transport goods 300 are safe in a warehouse and the measurement may be relaxed a little bit: the sensor 208 receiving signals transmitted by satellites of a global navigation satellite system may be turned off after it has once established the stable location of the mobile apparatus 100. Only after the acceleration sensor 206 detects movement, needs the GNSS sensor 208 operate again. Also the transmission interval may be lengthened if the mobile apparatus 100 remains stationary, and the more so if the location is deemed safe.
If the condition of 600 is not fulfilled 604, or even if operation 606 is performed, the next check in 608 is entered. Second, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A are further configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 further, in order to perform the adjustment 232, to shorten or lengthen 614 the measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252, if the sensor data 250 indicates that the ambient temperature of the mobile apparatus 100 changes such that a predetermined temperature change condition is met 608, 610. In an example embodiment, if the ambient temperature drops, the measurement and transmission intervals may be lengthened in order to conserve the battery 210.
The predetermined temperature change condition may be expressed as one or more threshold values for the sensor data 250: a specific temperature limit in degree Celsius or Fahrenheit, for example.
If the condition of 608 is not fulfilled 612, or even if operation 614 is performed, the next check in 616 is entered. Third, in an example embodiment, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A are further configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 further, in order to perform the adjustment 232, to shorten 622 the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252, if the sensor data 250 indicates that the mobile apparatus 100 is subjected to an impact exceeding a predetermined impact threshold value and/or to a tilt exceeding a predetermined tilt angle threshold value 616, 618.
The predetermined impact threshold value and the predetermined tilt angle threshold may be expressed as one or more threshold values for the sensor data 250: a specific acceleration limit (in m/s2, ft/s2, g0, or cm/s2, for example), a specific tilt limit (in degrees, or radians, for example), or the tilt angle limit may also be expressed as forbidden orientations for the transport goods 300, packaging 302, container 304 or the vehicle 306. Acceleration and tilt checks may be important in order to detect and control possible damage to the transport goods 300, for example.
If the condition of 616 is not fulfilled 620, or even if operation 622 is performed, the next check in 624 is entered. Fourth, in an example embodiment, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A are further configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 further, in order to perform the adjustment 232, to shorten or lengthen 630 the measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252, such that the adjustment is based on sensor data 250 obtained from a sensor 206 having a predetermined high ranking rather than on sensor data 250 obtained from a sensor 208 having a predetermined low ranking 624, 626, wherein the predetermined high ranking is more relevant than the predetermined low ranking. For example: if the transport goods 300 are frozen goods, rise in temperature is more damaging to them than low to medium impacts, and therefore the temperature sensor is of high ranking whereas the acceleration sensor is of low ranking.
Next, with reference to
In an example embodiment, the one or more memories 204 and the computer program code 240A are further configured to, with the one or more processors 202, cause the mobile apparatus 100 further, in order to perform the adjustment 232, to obtain 404, 700 the wireless data 254 with the wireless transceiver 200 such that the wireless data 254 comprises geo-fence information relating to a specific geo-fence, and shorten or lengthen 408, 710 the measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252 on the basis of settings for the specific geo-fence, if the geo-fence information indicates that the mobile apparatus 100 is located within the specific geo-fence 702, 704, or shorten or lengthen 408, 716 the measurement interval of the one or more sensors 206, 208 for obtaining the sensor data 250 and the transmission interval of the wireless transceiver 200 for transmitting the sensor data 250, 252, if the geo-fence information indicates that the mobile apparatus 100 has left the specific geo-fence 712, 714.
As illustrated in
In an example embodiment illustrated in
In an example embodiment illustrated in
In an example embodiment illustrated in
In an example embodiment illustrated in
History data may gather former experiences such as a typical route of the transport or typical temperature or acceleration values during a specific sea route transport, for example, and then the mobile apparatus 100 may compare the present information with the history data, and if big enough differences are observed, measurement interval and the transmission interval may be shortened, relevant sensors 206, 208 may be activated, even an alarm may be raised etc.
The ‘big data’ refers to very complex and large data structures resulting from Internet of Things or Ubiquitous Computing comprising numerous identifiable objects, such as numerous mobile apparatuses 100 gathering vast amounts of sensor data around the world. In the transport use case, for example, the computing resource 130 may conclude, on the basis of the experiences from the other mobile apparatuses 170 in the same geographic location as the mobile apparatus 100, that the infrastructure providing a basis for the sensor data 250 such as the signal strength of the satellite-navigation satellites is so low that the relevant sensor 206 may be turned off for a longer interval than usual. In the same fashion, the base stations of the communication network 120 may have so low signal strength at a certain location that the wireless transceiver 200 may be turned off for a time it is estimated it takes for the mobile apparatus 100 to travel through the poor radio cell in order to save the battery 210.
In both cases, the history data and the big data are such that the computing resource 130 is capable of creating a bigger picture and fitting each individual mobile apparatus 100 scattered around the world in the bigger picture in order to determine which information is relevant and what each mobile apparatus 100 is likely to experience. In a way, the computing resource 130 will provide a prediction on the circumstances for the mobile apparatus 100 on the basis of the former experiences by the same mobile apparatus 100 or other mobile apparatuses 170 and on the basis of the present information provided by another computing resource 180 and other mobile apparatuses 170 at the present or future location of the mobile apparatus 100.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the example embodiments described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14167352.5 | May 2014 | EP | regional |
