Headless Sensor Data Access via Mobile Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying thousands of environmental sensor devices across large geographical areas for measuring air or water quality is costly and logistically challenging due to the need for manual data collection and the bulkiness of current sensor devices, which often include display panels, user input, and storage media.
Innovation Solution
The development of 'headless' sensor devices that lack a user interface, enabling a smaller form factor and integration with mobile communication devices for wireless data transmission, utilizing processing logic to store and send measurement data without the need for manual retrieval, and communicating through wireless or wired networks to a central data pool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sensor devices include display panels, user input interfaces, and storage media, then the user interface functionality is improved, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the user interface components (display panel, user input interface, and storage media) from the sensor device, creating a headless sensor that only performs sensing functions. This allows the sensor device to be simpler and smaller, while the extracted components are utilized by a separate mobile device that the user interacts with for data access and control.
2Quantity of substance
If thousands of sensor devices are deployed across large geographical areas, then measurement coverage is improved, but deployment cost and logistical complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor device with a mobile device, where the mobile device serves dual purposes: as a user interface for interacting with the sensor and as a data storage and processing unit. This combination reduces the functionality that needs to be distributed across thousands of individual sensor devices, simplifying deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device performs multiple functions: it acts as the user interface for the sensor, stores measurement data, provides wireless communication capabilities, and enables data access. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components in each sensor device, lowering deployment costs and complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If sensor devices store measurements internally, then data retention is improved, but manual data collection becomes impractical for large numbers of sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the sensor device and the user/data storage system. The mobile device wirelessly receives measurement data from the headless sensor device, stores it locally, and manages data retrieval. This intermediary eliminates the need for manual data collection from each sensor while maintaining adequate data retention capabilities.
4Productivity
If each sensor is designed to wirelessly send back data, then data collection efficiency is improved, but the cost of each sensor device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wireless communication functionality from the sensor device and places it in the mobile device. The headless sensor device only contains the sensing elements and minimal processing, while the mobile device handles wireless data transmission. This extraction significantly reduces the cost and complexity of each individual sensor device while maintaining wireless data collection efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A device, system, and machine-readable medium for headless sensor measurements are disclosed. In one embodiment, the device is exclusive of a display. The device includes a sensor head to retrieve an amount of measurement data from an environment. The device also includes an I/O interface, a memory, a non-volatile storage, processing logic, and sensor data access protocol (SDAP) manageability code. The SDAP manageability code may cause the processing logic to provide a sensor type and a measurement data payload type to a mobile communication device. The SDAP manageability code additionally may cause the sensor head to take a measurement, receive measurement data from the sensor head, packetize the measurement data, and transfer the measurement data payload to the mobile communication device.