Systems, apparatus, and methods of event monitoring for an event candidate within a wireless node network based upon sighting events, sporadic events, and benchmark checkpoint events

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017012829-A1
Application number	US-201615167001-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Jan 12, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Enhanced monitoring for an event candidate, as performed by a master node in a wireless node network with a server and at least one ID node, generally has the master node detecting a first signal broadcast by the ID node; identifying the event candidate as a first sighting event when detecting the first signal; generating and reporting event data representing the first sighting event (e.g., an ID node identifier, timing, and signal strength information); identifying the event candidate as a sporadic event related to the ID node when (1) there is no identified first benchmark checkpoint event related to the ID node and (2) there is no detected subsequent signal broadcast by the ID node within a gap time period from when the latest signal from the ID node was detected; generating and reporting event data representing the sporadic event (e.g., timing and signal strength information) if the master node identifies the sporadic event; determining a signal strength average value for certain subsequent successive ID node signals including the first signal as long as an elapsed time between each of the subsequent successive signals is less than the gap time; identifying the event candidate as a first benchmark checkpoint event representing the state of the ID node based upon the signal strength average value; and generating and reporting event data representing the benchmark checkpoint event (e.g., timing and signal strength information).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An enhanced monitoring system that identifies an event candidate within a wireless node network, the system comprising:
a server disposed at a top level within the wireless node network; a plurality of ID nodes disposed at a low level within the wireless node network, the ID nodes 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 nodes 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 and operative to track an elapsed time after an initiating event;
a first communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate directly with at least a first of the ID nodes 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 a first of the ID nodes broadcasts at least a first signal 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
detect, via the first communication interface, the first signal broadcast by the first of the ID nodes,
identify the event candidate as a first sighting event related to the first ID node when the master node detects the first signal,
generate event data representing the first sighting event after identifying the first sighting event, wherein the event data representing the first sighting event comprises an identifier of the first ID node and further comprises at least timing information and observed signal strength information characterizing the first sighting event,
cause the second communication interface to provide the event data representing the first sighting event to the server,
monitor, via the first communication interface, for any in a series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node within an event horizon for the first ID node after detecting the first signal,
track, via the timer, the elapsed time between successive ones of the first signal and any in the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node,
track a received signal strength indicator value for the first signal and any in the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node,
identify the event candidate as a subsequent event related to the first node and within the event horizon beginning with the first sighting event, the subsequent event being identified based upon timing information related to the elapsed time tracked by the timer and based upon observed signal strength information as indicated by the received signal strength indicator value,
generate event data representing the subsequent event as including at least the timing information related to the elapsed time tracked by the timer and based upon observed signal strength information as indicated by the received signal strength indicator value, and
cause the second communication interface to provide the event data representing the subsequent event to the server;
wherein the server receives the event data representing the first sighting event and the event data representing the subsequent event as summarized observations by the master node indicating a status of the first ID node.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent event comprises a sporadic event when:
(1) the master node has not identified a previous event within the event horizon to be a first benchmark checkpoint event representing detection of a threshold number of the signals within the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node; and (2) the master node has not detected, via the first communication interface, a subsequent signal broadcast by the first ID node before the elapsed time exceeds a gap time period when tracked by the time from when the master node detected a most recent in the series of successive signals from the first ID node.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent event comprises a first benchmark checkpoint event representing a detected online state of the first ID node when the master node detects, via the first communication interface, a threshold number of the signals within the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node and without the elapsed time between each of the threshold number of detected signals does not exceed a gap time period.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent event comprises an offline event when:
(1) the master node identified a previous event within the event horizon to be a first benchmark checkpoint event representing detection of a threshold number of the signals within the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node; and (2) the master node has not detected a subsequent signal broadcast by the first ID node when the elapsed time from when a most recent of the signals in the series of successive signals from the first ID node exceeds a gap time period.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent event comprises a new checkpoint event when:
(1) the master node has identified a previous event within the event horizon to be a first benchmark checkpoint event, wherein the first benchmark checkpoint event representing detection of an earlier threshold number of the signals within the series of successive signals broadcast by the first ID node; and (2) the master node detects a subsequent threshold number of the signals in the series of successive signals from the first ID node after identifying the first benchmark checkpoint event.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the master node is further operative to generate the event data representing the subsequent event and cause the second communication interface to provide the event data representing the subsequent event to the server by being further operative to:
generate the event data representing the new checkpoint event upon identifying a threshold number of previous checkpoint events; and cause the second communication interface to provide the event data representing the new checkpoint event to the server after identifying the threshold number of previous checkpoint events.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent event comprises a shift event when the master node is further operative to detect at least a threshold difference between the received signal strength indicator value for the new checkpoint event and the received signal strength indicator value for a previous benchmark checkpoint event.

8 . A master node apparatus for enhanced monitoring for an event candidate within a wireless node network having a plurality of ID nodes and a server, the master node apparatus comprising:
a node processing unit; a memory storage coupled to the node processing unit, the memory storage maintaining event detection engine code for execution by the node processing unit; a timer coupled to the node processing unit and operative to track an elapsed time after an initiating event; a first communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate with at least a first of the ID nodes over a first communication path; a second communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate with the server over a second communication path; and wherein the node processing uni

Assignees

• Fedex Corp Services Inc

Inventors

• Skaaksrud Ole-Petter
• Hollahan Terence

Classifications

• H04W24/10

  Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833

  Tracking · CPC title

• 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

• H04L41/32

  Specific management aspects for broadband networks · CPC title