IoT Gateway Device Optimizing BLE and LPWAN Transmission Scheduling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT gateway devices face challenges in efficiently connecting battery-powered wireless sensors and actuators to a remote monitor center while minimizing power consumption and avoiding interference between short-range and long-range wireless communications.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered gateway device that aggregates data from multiple wireless sensors and actuators using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for short-range communication, and transmits this data through a Low Power Wireless Wide Area Network (LPWAN). The device employs artificial intelligence or machine learning to optimize power usage by powering on the BLE scanner only during necessary time periods and initiating long-range communication only when the short-range communication is silent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gateway device continuously scans for BLE sensors and maintains long-range communication ready, then communication reliability is improved, but battery power is depleted rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device implements periodic scanning intervals instead of continuous scanning, and uses periodic transmission opportunities in LPWAN. The scanner operates in cycles with adjustable intervals, allowing the device to balance between detecting sensors reliably and conserving battery power during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors perform self-advertisement at specific intervals, allowing the gateway to scan passively during these predetermined windows rather than continuously active scanning. This reduces the gateway's power consumption while maintaining reliable detection capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If both short-range BLE and long-range LPWAN radios operate simultaneously, then communication functionality is improved, but radio interference occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device schedules BLE scanning and LPWAN transmission in alternating time windows. BLE scanning occurs during specific intervals, while LPWAN transmission happens in designated transmission opportunities, ensuring the radios do not operate simultaneously and causing interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway dynamically adjusts its radio operation schedule based on detected sensor presence, data buffer status, and LPWAN transmission opportunities. The system transitions between different operational states (scanning, transmitting, sleeping) to optimize both functionality and interference avoidance.
3Productivity
If the gateway device aggregates data from multiple sensors before transmission, then transmission efficiency is improved, but data transmission delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway dynamically adjusts the data aggregation window size based on sensor data arrival rates, buffer occupancy, and upcoming LPWAN transmission opportunities. When sensors generate data rapidly or buffer space is limited, the gateway reduces aggregation time to minimize delay. When data arrival is steady and buffer capacity allows, aggregation period extends to improve transmission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway pre-buffers sensor data in memory during intervals between LPWAN transmission opportunities, preparing data packets in advance. This allows the gateway to transmit aggregated data efficiently when transmission windows open, reducing actual transmission delay while maintaining aggregation benefits.
Data Source
Figure 1A~2
Figure 1B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention describes a gateway device (100, 100a) for wirelessly connecting IoT sensors, actuators or devices (150, 151, 152, etc.) and aggregating the sensor/actuator/device data into data packages (160); these sensor connections use short range (SR) wireless communication, which includes Bluetooth, BLE, Zigbee, NFC or similar wireless technology. The data packages (160) are then transmitted to a monitor centre (190) at predetermined time intervals via a low power, long range (LR), wireless wide area network (LPWAN), which includes NB-IoT, Sigfox, LoRa or similar wireless technology. BLE standard is modified to further reduce battery power consumption for use in the gateway device. In addition, scheduling of SR and LR transmissions averts wireless interference.