Granted Patent B2

US 12,732,724 · App. 18/170,744 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Inventors: Hakan Lindstrom (Gothenburg, SE); Annie Sporre Thorburn (Ellos, SE); Gunilla Himmelmann (Gothenburg, SE)

Assignee: ESSITY HYGIENE AND HEALTH AKTIEBOLAG

H04Q9/00H04Q2209/40H04W76/14

Abstract

Claims (56)

1 . A data collection unit arranged to collect data indicating hygiene equipment status, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive inbound data from a first data acquisition unit among a plurality of data acquisition units, the inbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status of a hygiene equipment;

a processing unit configured to process the inbound data during a predetermined time period; and

a transmitting unit configured to selectively operate in different modes to selectively transmit data between a terminal and a base station or a core network,

wherein the base station or the core network transmits outbound data to the terminal, wherein the outbound data is based on the inbound data and indicates the hygiene equipment status,

wherein in a first mode among the different modes, the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the outbound data directly to the terminal via device-to-device, D2D, communication without traversing the base station or the core network, and in a second mode among the different modes, the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the outbound data to the base station or the core network, and

wherein the terminal is configured to receive the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status from the data collection unit, to process the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status received from the data collection unit, and to output an alarm signal indicating the hygiene equipment status fails to meet a predetermined threshold so as to indicate the hygiene equipment requires emptying or refilling, and

wherein when operating in the first mode the data collection unit is paired to a first number of data acquisition units among a total possible number of the plurality of data acquisition units capable of pairing with the data collection unit to limit an amount of data acquisition units connected to the data collection unit, and when operating in the second mode the data collection unit is paired to a second number of data acquisition units among the total possible number of data acquisition units capable of pairing with the data collection unit to increase the amount of data acquisition units connected to the data collection unit.

2 . The data collection unit of claim 1 , wherein the first data acquisition unit is configured to be pre-paired with the data collection unit.

3 . The data collection unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a processing unit configured to perform a pairing process between the data collection unit and at least one data acquisition unit located in a hygiene equipment, the at least one data acquisition unit acquiring data indicating the hygiene equipment status.

4 . The data collection unit according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmitting unit is configured to transmit the processed inbound data as the outbound data.

5 . The data collection unit according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the outbound data to a Cloud system in response to operating in the second mode.

6 . A data acquisition unit in hygiene equipment arranged to acquire data indicating hygiene equipment status,

the data acquisition unit being configured to be paired to a data collection unit according to claim 1 .

7 . A data acquisition unit in hygiene equipment arranged to acquire data indicating hygiene equipment status,

the data acquisition unit being configured to be selectively paired to a data collection unit to transmit outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status to a terminal,

wherein the terminal is configured to receive the hygiene equipment status, to process the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status received from the data collection unit, and to output an alarm signal indicating the hygiene equipment status fails to meet a predetermined threshold so as to indicate the hygiene equipment requires emptying or refilling,

wherein the data collection unit selectively operates in a reduced complexity mode that prevents pairing with the data acquisition unit corresponding to the hygiene equipment to limit an amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit, and a complexity mode that allows pairing with the data acquisition unit corresponding to the hygiene equipment to increase the amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit.

8 . A data collection and monitoring system, comprising:

a data collection unit configured to receive inbound data that is generated by a hygiene equipment and that indicates a hygiene equipment status of the hygiene equipment, wherein the data collection unit is configured to process the inbound data during a predetermined time period, transmit outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status based on the inbound data, and is configured to selectively switch between a first mode and a second mode based on one or both of an amount of inbound data to receive and a destination of the outbound data; and

a terminal configured to receive the outbound data from the data collection unit,

wherein in the first mode, the data collection unit is configured to transmit the outbound data directly to the terminal via device-to-device, D2D, communication without traversing a base station or a core network, and in the second mode, the data collection unit is configured to transmit the outbound data to the base station or the core network, and

wherein the terminal is configured to receive the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status from the data collection unit, to process the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status received from the data collection unit, and to output an alarm signal indicating the hygiene equipment status fails to meet a predetermined threshold so as to indicate the hygiene equipment requires emptying or refilling,

wherein when operating in the first mode the data collection unit is paired to a first number of hygiene equipment among the plurality of hygiene equipment to limit an amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit, and when operating in the second mode the data collection unit is paired to a second number of hygiene equipment among the plurality of hygiene equipment that is greater than the first number to increase the amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit.

9 . The data collection and monitoring system of claim 8 , wherein the data collection unit switches between a first and second modes to selectively transmit the outbound data between the terminal and the base station or the core network, wherein the base station or the core network transmits the outbound data to the terminal.

10 . The data collection and monitoring system of claim 9 , wherein a data acquisition unit is configured to be pre-paired with the data collection unit.

11 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the data collection unit and at least one data acquisition unit located in a hygiene equipment are configured to perform a pairing process.

12 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the data collection unit is further configured to process the inbound data, and

wherein the data collection unit is configured to transmit the processed inbound as the outbound data.

13 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the data collection unit is further configured to transmit the outbound data to a Cloud system.

14 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the terminal is configured to process the received outbound data.

15 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the terminal is configured to output data indicating the hygiene equipment status, the data output by the terminal being based on the received outbound data.

16 . The data collection and monitoring system according to claim 8 ,

wherein the terminal comprises an application software installed on the terminal, the application software being executable on the terminal,

wherein the application software instructs the terminal to receive the outbound data, and

wherein the application software instructs an output unit of the terminal to output data based on the outbound data.

17 . A method for monitoring a hygiene equipment status, the method:

determining to operate hygiene equipment in a first data collection system;

pairing a plurality of hygiene equipment with a data collection unit, the data collection unit configured to selectively operate in a complex mode to transmit data in a first data collection system that includes one or both of a base station and a core network, and a reduced complexity mode to transmit data in a second data collection system that excludes one or both of the base station and the core network,

receiving, by the data collection unit, inbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status from a first hygiene equipment of the plurality of hygiene equipment;

processing, by the data collection unit, the inbound data during a predetermined time period;

transmitting, by the data collection unit, outbound data directly to a terminal via device-to-device, D2D, communication without traversing one or both of the base station or the core network in response to operating the data collection unit in the reduced complexity mode;

receiving, by the terminal, the outbound data directly from the data collection unit in response to operating the data collection unit in the reduced complexity mode;

transmitting, by the data collection unit, outbound data to the base station or the core network in response to operating the data collection unit in the complex mode; and

receiving, by the terminal, the outbound data from one or both of the base station or the core network in response to operating the data collection unit in the complex mode,

wherein the outbound data is based on the inbound data, and

wherein the terminal is configured to process the outbound data indicating the hygiene equipment status received from the data collection unit and outputs an alarm signal indicating the hygiene equipment status fails to meet a predetermined threshold so as to indicate the first hygiene equipment requires emptying or refilling,

wherein when operating in the reduced complexity mode the data collection unit is paired to a first number of hygiene equipment among the plurality of hygiene equipment to limit an amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit, and when operating in the complex mode the data collection unit is paired to a second number of hygiene equipment among the plurality of hygiene equipment that is greater than the first number to increase the amount of hygiene equipment connected to the data collection unit.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (31)