# US 10,768,921 B2 · Methods and apparatus for providing over-the-air updates to internet-of-things sensor nodes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,768,921 B2 - Document ID: US10768921B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/676,283 - Filed: 2017-08-14 - Published: 2019-02-07 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-02 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Dhaval Vinayak Sharma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10768921B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/65: Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G06V 20/17: taken from planes or by drones - G06V 20/176: {Urban or other man-made structures} - H04L 67/34: {involving the movement of software or configuration parameters (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416)} - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - B64U 10/13: Flying platforms - B64U 2101/21: for providing Internet access - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR ## Abstract Example methods and apparatus for providing over-the-air-updates to IoT sensor nodes are disclosed herein. An example unmanned aerial vehicle includes an update deliverer to access a firmware update to be delivered to a sensor node in a network. The sensor node is coupled to an object. The example unmanned aerial vehicle includes a camera to generate image data and an identifier to identify the object based on the image data. The update deliverer is to deliver the firmware update to the sensor node based on identification of the object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: a navigator to generate position data during flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle; a camera; a camera manager to: determine a distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle from an object to be provided with updated firmware based on the position data; perform a comparison of the distance to a distance threshold; and in response to the distance being within the distance threshold, instruct the camera to generate image data; an object identifier to identify the object based on the image data; a sensor node connection manager to instruct the object to switch from a first wireless communication mode to a second wireless communication mode in response to identification of the object, the second wireless communication mode employing a higher data transmission speed than the first wireless communication mode; and an update deliverer to deliver a firmware update to the object using the second wireless communication mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the object identifier is to identify the object based on an identifier associated with the object, the object identifier to detect the identifier in the image data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the second wireless communication mode is associated with a higher frequency band than the first wireless communication mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the sensor node connection manager is to instruct the object to switch from the second wireless communication mode to the first wireless communication mode when the firmware update is complete. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 3, further including first radio frequency circuitry and second radio frequency circuitry different from the first radio frequency circuitry, the second radio frequency circuitry to transmit in the higher frequency band, the first radio frequency circuitry to transmit in a lower frequency band, the sensor node connection manager to send an instruction via the first radio frequency circuitry to instruct the object to switch to the second wireless communication mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 5, wherein the update deliverer is to deliver the firmware update via the second radio frequency circuitry. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The unmanned aerial vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the image data includes depth data and the navigator is to determine a hover position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the object based on the depth data. ### Claim 8 At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an unmanned aerial vehicle to at least: generate position data during flight; determine a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to an object to be provided with updated firmware based on the position data; perform a comparison of the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle to a distance threshold; in response to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle being within a distance represented by the distance threshold of the object, instruct a camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate image data; identify the object based on the image data; instruct the object to switch from a first wireless communication mode to a second wireless communication mode in response to identification of the object, the second wireless communication mode employing a higher data transmission speed than the first wireless communication mode; and deliver a firmware update to the object via the second wireless communication mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the object includes an identifier and the instructions cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to detect the identifier in the image data and identify the object based on the identifier. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the second wireless communication mode is associated with a higher frequency band than the first wireless communication mode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to instruct the object to switch from the second wireless communication mode to the first wireless communication mode when the firmware update is complete. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to send an instruction via first radio frequency circuitry to instruct the object to switch to the second wireless communication mode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the firmware update via second radio frequency circuitry, the second radio frequency circuitry to transmit in the higher frequency band than the first radio frequency circuitry. ### Claim 14 A method comprising: generating position data during flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle; determining a distance from the unmanned aerial vehicle to an object to be provided with updated firmware based on the position data; performing a comparison of the distance to a distance threshold; in response to the distance being within the distance threshold of the object, causing a camera of the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate image data; identifying, by executing an instruction with a processor, the object based on the image data; instructing the object to switch from a first wireless communication mode to a second wireless communication mode in response to identification of the object, the second wireless communication mode employing a higher data transmission speed than the first wireless communication mode; and delivering a firmware update to the object using the second wireless communication mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method as defined in claim 14, wherein the object includes an identifier and further including detecting the identifier in the image data, the identifying of the object based on the identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method as defined in claim 14, wherein the second wireless communication mode is associated with a higher frequency band than the first wireless communication mode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method as defined in claim 14, further including instructing the object to switch from the second wireless communication mode to the first wireless communication mode when the firmware update is complete. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method as defined in claim 16, further including sending an instruction via first radio frequency circuitry to instruct the object to switch to the second wireless communication mode.