Bi-Modal Communication Circuitry for Secure Goods Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for establishing communication channels between cloud services and mobile sensing platforms are cumbersome, time-consuming, and error-prone, often requiring manual intervention and struggling with network connectivity issues in IoT deployments.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for monitoring and tracking goods through a supply chain using monitoring nodes that collect telemetry data and transmit it via gateway nodes or edge devices to a server, dynamically switching between communication networks based on quality conditions, and altering data packets to ensure continuous and reliable transmission by processing them into contextual information for optimal network usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional methods are used to establish communication channels between cloud services and mobile sensing platforms, then manual intervention is required and setup is time-consuming, but the system can be established with conventional protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile sensing platform automatically performs network selection and communication channel establishment without manual intervention. The system self-configures by evaluating available networks and selecting the optimal one based on predefined criteria, eliminating the need for manual setup and reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication channel establishment process is made dynamic through automatic network selection. The system continuously evaluates network conditions and dynamically switches between different communication networks (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) based on availability, quality, and cost criteria, allowing adaptive establishment without manual reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single communication network is used for transmitting telemetry data, then the system is simple to implement, but the system fails to adapt to varying network quality conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic network selection by continuously monitoring network quality parameters (signal strength, bandwidth, latency) and automatically switching between multiple communication networks. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain optimal performance across varying network conditions without requiring complex manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile sensing platform is designed with multi-functionality by supporting multiple communication networks (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa). This universal capability allows the system to operate across diverse network environments, selecting the most appropriate network type based on current conditions, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Reliability
If complete telemetry data packets are transmitted over all available networks, then all data is delivered reliably, but network bandwidth is wasted in areas with suboptimal connectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits only essential or prioritized telemetry data over networks with suboptimal connectivity, rather than transmitting complete data packets. Critical data (e.g., alarm conditions, location updates) is transmitted selectively, while non-critical data is deferred or compressed, reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining transmission reliability for important information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes transmission parameters (data packet size, transmission frequency, compression level) based on network quality conditions. When network quality is poor, parameters are adjusted to transmit smaller, more essential data packets; when quality is good, complete data packets are transmitted. This adaptive parameter adjustment optimizes the balance between reliability and bandwidth consumption.
4Reliability
If manual intervention is used to establish communication channels, then error rates are reduced through human oversight, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms where the mobile sensing platform continuously monitors communication channel status, network quality, and transmission success rates. Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts its communication strategy, selects optimal networks, and re-establishes connections when needed, achieving high reliability without manual intervention and maintaining high setup efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Example methods, apparatuses and systems are disclosed for monitoring and tracking goods flowing through a supply chain. In this regard, goods may be associated with one or more monitoring nodes for monitoring various parameters such as conditions associated with an environment of the goods. In this regard, the monitoring nodes transmits telemetry data monitored by the monitoring nodes, via edge devices or gateway nodes to a server. In accordance with various embodiments illustrated herein, based on an analysis of status information and a network connection quality, associated with transmission of telemetry data packets over a communication network, the data packets under transmission, may be altered by processing the data packets locally and intermediately at the edge devices before sending to the server. The data packets may be altered such that, in an operation, only a portion of data packet including relevant contextual information associated with the telemetry data may be transmitted to the server.