LPWAN Sensor Data Interpreter Blueprint Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) face challenges in efficiently interpreting and converting sensor data, particularly in transmitting uplink sensor data using low data throughput while maintaining compatibility with various sensor types, and in efficiently transmitting downlink data to sensors.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a sensor data interpreter/converter that maps LPWAN EUIs to sensor-type identifiers and uses predefined blueprints to convert machine-readable sensor data into human-readable JSON format in the uplink, and conversely, converts human-readable information into machine-readable sensor-compatible formats in the downlink.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If sensor-type identifiers are transmitted in uplink data, then sensor type information is available at the receiver, but data overhead increases and network efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-registers sensor-type identifiers with the base station before actual data transmission. When a sensor sends uplink data, it only needs to transmit the pre-registered sensor data without repeating the identifier, as the base station already has this information from the registration phase. This eliminates the need to transmit sensor-type identifiers with every data packet, reducing overhead while maintaining information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a mapping copy of sensor identifiers at the base station during registration. Instead of transmitting the actual sensor-type identifier with each data packet, the sensor transmits a simplified data payload that references the pre-established mapping. The base station uses this reference to retrieve the full sensor type information from its stored copy, reducing transmission overhead while preserving complete information.
2Ease of operation
If data is transmitted in human-readable JSON format, then data interpretability is improved, but transmission bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments data transmission into two distinct phases: registration phase where the complete JSON blueprint is transmitted and stored at the base station, and data transmission phase where only compact sensor readings are sent. This segmentation allows the detailed human-readable format to be used once during registration for interpretability, while subsequent transmissions use efficient compact formats to conserve bandwidth.
Solution Approach 2:
The complete JSON data structure and format specifications are preliminarily transmitted and stored at the base station during the registration phase. This preliminary action establishes the human-readable format framework in advance, allowing subsequent sensor data transmissions to use compact binary or simplified formats that reference the pre-established structure, thereby improving interpretability without continuously consuming high bandwidth.
3Adaptability or versatility
If LPWANs support multiple sensor types, then system versatility is improved, but data interpretation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a JSON blueprint as an intermediary layer between diverse sensor types and the base station processing. Each sensor type has a predefined JSON blueprint that standardizes its data format. During registration, the sensor's blueprint is transmitted and stored at the base station. When data is received, the base station uses the appropriate blueprint as a mediator to automatically interpret and standardize the sensor data, eliminating the need for complex custom interpretation logic for each sensor type while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter representation of sensor data by converting diverse sensor-type-specific formats into a unified JSON structure during the registration phase. The JSON blueprint standardizes parameters such as data types, units, and field names across different sensor types. This parameter transformation allows the base station to handle multiple sensor types using a single standardized interpretation approach, reducing complexity while preserving versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Sensor data interpreter/converter methods and apparatus interpreting and converting sensor data transmitted by a plurality of sensors in a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) (in the up-link) in a unidirectional network and, in a bidirectional network, also converting human readable formatted information into sensor compatible machine-readable byte array data (in the downlink) are described. The interpreter/converter methods and apparatus utilize blueprints that fully define the sensors (nodes) connected in the LPWAN. The blueprints include components providing information of every possible input and output an associated sensor has. The blueprints determine how the interpreter/converter functions when converting sensor data to human readable formatted information in the uplink, and when converting human readable formatted information to sensor compatible machine-readable byte array data in the downlink. The blueprints are structured to optimize the efficiency of transmissions in limited data bandwidth LPWANs.