Patent Publication Number: US-2005119020-A1

Title: Automatically information-collecting method and information-collecting system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to an automatically information-collecting method and information-collecting system, and in particular, to a method and system that use short message of a mobile unit to collect information.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Following the liberating trend of universal communication, the wireless communication industry booms in recent year. The system service of the communication industry becomes very diversified, and the generation of new mobile products is so fast that how to test the mobile unit efficiently becomes an important issue.  
      When a mobile unit manufacture is developing a mobile unit, a series of tests to verify the stability of the mobile unit is essential. However, during the final period of the development, when most major issues have been solved, the remaining ones are related to the problems of cellular system operator or the stability of the mobile unit. Such problems may be happened randomly, so research engineers have to make field tests to obtain sufficient testing sample as debugging accordance. However, such debugging manner needs experienced engineers to operate advanced instruments. It is very laborious and not easy to collect useful samples for debugging the problem of the mobile unit or the cellular system. The most problem of the cellular system are such as the communication dead corners, wireless network plan analysis, or the monitoring system capacity. There are also further applications, for example, the monitoring of traffic flow. The present invention can solve the problems mentioned above and also provide application in a cost-saving manner.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The main objective of the invention is to provide an automatic information-collecting method and system thereof. The mobile unit in a cellular system automatically collects information and sending the information by short message(s). The information may be erroneous information when the mobile unit makes filed testing.  
      The information-collecting system includes: a mobile unit and an information-collecting device. The mobile unit and the information-collecting device may be using in a cellular system. The mobile unit is used for detecting purpose and temporarily stores the report data. The mobile unit is selectively switched between a first mode and a second mode. Normally, the mobile unit stays in the first mode for normal operations. When the mobile unit detects a triggering condition, the mobile unit switches to the second mode and, through the mobile cellular system, the report data is transmitted to the information-collecting device by a short message(s). As the report data has delivered, the mobile unit releases the triggering condition and switches back to the first mode. The information-collecting device receives the short message(s) then analysis them for performing a calculation in a predetermined manner to obtain relative system parameters of the mobile cellular system.  
      The automatic information-collecting method, which based on mobile unit&#39;s short messages to interchange information, can be applied in an information-collecting system, the information-collecting system including, a information-collecting device and a mobile unit, the mobile unit selectively switching between a first mode and a second modes a detecting unit, a control unit and a memory unit, the automatic information-collecting method includes the following steps: a). when the detecting unit detects a triggering condition, a corresponding data is stored into the memory unit; b). when the control unit detects a reporting condition, the mobile unit is switched to the second mode; c). checking whether there is data in the memory unit and, if the condition is “No”, then the mobile unit is set back to the first mode; d). if data exists, then the data is transmitted to the information-collecting device by a short message(s), and then the mobile unit is switched back to the first mode again; e). the information-collecting unit analyzes the data for the purpose of inquiry.  
      To make your esteemed members of reviewing committee further recognize and understand the characteristic, objective, and function of the invention, a detailed description cooperating with corresponding drawing is presented thereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a preferred embodiment of the information-collecting system according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a preferred embodiment of a mobile unit according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a preferred embodiment of a data-receiving unit according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of the automatic information-collecting method according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      For your esteemed members of reviewing committee to further understand and recognize the fulfilled functions and structural characteristics of the invention, several preferable embodiments cooperating with detailed description are presented as the follows.  
      The main purpose of the invention is for a mobile unit collecting information in the field and reporting the information by a short message(s). When the mobile unit is in a reporting status, the mobile unit has not to be in a communication state.  
      Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which shows a preferred embodiment of a system according to the present invention. The system includes: plural mobile units  11 , a mobile cellular system  16 , and an information-collecting device  14 . The mobile cellular system  16  includes: plural bases  12   a,    12   b,  a short message service center  13 . General speaking, bases  12   a  and  12   b  are popularly constructed as a cellular mobile phone system. The information-collecting device  14  may have an arrangement of many kinds. For example, the information-collecting device may be arranged in a mobile cellular system  16  and acted as a special mobile unit  14   a,  or the information-collecting device  14   b  may be arranged to connect to the short message service center  13  directly, or the information-collecting device  14   c  may be connected to the short message service center  13  through the Internet network  22 . However, the mobile unit  11  will be preset with a number related to the information-collecting device  13 , for example, a telephone number or a internet position, the number is acting as an accordance of information transmission for accurately transferring the information to the information-collecting device  14   a,    14   b  or  14   c.  The short message transmitted by the short message service center  13  may be a Short Message Service (SMS), an Electronic Message Service (EMS), or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and the short message is further connected to the internet network  22 . The mobile unit  11  has two communication modes: a first mode, which is a normal mobile phone mode, and a second mode, which is a reporting mode. The normal mobile phone mode is a state when the mobile unit maintains normal operation, for example mobile phone connections. The reporting mode will function with a preset triggering condition and a reporting condition to report a short message(s) to the information-collecting device  14 . The information-collecting device  14  records and arranges the collected information.  
      As shown in  FIG. 2 , the mobile unit  11  includes: a communication unit  111 , a first memory unit  112 , a control unit  113 , a detecting unit  114 , and a timer  115 . If it is needed to report the position of the mobile unit  11 , a position unit  116  may further be included in the mobile unit  11  to obtain the position information. The detecting unit  114  is used for detecting the data desired to be reported, for example, the debugging message of the mobile unit  11  itself, the number of base stations in the neighborhood of the mobile unit  11 , or the information of the base station currently using. The control unit  113  stores this information desired to be reported in the first memory unit  112 . The mobile unit  11  is switched from the first mode to the second mode at an appropriate condition. Under the second mode, the data stored in the first memory unit  112  is transmitted. After the transmission, the mobile unit  11  is switched back to the first mode again. The appropriate switching condition is, for example, a periodic time calculated by the timer, or when the data stored in the first memory unit  112  exceeds a specific size. In addition, if the transmission of the short message(s) is failed, then the short message(s) is stored in the first memory unit  112  and waits for the next transmission.  
      Next, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the information-collecting unit  14  includes: a communication unit  141 , a second memory unit  142 , and a data-analyzing unit  143 . The communication unit  141  may be a wireless interface used in the mobile cellular system  16  to receive the short message(s), or a network card in an Internet work used for a wired transmission. All kinds of information-collecting unit are to receive the short message(s) transmitted from the mobile unit  11 . When the communication unit  141  receives the short message, the information in the short message is first stored in the second memory unit  142 . The data-analyzing unit  143  may then perform an analysis to the data stored in the second memory unit  142  to obtain a result that needs to be analyzed for future inquiry.  
      An embodiment is presented now to describe how an information-collecting system collects the information of the switching position and the switching time when the mobile unit  11  switches the base  12 . The triggering condition happens when the mobile unit  11  switches base  12 , for example, the mobile unit  11  being switched from the base  12   a  to the base  12   b.  The position unit  116  records the coordinate and sends it to the control unit  113  when a switching occurred. The detecting unit  114  detects the base&#39;s identity when the switching occurred and sends it to the control unit  113 . In addition, the timer  115  sends the switching time to the control unit  113 . The control unit  113  records the coordinate, the time, and the base&#39;s identity into the first memory unit  112  during each time when the mobile unit  11  is switching the base  12 . In this embodiment, the reporting time is preset as one hour, so when the transferring time calculated by the timer is reached, the control unit  113  will switch the mobile unit  11  into a second mode, then the switching information is transmitted out as a short message(s) by the preset phone number or IP address of the information-collecting device  14 . The base  12  sends the short message(s) desired to be sent to the short message service center  13  for an arrangement then, according to the phone number of the information-collecting device  14 , the short message service center  13  sends the arranged information to the information-collecting device  14  through the base  13 . With such mechanism, the mobile unit  11  uses a short message(s) to transfer the data desired to be collected to the information-collecting device  14 .  
      After receiving the short message transmitted from the mobile unit  11 , the information-collecting device  14  will store the short-message&#39;s information in the second memory unit  142  and categorize the information according to the phone number associated to the mobile unit  11 . In this embodiment, the information stored in the second memory  142  is the information about the mobile unit  11  switching the base, so a data-analyzing unit  143  may be further used to read the relative information of the second memory  142  to perform a predetermined operation. For example, when the switching position and the switching time of the base  12  are known, it is possible to allocate the actual switching boundary between the bases  12  or to determine whether the switching boundary is changed according to time, so such kind of information may be used for the adjustment to the system.  
      In other preferred embodiments, the triggering condition may be one of as follows: the hardware error and the software error occurred in the mobile unit  11 , the down times of the mobile unit  11 , and other system error information desired to be collected by the mobile unit manufacturer. The reporting time may be one of as: an appropriate time interval past by, memory unit of the mobile unit is full, and the mobile unit  11  is rebooted. The information corresponding to the triggering condition may be: the hardware identifying code of the mobile unit  11 , the hardware version of the mobile unit  11 , the information describing the triggering condition, the codes corresponding to the triggering condition, and the location of the mobile unit  11 . In this preferred embodiment, the triggering condition, the reporting time, and the information corresponding to the triggering condition are preset already in the mobile unit  11  before the test, so, when the triggering condition and the reporting time are met, the information corresponding to the triggering condition is therefore transmitted to the information-collecting device  14 , however, these parameters may also be set with the short message through the base  12 .  
      The present invention may also be adapted for detecting the moving speed of the mobile unit  11 , that is, the reporting short message of the mobile unit  11  may include the position of the mobile unit  11  and the time, with the time difference and the position difference, the moving speed of the mobile unit  11  can be obtained, and this information can be used as a prediction for the traffic situation in the area around the mobile unit  11 .  
      Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which shows the flowchart of a preferred embodiment of the automatic information-collecting method according to the present invention. This method may be adapted for the information-collecting system shown in  FIG. 1 . The method includes the following steps:  
      Step  41 : Mobile unit  11  is set in a first mode that is a mobile unit mode, in which the mobile unit  11  is under a general communication state;  
      Step  42 : When the detecting unit  114  detects the triggering condition, a corresponding data is stored into the first memory unit  112 , wherein the triggering condition may be: the hardware error or the software error occurred in the mobile unit  11 , the number of the system errors of the mobile unit  11 , and the other error information desired to be collected by the mobile unit manufacturer, and the information corresponding to the triggering condition can be one of: the hardware identifying code of mobile unit  11 , the hardware, version of the mobile unit  11 , the information describing the triggering condition, the code corresponding to the triggering condition, and the position of the mobile unit  11 ;  
      Step  43 : When the control unit  113  detects a reporting time, the mobile unit  11  is switched to the second mode, which is a reporting mode that may automatically report the data in the first memory unit  112 , and the reporting time may be preset as on of the following situations: an appropriate time period passed, the first memory of the mobile unit  11  is full, and the mobile unit  11  is rebooted;  
      Step  44 : Checking whether there is data in the first memory unit  112  and, if there is no data, then the control unit  113  will switch the mobile unit  11  into the first mode;  
      Step  45 : If data exists in the first memory unit  112 , then a short message is used to transmit the data to the information-collecting device  14 , and the mobile unit  11  is then switched back to the first mode;  
      Step  46 : With the communication unit  141 , the data-collecting unit  14  collects the short messaged sent out by the mobile unit  11 , and the short message is stored in the second memory unit  142 , wherein the short message may be one of the Short Message Service (SMS), Electronic Message Service (EMS), or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and, through the short message service center, the short massage may further be connected to the Internet network  22  and be transmitted to the data-collecting unit  14 ;  
      Step  47 : The data-analyzing unit  143  performs an operation to the data in the second memory unit  142  to obtain the results desired to be analyzed.  
      However, the above description is only the preferable embodiment according to the present invention, and it should not be regarded as a limitation to the executing range of the invention. Any equivalent variation and modification made according to the claims claimed by the invention should be included within the ranges covered by the invention patent. Please your esteemed members of reviewing committee examine this application as carefully and favorably as possible and grant it as a formal patent the sooner the better.