Systems, apparatus, and methods of time gap related monitoring for an event candidate related to an ID node within a wireless node network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10491479-B2
Application number	US-201615167212-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A system for time gap based monitoring for identifying an event candidate within a server managed wireless node network may include an ID node monitored by a master node. The system's master node is operative to receive multiples signals from the ID node; and use a timer on the master node to determine time gaps between successive received signals. The master node then compares the signals to identify a change in an observed parameter of the signals; identifies the event candidate when at least one of the identified change in the observed parameter and the detected time gaps matches an event criteria related to the ID node; and then sends a message to the server reporting the event candidate relative to the ID node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enhanced time gap based monitoring system for identifying an even candidate within a wireless node network having a server, the system comprising:
at least one ID node disposed at a low level within the wireless node network, the ID node being incapable of communicating directly with the server;
a master node disposed at a middle level within the wireless node network as a monitoring intermediary between the ID node and the server, wherein the master node further comprises
a master node processing unit,
a memory storage coupled to the master node processing unit, the memory storage maintaining event detection engine code for execution by the master node processing unit,
a timer coupled to the node processing unit;
a first communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate directly the ID node over a first communication path;
a second communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate directly with the server over a second communication path, wherein the first communication path is distinct from the second communication path;

wherein the ID node broadcasts a plurality of signals over the first communication path; and
wherein the master node, when executing the event detection engine code on the master node processing unit, is operative to
receive, using the first communication interface, the plurality of signals broadcast from the ID node;
determine, using the timer, a plurality of time gaps between successive ones of the signals as the master node receives each of the signals broadcast from the ID node;
compare each of the signals to identify a change in an observed parameter of each of the signals;
identify the event candidate when at least one of the identified change in the observed parameter and the detected time gaps matches an event criteria related to the ID node; and
cause the second communication interface to send a message to the server reporting the event candidate relative to the ID node.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the message reported to the server represents a reduction of data obtained by the master node about the ID node from the plurality of signals, and summary information reflecting the change in the observed parameter of the signals over time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the change in the observed parameter of the signals comprises a detected shift between the signals based upon the observed parameter over time.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the observed parameter comprises an observed signal strength value as detected by the master node.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the event candidate reported to the server avoids the need for the master node to update the server with information about the signal strength value of each of the signals received by the master node from the ID node.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the observed parameter comprises a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) reflecting a signal strength as detected by the master node; and
wherein the master node compares each of the signals by comparing a received signal strength indicator value of a most recently received one of the signals to a moving average of the received signal strength indicator values of a rolling window of the previously received ones of the signals to identify the event candidate.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the event candidate comprises a shift event when the event criteria comprises a condition met when (a) the master node identifies the change in the observed parameter of the signals over time as reflecting a shift in the observed signal strength value for the signals over time and (b) the shift exceeds a threshold value.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the observed parameter comprises an observed shift in the signal strength value as received by the master node; and
wherein the master node is further operative to identify the event candidate and cause the second communication interface to send the message reporting the event candidate to the server by being operative to:
detect a beginning shift in received signal strength value when the observed shift in the signal strength value between the received plurality of signals is at least an initiating threshold value;
receive via the first communication interface at least one subsequent signal broadcast by the ID node after the first ID node broadcasts the received plurality of signals;
detect a continued shift in received signal strength value when the observed shift in the signal strength value between a last of the received plurality of signals compared to the received subsequent signal; and
cause the second communication interface to send the message to the server reporting the event candidate as a shift event only after detecting the beginning shift and if the detected continued shift is less than a continued event threshold value.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event candidate comprises an online event when the event criteria comprises a condition met when (a) the master node has received at least a threshold number of successive ones of the signals from the ID node and (b) the detected time gaps between the successive ones of the signals do not exceed a threshold time gap.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event candidate comprises an offline event when the event criteria comprises a condition met when (a) an elapsed time since the master node received a last of the signals is greater than a threshold time gap and (b) the master node previously identified an online event related to the rest of the signals received by the master node from the ID node.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event candidate comprises a sporadic event when the event criteria comprises a condition met when the master node has received at least a first of the signals but not a threshold number of successive ones of the signals within a defined period of time from when the master node detects the first signal using the first communication interface.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event candidate comprises a checkpoint event when the event criteria comprises a condition met when a periodic reporting interval ends and the master node detects at least one additional signal broadcast by the ID node using the first communication interface.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the master node is further operative to reduce the periodic reporting interval after the master node detects an alert flag reflecting a status of the ID node, the alert flag being part of at least one of the plurality of signals received using the first communication interface.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein periodic reporting interval comprises a time period adjustable by the master node.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein periodic reporting interval comprises a number of signal receptions adjustable by the master node.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the alert flag comprises a profile identifier indicating an alert profile being used by the ID node, the alert profile for the ID node being one of a plurality of operational profiles that govern advertising signal broadcasting operations by the ID node.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the master node is further operative to reset information collected by the master node based upon the signals after reporting the checkpoint event as the event candidate to the server to conserve use of memory on the master node.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the master node is further operative to:
identify a prof

Assignees

• Fedex Corp Services Inc

Inventors

• Skaaksrud Ole-Petter
• Hollahan Terence

Classifications

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833

  Tracking · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title