Chained Wireless Communication Nodes for BLE Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) systems face limitations in accurately locating terminal devices within internal networks due to their low-throughput data transmission and power consumption constraints, which hinder efficient positioning and emergency signal transmission.
Innovation Solution
A chained wireless communication system is introduced, featuring a main node and multiple communication nodes forming a chain network, where each node can serve multiple roles, including scanning, transmitting, and receiving, to process broadcast packets and deliver them to the main node for accurate terminal device location and emergency signal processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If BLE devices operate in standby state for most time to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced and battery life is increased, but data transmission throughput is limited and positioning accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the BLE network into a chain topology where each node acts as an intermediary between terminal devices and the main node. This segmentation allows distributed signal reception while maintaining low-power operation, as each node only processes signals relevant to its segment rather than the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
Communication nodes serve as intermediaries that receive broadcast packets from terminal devices and relay them to the main node. These intermediaries enable efficient signal transmission without requiring terminal devices to maintain continuous high-power connections to the central system, thus improving throughput while preserving low-power operation.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If BLE devices operate in standby state to increase battery life, then power consumption is reduced, but positioning accuracy and signal processing capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
Communication nodes perform preliminary actions by continuously scanning for broadcast packets from terminal devices even when in low-power mode. This preliminary signal collection enables the main node to receive and process positioning information without requiring terminal devices to maintain high-power transmission, thus preserving battery life while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication nodes are designed with multi-functionality, serving as both power-saving intermediaries and active signal processing units. Each node can scan, receive, and forward packets while operating in low-power mode, enabling the system to achieve both long battery life and accurate positioning through distributed universal functionality.
3Ease of operation
If a radial network topology is used with gateway devices to connect internal and external networks, then network connectivity is established, but system complexity increases and signal processing efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a traditional radial topology where a central gateway manages all connections, the patent inverts the approach by creating a distributed chain topology. Each communication node in the chain can independently scan and forward signals, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining network connectivity between terminal devices and external networks through the main node.
4Measurement precision
If broadcast packets are processed by all communication nodes to improve positioning accuracy, then positioning precision is improved, but energy consumption and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the signal scanning and initial processing functions from the main node and distributes them to individual communication nodes. Each node extracts and processes only the broadcast packets relevant to its local environment, reducing the processing energy consumption at each node while collectively improving positioning precision through distributed measurement data.
Data Source
AI summary
A chained wireless communication system is provided. The system includes a main node and a plurality of communication nodes. The communication nodes are chained to form a chain network. The communication node can switch roles among a master connection unit, a slave connection unit and a signal scanning unit. The signal scanning unit can scan nearby terminal devices and generate scan packets. The scan packets are transmitted to neighboring communication nodes via the slave connection unit. The master connection unit of the neighboring communication node receives the scan packets. The scan packets are then delivered to the main node via this chain network. The main node retrieves a message delivered from the terminal device according to an identification message from the scan packets. The message delivered from the terminal device is used to locate the terminal device, notify an emergency event or serve as a sensing signal.