Wearable LoRaWAN Aggregator for Low-Power Industrial Equipment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT devices face challenges in efficiently transmitting data over long distances while maintaining low power consumption, particularly in scenarios where cellular-based protocols are prohibitive and traditional telecommunication architectures are costly and complex, especially in health-care settings.
Innovation Solution
A wearable electronic device forms a personal area network (PAN) using a LoRa chipset and LoRaWAN protocol to wirelessly communicate data through a low power wide area network (LPWAN), acting as a coordinator for nearby sensors and beacons to aggregate data for remote analysis and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If cellular-based protocols are used for long-range data transmission, then transmission distance is improved, but power consumption increases making them prohibitive for battery-limited devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from cellular-based protocols to LPWAN protocols, fundamentally changing the communication parameters including frequency bands, modulation schemes, and transmission power levels. This enables long-range transmission (kilometer or more) while maintaining low power consumption suitable for battery-limited medical devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an LPWAN communication system as an intermediary between medical devices and remote servers, replacing direct cellular communication. This intermediary layer provides long-range connectivity with significantly reduced power consumption, acting as a bridge that solves the contradiction between transmission distance and power usage.
2Loss of information
If traditional telecommunication architectures are used, then data transmission capability is improved, but infrastructure cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the communication functionality from complex traditional telecommunication architectures and implements it through simplified LPWAN protocols. This extraction removes unnecessary infrastructure layers while maintaining data transmission capability, reducing both cost and complexity for medical device connectivity.
3Use of energy by moving object
If LPWAN protocol is used for data transmission, then power consumption is reduced, but data bandwidth capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by implementing LPWAN communication that provides sufficient bandwidth for medical device data transmission needs without requiring the full capability of high-bandwidth protocols. The system uses only the necessary portion of communication capacity required for health data, achieving adequate performance with lower power consumption.
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 provide information related to one or more operational parameters of an industrial asset and, if necessary, take control-based action in order to adjust one or more such operational parameters. In one form, a communication network formed by the wearable electronic device is used within an industrial setting in order to perform such data acquisition, processing and related control.