Patent Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring a battery lifespan of a machine type communication device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for preventing a disconnection in communication due to a battery being expended by verifying a battery lifespan of the machine type communication device in a network. The present invention may include detecting a residual capacity of a battery power supply, comparing the residual capacity of the battery power supply to a threshold required for a power supply, and warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply when the residual capacity of the battery power supply is less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0132647, filed on Dec. 22, 2010, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]      1 . Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring a battery lifespan of a machine type communication device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for preventing a disconnection in communication due to a battery being discharged by verifying a battery lifespan of the machine type communication device in a network. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Nowadays, machine type communication technologies, for example Machine Type Communication (MTC) or Machine to Machine (M2M), that may be employed for smart metering of remotely controlling a gas meter reader or a water gauge reader, for remotely controlling an automatic vending machine, and the like, are becoming important issues. An MTC device disposed in an isolated area such as a bridge, a riverside, and the like for measuring a quantity of water or monitoring a quality of water may be neglected after a battery lifespan is exhausted and remain disconnected until a response is failed to be received from the MTC device, since the MTC device may not be connected to a person for monitoring unless burglary detection or maintenance schemes are used. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    An aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus and method for preventing an issue occurring after a battery lifespan is exhausted by allowing a user to detect a battery remainder of a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device disposed in an isolated area so as to change or charge a battery before the battery lifespan is exhausted. 
         [0007]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a machine type communication terminal operating in a mobile communication network that includes at least one machine type communication terminal, the machine type communication terminal including a communication module for exchanging data, a battery residual capacity detector to detect a residual capacity of a battery power supply, a memory to store information about a point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply and information about a threshold required for power supply, and a controller to determine whether the residual capacity of the battery power supply is less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply, and to warn against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0008]    The controller may terminate a communication standby mode state in response to detecting the shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply in the communication standby mode state. 
         [0009]    The controller may transmit a shortage warning message about the residual capacity of the battery power supply to a server connected to a communication network through the communication module in response to detecting the shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0010]    The machine type communication terminal may further include a timer to count a period of time before reaching the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0011]    The controller may reset the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply in response to the residual capacity of the battery power supply exceeding the threshold required for the power supply. 
         [0012]    The controller may set the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply to a point in time before a current residual capacity of the battery power supply is exhausted by operating the machine type communication terminal when resetting the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of monitoring a battery of a machine type communication terminal to prevent a disconnection in communication due to a battery being expended by verifying a battery lifespan of the machine type communication terminal in a mobile communication network that includes at least one machine type communication terminal, the method including detecting a residual capacity of a battery power supply, comparing the residual capacity of the battery power supply to a threshold required for a power supply, and warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply when the residual capacity of the battery power supply is less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply. 
         [0014]    The detecting of the residual capacity of the battery power supply may be performed at each point in time at which a predetermined timer event occurs. 
         [0015]    The point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply may be reset in response to the residual capacity of the battery power supply exceeding the threshold required for the power supply. 
         [0016]    A message warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply may be transmitted to a server when the residual capacity of the battery power supply is less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply. 
         [0017]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery monitoring system of a machine type communication terminal, the battery monitoring system including the machine type communication terminal to detect a residual capacity of a battery power supply at each predetermined point in time, compare the detected residual capacity of the battery power supply to a predetermined threshold required for a power supply, and output the corresponding message in response to detecting a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply, and a server that is wirelessly connected to the machine type communication terminal to receive, from the machine type communication terminal, information about the machine type communication terminal including a message warning against the shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply, and store and manage the information. 
         [0018]    According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to ensure continuous communication by preventing operation of an MTC device from being disabled due to battery exhaustion when providing machine type communication services, for example, Machine Type Communication (MTC) or Machine to Machine (M2M). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication network that provides a Machine Type Communication (MTC) service according to embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an MTC terminal according to embodiments of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating an operational flow of setting a battery monitoring operation of an MTC terminal according to embodiments of the present invention; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a battery monitoring operation of an MTC terminal according to embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0025]    Embodiments, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. 
         [0026]    The terminology used here is for describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used here, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include plural forms as well unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises, “comprising”, “includes”, and/or “including” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components. 
         [0027]    Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
         [0028]    The term “device” used in the present specification may be referred to as a mobile terminal or a mobile apparatus, a mobile station (MS), a user equipment (UE), a user terminal (UT), a wireless terminal, an access terminal (AT), a terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a mobile node, a mobile, or other terminals. Various embodiments of the device may include a cellular phone, a smart phone having a wireless communication function, a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a wireless communication function, a wireless modem, a portable computer having a wireless communication function, a photographing apparatus such as a digital camera having a wireless communication function, a gaming apparatus having a wireless communication function, a music storing and playing electronic product having a wireless communication function, an Internet electronic product enabling an wireless Internet access and browsing, a portable unit integrating combinations of corresponding functions, or a small sensor of a predetermined purpose and apparatuses, however is not intended to be limiting. 
         [0029]    The term “network apparatus” used in the present specification may generally denote a fixed point for communication with a terminal. The network apparatus may also be referred to as a base station, a node base (Node-B), an evolved Node-B (eNode-B), a base transceiver system (BTS), an access point, and the like. 
         [0030]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. Exemplary embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication network that provides a Machine Type Communication (MTC) service according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a terminal  100  may refer to a device such as a meter, a gauge, and the like having a communication function included in MTC. The terminal  100  may communicate with a server  300 , corresponding to an MTC server, and other MTC devices. Here, the terminal  100  may perform a function of collecting data, sensing, and communication. 
         [0033]    The terminal  100  according to embodiments of the present invention may verify a residual capacity of a battery power supply, and may transmit a message warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply to the server  300  through a wireless bearer network  200  in response to detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply is less than or equal to a threshold. 
         [0034]    The wireless bearer network  200  may correspond to various wireless bearer service networks for Machine to Machine (M2M) communication such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) or a cellular mobile communication network. 
         [0035]    The server  300  may control and manage the terminal  100  through a wireless bearer service network, and may receive information from the terminal  100 . The server  300  may perform a function of storing, processing, and applying data collected from the terminal  100 . The server  300  may communicate with at least one terminal, for example, the terminal  100 . 
         [0036]    A user  400  may correspond to an operator or a user that installs, manages, and maintains the terminal  100  and the server  300 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal  100  according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the terminal  100  may include a controller  105 , a memory  110 , a display unit  115 , a battery residual capacity detector  120 , a timer  125 , and a communication module  130 . 
         [0039]    The controller  105  may verify information about a residual capacity of a battery power supply detected by the battery residual capacity detector  120 , and may compare the residual capacity of the battery power supply to a predetermined threshold required for a power supply corresponding to a minimum power capacity used for operating the terminal  100 . The controller  105  may transmit, to the server  300 , information about a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply depending on a result of the comparison. The controller  105  may transmit a message warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply to the server  300  through the communication module  130  in response to detecting the shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0040]    The controller  105  may control the battery residual capacity detector  120  to operate at each point in time set to detect the residual capacity of the battery power supply, and may perform a function of terminating an operation or a communication standby mode of the terminal  100  depending on the residual capacity of the battery power supply. The controller  105  may terminate a communication standby mode state in response to detecting the shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply in the communication standby mode state. The controller  105  may reset the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply in response to the residual capacity of the battery power supply exceeding a threshold required for the power supply. In this instance, the controller  105  may reset the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power to a period of time before reaching an expected point in time before a current residual capacity of the battery power supply is exhausted by operating the terminal  100 . 
         [0041]    The memory  110  may store program data used for operating the terminal  100 , and may store data generated during a performance by a user. The memory  110  according to embodiments of the present invention may store information about a point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply and information about a threshold required for power supply to be compared to the detected residual capacity of the battery power supply. The memory  110  may store data for generating a message indicating a shortage of a power supply. 
         [0042]    The display unit  115  may perform a function of displaying information about an operating state of the terminal  100  under a control of the controller  105 . According to embodiments of the present invention, the display unit  115  may perform a function of displaying a warning against a shortage of a power supply. 
         [0043]    The battery residual capacity detector  120  may detect the residual capacity of the battery power supply used for operating the terminal  100 . The battery residual capacity detector  120  may detect the residual capacity of the battery power supply including an amount of voltage and current of the terminal  100 , and may output the residual capacity to the controller  105 . 
         [0044]    The timer  125  may count a period of time before reaching a point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply under a control of the controller  105 . In response to an initial point in time for detecting the residual capacity being set, a timer event for a point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply may be set, and then the residual capacity of the battery power supply may be detected in response to the timer event occurring. The initial point in time for detecting the residual capacity may be set to a point in time at which the residual capacity becomes less than or equal to one half of a total capacity of the power supply. 
         [0045]    The communication module  130  may perform a function of exchanging data with an external server or an external device under a control of the controller  110 . In particular, the communication module  130  according to embodiments of the present invention may perform a function of transmitting, to the server  300 , the residual capacity of the battery power supply and various types of data detected by the terminal  100 , and receiving various types of data from the server  300 . 
         [0046]    The communication module  130  may correspond to a module capable of performing wired and wireless communication such as an Internet network, a wireless network, near field communication, universal serial bus (USB) communication, serial communication, and the like. 
         [0047]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating an operational flow of setting a battery monitoring operation of an MTC terminal according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0048]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , in operation  305 , the terminal  100  may perform setting mode for detecting a residual capacity of a battery power supply. In operation  305 , the terminal  100  may set a threshold required for a power supply, which is to be set in operation  310 . That is, the terminal  100  may set the threshold required for the power supply to be compared to the residual capacity of the battery power supply detected by the battery residual capacity detector  120  in operation  310 . The threshold required for the power supply may correspond to a minimum residual capacity of a power supply used for operating the terminal  100 . 
         [0049]    In operation  315 , the terminal  100  may set a point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply. An initial point in time may be set as the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply, and a point in time for detecting the residual capacity after the initial point in time may be set by the timer  125 . The initial point in time for detecting the residual capacity may be set to a point in time at which the residual capacity becomes less than or equal to one half of a total capacity of a power supply used for operating the terminal  100 . 
         [0050]    In operation  320 , in response to the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply being set, the timer  125  may be in a standby state for counting a period of time before reaching the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply. 
         [0051]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a battery monitoring operation of an MTC terminal according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0052]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , in response to a threshold required for a power supply and a residual capacity of a battery power supply being set as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the terminal  100  may collect data according to a function, or may perform a communication standby mode for collecting the data in operation  400 . 
         [0053]    In operation  405 , the terminal  100  may determine whether a timer event for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply occurs during an operating mode of the terminal such as a communication standby mode, a data collection mode, and the like. In operation  410 , in response to the timer event occurring, the battery residual capacity detector  120  may detect the residual capacity of the battery power supply. In operation  415 , the controller  105  may determine whether the residual capacity of the battery power supply measured by the battery residual capacity detector  120  is less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply. 
         [0054]    In operation  420 , in response to the residual capacity of the battery power supply being verified to be less than or equal to the threshold required for the power supply as a result of the determination, the terminal  100  may determine that the residual capacity of the battery power supply is insufficient, output a message warning against a shortage of the residual capacity of the battery power supply, and transmit the output message to the server  300  through the wireless bearer network  200 . 
         [0055]    In operation  425 , in response to the residual capacity of the battery power supply exceeding the threshold required for the power supply, the terminal  100  may reset the point in time for detecting the residual capacity of the battery power supply. The reset point in time, for detecting the residual capacity, may be set to a point in time before a residual capacity of the battery power supply is exhausted by operating a device at the point in time for detecting the residual capacity. 
         [0056]    The above-described exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be recorded in non-transitory computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM discs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as optical discs; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, or vice versa. 
         [0057]    Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the described exemplary embodiments. Instead, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8