Intermediary Wireless Relay for Legacy Sensor Network Bridging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy wireless devices with limited transmission power or unsupported communication schemes face challenges in communicating with advanced networks, leading to inefficiencies and manual intervention for data transfer.
Innovation Solution
An intermediary device supporting both legacy and advanced communication schemes facilitates data transfer by registering legacy devices with advanced networks and transmitting data between them with minimal user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If legacy devices use limited transmission power to conserve energy, then energy usage is reduced, but communication range and ability to reach advanced networks is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay device that acts as an intermediary between legacy devices and advanced networks. The relay device receives data from legacy devices using low-power transmission schemes (maintaining energy efficiency) and forwards it to advanced networks using high-power transmission schemes (extending communication range). This mediator resolves the contradiction by separating the energy consumption function from the range requirement function.
2Ease of operation
If legacy devices use legacy communication schemes to maintain compatibility, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to advanced networks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device serves as a protocol translator between legacy communication schemes and advanced network protocols. Legacy devices continue using their familiar schemes (maintaining ease of operation) while the relay device handles the adaptation to advanced networks (improving versatility).
Solution Approach 2:
The relay device is designed with multi-functionality to support both legacy communication schemes and advanced network protocols simultaneously. It can operate with multiple types of devices using different communication standards, making the system universally accessible while maintaining backward compatibility.
3Productivity
If sensors transmit data directly to remote servers, then data aggregation efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases due to requiring direct high-power transmission capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transmission function into two separate components: the sensor device maintains simple low-power transmission capability, while the relay device handles the complex high-power transmission and network communication. This segmentation allows sensors to remain simple while achieving efficient data aggregation through the relay infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for registering devices on advanced networks as well as providing operative communications between a legacy device and an advanced network. The legacy device may contain data, such as sensor data, which is being collected on a network outside the communication range/abilities of the legacy device. An intermediary device may receive the data via a first communication scheme and send the device to a server collecting the data via a second communication scheme.