Body area network with transmit-only devices

Abstract

Configuring and utilizing a body area network (BAN) are provided. In a configuration phase, a configuration message for scheduling a plurality of transmit-only devices is transmitted such that during a data collection phase, each of the plurality of transmit-only devices is configured to transmit in an individually allocated time slot. In a data collection phase, a data collector device receives sensor data messages from the plurality of transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages comprising sensor data from the transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages being scheduled according to the configuration phase.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the configuration and operation of a body area network for capturing sensor data about a user. Background Art

[0002] Body area networks involve communication between at least one body-worn device and other body-worn devices or external devices. Most applications fall into the categories of personalized applications or medical applications. Personalized applications may include health, wellness, fitness, sports, etc., while medical applications have more stringent requirements in terms of data security, interoperability, and performance. To meet the body area network requirements for medical applications, there are several standardization efforts, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.6 standard. On the other hand, for personalized applications, there are no specific standards. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one or more illustrative examples, a method of configuring and utilizing a body area network (BAN) is provided. During a configuration phase, a configuration message is sent to schedule a plurality of transmit-only devices such that during a data collection phase, each of the plurality of transmit-only devices is configured to transmit in a separately assigned time slot. During the data collection phase, a data collector device receives sensor data messages from the plurality of transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages including sensor data from the transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages being scheduled according to the configuration phase.

[0004] In one or more illustrative examples, a system for configuring and utilizing a body area network (BAN) includes a plurality of transmit-only devices and a data collector device. During a configuration phase, the plurality of transmit-only devices are configured to receive configuration messages to schedule transmissions of the plurality of transmit-only devices such that during a data collection phase, each of the plurality of transmit-only devices is configured to transmit in a separately assigned time slot. During the data collection phase, the data collector device is configured to receive sensor data messages from the plurality of transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages including sensor data from the transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages being scheduled according to the configuration phase. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An example application in which a person wears several sensors on the body is illustrated;

[0006] Figure 2A A first body area network architecture is illustrated, wherein sensors and data collectors are on the body;

[0007] Figure 2B A second body area network architecture is illustrated, where the sensors are on the body and the data collectors are external devices;

[0008] Figure 2C A third body area network architecture is illustrated with multiple collectors on and off the body that are combined with sensors on the body;

[0009] Figure 2D illustrates a fourth body area network architecture having a general sensor device configured to both receive and transmit in addition to transmit-only devices;

[0010] Figure 2E illustrates further aspects of an example transmit-only device;

[0011] Figure 2F illustrates further aspects of an example data collector device;

[0012] Figure 2G illustrates further aspects of an example general purpose sensor device;

[0013] Figure 3 An example of a predetermined periodic wakeup of a transmitting-only device is illustrated;

[0014] Figure 4 An example of optimized periodic wakeup using a channel arbitration technique is illustrated;

[0015] Figure 5A An example of a configuration beacon message (Beacon C) is illustrated;

[0016] Figure 5B illustrates an example of a Configure Sensor (CS) message;

[0017] Figure 5C An example of a Configure Transmit (CT) message for a transmit-only device is illustrated;

[0018] Figure 5D An example of a data period beacon message (Beacon D) is illustrated;

[0019] Figure 5E An example of a sensor data message (DS) is illustrated;

[0020] Fig. 5F An example of transmitting only a data message (DT) is illustrated;

[0021] Figure 5G illustrates an example of periodic message scheduling for data transfer for a pipeline-less single radio receiver architecture;

[0022] Figure 5H illustrates an example of periodic message scheduling for data transfer in a pipeline-less single radio receiver architecture with a dedicated wakeup source;

[0023] Fig.5I illustrates an example of periodic message scheduling for data transfer in a pipelining-enabled, two separate receiver / single receiver device with two radios architecture;

[0024] Fig. 6A illustrates an example of a configuration beacon C message for an architecture including data aggregation;

[0025] Figure 6B illustrates an example of a CS message for an architecture including data aggregation;

[0026] Figure 6C An example of CT for a transmit-only device for an architecture including data aggregation is illustrated;

[0027] Fig.6D illustrates an example of a beacon D for an architecture including data aggregation;

[0028] Fig. 6E illustrates an example of a DS for an architecture including data aggregation;

[0029] Fig. 6F illustrates an example of a transmit data-only message (DT) for an architecture including data aggregation;

[0030] Figure 6G illustrates an example of periodic message scheduling for data transfer in a pipeline-enabled single-receiver architecture with data aggregation;

[0031] Figure 7 illustrates an example of periodic message scheduling for data transfer for an architecture including data aggregation; and

[0032] Figure 8 An example of a computing device for use in a body area network architecture is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, which may be embodied in various alternative forms. These figures are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the present invention in various ways.

[0034] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing low power wireless connectivity between a body worn device and a non-body worn device that communicates with the body worn device. Several applications such as health, wellness, fitness, sports, etc. require a user to wear one or more sensor devices on the body for providing sensor data. The sensor data can be used to measure and optimize attributes such as posture correction, exercise monitoring / recommendations, athletic performance, etc.

[0035] Body-worn sensors are often powered by batteries for the best user experience, and in some cases, the application itself also requires a battery. Since body-worn devices are often powered by batteries, the trade-off between power consumption and data rate / latency remains a key challenge. Therefore, low power consumption is very important, while meeting data rate, latency, and interoperability requirements is also very important.

[0036] In the present disclosure, sensors with transmit-only radios are used. Such devices can result in an order of magnitude of power savings for wireless communications compared to transceiver-based solutions. Depending on the use case, these transmit-only sensors can allow the sensor to be completely battery-free. Managing several transmit-only sensors and supporting the quality of service requirements of applications is not a trivial task. Further aspects of the present disclosure present methods to support these requirements.

[0037] Figure 1 102. An application in which a user wears several sensors 102 on the body is represented. These sensors 102 may be placed directly on the human body (e.g., with or without a housing) or may be embedded in a body-worn object (such as clothing, shoes, etc.). As shown, the user wears a headband sensor 102A on his head. The user also wears in-ear sensors 102B, 102C in either ear. The user also has a spine sensor 102D located on his spine and a chest sensor 102E located on his chest. The user also has a wrist sensor 102F, 102G located on each wrist and an ankle sensor 102H, 102I located on either ankle. The user also has a shoe sensor 102J located in his shoe. It should be noted that these sensors 102 are merely examples, and more, fewer, or differently positioned sensors 102 may be used.

[0038] At least one of the sensors 102 may utilize a transmit-only radio. A transmit-only radio may be configured to send transmissions but not receive transmissions. Thus, a transmit-only radio may be able to operate in a much lower power mode than a transceiver configured to also receive transmissions.

[0039] In some examples, one or more sensors 102 may support a wake-up radio. A wake-up radio refers to a system in which a receiver is configured to wake up in time to receive a radio transmission. This may be accomplished by adding a small companion receiver for the purpose of waking up the main connected radio. The small companion receiver may be referred to as a wake-up receiver. Since the wake-up receiver may only need to detect the presence of a wake-up signal and not need to decode complex information, the wake-up receiver may be implemented with a lower power design than a full receiver.

[0040] As a specific example, the sensor 102 can implement Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), for example, as a BLE transceiver with a wake-up radio and / or as a BLE transmit-only device. Such a radio is lower power than traditional BLE implementations while still being able to create and transmit BLE packets. A wake-up radio BLE transmitter typically consumes less additional energy than a BLE backscatter solution, but can create a standard-compliant transmit packet without requiring any excitation signal for data transmission. Such a transmit-only device may still require a wake-up signal for the wake-up radio. It should be noted that the use of BLE is merely an example, and the sensor 102 can implement other wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi, IEEE802.15.4, ultra-wideband (UWB), various proprietary protocols, and the like.

[0041] The sensor 102 can be powered by a power source such as a supercapacitor or a battery. In some cases, the sensor 102 can extract energy from ambient conditions. It should be noted that various wireless charging methods can be utilized during use of the sensor 102 device on the human body. After use, the sensor 102 can be recharged or the battery replaced.

[0042] Figures 2A-2D An example of a BAN 200 system architecture is illustrated. Figure 2A A first body area network 200A architecture is illustrated in which transmit-only devices 202A-E (collectively, transmit-only devices 202) and a data collector device 204 are located on the body. Figure 2B A second body area network 200B architecture is illustrated in which only the transmitting devices 202A-F are on the body and the data collector device 204 is an external device. Figure 2C A third body area network 200C architecture is illustrated having multiple data collector devices 204A, 204B located on and off the body, in combination with transmit-only devices 202A-E located on the body. Figure 2D A fourth body area network 200D is illustrated having a general sensor device 206 configured to both receive and transmit in addition to the transmit-only device 202. Figures 2A-2DAlthough not specifically noted, it should be noted that only the transmitting device 202 and the general sensor device 206 typically include the sensor 102 as described above.

[0043] Figure 2E Additional aspects of an example transmit-only device 202 are illustrated. As shown, the transmit-only device 202 may include at least one sensor 102, a microcontroller 208 (including a microprocessor, memory, and I / O for connecting to other peripherals), a power storage device 210, a transmitter 212, and an optional wake-up receiver 214. The sensor 102 may include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (such as an accelerometer or gyroscope), a pressure sensor, an optical sensor, etc. These sensors may be in the same location or may be distributed in areas of interest on the body (e.g., hands, chest, back, etc.).

[0044] The microcontroller 208 may be used to generate data packets and process sensor data. In addition, the sensor 102, the microcontroller 208, the radio transmitter 212, and the wake-up receiver 214 may be separate chips, circuits, devices, or packaged in a module. The transmitter 212 may be configured to transmit signals using various protocols (such as BLE, Wi-Fi, IEEE802.15.4, UWB, various proprietary protocols, etc.).

[0045] Only the transmitting device 202 can be powered by the power storage device 210. The power storage device 210 can be a normal battery, a super capacitor, or a rechargeable battery. For the rechargeable power option, the device can also utilize wired, wireless or ambient charging, obtain power from kinetic energy, etc.

[0046] The transmit-only device 202 may optionally include a wake-up receiver 214. The wake-up receiver 214 circuit may allow the transmit-only device 202 to receive a wake-up message (via a wake-up signal) or transmit a data packet. The wake-up signal may be provided using simple on-off keying. One such implementation utilizes a Manchester-encoded 125kHz waveform. The transmitted data packet signal may employ standard technology such as BLE, Wi-Fi, IEEE802.15.4, low-capacity 5G, or any other proprietary wireless protocol. The transmit-only device 202 may optionally utilize a wake-up circuit including at least an envelope detector for waking up only when the signal is above a given threshold. The transmit-only device 202 may also include a mode associator for waking up only when a message is addressed to a transmit-only node by utilizing a unique mode for each transmit-only device 202.

[0047] When the wake-up receiver 214 is used, the transmitting device 202 may also include an antenna switching circuit 228 (in Figure 2G shown in Figure 2E214). The antenna switching circuit 228 may allow the transmit-only device 202 to switch between a transmit mode utilizing the transmitter 212 and a receive mode in which the wake-up receiver 214 is active. When the antenna switching circuit 228 is in the transmit mode, the transmit-only device 202 may transmit raw or processed sensor data using the radio transmitter 212. The antenna switching circuit 228 remains in the receive mode by default to receive the wake-up mode (e.g., when not transmitting). The transmit-only device 202 may also employ machine learning and advanced signal processing techniques to process application-specific data derived directly from the sensor 102, such as step counting, personalized fitness tracking, swimming analysis, pedestrian always-on location tracking, etc. The transmit-only device 202 may also include additional human-machine interface (HMI) components, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), tactile devices, etc., for providing user feedback.

[0048] Figure 2F Additional aspects of an example data collector device 204 are illustrated. In some examples, the data collector device 204 can be placed on the body, but in other examples can be placed outside the body. The data collector device 204 can be used to receive and aggregate data from multiple transmit-only devices 202. The data collector device 204 may include a wireless transceiver 216 for receiving the transmitted data. The wireless transceiver 216 can use the same wireless technology as the transmit-only device 202 and / or other on-body universal sensor devices 206 using the wireless transceiver 216. In addition to the wireless transceiver 216 being able to use the same wireless technology as the transmit-only device 202, the wireless transceiver 216 can also support additional wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, BLE, IEEE802.15.4, cellular, etc., to allow the data collector device 204 to communicate with additional HMI devices 224 (such as a television, display screen, or tablet computing device). Additionally (although not shown), in some examples, the wireless transceiver 216 may employ only receiver circuitry to receive data packets from the transmit-only device 202 to reduce power consumption, device size, and cost.

[0049] For an optimal or immersive user experience, the data collector device 204 may include an HMI 218 for providing user feedback. The data collector device 204 may also include a microcontroller 208 for aggregating and processing sensor data for display or forwarding to an HMI device 224. The data collector device 204 itself may be battery powered, and may employ a rechargeable battery 222 that may be charged via wired or wireless means.

[0050] Figure 2GAdditional aspects of an example universal sensor device 206 are illustrated. Similar to the transmit-only device 202, the universal sensor device 206 may include at least one sensor 102, a microcontroller 208 (including a microprocessor, memory, and I / O for connecting to other peripheral devices), and a power storage device 210. However, the universal sensor device 206 may include a transceiver 226 instead of only a transmitter 212. It should be noted that in some cases, the transmit-only device 202 and the universal sensor device 206 may be a configuration of a single device. For example, some such devices may be able to be reconfigured as a transmit-only device 202 or a universal sensor device 206.

[0051] The antenna switching circuit 228 may allow the universal sensor device 206 to switch between receiving a wake-up message (via a wake-up signal) or transmitting a data packet. When the antenna switching circuit 228 is in the wake-up mode, the universal sensor device 206 may be able to receive the wake-up signal via the wireless transceiver 216. When the antenna switching circuit 228 is in the transmit mode, the transmit-only device 202 may transmit raw or processed sensor data using the wireless transceiver 216. This may allow the universal sensor device 206 to operate as discussed above with respect to the wake-up circuit 214 of the transmit-only device 202 or as discussed above using the wireless transceiver 216 of the data collector device 204.

[0052] Devices in BAN 200 can play various roles. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 2 , these roles may include a receiver device 302. A body area network 200 with transmit-only devices 202 includes at least two main devices: at least one transmit-only device 202 having a sensor 102; and a receiver device 302 configured to operate as a receiver of transmissions from the sensor 102. For complex functionality, the network may include several transmit-only devices 202 or a combination of several transmit-only devices 202 and a general sensor device 206 (i.e., a device having a wireless transceiver 216).

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown in , these roles may also include a wake-up device 402. The wake-up device 402 may be configured to provide a wake-up signal to a wake-up radio of the transmit-only device 202. As described above, a simple on-off keying may be used to provide the wake-up signal.

[0054] One or more devices of the body area network 200 can implement the role of the wake-up device 402. In one example, the wake-up device 402 can be implemented by one of the sensors 102. Or the data collector device 204 can be used as the wake-up device 402. In another example, the wake-up device 402 can be implemented as a dedicated device for generating a wake-up signal. In yet another example, the HMI device 224 can be used to generate the wake-up signal. For a more immersive or enhanced user experience, the BAN 200 can include such additional HMI devices 224 such as smart phones, tablets, TVs, connected screens, etc. The receiver device 302 can also be used to generate a wake-up signal to configure the transmitting-only device 202.

[0055] Standard wearable devices such as smart watches, rings, etc. may also be used as data collector devices 204. When a separate HMI device 224 is used, the data collector device 204 may simply be used as a sensor 102, while the HMI device 224 may be used as a receiver device 302 for all sensor data from the generic sensor device 206 and the transmit-only device 202. Alternatively, the HMI device 224 may generate a wake-up signal while the data collector device 204 is used as a receiver device 302. The data collector device 204 itself may generate a wake-up signal for configuring the transmit-only device 202 and for use as a receiver device 302 during a data communication cycle.

[0056] BAN 200 can uniformly implement the recording and / or analysis of data from sensors 102 for various applications. As some non-limiting examples, these applications may include: body motion capture applications for heading tracking (such as yoga) or bending tracking (such as running); posture correction and balance; daily activities such as walking, running, cycling, sleeping, etc.; fitness activities such as (full body) training, exercise, etc.; health activities such as yoga, dancing, meditation, etc.; sports activities such as football, boxing, basketball, cricket, badminton, tennis, table tennis, golf swing, swimming, etc.; and / or custom gestures such as pet activities (scratching), accessories (rings), skateboards, smart phone photos / QR code scanning, etc.

[0057] Reference again Figure 3 , illustrates an example of a scheduled periodic wakeup of a transmit-only device 202. The transmit-only device 202 may transmit sensor data when it has data to transmit, or may transmit periodically in response to expiration of a transmit timer, as shown.

[0058] For periodic transmission, each transmit-only device 202 can collect sensor data 304 within a predetermined time period, so that when the timer expires, the transmit-only device 202 transmits the sensor data 304. In an example, the time period can be random. The periodic interval time information can also be included in the data message, or the data collector device 204 can receive the first few initial messages from each transmit-only device 202 to infer its corresponding periodic time interval.

[0059] For random transmission, each transmit-only device 202 may collect data during a random time period, such that once the timer expires, the transmit-only device 202 transmits the data and the time interval for the next round of transmissions. Alternatively, the transmit-only device 202 may also wake up randomly and decide whether to transmit based on a random probability (e.g., taken from a uniform distribution between 0 and 1). If the probability is above a predefined threshold, such as 1 / n, where n is the total number of transmit-only devices 202, then the transmit-only device 202 may transmit, otherwise the transmit-only device 202 may not transmit. In response to the transmit-only device 202 determining not to transmit, the transmit-only device 202 may again wait for a shorter random time before recalculating the probability of transmission. This method is similar to p-persistent carrier sense multiple access (CSMA).

[0060] These methods may be sufficient when the number of transmitting only devices 202 is small and network utilization is low. However, if it is desired to support high data rates, additional methods may be utilized to perform channel arbitration.

[0061] One approach is to include a low power wake-up receiver 214 in each transmit-only device 202. The wake-up circuit can trigger the transmit-only device 202 to transmit in response to receiving a wake-up signal above a predefined threshold signal level. This can solve the problem of transmitting only at the time requested by the receiver of the data collector device 204. Therefore, through transmit power control, it can be ensured that only the transmit-only device 202 on the body will wake up and transmit. This approach may be acceptable if there is only one transmit-only device 202 on the body.

[0062] However, in the case of many transmit-only devices 202, an additional channel arbitration method may be needed to ensure that messages can be received from all transmit-only devices 202. Otherwise, transmit energy may be wasted if the messages are ignored or overlapped or otherwise cannot be received. This channel arbitration can be performed in a variety of ways, such as those shown below. One or more of these channel arbitration methods can be combined to further improve performance in the case of multiple transmit-only devices 202.

[0063] In one channel arbitration method, each transmit-only device 202 may randomly decide whether to transmit (e.g., when the transmit-only device 202 has data to transmit). When a transmit-only device 202 has no data to send, it may not need to transmit unless the time between the last transmission exceeds a predetermined transmission timeout. In this case, the transmit-only device 202 may still transmit a message to indicate that the transmit-only device 202 is still active.

[0064] In another channel arbitration method, each transmit-only device 202 can transmit on a different channel, so either we have multiple receivers at the receiver (e.g., operating on different channels) or we have a software radio that can receive all transmit-only messages simultaneously. Or the receiver can decide which transmit device to tune in. In this case, energy may be consumed on transmitting nodes that do not need to be listened to.

[0065] In another channel arbitration method, a node identifier (ID) may be encoded in a wake-up signal that is detected by a pattern correlator at the receiver. This may allow an indicated transmit-only node to respond while other transmit-only devices 202 ignore the wake-up message.

[0066] Figure 4 An example of an optimized periodic wakeup using a channel arbitration technique is illustrated. For example, a time offset can be piggybacked in the wakeup pattern along with the node ID to inform the transmitting-only device 202 of the time period during which it transmits. During normal transmission, the BAN 200 is not required to include a wakeup pattern, thereby reducing energy consumption and enhancing system capacity. To offset normal clock drift, such configuration messages can be sent from time to time. The configuration message can be sent from a dedicated device that sends the wakeup signal or from the receiver itself.

[0067] As shown, the receiver device 302 may send a periodic offset to the wake-up device 402. The wake-up device 402 may then send a configuration event to the transmit-only device 202, which may include a wake-up signal with a wake-up pattern and / or a periodic offset. Alternatively, the wake-up device 402 may send a configuration event to the transmit-only device 202, which may include a wake-up signal with a wake-up pattern and / or a periodic offset. In response to the periodic wake-up for data transfer to occur, the transmit-only device 202 may send message data.

[0068] Figures 5A-5I Aspects of the system protocol design and message formats (including message scheduling) are illustrated. Two approaches are discussed: a pipeline-free single radio architecture and a pipeline-enabled dual radio architecture.

[0069] In the pipeline-less single radio architecture, it is assumed that the receiver device 302 has only one radio and therefore all devices are scheduled sequentially. Initially a configuration phase is performed in which the controller device sends a beacon C (configuration) message to configure at least the transmit-only device 202. During the configuration phase, each general sensor device 206 and transmit-only device 202 is scheduled so that each of them can transmit in its respective assigned / calculated time slot during the data collection phase. If a dedicated source is used to generate the wake-up signal, the beacon can also be used to synchronize the device.

[0070] In a pipeline-enabled dual-radio architecture, it is assumed that there are two radios for receiving: one for the general sensor devices 206 and one for the transmit-only devices 202. The advantage of this architecture is that while the general sensor devices 206 are being configured, the transmit-only devices 202 can be configured in parallel on a separate channel (i.e., pipelined). Another advantage is that the duration of the data collection phase is shorter. Likewise, general sensor devices 206 and transmit-only devices 202 can be scheduled for each receiving radio. Thus, the system capacity can be doubled at the expense of adding one radio at the receiver. An alternative setup can utilize a collector to collect data from all general sensor devices 206 and an HMI / display device to collect data from all transmit-only devices 202 (or vice versa), where the data is aggregated at either end for analysis and / or user experience (UX).

[0071] Key messages for these architectures may include Beacon C messages, Configuration messages, Beacon D (Data) messages, and Data Collection messages.

[0072] Figure 5A An example of configuring a beacon message (Beacon C) is illustrated. As shown, the Beacon C message may include a physical header, a media access control (MAC) header, and / or other optional headers or optional data for the physical layer and / or protocol used. Depending on the protocol used, the Beacon C message may also include a data correction check, such as a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) or a frame check sequence (FCS). In addition, the Beacon C message may also be encrypted using a method agreed upon during the pairing process of the corresponding wireless technology.

[0073] The payload of the Beacon C message may include information for the wake-up device 402 to use when initiating system configuration. For example, to identify the message as a Beacon C message, the Beacon C message may include a configuration bit set to "1" (or another value indicating that the Beacon C message is a configuration message). In addition, the Beacon C message may include a timestamp for synchronizing the system clocks of network devices and avoiding replay attacks. The Beacon C message may also include the total number of devices (e.g., general sensor devices 206 and transmit-only devices 202) and optionally an offset value for indicating the start of a data collection phase.

[0074] In response to receiving the Beacon C message, the wake-up device 402 responsible for generating the wake-up signal (if any) can proceed to configure each transmit-only device 202. The wake-up device 402 can also send a system broadcast wake-up pattern, which includes a pattern indicating the start of a configuration cycle. Other devices can use it to synchronize their clocks.

[0075] Figure 5B An example of a configuration sensor (CS) message for a general sensor device 206 is shown. These CS messages may be sent individually to the general sensor device 206 to inform the general sensor device 206 of the channel and time offset (relative to the reception of the data collection cycle beacon message) for data transmission. When the number of devices is small, there may also be one large beacon message with data for all sensors 102. The configuration message may also include its own timestamp or sequence number, for example, to avoid replay attacks.

[0076] Figure 5C An example of a configuration transmission (CT) message for transmit-only devices 202 is illustrated. For transmit-only devices 202, the wake-up signal may include an individual wake-up pattern for each transmit-only device 202. The wake-up pattern may be supplemented with additional information, such as a time offset pattern indicating a data collection configuration with an indicated broadcast mode starting from receipt of the message or receipt of the wake-up message. In the first case, the message may also include a periodic wake-up offset pattern. In addition, the wake-up pattern may also be supplemented with a frequency offset and / or a wake-up sequence number pattern (e.g., to avoid replay attacks on the wake-up pattern).

[0077] Configuration of the general sensor devices 206 and the transmit-only devices 202 may also occur in parallel when configuration of the two sets of general sensor devices 206 and transmit-only devices 202 are each performed by two different devices (e.g., for a pipeline architecture, by the data collector device 204 and the dedicated wake-up device 402), or if the data collector device 204 has more than one radio device.

[0078] Figure 5DAn example of a data cycle beacon message (Beacon D) is illustrated. A Beacon D message can be sent from a controller to initiate data collection, with a configuration bit set to "0" or another value indicating that the Beacon D message is a non-configuration message. The remaining format and content of the Beacon D message can be similar to that in a configuration message. The wake-up device 402 can also send a system broadcast wake-up pattern that includes a pattern indicating the start of a data transfer cycle. Devices can use this to synchronize their clocks.

[0079] Figure 5E An example of a sensor data message (DS) is illustrated. These sensor data messages may be sent from a generic sensor device 206. During the data collection phase, each generic sensor device 206 transmits its data to the data collector device 204 according to its assigned offset.

[0080] Fig. 5F An example of a transmit-only data message (DT) is illustrated. For a transmit-only device 202, the transmit-only device 202 will also periodically wake up to transmit based on a whitelist combination of channels, power levels, antennas, etc. set by the receiver / collector / wake-up device during the configuration phase. The data message itself may conform to a standard protocol and thus may have its associated header and data check bits. These devices may also include their time offset values, which may help the receiver / collector initiate synchronization as needed.

[0081] Depending on the application data rate requirements, there may be gaps between consecutive data collection cycles, which are indicated by offsets in the data period beacon.

[0082] Figure 5G An example of a periodic message schedule for data transmission for a pipeline-free single radio receiver architecture is illustrated. As shown in the figure, in the configuration phase, a beacon C message (such as Figure 5A ), and then sends a CS message (as shown in Figure 5B ), and then sends a CT message (as shown in Figure 5C ). This pattern may be repeated (e.g., periodically). It should also be noted that the order of the Beacon C, CS, and CT messages is irrelevant and may be sent in an order different from that shown. During the data phase, a Beacon D message may be sent (e.g., Figure 5D ), and then sends a DS message (as shown in Figure 5E ), and then sends a DT message (as shown in Fig. 5F ). The pattern may also repeat (e.g., periodically). It should also be noted that the relative order of the beacon D, DS, and DT messages may be different than that shown.

[0083] Figure 5HAn example of a periodic message schedule for data transfer in a pipeline-free single-radio receiver architecture with a dedicated wakeup source is illustrated. Here, a first source (collector / receiver device) sends beacon C and CS messages, while another source, the dedicated wakeup source, sends CT messages. In doing so, the CS and CT messages can be sent simultaneously and / or in an overlapping pattern on different channels, thereby speeding up the configuration phase. However, the data phase is similar to the data phase in the pipeline-free single-radio receiver architecture because there is only a single transceiver 226 at the receiver, which can only be tuned to one channel at a time.

[0084] Fig.5I An example of a periodic message schedule for data transfer in a pipeline-enabled, two separate receiver / single receiver architecture with two radios is illustrated. Here again, the first source (collector / receiver) sends a beacon and a CS message, while the other source (collector / receiver) sends a CT message. Furthermore, since two receivers or two radios are used, the first source sends a beacon D and receives a DS message, while the second source simultaneously receives a DT message.

[0085] Figures 6A-6G 7 illustrate an optimized pipeline architecture with data aggregation that may also be provided by BAN 200. In this variation, general sensor devices 206 may be scheduled for data communication. In each data communication time slot, one of the transmit-only devices 202 may be awakened to transmit. The data is received by the next scheduled general sensor device 206 (or a dedicated general sensor device 206). The general sensor device 206 then transmits its own data and the aggregated data from the transmit-only devices 202 in its own time slot. In this approach, BAN 200 may only require a single receiver device 302 and / or data collector device 204.

[0086] The nth transmit-only device 202N may transmit to the general sensor device 206(n-1). Then, in the next cycle, the general sensor device 206(n-1) may send its own data along with the data of the nth transmit-only device 202. The wake-up pattern may be generated by the general sensor device 206 to listen to the corresponding transmit-only device 202.

[0087] A separate wake-up device 402 may alternatively be used to generate a wake-up pattern for the transmit-only device 202. This wake-up may only be needed in the first data transmission cycle, since the transmit-only device 202 may periodically wake itself up thereafter. In addition, the receiver device 302 may also transmit a broadcast wake-up pattern at the beginning of each data cycle to synchronize the transmit-only device 202.

[0088] Fig. 6AAn example of a configuration beacon C message for an architecture including data aggregation is illustrated. As shown, the beacon C message is similar to the beacon C message without data aggregation.

[0089] Figure 6B An example of a CS message for an architecture including data aggregation is illustrated. The CS message includes a time offset and a channel / offset for transmission and reception compared to a CS message without aggregation.

[0090] Figure 6C An example of CT for a transmit-only device 202 for an architecture that includes data aggregation is illustrated. As shown, the CT message is similar to the CT message without data aggregation.

[0091] Fig.6D An example of a beacon D for an architecture including data aggregation is illustrated. As shown, the beacon D is again similar to the beacon D without data aggregation.

[0092] Fig. 6E An example of a DS for an architecture that includes data aggregation is illustrated. As shown, the DS message also includes sensor data received from the transmit-only device 202 in addition to the sensor data of the general sensor device 206 itself.

[0093] Fig. 6F An example of a transmit data-only message (DT) for an architecture including data aggregation is illustrated. The message is similar to a DS message for an architecture without data aggregation.

[0094] Figure 6G An example of a periodic message schedule for data transmission in a pipeline-enabled single-receiver architecture with data aggregation is illustrated. As shown for the configuration phase, the first source starts by sending a beacon C message (eg Fig. 6A ) and CS messages (as shown in Figure 6B After the configuration phase is completed, in the data collection phase, the first source sends a beacon D message (as shown in Fig.6D ) to signal the start of the data collection phase. Each sensor 102 then sends a DS message (e.g., including data from the previous DT message of the corresponding transmit-only device 202) during its pre-assigned time slot. Fig. 6E ), and they wake up in the previous time slot to receive the data they transmitted in their assigned time slot from the transmit-only devices 202. In each time slot, when one of the sensor devices is transmitting a DS message to the collector / receiver, the backup source (collector / receiver / wake-up / universal sensor device) wakes up the transmit-only device 202 (as shown in Figure 6C), then the transmitting device 202 simultaneously sends a DT message to the next scheduled sensor device (which is already in the listening mode for the transmitting device 202 channel). Fig. 6F The first group of DT messages can also be combined with CT messages (as shown in Figure 6C ) to allow the wake-up mode of the transmit-only device 202 to be set. For subsequent CT messages, the transmit-only device 202 knows when to wake up periodically as configured using the CT messages. To ensure better synchronization, these CT messages can be repeated occasionally in the data collection cycle.

[0095] Figure 7 An example data flow diagram 700 for periodic message scheduling of data transmission in a pipeline-enabled single receiver architecture with data aggregation is illustrated. First, during the configuration phase, the receiver device 302 sends a Beacon C message, which is received by each universal sensor device 206. Next, the receiver device 302 sends CS1-CS n Messages are sent to the corresponding universal sensor devices 206 (1 to n). After this phase is completed, in the data collection phase, the receiver device 302 sends beacon D messages to the sensor universal sensor devices 206. The universal sensor devices 206 then send CT messages to the transmit-only devices 202 to configure the transmit-only devices 202. The transmit-only devices 202 then responsively (e.g., according to the configured time offset) send DT messages to the universal sensor devices 206. The content of these DT messages can then be compiled into DS messages, which are sent from the universal sensor devices 206 to the receiver devices 302.

[0096] It should be noted that the pipeline architecture may be particularly useful when the number of transmit-only devices 202 is equal to or less than the number of general-purpose sensor devices 206 in the BAN 200 .

[0097] It should also be noted that, in order to achieve power optimization, the sensor device may be equipped with a low-power wake-up receiver 214. In this case, each device may switch between the general sensor device 206 mode and the transmit-only device 202 mode in turn. In an example, the general sensor device 206 that transmits more frequently may switch itself to the transmit-only device 202 mode and may use all transmit-only time slots for data communication in a pipeline architecture to achieve power optimization.

[0098] It should also be noted that in all of the above architectures, when each transmit-only device 202 is explicitly awakened to receive the wake-up signal pattern, an additional guard band can be used before each transmit-only device 202. In some examples, the devices 202, 204, 206 can also implement data encoding, in which case they send processed data or only differential data in their time slots to optimize their respective overall transmissions.

[0099] Therefore, sensors 102 with transmit-only radios can be used in BAN 200 to save an order of magnitude of power used for wireless communication. To support various quality of service requirements, management of transmit-only devices 202 can be implemented using various architectures, including: a pipeline-free single-radio receiver architecture; a pipeline-free single-radio receiver architecture with a dedicated wake-up source; a pipeline-enabled dual-receiver / receiver architecture with two radios; and a pipeline-enabled single-receiver architecture with data aggregation.

[0100] Figure 8 An example 800 of a computing device 802 for use in the BAN 200 architecture is illustrated. Figure 8 , and refer to Figure 1-7 , sensor 102, transmit-only device 202, data collector device 204, general sensor device 206, receiver device 302, wake-up device 402, etc. may be examples of such a computing device 802. As shown, computing device 802 includes a processor 804, which is operably connected to storage 806, network device 808, output device 810, and input device 812. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and computing devices 802 with more, fewer, or different components may be used.

[0101] The processor 804 may include one or more integrated circuits that implement the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). In some examples, the processor 804 is a system on a chip (SoC) that integrates the functions of the CPU and GPU. The SoC may optionally include other components (such as, for example, a storage device 806 and a network device 808) into a single integrated device. In other examples, the CPU and GPU are interconnected via a peripheral connection device (such as a high-speed peripheral component interconnect (PCI) or another suitable peripheral data connection). In one example, the CPU is a commercially available central processing device that implements an instruction set such as one of the following: a microprocessor of the x86, ARM, Power, or non-interlocked pipeline stage (MIPS) instruction set family.

[0102] Regardless of the specific case, during operation, the processor 804 executes stored program instructions retrieved from the storage device 806. Thus, the stored program instructions include software that controls the operation of the processor 804 to perform the operations described herein. The storage device 806 may include non-volatile memory and volatile memory devices. Non-volatile memory includes solid-state memory (such as NAND flash memory), magnetic and optical storage media, or any other suitable data storage device that retains data when the system is disabled or powered off. Volatile memory includes static and dynamic random access memory (RAM) that stores program instructions and data during operation of the system 100.

[0103] The GPU may include hardware and software for displaying at least two-dimensional (2D) graphics and optional 3D graphics to an output device 810. The output device 810 may include a graphics or visual display device, such as an electronic display screen, a projector, a printer, or any other suitable device for reproducing a graphical display. As another example, the output device 810 may include an audio device, such as a speaker or headphones. As yet another example, the output device 810 may include a tactile device, such as a mechanically elevable device, which in an example may be configured to display Braille or other physical output that may be touched to provide information to a user.

[0104] Input device 812 may include any of a variety of devices that enable computing device 802 to receive control input from a user. Examples of suitable input devices for receiving human-computer interface input may include a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch screen, voice input device, graphics tablet, etc.

[0105] The network devices 808 may each include any of a variety of devices that enable the respective device to send data over a network and / or receive data from an external device. Examples of suitable network devices 808 include an Ethernet interface, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a cellular transceiver, a Bluetooth or BLE transceiver, a UWB transceiver, or other network adapters or peripheral interconnect devices that receive data from another computer or external data storage device, which can be used to receive large amounts of data in an efficient manner.

[0106] The process, method or algorithm disclosed herein can be delivered to / implemented by a processing device, a controller or a computer, which can include any existing programmable electronic control unit or a dedicated electronic control unit. Similarly, the process, method or algorithm can be stored in a variety of forms as data and instructions executable by a controller or a computer, including but not limited to information permanently stored on a non-writable storage medium (such as a read-only memory (ROM) device) and information variably stored on a writable storage medium (such as a floppy disk, a tape, a compact disk (CD), a RAM device and other magnetic and optical media). The process, method or algorithm can also be implemented in a software executable object. Alternatively, the process, method or algorithm can be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components (such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a state machine, a controller or other hardware component or device, or a combination of hardware, software and firmware components).

[0107] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in the specification are descriptive rather than restrictive, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As mentioned above, the features of the various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. Although various embodiments may be described as providing advantages or being preferred relative to other embodiments or prior art implementations in terms of one or more desired characteristics, it is recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that one or more features or characteristics may be sacrificed to achieve the desired overall system properties, depending on the specific application and implementation. These properties may include, but are not limited to, strength, durability, life cycle, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, applicability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. Therefore, even if any embodiment is described as not as desirable as other embodiments or prior art implementations in terms of one or more characteristics, these embodiments do not exceed the scope of the present disclosure and may be desirable for specific applications.

Claims

1. A method for configuring and utilizing a body area network (BAN), comprising: During a configuration phase, sending a configuration message for scheduling a plurality of transmit-only devices such that during a data collection phase, each of the plurality of transmit-only devices is configured to transmit in a separately assigned time slot; as well as During a data collection phase, sensor data messages are received from the plurality of transmit-only devices to a data collector device, the sensor data messages including sensor data from the transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages being scheduled according to the configuration phase.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: During the data collection phase, a data period beacon message for scheduling the plurality of transmit-only devices is sent to indicate the start of a data transfer cycle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the configuration phase, a configuration message for scheduling a plurality of general purpose sensor devices having transmission and reception functions is sent, so that during the data collection phase, each of the plurality of general purpose sensor devices is also configured to transmit in a separately allocated time slot.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising, during the data collection phase: receiving, from a respective one of the plurality of transmit-only devices, a transmit-only sensor data message to each general sensor device, the transmit-only sensor data message including sensor data received from the transmit-only device; and A generic device sensor data message is sent from the generic sensor device to the data collector device, the generic device sensor data message including sensor data captured by the generic sensor device and also sensor data received from the transmit-only device. 5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a configuration message for scheduling the plurality of general sensor devices is sent in a different channel than a configuration message for scheduling the plurality of transmit-only devices. The method of claim 4 , wherein the transmit-only sensor data message is sent in a different channel than the general-purpose device sensor data message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration message includes a timestamp for synchronizing system clocks of the plurality of transmit-only devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration message includes a total number of the plurality of transmit-only devices and / or an offset value for indicating a start of the data collection phase.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration message is sent from the data collector device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration message is sent from a wake-up device.

11. A system for configuring and utilizing a body area network (BAN), comprising: multiple transmit-only devices; and A data collector device, wherein In a configuration phase, the plurality of transmit-only devices are configured to receive a configuration message for scheduling transmissions of the plurality of transmit-only devices such that during a data collection phase, each of the plurality of transmit-only devices is configured to transmit in a separately allocated time slot, and During a data collection phase, the data collector device is configured to receive sensor data messages from the plurality of transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages including sensor data from the transmit-only devices, the sensor data messages being scheduled according to the configuration phase.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein during the data collection phase, the plurality of transmit-only devices are configured to send the sensor data messages in response to receiving a data period beacon message, the data period beacon message indicating the start of a data transfer cycle.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising: Multiple general purpose sensor devices with transmit and receive capabilities, Wherein, in the configuration phase, the plurality of general purpose sensor devices are configured to receive a configuration message for scheduling the plurality of general purpose sensor devices to transmit in the individually allocated time slots in the data collection phase.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein during the data collection phase: Each generic sensor device is configured as: receiving a transmit-only sensor data message from a corresponding one of the plurality of transmit-only devices, the transmit-only sensor data message comprising sensor data received from the corresponding one of the transmit-only devices; and A generic device sensor data message is sent to the data collector device, the generic device sensor data message including sensor data captured by the generic sensor device and also sensor data received from the transmit-only device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein configuration messages for scheduling the plurality of general sensor devices are sent in a different channel than configuration messages for scheduling the plurality of transmit-only devices.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmit-only sensor data message is sent in a different channel than the general-purpose device sensor data message.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration message includes a timestamp for synchronizing system clocks of the plurality of transmit-only devices.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration message includes a total number of the plurality of transmit-only devices and / or an offset value for indicating a start of the data collection phase.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration message is sent from the data collector device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration message is sent from a wake-up device.

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