Wearable IoT Aggregator for Hazard-Prone Environment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT devices struggle to efficiently and cost-effectively transmit data over long ranges while managing power limitations, and they often require significant infrastructure and redesign to connect to end-user data through traditional telecommunication architectures.
Innovation Solution
A personal area network (PAN) using a wearable electronic device with a wireless communication module and LPWAN connectivity, allowing data from nearby sensors or devices to be wirelessly sent to a larger network without relying on cellular infrastructure, using a LoRa-based approach for low-power, long-range communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If traditional telecommunication architectures (cellular, Bluetooth, WiFi) are used for data transmission, then long-range communication capability is achieved, but power consumption becomes prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the communication parameter from high-power protocols (cellular, WiFi) to low-power wide area network protocols specifically designed for low energy consumption while maintaining long-range capability. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting a different communication paradigm that simultaneously achieves both long range and low power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (such as a gateway or base station) that collects data from multiple low-power IoT devices and transmits bulk data to the network. This intermediary approach allows individual sensor nodes to maintain low power consumption while still achieving long-range communication through the intermediary's higher-power transmission capability.
2Length of stationary object
If IoT devices are equipped with long-range transmission capability, then data can be sent to remote locations, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication function into two parts: simple low-power short-range transmission at the IoT device level, and complex long-range network communication at the intermediary/gateway level. This segmentation allows individual IoT devices to remain simple and low-cost while the system as a whole achieves long-range capability through the more sophisticated intermediary infrastructure.
3Productivity
If existing IoT devices are repurposed for new applications, then deployment speed increases, but FDA approval and clearance processes become difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the IoT device with universal, application-agnostic sensor capabilities and communication interfaces that can serve multiple medical and non-medical applications. By creating a universal platform rather than application-specific devices, the system can deploy quickly across different use cases while maintaining regulatory compliance for medical applications through proper certification of the universal platform.
Data Source
AI summary
A personal area network that includes a wearable electronic device, a system and methods of using the personal area network that includes a wearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device can act as an aggregator of the data that is being acquired by the one or more sensors and from other devices that are within wireless signal range of the personal area network in order to send some or all of the data over a wireless low power wide area network to remote locations within a larger network for subsequent processing, user notification, analysis of location-determination, contact tracing or the like. Data may flow in a bidirectional manner between the wearable electronic device and at least some of the other devices within the personal area network. In one form, the aggregated data may be used to control access to a hazard-prone environment in order to reduce the likelihood of exposure of a service technician to unsafe conditions within such environment. In one form, a communication network formed by the wearable electronic device is used with the hazard-prone environment in order to control access, while in another to control a lockout/tagout procedure.