GB2548883A - Mobile device monitoring system - Google Patents
Mobile device monitoring system Download PDFInfo
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- GB2548883A GB2548883A GB1605477.7A GB201605477A GB2548883A GB 2548883 A GB2548883 A GB 2548883A GB 201605477 A GB201605477 A GB 201605477A GB 2548883 A GB2548883 A GB 2548883A
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
- G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
- G06K19/0701—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
- G06K19/0707—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation
- G06K19/0708—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation the source being electromagnetic or magnetic
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
- G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
- G06K19/0723—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
- G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
- G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
- G06K7/10158—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q9/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W84/00—Network topologies
- H04W84/02—Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
- H04W84/10—Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
- H04W84/12—WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
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- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
- G08C2201/00—Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link
- G08C2201/90—Additional features
- G08C2201/93—Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q2209/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems
- H04Q2209/40—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems using a wireless architecture
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q2209/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems
- H04Q2209/40—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems using a wireless architecture
- H04Q2209/47—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems using a wireless architecture using RFID associated with sensors
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q2209/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems
- H04Q2209/80—Arrangements in the sub-station, i.e. sensing device
- H04Q2209/86—Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Toxicology (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
- Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
Abstract
A monitoring system 1000, comprises: a wireless network 200; a mobile device 100 configured to communicate with the wireless network, the mobile device itself comprising a storage module 110 which stores a unique identifier; a wireless charger 300 for charging the mobile device and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain the identifier; and a monitoring device 400 communicatively coupled to the charger, and configured to receive the identifier obtained by the charger and monitor the mobile device via the wireless network based on the received identifier. The mobile device further comprises: an energy storage module 130; a wireless charging module 140 for charging the energy storage module when the wireless charging module is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to the charger; a first communication module 120 configured to wirelessly communicate the identifier to the wireless charger; and a second communication module 180 configured to wirelessly communicate with the network, the second communication module being powered by energy stored in the energy storage module. The mobile device could further comprise a sensor 160, for example to sense motion or an environmental condition.
Description
Mobile Device Monitoring System [Technical Field]
The present invention generally relates to the field of mobile devices such as contactless smart cards and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and, more particularly, to the monitoring of such mobile devices.
[Background]
Mobile RFID devices such as RFID tags and RFID contactless smart cards are well known and have been widely used over many years for people and asset identification. These devices can be classified as being either passive or active. A passive RFID card, for example, wirelessly receives power from an RFID card reader and transmits back an identifier that uniquely identifies the card to the reader. Based on the identifier received by the reader, a security system may then determine whether the card-holder is authorised to enter a secured area (e.g. a floor of a building) and, if authorised, grant the card-holder access by opening or unlocking a door or other barrier to the secured area. Active RFID contactless cards, on the other hand, employ battery-powered microcontrollers and low-powered networks for tracking and sensing. Devices of this kind can be used to track location or environmental conditions (e.g. temperature or humidity).
[Summary]
The present inventors have recognised that the functionality of known passive mobile RFID devices is inherently limited by the way in which their internal circuitry is powered, and their uses are consequently limited to the monitoring of items or people (e.g. a component in a product assembly line, or a visitor to a building) whose status or location (e.g. assembled/not assembled, or the location of the visitor in the building) need only be determined when the item or person is at one of the predetermined locations of the RFID readers. In between the readings of the RFID tag of the item or person by the RFID readers, the status or location (as the case may be) cannot be determined. Known active mobile RFID devices, on the other hand, have the draw-back of requiring periodic maintenance, as the devices' batteries need to be serviced (i.e. replaced or recharged) on a regular basis. Although this service interval may be as long as a few years, the devices still need to be managed and maintained on an ongoing basis in order to keep them in working order, and this can be costly and inconvenient, particularly in monitoring systems that employ large numbers of such devices that need to be periodically recharged or replaced.
The present inventors have recognised that these draw-backs of conventional RFID device-based monitoring systems may be overcome by modifying the conventional mobile passive RFID device (e.g. RFID contactless smart card) to comprise an energy storage module such a supercapacitor that is arranged to power a communication module that is also provided in the mobile device for long-range communication with a wireless network, and also to modify the conventional RFID device reader to not only wirelessly read the unique identifier stored in the mobile device but also to wirelessly charge the energy storage module while the identifier is being read or when the mobile device is otherwise within the charging range of the modified reader. In this way, the energy storage module can be charged whenever the mobile device is caused to interact with the reader in the conventional way so as to allow the identifier to be read, thereby allowing a reserve of energy to be easily maintained in the mobile device that can be used to provide the enhanced functionality of conventional active devices, although without the associated draw-backs noted above.
More particularly, the present inventors have devised a monitoring system comprising a wireless network and a mobile device configured to communicate with the wireless network, the mobile device comprising a storage module which stores an identifier that is unique to the mobile device. The monitoring system further comprises a wireless charger for wirelessly charging the mobile device and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain the identifier, and a monitoring device communicatively coupled to the wireless charger, the monitoring device being configured to receive the identifier obtained by the wireless charger and monitor the mobile device via the wireless network based on the received identifier. The mobile device further comprises: an energy storage module; a wireless charging module configured to charge the energy storage module when the wireless charging module is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to the wireless charger so as to receive power from the wireless charger; a first communication module configured to wirelessly communicate the identifier to the wireless charger; and a second communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless network, the second communication module being powered by energy stored in the energy storage module.
The present inventors have further devised a mobile device for use in a monitoring system comprising a wireless network configured to communicate with the mobile device, a wireless charger for wirelessly charging the mobile device and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain from the mobile device an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, and a monitoring device communicatively coupled to the wireless charger, the monitoring device being configured to receive the identifier obtained by the wireless charger and monitor the mobile device via the wireless network based on the received identifier. The mobile device comprises: an energy storage module; a wireless charging module configured to charge the energy storage module when the wireless charging module is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to the wireless charger so as to receive power from the wireless charger; a storage module which stores the identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device; a first communication module operable to wirelessly communicate the identifier to the wireless charger; and a second communication module operable to wirelessly communicate with the wireless network, the second communication module being powered by energy stored in the energy storage module.
The present inventors have further devised a wireless charger for wirelessly charging a mobile device and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, the mobile device being configured to communicate with a wireless network and having a storage module which stores the identifier. The wireless charger comprises a transmitter module configured to transmit the obtained identifier to a monitoring device for monitoring the mobile device via the wireless network based on the received identifier, and further comprise a wireless charging module configured to wirelessly charge the mobile device.
[Brief Description of the Drawings]
Embodiments of the invention will now be explained in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic illustrating components of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 2 is a schematic showing further details of the mobile device 100 and wireless charger 300 shown in Fig. 1.
[Detailed Description of Embodiments]
In the following, the term "exemplary" merely refers to an example, which may or may not be the most preferred example. The remaining terms used in this specification take their usual meaning in the art unless indicated otherwise.
Figure 1 illustrates functional components of a monitoring system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising a mobile device 100 in the exemplary form of a wireless smart card, and a wireless network 200 which is configured to wirelessly communicate with the smart card. The wireless network 200 may, as in the present embodiment, be provided in the form of a Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) that allows energy-efficient, long-range communication at a low bit rate with the mobile device 100. By way of example, the LPWAN of the present embodiment is in accordance with the LoRaWAN™ specification, which can provide secure bi-directional communications, mobility and localisation services. The LPWAN may alternatively be a 3GPP NB-IOT or Weightless wireless network, for example.
As well as being able to communicate with the LPWAN, the mobile device 100 of the present embodiment is also provided with the functionality of an RFID tag, specifically a passive RFID tag that is configured to communicate a unique identifier stored therein in response to an interrogation RF signal from a (short-range) RFID reader, using RF energy transmitted by the reader. Such functionality may, as in the present embodiment, be provided by including an RFID circuit comprising a radio frequency antenna and an integrated circuit (1C) which is coupled to the antenna and stores the aforementioned identifier, the 1C being configured to communicate the identifier via the antenna in response to an RF interrogation signal from an RFID reader received by the antenna. The mobile device 100 may alternatively be configured to function as an active RFID tag, using an on-board power source (described below) to periodically transmit the identifier. As a further alternative, the mobile device 100 may be configured to function as a power-assisted passive RFID tag, which has an on-board power source which is used to communicate the identifier only in the presence of an RFID reader. The configuration and operation of such RFID tags is well-known to those skilled in the art so that further description of the integrated circuit and antenna design, communication protocols etc. is unnecessary here.
Mobile devices according to embodiments of the present invention have many applications. By way of an example, the mobile device 100 of the present embodiment is an access smart card that may be issued to visitors to a building (e.g. a factory) in order to grant them access to a secured area in the building. Although the use of smart cards in such scenarios, where a card-holder "touches In" to a card reader provided near a door in order to be allowed access through the door, is well-known, the access smart card of the present embodiment allows a monitoring system to wirelessly monitor the smart card (e.g. determine its location) not only when the smart card is read by the card reader but also as the card-holder subsequently moves through the building. The monitoring system may wirelessly monitor one or more other or additional aspects of the smart card's use or operational state in this way, for example a temperature or other environmental condition monitored by a sensor in the smart card. As will be explained in the following, this enhanced functionality can be achieved using a smart card according to an embodiment of the invention that is essentially maintenance-free.
The monitoring system 1000 also has at least one wireless charger 300 which, in the present embodiment, is provided in the form of a modified RFID reader that can not only wirelessly read the identifier stored in the mobile device 100 using known RFID techniques but also wirelessly charge the mobile device 100 when placed on or in close proximity to the reader. In the present embodiment, the mobile device identifier read by this modified RFID reader (which is typically located by a door or other access barrier) is used by the building's card-monitoring system to determine whether the card-holder is authorised to access the secured area in the building and, upon determining that the card-holder is authorised, grant the card-holder access to the secured area by opening or unlocking the door or other access barrier (access otherwise being denied). Although one wireless charger 300 is shown in Fig. 1 and described further in the following, it will be appreciated that the monitoring system 1000 may generally have a plurality of such wireless chargers 300, each configured to interact with the mobile device 100 and the monitoring device 400 (described below) in the same way.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the monitoring system 1000 further comprises a monitoring device 400 such as a server, which is communicatively coupled to the wireless charger 300, for example using a wireless or, as in the present embodiment, a wired connection. The monitoring device 400 is configured to receive the identifier obtained by the wireless charger 300 and monitor the mobile device 100 via the wireless network 200 using the received identifier. For example, the monitoring device 400 may, as in the present embodiment, be configured to use the wireless network 200 to monitor the location of the mobile device 100 in a coverage area of the wireless network 200 (which includes at least one or more floors of the building), based on the received identifier. Where the mobile device 100 comprises a sensor (e.g. a temperature sensor or movement detector), the monitoring device 400 may additionally or alternatively be configured to monitor a status of the sensor via the wireless network 200.
Regardless of which aspect of the mobile device's use or operation is being monitored, the monitoring device 400 may store network identifiers for a plurality of the mobile devices 100 (which can be used within the wireless network 200 to identify the mobile devices) in association with respective unique mobile device identifiers of the kind stored in the mobile devices 100, and begin monitoring a mobile device having a network identifier which is associated with a mobile device identifier that is the same as the identifier received from the wireless charger 300. In other embodiments, the network identifier used by the wireless network 200 may be the same as the mobile device identifier that is stored in the mobile device and wirelessly readable by the wireless charger 300. The monitoring device 400 may store a plurality of the unique mobile device identifiers in association with respective card-holders (e.g. visitors, patients, etc.) or respective objects that may be attached to the mobile devices (e.g. rental items, valuable assets, etc.), for example.
The components of the monitoring system 1000 shown in Fig. 1 will now be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 2.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the mobile device 100 comprises a storage module 110 (i.e. a memory device such as any suitable non-volatile memory) which stores the identifier that is unique to the mobile device 100, and a first communication module 120 (comprising one or more antennas) which is configured to wirelessly communicate the identifier to a corresponding communication module 310 in the wireless charger 300. The mobile device 100 also has an energy storage module 130 which may, as in the present embodiment, be provided in the form of a capacitor or a supercapacitor capable of storing sufficient charge to power the components of the mobile device 100 described below in between charges by the wireless charger 300 during anticipated normal use of the mobile device 100. Use of the on-board energy storage module 130 thus allows the mobile device 100 to be monitored not only at an access point where the wireless reader 300 is provided, but also when the mobile device 100 is subsequently taken out of the range of the wireless reader 300 by the user as he/she walks through the building. An energy storage device 130 in the form of a capacitor or a supercapacitor has the advantage of being much faster to charge that a battery, typically acquiring a top-up of charge, while the mobile device 100 is held near the wireless charger 300 during the aforementioned card-holder authorisation (typically lasting a few seconds), which is sufficient to subsequently maintain normal functionality of the mobile device 100. Furthermore, in contrast to a battery, the capacitor or supercapacitor requires no maintenance (e.g. occasional charging or cleaning of corroded terminals) or periodic replacement, and can operate reliably over a broader range of temperatures.
The mobile device 100 also includes a wireless charging module 140 which is configured to charge the energy storage module 130 when the mobile device 100 is placed near the wireless charger 300 such that the wireless charging module 140 of the mobile device 100 is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to a wireless charging module 320 of the wireless charger 300, allowing power to be wirelessly transferred from the wireless charger 300 to the mobile device 100.
The mobile device 100 further comprises a processor 150, which is powered by the energy storage module 130. The processor 150 may, as in the present embodiment, be communicatively coupled to a sensor 160. The processor 150 may alternatively (or, as in the present embodiment, additionally) be communicatively coupled to an indicator 170. The indicator 170 may be powered by the energy storage module 130, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The sensor 160 may similarly be powered by the energy storage module 130.
By way of example, the sensor 160 that is (optionally) included in the present embodiment comprises a motion detector configured to detect movements of the mobile device, and the processor 150 is configured to monitor the detected movements and determine whether the pattern of monitored movements is indicative of the card-holder having fallen, thereby risking injury. The sensor 160 may additionally or alternatively comprise an environmental condition detector configured to detect one or more environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, humidity, oxygen or pollutant (e.g. CO) level, and pressure. The sensor may additionally or alternatively comprise a user-operable switch (e.g. a push-button), which the card-holder may press when in distress or otherwise in need of attention.
Where the mobile device 100 is provided with an indicator 170 (as in the present embodiment), the indicator 170 may comprise an liquid crystal display (LCD) configured to display, under the control of the processor 150, one or more messages such as instructions (e.g. "Approaching dangerous area - go back") or warnings ("Low oxygen level" or "High CO level")) to help keep the card-holder safe while he/she moves through the factory or other kind of building containing hazards. The indicator 170 may alternatively provide another kind of visual indication to the card-holder; for example, the indicator may comprise a light-emitting diode (LED) which is turned on by the processor 150 to indicate that the card-holder should evacuate the building or retreat to a designated safe area within the building. The indicator 170, when activated, may additionally or alternatively provide an audible indication or a vibration for altering the card-holder.
The mobile device 180 also includes a second communication module 180, which is configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless network 200, and is also powered by energy stored in the energy storage module 130. The second communication module 180 comprises electronic circuitry and antenna(s) required to communicate with the wireless network 200 that will be familiar to those skilled in the art. The second communication module 180 is configured to transmit to the monitoring device 400, via the wireless network 200, the status of the sensor 160 so as to allow the monitoring device 400 to monitor the sensor status. For example, where the sensor 160 comprises an environmental condition detector, the transmitted status of the sensor provides an indication of the detected environmental condition. Where the sensor 160 comprises a user-operable switch, the transmitted status of the sensor provides an indication of an interaction of a user with the switch, and where the sensor 160 comprises a motion detector, the transmitted status of the sensor provides an indication of a movement detected by the motion detector.
In addition to the sensor status, the monitoring device 400 is configured to cooperate with the wireless network 200 to monitor the location of the mobile device 100 as it moves within the coverage area of the wireless network 200. The techniques by which known examples of the wireless network 200 may determine the location of the mobile device 100 are well-known to those skilled in the art, and will therefore not be described here.
The second communication module 180 is further configured to receive from the monitoring device 400, via the wireless network 200, a signal for activating the indicator 170. For example, when the monitoring device 400 determines that the mobile device 100 has entered (or is approaching) an area designated as unsafe or having restricted access for any other reason, the monitoring device 400 may transmit to the second communication module 180, via the wireless network 200, a signal to cause the processor 150 to control the LCD display to display the aforementioned instructions (e.g. "Approaching dangerous area - go back") to instruct the card-holder not to enter the unsafe/restricted area. Additionally or alternatively, when the monitoring device 400 determines from the monitored sensor status that a predetermined criterion is satisfied (e.g. the oxygen level measured by the sensor 160 is below a safe level, or a pollutant level measured by the sensor 160 is above a safe level), the monitoring device 400 may transmit to the second communication module 180, via the wireless network 200, a signal to cause the processor 150 to control the LCD display to display the aforementioned warning (e.g. "Low oxygen level" or "High CO level") to prompt the card holder to leave the unsafe area.
[Modifications and Variations]
Many modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments described above.
For example, although the monitoring system 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is concerned with the monitoring of visitors to a building such as a factory that contains one or more hazardous or restricted areas, in order to improve their safety, the monitoring system 1000 may be used in a variety of other scenarios.
For example, the monitoring system 1000 may be used to track the location of cars in a car park; in this alternative embodiment, a driver may be issued with the mobile device 100 on entering the car park, and leave It In the car after parking. An application ("app") on the driver's smart-phone may then be used to provide the driver with an indication of where the car is parked, to help them find it later on. Once the driver has located his/her car with the help of the app, they drive away to the car park exit, leave the mobile device 100 at the exit and pay the parking fee, before driving away from the car park.
As yet another example, the mobile device 100 may be attached to a rental object (e.g. a book or a device) and activated during lending. A motion sensor in the mobile device 100 can subsequently be used to determine whether the rental object is being used (through the detected movements) and/or an environmental condition sensor in the mobile device 100 may be used to monitor the rental object's storage conditions (e.g. temperature). The indicator 170 in the mobile device 100 may be used to instruct the borrower to return the rental object when the rental period has expired, or when the object appears not be used by the borrower (based on the readings of the motion sensor), or when the rental object is not being stored correctly by the borrower (based on the readings of the environmental condition sensor).
Claims (17)
1. A monitoring system (1000), comprising: a wireless network (200); a mobile device (100) configured to communicate with the wireless network (200), the mobile device (100) comprising a storage module (110) which stores an identifier that is unique to the mobile device (100); a wireless charger (300) for wirelessly charging the mobile device (100) and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain the identifier; and a monitoring device (400) communicatively coupled to the wireless charger (300), the monitoring device (400) being configured to receive the identifier obtained by the wireless charger and monitor the mobile device (100) via the wireless network based on the received identifier, wherein the mobile device (100) further comprises: an energy storage module (130); a wireless charging module (140) configured to charge the energy storage module (130) when the wireless charging module is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to the wireless charger (300) so as to receive power from the wireless charger; a first communication module (120) configured to wirelessly communicate the identifier to the wireless charger (300); and a second communication module (180) configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless network (200), the second communication module (180) being powered by energy stored in the energy storage module (130).
2. A monitoring system (1000) according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device (400) is configured to monitor a location of the mobile device (100) via the wireless network (200).
3. A monitoring system (1000) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the mobile device (100) further comprises a sensor (160), and the monitoring device (400) is configured to monitor a status of the sensor (160) via the wireless network (200).
4. A monitoring system (1000) according to claim 3, wherein the sensor (160) comprises one or more of: an environmental condition detector, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of the detected environmental condition; a user-operable switch, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of an interaction of a user with the switch; and a motion detector, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of a movement detected by the motion detector.
5. A monitoring system (1000) according to any preceding claim, wherein: the mobile device (100) further comprises an indicator (170) which, when activated, provides one or more of a visual indication, an audible indication and a vibration, for altering a user; and the monitoring device (400) is further configured to transmit to the mobile device (100), via the wireless network (200), a signal for activating the indicator (170).
6. A monitoring system (1000) according to claim 5 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the monitoring device (400) is configured generate the signal based on the monitored location of the mobile device (100), and transmit the generated signal to the mobile device (100) via the wireless network (200).
7. A monitoring system (1000) according to claim 5 when dependent on either claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the monitoring device (400) is configured to generate the signal based on the monitored status of the sensor (160), and transmit the generated signal to the mobile device (100) via the wireless network (200).
8. A monitoring system (1000) according to any preceding claim, wherein the energy storage module (130) comprises one of a capacitor and a supercapacitor.
9. A monitoring system (1000) according to any preceding claim, wherein the mobile device (100) is a contactless smart card.
10. A mobile device (100) for use in a monitoring system (1000) comprising: a wireless network (200) configured to communicate with the mobile device (100); a wireless charger for wirelessly charging the mobile device and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain from the mobile device an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device; and a monitoring device communicatively coupled to the wireless charger, the monitoring device being configured to receive the identifier obtained by the wireless charger (300) and monitor the mobile device (100) via the wireless network (200) based on the received identifier, wherein the mobile device (100) comprises: an energy storage module (130); a wireless charging module (140) configured to charge the energy storage module (130) when the wireless charging module is electromagnetically or inductively coupled to the wireless charger (300) so as to receive power from the wireless charger; a storage module (110) which stores the identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device (100); a first communication module (120) configured to wirelessly communicate the identifier to the wireless charger (300); and a second communication module (180) configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless network (200), the second communication module (180) being powered by energy stored in the energy storage module (130).
11. A mobile device (100) according to claim 10, further comprising a sensor (160), wherein the second communication module (180) is configured to communicate a status of the sensor (160) to the monitoring device (400) via the wireless network (200), so as to allow the monitoring device to monitor the status of the sensor (160).
12. A mobile device (100) according to claim 11, wherein the sensor (160) comprises one or more of: an environmental condition detector, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of the detected environmental condition; a user-operable switch, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of an interaction of a user with the switch; and a motion detector, such that the status of the sensor provides an indication of a movement detected by the motion detector.
13. A mobile device (100) according to any of claims 10 to 12, further comprising an indicator (170) which, when activated, provides one or more of a visual indication, an audible indication and a vibration, wherein the second communication module (180) is configured to receive from the monitoring device (400), via the wireless network (200), a signal for activating the indicator (170).
14. A mobile device (100) according to any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the energy storage module (130) comprises one of a capacitor and a supercapacitor.
15. A mobile device (100) according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the mobile device (100) is a contactless smart card.
16. A wireless charger (300) for wirelessly charging a mobile device (100) and wirelessly communicating with the mobile device to obtain an identifier that uniquely identifies the mobile device, the mobile device (100) being configured to communicate with a wireless network (200) and having a storage module (110) which stores the identifier, the wireless charger (300) comprising: a communication module (310) configured to wirelessly communicate with the mobile device (100) to obtain the identifier and transmit the obtained identifier to a monitoring device (400) for monitoring the mobile device (100) via the wireless network (200) based on the received identifier; and a wireless charging module (320) configured to wirelessly charge the mobile device (100).
17. A wireless charger (300) according to claim 16, wherein the mobile device (100) is a contactless smart card.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1605477.7A GB2548883A (en) | 2016-03-31 | 2016-03-31 | Mobile device monitoring system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1605477.7A GB2548883A (en) | 2016-03-31 | 2016-03-31 | Mobile device monitoring system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2548883A true GB2548883A (en) | 2017-10-04 |
Family
ID=59773313
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1605477.7A Withdrawn GB2548883A (en) | 2016-03-31 | 2016-03-31 | Mobile device monitoring system |
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| Country | Link |
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| GB (1) | GB2548883A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019156681A1 (en) | 2018-02-09 | 2019-08-15 | NanoThings, Inc. | Item status tracking system and method |
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| WO2004092999A2 (en) * | 2003-04-17 | 2004-10-28 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Multimode wireless local area network/radio frequency identification asset tag |
| WO2007019104A2 (en) * | 2005-08-04 | 2007-02-15 | Mhcmos, Llc | Harvesting ambient radio frequency electromagnetic energy for powering wireless electronic devices, sensors and sensor networks and applications thereof |
| US20110309931A1 (en) * | 2010-06-21 | 2011-12-22 | Rose Mark D | Low-power wirelessly-linked rfid tracking system |
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2016
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2004092999A2 (en) * | 2003-04-17 | 2004-10-28 | Symbol Technologies, Inc. | Multimode wireless local area network/radio frequency identification asset tag |
| WO2007019104A2 (en) * | 2005-08-04 | 2007-02-15 | Mhcmos, Llc | Harvesting ambient radio frequency electromagnetic energy for powering wireless electronic devices, sensors and sensor networks and applications thereof |
| US20110309931A1 (en) * | 2010-06-21 | 2011-12-22 | Rose Mark D | Low-power wirelessly-linked rfid tracking system |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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| WO2019156681A1 (en) | 2018-02-09 | 2019-08-15 | NanoThings, Inc. | Item status tracking system and method |
| EP3750108A4 (en) * | 2018-02-09 | 2022-04-06 | NanoThings, Inc. | Item status tracking system and method |
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