Patent Application
20050119020
This invention relates to an automatically information-collecting method and information-collecting system, and in particular, to a method and system that use short message of a mobile unit to collect information.
Following the liberating trend of universal communication, the wireless communication industry booms in recent year. The system service of the communication industry becomes very diversified, and the generation of new mobile products is so fast that how to test the mobile unit efficiently becomes an important issue.
When a mobile unit manufacture is developing a mobile unit, a series of tests to verify the stability of the mobile unit is essential. However, during the final period of the development, when most major issues have been solved, the remaining ones are related to the problems of cellular system operator or the stability of the mobile unit. Such problems may be happened randomly, so research engineers have to make field tests to obtain sufficient testing sample as debugging accordance. However, such debugging manner needs experienced engineers to operate advanced instruments. It is very laborious and not easy to collect useful samples for debugging the problem of the mobile unit or the cellular system. The most problem of the cellular system are such as the communication dead corners, wireless network plan analysis, or the monitoring system capacity. There are also further applications, for example, the monitoring of traffic flow. The present invention can solve the problems mentioned above and also provide application in a cost-saving manner.
The main objective of the invention is to provide an automatic information-collecting method and system thereof. The mobile unit in a cellular system automatically collects information and sending the information by short message(s). The information may be erroneous information when the mobile unit makes filed testing.
The information-collecting system includes: a mobile unit and an information-collecting device. The mobile unit and the information-collecting device may be using in a cellular system. The mobile unit is used for detecting purpose and temporarily stores the report data. The mobile unit is selectively switched between a first mode and a second mode. Normally, the mobile unit stays in the first mode for normal operations. When the mobile unit detects a triggering condition, the mobile unit switches to the second mode and, through the mobile cellular system, the report data is transmitted to the information-collecting device by a short message(s). As the report data has delivered, the mobile unit releases the triggering condition and switches back to the first mode. The information-collecting device receives the short message(s) then analysis them for performing a calculation in a predetermined manner to obtain relative system parameters of the mobile cellular system.
The automatic information-collecting method, which based on mobile unit's short messages to interchange information, can be applied in an information-collecting system, the information-collecting system including, a information-collecting device and a mobile unit, the mobile unit selectively switching between a first mode and a second modes a detecting unit, a control unit and a memory unit, the automatic information-collecting method includes the following steps: a). when the detecting unit detects a triggering condition, a corresponding data is stored into the memory unit; b). when the control unit detects a reporting condition, the mobile unit is switched to the second mode; c). checking whether there is data in the memory unit and, if the condition is “No”, then the mobile unit is set back to the first mode; d). if data exists, then the data is transmitted to the information-collecting device by a short message(s), and then the mobile unit is switched back to the first mode again; e). the information-collecting unit analyzes the data for the purpose of inquiry.
To make your esteemed members of reviewing committee further recognize and understand the characteristic, objective, and function of the invention, a detailed description cooperating with corresponding drawing is presented thereinafter.
For your esteemed members of reviewing committee to further understand and recognize the fulfilled functions and structural characteristics of the invention, several preferable embodiments cooperating with detailed description are presented as the follows.
The main purpose of the invention is for a mobile unit collecting information in the field and reporting the information by a short message(s). When the mobile unit is in a reporting status, the mobile unit has not to be in a communication state.
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An embodiment is presented now to describe how an information-collecting system collects the information of the switching position and the switching time when the mobile unit 11 switches the base 12. The triggering condition happens when the mobile unit 11 switches base 12, for example, the mobile unit 11 being switched from the base 12a to the base 12b. The position unit 116 records the coordinate and sends it to the control unit 113 when a switching occurred. The detecting unit 114 detects the base's identity when the switching occurred and sends it to the control unit 113. In addition, the timer 115 sends the switching time to the control unit 113. The control unit 113 records the coordinate, the time, and the base's identity into the first memory unit 112 during each time when the mobile unit 11 is switching the base 12. In this embodiment, the reporting time is preset as one hour, so when the transferring time calculated by the timer is reached, the control unit 113 will switch the mobile unit 11 into a second mode, then the switching information is transmitted out as a short message(s) by the preset phone number or IP address of the information-collecting device 14. The base 12 sends the short message(s) desired to be sent to the short message service center 13 for an arrangement then, according to the phone number of the information-collecting device 14, the short message service center 13 sends the arranged information to the information-collecting device 14 through the base 13. With such mechanism, the mobile unit 11 uses a short message(s) to transfer the data desired to be collected to the information-collecting device 14.
After receiving the short message transmitted from the mobile unit 11, the information-collecting device 14 will store the short-message's information in the second memory unit 142 and categorize the information according to the phone number associated to the mobile unit 11. In this embodiment, the information stored in the second memory 142 is the information about the mobile unit 11 switching the base, so a data-analyzing unit 143 may be further used to read the relative information of the second memory 142 to perform a predetermined operation. For example, when the switching position and the switching time of the base 12 are known, it is possible to allocate the actual switching boundary between the bases 12 or to determine whether the switching boundary is changed according to time, so such kind of information may be used for the adjustment to the system.
In other preferred embodiments, the triggering condition may be one of as follows: the hardware error and the software error occurred in the mobile unit 11, the down times of the mobile unit 11, and other system error information desired to be collected by the mobile unit manufacturer. The reporting time may be one of as: an appropriate time interval past by, memory unit of the mobile unit is full, and the mobile unit 11 is rebooted. The information corresponding to the triggering condition may be: the hardware identifying code of the mobile unit 11, the hardware version of the mobile unit 11, the information describing the triggering condition, the codes corresponding to the triggering condition, and the location of the mobile unit 11. In this preferred embodiment, the triggering condition, the reporting time, and the information corresponding to the triggering condition are preset already in the mobile unit 11 before the test, so, when the triggering condition and the reporting time are met, the information corresponding to the triggering condition is therefore transmitted to the information-collecting device 14, however, these parameters may also be set with the short message through the base 12.
The present invention may also be adapted for detecting the moving speed of the mobile unit 11, that is, the reporting short message of the mobile unit 11 may include the position of the mobile unit 11 and the time, with the time difference and the position difference, the moving speed of the mobile unit 11 can be obtained, and this information can be used as a prediction for the traffic situation in the area around the mobile unit 11.
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Step 41: Mobile unit 11 is set in a first mode that is a mobile unit mode, in which the mobile unit 11 is under a general communication state;
Step 42: When the detecting unit 114 detects the triggering condition, a corresponding data is stored into the first memory unit 112, wherein the triggering condition may be: the hardware error or the software error occurred in the mobile unit 11, the number of the system errors of the mobile unit 11, and the other error information desired to be collected by the mobile unit manufacturer, and the information corresponding to the triggering condition can be one of: the hardware identifying code of mobile unit 11, the hardware, version of the mobile unit 11, the information describing the triggering condition, the code corresponding to the triggering condition, and the position of the mobile unit 11;
Step 43: When the control unit 113 detects a reporting time, the mobile unit 11 is switched to the second mode, which is a reporting mode that may automatically report the data in the first memory unit 112, and the reporting time may be preset as on of the following situations: an appropriate time period passed, the first memory of the mobile unit 11 is full, and the mobile unit 11 is rebooted;
Step 44: Checking whether there is data in the first memory unit 112 and, if there is no data, then the control unit 113 will switch the mobile unit 11 into the first mode;
Step 45: If data exists in the first memory unit 112, then a short message is used to transmit the data to the information-collecting device 14, and the mobile unit 11 is then switched back to the first mode;
Step 46: With the communication unit 141, the data-collecting unit 14 collects the short messaged sent out by the mobile unit 11, and the short message is stored in the second memory unit 142, wherein the short message may be one of the Short Message Service (SMS), Electronic Message Service (EMS), or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and, through the short message service center, the short massage may further be connected to the Internet network 22 and be transmitted to the data-collecting unit 14;
Step 47: The data-analyzing unit 143 performs an operation to the data in the second memory unit 142 to obtain the results desired to be analyzed.
However, the above description is only the preferable embodiment according to the present invention, and it should not be regarded as a limitation to the executing range of the invention. Any equivalent variation and modification made according to the claims claimed by the invention should be included within the ranges covered by the invention patent. Please your esteemed members of reviewing committee examine this application as carefully and favorably as possible and grant it as a formal patent the sooner the better.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92133776 | Dec 2003 | TW | national |
