System and method for introducing a new emergency alert using modular tag device
A system and method to utilize modular device and mesh network to send emergency alert that could be delivered to the cloud and sent to the user even though the cloud itself is not reachable directly from the device are provided. The disclosure uses modular sensors, internet of things (IoT) application and cloud server, and an emergency protocol that may enable devices within the mesh network to find the best route to cloud and produce reliable emergency alert even though the connection between device and cloud is unreliable.
1. A system for delivering an emergency alert, the system comprising:
a plurality of tag devices, each tag device comprising:
a modular sensor stack comprising a configuration of modular sensors embedded in each tag device to support different types of sensor modules, and
a processor configured to execute a wireless communication protocol, the wireless communication protocol comprising an extension to an existing protocol to trigger the emergency alert and activate an emergency mode, wherein the wireless communication protocol is configured to propagate the emergency alert to other tag devices of the plurality of tag devices proximal to the tag device;
an internet of things (IoT) client device configured to manage the plurality of tag devices and other devices using an application configured to:
allow users to register and onboard the plurality of tag devices, and create a group of trusted recipients of the emergency alert, and
provide a system to set and manage rules for the emergency alert and the group of trusted recipients; and
an IoT cloud server configured to:
handle requests,
store data,
analyze the data, and
broadcast a notification to a tag owner and the tag devices in the group of trusted recipients.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein, to manage the plurality of tag devices and the other devices, the IoT client device is further configured to:
perform device pairing and recognition as an onboarding process for user-device pairing process, and sensor capability recognition process, wherein the user-device pairing process defines which user uses the plurality of tag devices and the other devices, wherein the sensor capability recognition process recognizes a device type that is currently onboard on an application, including which sensor a tag device has and capabilities of the tag device; and
initiate rules and close friend settings to add contacts as alert receivers, the user choosing and adding contacts as close friends in a circle, from an IoT client device application, the IoT client device application prompting a request for installing the IoT client device application when selected contacts are not registered to a service.
3. The system of claim 2 ,
wherein the system, to set and manage rules for the emergency alert and the group of trusted recipients, is configured to:
set rules and close friend settings to create a parameter of when an emergency is happening and whom to contact, the system sending data to a list of previously selected recipients, and called close friends, the user choosing or adding contacts as close friends from a source, and
send the selected contacts to the IoT cloud server, and
wherein, if a selected contact is not registered, the IoT cloud server is configured to:
send a message to the selected contact to prompt IoT client device application installation, the IoT client device application sends an approval request to the selected contacts to be added into a tag owner's close friends group, and
verify ownership by using a specific sensor module in a particular tag device of the plurality of tag devices.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
sensor modules comprising hardware sensors, a type identifier (ID) sensors, analog to digital converters (ADCs) and codecs that are used to complement analog data of sensor hardware;
a sensor bridge interface the sensor bridge interface configured to identify a sensor type of an installed module by identifying a sensor type ID that is in the sensor module; and
a sensor registry configured to store information for performing communication with a specific sensor module attached on the sensor bridge interface.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the modular sensor stack is configured to:
identify types of modular sensors, the tag devices supporting different types of sensor modules, the sensor modules comprising G sensors, a microphone, or an accelerometers; and
provide a universal interface between the different types of sensor modules and an application layer.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to use the wireless communication protocol to:
operate within a wireless mesh network, wherein the wireless mesh network aids connectivity in a condition where two nodes that need to exchange data aren't directly connected, by broadcasting a packet and use the other nodes to help relaying the data; and
operate within a tag emergency protocol, wherein the tag emergency protocol helping propagate an alert in less than ideal network conditions.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein; the system is configured to use the wireless communication protocol to propagate an emergency alert and aid connectivity when there are offline devices, the system by:
forming a mesh like network structure that is created around an emergency tag device to solve connectivity issues happening in the emergency alert system;
propagating an alert message in situations when network conditions are not ideal by utilizing the mesh network, the tag emergency protocol dictating device behavior and configuring network packets in a protocol for an emergency situation involving the tag devices and applicable on top of a network communication stack; and
applying flooding and routing mechanisms to enable an emergency state of helper devices, and control when the system should enter the emergency state or stop.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system applies IoT cloud service to manage requests, data and notifications to a tag owner and circle, and comprises:
an IoT service application programming interface (API), the IoT service API interacting with an IoT cloud service, thus enabling the IoT client app to access information from the IoT cloud service, the information provided by the IoT cloud service including an alert message and location in a form of a notification alert;
a cloud module the cloud module processing request data from the IoT service API, the cloud module containing an emergency rules to manage map data, a circle management to manage the group of contacts set by the owner, and a location module to manage Tag location data;
an inference system, the inference system accessing a storage and interacting with the cloud module to infer reasons for explaining the emergency flag;
the storage storing data of a Tag user, a circle contact, rules, a Tag capability and location data; and
an emergency notification service, the emergency notification service sending an alert message to the circle containing information about the alert message and a latest Tag location.
9. The system of claim 8 ,
wherein the cloud module manages map data, circle and location data, and
wherein the system is configured to:
send a request through an API via a network when an onboarding process is running, the request contains at least collection data of a rule, a contact circle, an alert type and location;
run an emergency rules system to process rules and save the rules to storage, the rule is map data that contains a connection between a tag capability, an alert type, and a circle contact set by a tag owner;
call circle management to manage a circle of a contact set by the tag owner; and
use a location module to manage the tag location data, containing last location data from the tag device.
10. An electronic device for transmitting an alert received from a tag device in a mesh network, the electronic device comprising:
memory storing one or more computer programs; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to memory,
wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
register and onboard a plurality of tag devices and a plurality of electronic devices, the registration of the plurality of electronic devices creating a group of trusted recipients of the alert from the tag device in the mesh network,
set and manage rules for an emergency alert and the group of trusted recipients,
receiving the alert from the tag device, the alert including a configuration of modular sensors in the plurality of electronic devices, the modular sensors being embedded in a tag device to support different types of sensor modules,
trigger the emergency alert and an activate emergency mode in the mesh network using a wireless communication protocol comprising an extension to an existing protocol, the wireless communication protocol being configured to propagate the emergency alert to other devices the plurality of electronic devices found in proximity to the electronic device, and
transmit the alert to an internet of things (IoT) cloud server via the mesh network, and
wherein the IoT cloud server is configured to handle requests, store data, analyze the data, and broadcast a notification to an owner of the tag device and the plurality of electronic devices in the group of trusted recipients.
11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
perform device pairing and recognition as an onboarding process for user-device pairing and sensor capability recognition, the user-device pairing process defining which user uses the tag device and other devices of the plurality of electronic devices, the sensor capability recognition recognizing a device type that is currently onboard, including which sensor the tag device has and a tag device's capabilities; and
initiate rules and close friend settings to add contacts as alert receivers, the user choosing and adding contacts as close friends in a circle from an IoT client app, the IoT client app prompting a request for installing the IoT client app when selected contacts are not registered to a service.
12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to:
set rules and close friend settings to create a parameter of when the alert is happening and whom to contact and send data to the group of trusted recipients of the alert from the tag device in the mesh network, the user choosing or adding contacts as close friends from a source;
send the selected contacts to the IoT cloud server, if a selected contact is not registered, the IoT cloud server sending a message to the selected contact to prompt an IoT client app installation in order to receive the alert, the IoT client app sending an approval request to an electronic device of the selected contacts to be added into a tag owner's close friends group; or
physically verify ownership by using a specific sensor module in a certain tag device.