Next generation emergency system based on wireless sensor network

Abstract

A next-generation emergency communication system based on a wireless sensor network (WSN) uses a mesh-based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN). The WSN includes sensor nodes for monitoring environmental and infrastructure conditions, messaging nodes for enabling peer-to-peer messaging with mobile devices via short-range communication interfaces, and hybrid nodes with both sensing and messaging capabilities. Gateways and data transmission units (DTUs) enable connectivity to external networks, maintaining operation even during mobile network failures. The system operates in a static monitoring mode during normal conditions and switches to a trigger messaging mode during emergencies, allowing the WSN to function as an emergency communication network. The WSN enables community members and emergency personnel to communicate during hazard events without relying on cellular networks, supporting multi-layer communication across local, cross-community, and global scales.

Description

Our Ref. : 22001-057W01NEXT GENERATION EMERGENCY SYSTEM BASED ON WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 63 / 681207, filed August 9, 2024. The contents of the provisional application noted above is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND

[0002] Climate change has increased the risk of natural hazards across wider areas, creating serious challenges for managing the risk in communities. Recent mass public evacuations, such as those necessitated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the 2023 Maui Fire and the 2025 LA Fires, highlight the critical need to bridge the gap between understanding the risk of hazard and taking individual and collective action. For example, during the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, the limited capacity of highways linking Paradise (the evacuated area) to safer areas like Chico or Oroville caused traffic gridlocks during the evacuation. Both evacuation and destination areas were unprepared for the sudden outflux / influx of evacuation traffic and the communities were unable to respond effectively.

[0003] Communication and coordination among community members and neighboring towns are often lacking during emergencies. Effective emergency response requires better communication of the urgent risks to a diverse group of actors at different levels (local, regional, and state). Better communication enables them to understand and support a complex set of coordinated actions to reduceOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 the risk within and among communities and to bring large-scale, dynamic incidents under control.

[0004] During extreme events, mobile network-based communication system and electric distribution system can be compromised. While emergency personnels will use two-way radio transceivers (walkie-talkies), citizens will struggle to make well-informed decisions as it is difficult for community members to send and receive real-time information messages. To address this issue, a next-generation mobile network-free communication transceiver system has been invented using the wireless sensor network (WSN) technology employed for infrastructure and environmental monitoring. The system is designed to keep working during a hazard event and can be easily adapted to many communication devices, such as mobile phones and laptops.SUMMARY

[0005] In one aspect, a next-generation, hybrid wireless sensor network (WSN)- based emergency communication system is described herein. The WSN integrates a mesh-based LPWAN for community-wide coverage (encompassing e.g., kilometers). The WSN includes various nodes with environmental monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, and / or messaging capabilities. Short-range connections such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or USB are used to connect mobile devices to the mesh network to enable peer-to-peer messaging during emergencies without the use of cellular networks. In some embodiments, the WSN architecture supports multi-layered communication, with local, cross-community and internet-based layers.

[0006] In some embodiments, the components of the WSN may include sensorOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 nodes that monitor environmental parameters (e.g., wind, temperature) and / or infrastructure (e.g., movement) conditions. The WSN may also include messaging nodes that enable mobile devices to connect via a short-range connection such WiFi, Bluetooth and / or USB for messaging, as well as sensor and messaging modes that combine the monitoring and communication capabilities of the sensor nodes and the messaging nodes. In addition, gateways are employed that interface with cellular data network or Ethernet to bridge the WSN to the Internet. Data Transmission Units (DTU) may be used to back up the internet connection if cellular signals fail.

[0007] The WSN may operate in a static monitoring mode and a trigger messaging mode. The static monitoring node collects data over time for infrastructure and environment monitoring. The static monitoring mode may operate in a low-power monitoring for disaster risk assessment. The trigger messaging mode is activated manually or automatically when sensor measurements exceed established thresholds or when an emergency alert has been initiated and transforms the system into a radio-based emergency messaging system.

[0008] In some embodiments, the multi-layered WSN architecture includes a local communication layer (e.g., 100 m - a few km) having WSN nodes equipped with one or multiple short-range communication capabilities such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or USB, to communicate with mobile devices as well as a meshbased LPWAN based system for long-range messaging. A backbone layer (encompassing e.g., tens of km) includes DTUs using wired and / or wireless connections such as fiber optics, ethernet, RS-485, Wi-Fi, and so on, for connecting gateways across communities. An internet layer connects the DTUs to internet-Our Ref. : 22001-057W01 based cloud servers, enabling global messaging.

[0009] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 shows one example of a mesh-based LPWAN system architecture within a community-wide region.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a sensor node that includes internal or external sensor connection interfaces and an embedded Real-Time Clock (RTC) module.

[0012] FIG. 3 shows one example of a messaging node, which includes extra short-range communication capabilities such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or USB.

[0013] FIG. 4 shows one example of a hybrid node that includes both sensor and messaging capabilities

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of one example of a gateway.

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of one example of data transmission Unit (DTU).

[0016] FIG. 7 shows an example of a large-scale communication system as described herein when operating during an emergency.

[0017] FIG. 8 shows a portable node in a hybrid mesh network for emergencyOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 messaging and location tracking.

[0018] FIG. 9 shows one example of the wireless-communication architecture of the wireless sensor network described herein, which includes three multi-scale layers.

[0019] FIG. 10 depicts exemplary nodes that have been produced with the functionality described herein, along with a dedicated application that operates on mobile phones.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONHybrid Wireless Sensor Infrastructure Overview

[0020] In one aspect, the subject matter described herein integrates an advanced hybrid wireless sensor infrastructure monitoring with a new messaging communication system, enabling a micro-grid-like two-way messaging system among community members and between neighboring towns.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows one example of a mesh-based LPWAN system architecture within a community-wide region. The system utilizes a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using mesh-based Low-power Wide-area Network (LPWAN) for node connections and is designed to operate even when both power and mobile networks are unavailable. A Mesh-based LPWAN allows a community network to be established with large coverage (e.g., a few kilometers) and provides better network health against unexpected fail connections. The WSN may include two or more types of standalone devices which are commonly referred to as nodes or motes. Although there are many different types of WSN nodes, each node includes at least a processor (e.g., a micro-controller), memory, real-time clock (RTC), radio, antenna and specific interfaces for establishing other connections.Our Ref. : 22001-057W01

[0022] Illustrative types of WSN nodes may include sensor nodes, messaging nodes, hybrid nodes (i.e., a combination of sensor and messaging nodes), gateways and data transmission Units (DTUs). Each of these nodes may be provided with messaging functions, which are described below.

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one example of a sensor node, which is used to monitor environmental conditions (such as temperatures or wind speed) or infrastructure status (such as movements). The sensor node may include internal sensor(s) (to monitor e.g., temperature and tilt) and / or external sensors (to monitor e.g., wind / humidity / moisture / strain / distance) and further includes connection interfaces (e.g., I2C / SPI / UART / RS-232 / RS-485 / Voltage / Current, etc.) and an embedded Real-Time Clock (RTC) module.

[0024] FIG. 3 shows one example of a messaging node, which does not include an internal sensor but instead includes additional short-range communication capabilities such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or USB. It adapts common mobile devices (such as a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, for example) to the mesh LPWAN for sending and receiving messages.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows one example of a sensor and messaging node, which is a hybrid node that includes both sensor and messaging capabilities (i.e. a combination of the sensor and messaging nodes described above), which can be connected to desired sensors and mobile devices through the short-range communication protocols described above.

[0026] A schematic block diagram of a gateway is shown in FIG. 5. The gateway operates using LPWAN protocols and adapts wireless or wired communication module such as cellular data network or ethernet for internet connections.

[0027] A schematic block diagram of a data transmission Unit (DTU) is shown inOur Ref. : 22001-057W01FIG. 6. The DTU does not support LPWAN but is used to connect neighboring gateways (local networks) by local communication protocols in case the cellular signal malfunctions during an emergency. Various interface modules are provided for supporting local communication protocols and internet protocols such as fiber optics, ethernet, RS-485, Wi-Fi, and so on. The DTU may have a wired internet connection in some cases.

[0028] In some embodiments the messaging functionality described herein may be embedded into the firmware of the nodes, which allows the messaging nodes to be accessed by mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops using, for example, dedicated applications residing on the mobile devices. Of course, more generally, the messaging functionality may be embedded in any combination of hardware, software and firmware. The mobile devices are connected to a messaging node using short-range communications such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or USB.

[0029] FIG 1 illustrates how the above-mentioned nodes contribute to a mesh based WSN within a community-wide region (e.g. kilometers). The location of the messaging nodes can be either fixed in position (such as by co-locating the sensor and messaging node with a solar panel, for example) or portable and carried by the user (such as user 3). With mesh network topology, text messages can be hopped node by node for the users to communicate with each other. The meshnetwork can provide larger coverage and multiple backup communication routes.

[0030] During ordinary times, a mesh-based LPWAN is used for infrastructure and environmental monitoring (wind speed, temperature, etc.) by the sensing nodes and is connected to the internet by a cell-network or a wired telecommunication network. However, during an emergency, all nodes may beOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 activated. Users' mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops that have an application with a dedicated communication display can be connected to the messaging nodes by short-range communications such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB, and community members can send and receive peer-to-peer messages within the mesh-based LPWAN network. Even without a cell-network or wired telecommunication network, the battery-based system provides mobile device messaging capabilities within its self-sustaining primary hybrid wireless mesh network and the neighboring hybrid wireless mesh networks that are directly connected to the primary network via a data transmission unit (DTU). This allows communications among community members and between neighboring towns without cellular coverage.

[0031] FIG. 7 shows an example of a large-scale communication system as described herein when operating during an emergency. Three scenarios within different communication layers are described as below:1. Local communicationIn this case, User 1 is communicating with Rescuer in the same region. Both User 1 and Rescuer are accessing the mesh LPWAN by connecting to the messaging nodes nearby using a short-range communication such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. The self-organized algorithm embedded in the messaging nodes will establish a most efficient hopping route, which is through nodes N1 and N2.2. Cross-community communicationIn this case, User 3 is communicating with User 5 in a different community (different LPWAN networks). Both User 3 and User 5 are accessing the mesh LPWAN by connecting to the messaging nodes nearby using a short-range communication such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. Cross-network communicationOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 requires to go through the DTU if there is no functioning cellular coverage. The established most efficient hopping route will therefore go through nodes N2, N3, N4, gateway in community A, DTU, gateway in community B and node N5.3. Internet communicationUser 4 is communicating with User 7 outside the system, for example in a different country. User 4 is accessing the mesh LPWAN by connecting to the messaging node nearby while User 7 is accessing the internet by connecting to a Wi-Fi router nearby. Internet communication requires internet connectivity through the DTU. The communication route in this case will be through nodes N6, N3, N4, gateway in community A, DTU, internet, Wi-Fi router near to User 7.Operating Modes

[0032] The wireless sensor network described herein may operate in two mesh modes: a static monitoring mode and a trigger messaging mode.

[0033] The static monitoring mode is designed to capture long-term trends to protect the infrastructure and assist individuals with potential risk control. This mode also may offer weather and other useful daily information to the community. To extend the lifetime of the system, some functions may be disabled or operate with a lower frequency when in this mode. The sensors connected to the network are used for infrastructural safety, and may include environmental monitoring and / or structural monitoring. Examples of environmental monitoring include wind direction, wind speed, air temperature & humidity, rainfall level, air pressure, soil moisture, sunlight density, and so on. These sensors provide information to assess the risk of natural disasters. Examples of structural monitoring include tilting angles, strain changes, settlement move and so on. Such monitoring enables the conditionsOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 following a natural disaster to be assessed and can prevent a secondary disaster from occurring.

[0034] The trigger messaging mode can be activated either manually or automatically when crucial measurements exceed desired thresholds or when an emergency alert has been initiated. When this mode is activated at a specific physical location, typically in response to natural disasters or other incidents, the entire system in the region will effectively be transformed into a radio messaging system for communication purposes. Additionally, a dedicated portable node for emergency messaging and location tracking may be provided. If a user carries the portable node during evacuation, it is possible to identify the location of the user using the hybrid mesh networking protocol (see FIG. 8, which depicts a portable node for emergency messaging and location tracking for a portable node in a hybrid mesh network.)Multi-Scale Communication Layers

[0035] In some embodiments the wireless sensor network described herein may be divided into multi-scale communication layers, that include, from the bottom up, a local communication layer, a backbone layer and an internet layer. The local communication layer includes nodes and gateways that form the fundamental radio mesh network for the static monitoring mode and the trigger messaging mode. It may be arranged to cover the size of a local community. The backbone layer (including data transmission units) provides multiple interfacing functions to assist gateways to reach other gateways or the internet layer. The Internet layer utilizes the existing telecommunications infrastructure to enable data from both the static monitoring mode and the trigger messaging mode to be transmitted anywhereOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 across the world.

[0036] The local communication layer comprises nodes and gateways, which are illustrated in FIG. 1. The nodes feature emergency messaging functionality that can either send data directly or relay data from one node to another node or to a gateway. These nodes are designed to connect to nearby mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops, for instance, using short-range communications such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and / or USB, to send and receive messages among multiple users within the primary local communication network, who may not be connected to a cellular network or the internet. The nodes may be primarily powered by internal batteries but can also be externally powered if they are deployed at locations with access to electricity.

[0037] The gateways are responsible for issuing commands, such as setting the sampling rate and radio freguency, and collecting data from all nodes within a local communication layer. If the gateway is connected to a cellular network or a DTU, it forwards data and system information to a cloud server through the internet. The devices can be powered by either external power sources or internal replaceable batteries. The system automatically switches to batteries if the external powers supply is not available, such as during an emergency.

[0038] FIG. 9 shows one example of the wireless-communication architecture of the wireless sensor network described herein, which includes three multi-scale layers.

[0039] Wireless mesh network nodes in the local communication layer (encompassing e.g., 100 m to a few km) may be equipped to (i) monitor the crucial information of the infrastructure or environment (e.g., sensor nodes in FIG. 9), (ii) send and receive emergency messages from mobile devices such as mobile phones,Our Ref. : 22001-057W01 tablets and laptops connected to the nodes (messaging nodes in FIG. 9) using short range communications such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and / or USB or (iii) perform both tasks (i) and (ii). With a dedicated application, mobile devices can be used as message-based handheld transceiver (walkie-talkie) systems, allowing community members to communicate with each other even without a mobile network. This layer may include multiple WSN systems for various purposes, using physical radio frequencies from the ISM frequencies available in different regions, such as 2.4GHz, 915MHz, 868MHz, and 433MHz. For example, the gateways in this layer may use an LPWAN system, enabling long-range communication over kilometer-range distances without relying on the mobile network.

[0040] The backbone layer (e.g., encompassing a few km to tens of km) may have a Data Transmission Unit (DTU) embedded within it which may be equipped with local communication protocols. The DTU collects messages from gateways and sends them to other gateways in nearby local networks. This layer establishes an alternative communication platform for larger neighboring community areas as well as a backup network that does not rely on a mobile network or the internet. In case of emergency, the emergency management agency can use the LPWAN platform to send location-specific messages to community members, providing real-time assistance for helping with evacuation to secure their safety.

[0041] The internet layer (providing potentially global coverage) is established by multiple DTUs that are linked together through local communication protocols networks. At least one of the DTUs is connected to an internet server, allowing messages to be exchanged globally. This enables community members in distress to report their situations to individuals outside the local area.Our Ref. : 22001-057W01Messaging Function

[0042] The emergency messaging function can be integrated into existing sensor nodes that monitor the crucial parameters of the infrastructures or the local environment such as temperature and humidity with a desired measuring frequency. These sensor nodes operate in low-power mode and stay synchronized with other nearby nodes. During an emergency, the emergency messaging function can be activated by the dedicated application that operates on mobile devices, a wireless signal from other nodes within the WSN nearby or when specific measurements exceed preset thresholds. The emergency messaging function will allow the node to broadcast wireless triggering signals to other nearby nodes, thereby triggering their emergency messaging function.Tracking Function

[0043] The tracking function is performed to identify the physical locations of the nodes within the network. During the mesh networking period, mobile nodes are constantly listening to the mesh radio ping transmitted from other gateways and nodes within its communication range. The received pings may contain, for example, serial numbers, physical locations of the transceivers and the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the pings. A triangulation-based positioning algorithm, which may be made available in the mobile application and / or on the cloud (via cellular towers or DTUs) can estimate the physical locations of the related nodes. The estimated position information may be depicted in a pre-loaded map and can be acquired by the users on their mobile application or by the emergency management department and rescuers with specific access to the cloud platform.Our Ref. : 22001-057W01Operation of Static Monitoring and trigger messaging modes in Local Communication Layer

[0044] In the static monitoring mode, the system is designed to operate with an ultra-low powered mesh topology. Each node within the system powers and acquires data from associated sensor(s) with a user-defined sampling rate, which can range from a few seconds to 24 hours. Specifically, at the beginning of each individual sampling period, the mesh protocol may follow the illustrative steps below:1. Gateway sends the mesh radio ping via its radio (based on its accurate internal clock).2. All nodes (based on the compensated internal clock synchronized with the gateway) : a. wake up, e.g., 10ms in advance; b. listen to mesh radio ping; c. join the mesh network under the gateway to form the lst-level hop nodes and record the received mesh radio ping and synchronize their own internal clocks; and d. the lst-level hop nodes recursively issue their mesh radio ping to form the 2nd-level, 3rd-level, etc. hop nodes (i.e., the child nodes).3. All sensor nodes activate their associated sensors based on their internal clock. They then acquire the measurements, format a data packet and wait for the relay time slot based on their unique Serial Numbers. This is done to avoid radio congestion among other nodes. After that, they transmit their mesh data while assisting the child nodes.4. All nodes are in the low power sleeping mode in between each mesh networking formation, sampling and data relaying period to achieve maximumOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 power saving.5. To identify the locations of the mobile messaging nodes, the mobile messaging nodes listen and collect the location information from all position fixed nodes that are within the radio communication range. This information includes serial numbers and signal strengths (for processing the distances and positioning using trilateration methodology). The mobile messaging nodes then send the collected data via the mesh network to the cloud server (if the cellular network is still operational) or feeds back to the connected mobile device, such as a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. The user can therefore identify the locations of the mobile messaging nodes from the mobile application or the cloud platform in realtime.6. During each sampling interval, the nodes build and update their own neighbor lists for the trigger messaging mode usage.7. Nodes and gateways listen for a trigger ping at a user-defined time slot, which can range, for instance, from 1 to 30 seconds. It is important to note that the shorter the time slot, the quicker the response to a trigger event. However, this comes with the tradeoff of higher power consumption, which is not ideal for battery-powered nodes and gateways.

[0045] In the trigger messaging mode, the mesh protocol may follow the illustrative steps below:1. A trigger ping is issued by a sensor node or a messaging node when a crucial measurement exceeds a user-defined limit or manually on the mobile app due to a potential incident.2. When the trigger ping is received by the nearby nodes (refer to static monitoring mode, Clause 7), they will immediately wake up and recursively issueOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 trigger pings to form the 2nd-level, 3rd-level, etc. hop nodes (i.e., the child nodes) until all nodes are operational for message delivery. This process typically may take about 60 seconds in some cases.3. Users connect their mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablets or laptops, to a neighboring messaging node using an application. They may then send text messages to the connected messaging node.4. The messaging node searches its internal neighbor list (constructed in the static monitoring mode, step 6). It establishes direct messaging if the serial number of the receiving messaging node is in the list. Otherwise, it sends the message into the mesh network for the destination serial number.5. Once the message is successfully delivered, the destination node replies with an acknowledgement, or the initial message node receives a "failed to deliver" notification after a timeout period.6. If no message has been issued in the trigger messaging mode over a specified time period e.g., 5 minutes, the entire system may automatically switch back to the static monitoring mode in case of a false alarm for power saving.Illustrative Example

[0046] FIG. 10 depicts nodes that have been produced with the functionality described herein, along with a dedicated application that operates on mobile phones. To use the application, a user needs to execute it on a mobile phone or a computing device and choose the type of connection they wish to use, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB. After selecting the connection, they can identify a node to immediately activate it, select the communication type, and synchronize the emergency contact list. The application will automatically establish communication between the mobileOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 phone / computer and the connected node. It will then upload the most recent contact list from the mobile phone / computer to the node, which can store multiple contacts.

[0047] In case of an emergency, the user can use the messaging feature by selecting the application, entering the message in the application, and selecting the intended recipient from a pre-loaded list. Upon clicking "send", the message will be transmitted through an optimized mesh network, wakening all nodes necessary for performing relaying until it reaches the recipient's node. The recipient's side connected node will then forward the message to their associated mobile phone or computing device, or trigger an alarm and siren to alert the user to check their device for the message. The user also has the option to select the tracking function to determine the location.Supporting Technologies

[0048] Conventional technologies that may be used in some embodiments of the wireless sensor network described herein may include LPWAN wireless communication technology. LPWANs are well known for their large communication range and low-power consumption. Low-power consumption provides a longer battery lifetime during power outage. The large communication range can lower the cost of distribution and increase the tolerance to signal loss due to extreme environments such as smoke and rain. One illustrative example of an LPWAN that may be employed is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,647,718, which is incorporated by reference herein.

[0049] Another conventional technology that may be used in some embodiments of the wireless sensor network described herein is wireless mesh networkingOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 technology. Conventional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with high-precision and low-cost sensors are widely used for infrastructure monitoring worldwide, particularly at sites where it is difficult to install cables. A wireless mesh network can be used as the wireless network topology of the WSN described herein. Such networks are well known for their high fault-tolerance and extendable communication range. One illustrative example of a wireless mesh network is described in U.S. Pat. AppL No. 20020181427A1, which is incorporated by reference herein.

[0050] Embodiments of the WSN described herein may include various combinations of the following functions, including, in some embodiments, all of the following functions:1. LPWAN-based Device to Device (D2D) communication:Which allows communication without cellular service during an emergency.2. LPWAN-based mesh network communication:Which allows the messages to be relayed between the nodes so the communication range can be extended.3. LPWAN-based trilateration techniques:Which allows the user to position itself without GPS service (GPS may not work when there is a storm or smoke).4. Gateway - mobile device to LPWAN communication:Which allows the user to access the network using most common mobile devices.5. Gateway - mobile device to internet: communication:Which allows the user to send messages through the internet to worldwide locations.6. Self-organized & optimized network capabilities:Our Ref. : 22001-057W01Which allows the mesh network to self-organize and optimize itself in real-time to maximize its coverage and minimize the power consumption required for communication in real-time even within a changing environment.7. Associable sensor nodes:Which extends the coverage of the network by the deployment of the infrastructure monitoring system using the same firmware.

[0051] The WSN described herein offers a number of advantages that overcome limitations of conventional systems. For instance, without the trilateration function, users would not be able to determine their physical locations, which is a crucial parameter when assisting with evacuation and rescue during an emergency. Likewise, without the use of a gateway that connects to the internet, the user would not be able to access the internet for communication with individuals outside of the network, including emergency management departments outside of their local area.Illustrative Computing Environment

[0052] As discussed above, aspects of the subject matter described herein may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as computer programs, being executed by a processor (e.g., the microprocessors shown in FIGs. 2-5). Generally, computer programs include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so forth, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects of the subject matter described herein may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media includingOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 memory storage devices.

[0053] Also, it is noted that some embodiments have been described as a process which is depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps not included in the figure.

[0054] Aspects of the claimed subject matter may be implemented as a method, apparatus, system or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. For instance, aspects of the claimed subject matter may be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium embedded with a computer executable program, which encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer- readable storage device or storage media. For example, computer readable storage media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . . . ). However, computer readable storage media do not include transitory forms of storage such as propagating signals, for example. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

[0055] As used herein the terms "software," computer programs," "programs," "application," "computer code" and the like refer to a set of program instructions running on an arithmetical processing device such as a microprocessor or DSP chip,Our Ref. : 22001-057W01 or as a set of logic operations implemented in circuitry such as a field- programmable gate array (FPGA) or in a semicustom or custom VLSI integrated circuit. That is, all such references to "software," computer programs," "programs," "computer code," as well as references to various "engines" and the like may be implemented in any form of logic embodied in hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. Furthermore, logic embodied, for instance, exclusively in hardware may also be arranged in some embodiments to function as its own trusted execution environment.

[0056] Moreover, as used in this application, the terms "component,” "module," "engine," "system,” "apparatus," "interface," or the like are generally intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a controller and the controller can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and / or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers.

[0057] The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particularOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediary components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled", to each other to achieve the desired functionality.

[0058] While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope. In fact, after reading the above description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement alternative embodiments. Thus, the present embodiments should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

Claims

Our Ref. : 22001-057W01Claims1. A method performed by a mobile device for participating in an emergency communication network, the method comprising :(a) establishing a short-range connection between a first mobile device and a first WSN node in a plurality of WSN nodes in a sensor network (WSN), the plurality of WSN nodes being operable within a mesh-based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN);(b) receiving or sending, over the LPWAN and a short-range connection, a triggering message originating from the first WSN node or from the mobile device, the triggering message indicating that a monitored environmental or infrastructure performance parameter has exceeded a predefined threshold or that an emergency alert has been manually initiated;(c) activating an emergency communication interface on the first mobile device in response to the triggering message or after sending a triggering message;(d) displaying a notification on one or more of mobile devices indicating the presence of an emergency condition; and(e) enabling the user of the first mobile device to compose and send a peer-to- peer emergency message through the first WSN node, wherein the peer-to-peer emergency message is routed across the WSN toward a designated recipient, gateway, or data transmission unit (DTU), thereby allowing the mobile devices to participate in a decentralized communication network during a hazard event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one WSN node in the plurality of WSN nodes has at least one sensor associated therewith for detectingOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 environmental and / or infrastructure conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device executes a dedicated application configured to manage the emergency communication interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering message includes information indicating a type of hazard detected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the short-range connection is selected from a short-range communication protocol that includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the LPWAN conforms to one or more wireless communication protocols selected from the group including LoRa, Wi-SUN, Sigfox, NB-IoT and LTE-M7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless sensor network has a mesh topology.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental and / or infrastructure performance parameters includes one or more hazard detection related factors selected from the group consisting of temperature, wind speed and infrastructure movement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device displays a map interface showing a location of WSN nodes and mesh connectivity status.Our Ref. : 22001-057W0110. The method of claim 1, further comprising : receiving, from at least a second of the WSN nodes in the plurality of WSN nodes, data indicative of a location of the second WSN node within the wireless sensor network (WSN); determining, based on the data, a physical location of the second WSN node; displaying the physical location on a user interface of the location of the first and second mobile devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first mobile device estimates node location using hop count, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and / or time- of-flight data.

12. A method performed by a mobile device in a wireless sensor network (WSN)- based emergency communication system, the method comprising:(a) establishing a short-range connection with a first WSN node in a mesh-based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) that includes a plurality of WSN nodes;(b) receiving or sending a system status notification from the first WSN node or a connected mobile device indicating a transition from a static monitoring mode to a trigger messaging mode, the transition triggered by sensor data exceeding a predefined threshold or by manual initiation of the trigger messaging mode;(c) in response to the status notification, activating an emergency user interface on the connected mobile device configured to support peer-to-peer messaging within the mesh-based LPWAN;(d) displaying an alert on one or more of mobile devices indicating that anOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 emergency condition has been detected and emergency communication is available; and(e) enabling a user of the connected mobile device to send or receive emergency messages via the first WSN node using the mesh network, wherein messages are routed independently of cellular or wired internet infrastructure, thereby enabling timely user engagement in emergency messaging during a network-triggered hazard event.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the system status notification includes a hazard type identifier, a geographic zone of impact, and a timestamp of the triggering event.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the connected mobile device transitions from a passive sensor status display interface to an active emergency communication interface.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the emergency user interface includes controls for distributing a distress signal, location update, or request for assistance.

16. An emergency communication system comprising :(a) a wireless sensor network (WSN) configured with a mesh-based low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) topology, the WSN including a plurality of WSN nodes comprising :(i) sensor nodes configured to monitor environmental and / or infrastructureOur Ref. : 22001-057W01 conditions;(ii) messaging nodes configured with short-range communication interfaces to enable mobile devices to send and receive messages over the LPWAN; and(iii) hybrid sensor and messaging nodes configured to perform both sensing and messaging functions described in (i) and (ii);(b) at least one gateway node configured to connect the WSN to external networks using cellular or wired internet connectivity;(c) at least one data transmission unit (DTU) configured to interface with the gateway node to maintain connectivity among different mesh-based LPWANs during cellular network failures;(d) a processor embedded within the messaging and hybrid sensor and messaging nodes configured to enable direct connections with mobile devices for peer-to-peer messaging using short-range communication technologies that enable communication independent of mobile network availability; wherein the system operates in:(i) a static monitoring mode for infrastructure and / or environmental monitoring; and(ii) a trigger messaging mode activated automatically or manually when monitored conditions exceed a threshold, enabling the system to function as an emergency wireless messaging system during a hazard event, thereby enabling communication among community members and between communities during emergencies without reliance on mobile networks.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the short-range communication interfaces are selected from the group including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB.Our Ref. : 22001-057W0118. The system of claim 16, wherein the LPWAN comprises a wireless communication protocol selected from the group consisting of such as LoRa, Wi- SUN, Sigfox, NB-IoT and LTE-M to thereby enable long-range communication without relying on a mobile network.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the sensor nodes monitor one or more hazard or emergency detection parameters selected from the group consisting of wind speed, air temperature, humidity, rainfall, air pressure, soil moisture, sunlight density and, ground movement and infrastructure movement.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor of the messaging nodes and hybrid sensor and messaging nodes are further configured to operate with a dedicated application on a mobile device to enable peer-to-peer messaging during emergencies.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the DTU is configured with a communication module selected from the group consisting of FO, Ethernet, RS-485 and Wi-Fi to bridge communication between gateways in different local networks.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the system further includes a portable node configured for emergency messaging and location tracking during evacuation, wherein the location of the portable node is determined using a hybrid mesh networking protocol.Our Ref. : 22001-057W0123. The system of claim 16, wherein the gateways are configured to control sampling rates and radio frequencies of the nodes within the WSN.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the system automatically switches to battery power when external power supply is unavailable during emergencies.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the system has a topology supporting a multi-layer communication architecture comprising :(a) a local communication layer for community-wide coverage;(b) a backbone layer for cross-community communication; and(c) an internet layer for global communication.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein a short-range connection is established between two or more mobile devices and WSN nodes in the WSN and further comprising enabling the two or more of the mobile devices to compose and send peer-to-peer messages through the WSN.

27. The method of claim 12, wherein a short-range connection is established between two or more mobile devices and WSN nodes in the WSN and further comprising enabling the two or more of the mobile devices to compose and send peer-to-peer messages through the WSN.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of mobile devices associated the mesh-based LPWAN transition from the passive sensor display interface to the active emergency communication interface.

Images