# US 9,439,027 B2 · Value acquiring method, sensor control apparatus, sensor control method, sensor control medium, and acquisition interval control medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,439,027 B2 - Document ID: US9439027B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/421,429 - Filed: 2012-03-15 - Published: 2012-09-20 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-18 - Assignees: Fujitsu Limited - Applicants: Koichi Yokota; Shinichi Shiotsu; Hiroyasu Sugano; Hideki Tanaka; Akira Itasaki; Daisuke Yamashita - Inventors: Koichi Yokota; Shinichi Shiotsu; Hiroyasu Sugano; Hideki Tanaka; Akira Itasaki; Daisuke Yamashita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9439027B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - G05B 15/02: electric - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract A sensor value is obtained by a sensor included in a terminal from among a plurality of terminals each of which includes the sensor, the acquired sensor value is stored along with an identifier used to identify a terminal with which the acquired sensor value was acquired, identifiers are extracted with which a difference of corresponding stored sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value by comparing stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers, an instruction for acquiring the sensor value is transmitted to at least one of the terminals corresponding to the extracted identifiers, and an instruction for extending an interval of acquiring the sensor value is transmitted to the terminals which are other than the at least one of the terminals corresponding to the extracted identifiers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor value acquiring method executed by a computer that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals through a wireless communication link, the method comprising: acquiring, by the computer, a plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established, the plurality of sensor values being obtained by the plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals; storing, by the computer, each of the acquired sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the acquired sensor values was acquired; comparing, by the computer, the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers; extracting, by the computer, mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and transmitting, by the computer, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction includes an instruction to change a setting of the sensor included in the at least second mobile terminal to disable the sensor to acquire the sensor value, the setting being to be updated with the second time interval. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising: comparing the second sensor value acquired from the at least second mobile terminal with the first sensor value acquired from the at least first mobile terminal; determining whether a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; transmitting, when the difference is determined to be equal to or smaller than the threshold value, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the interval of transmitting the second sensor value from the second time interval to a third time interval which is longer than the second time interval. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The sensor value acquiring method according to Claim 3, further comprising: transmitting to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the interval of transmitting the second sensor value from the third time interval to the second time interval when the difference is determined to be larger than the threshold value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring the sensor value from the mobile terminal through a wireless communication in the acquiring; grouping mobile terminals according to electric wave intensities obtained when sensor values are obtained; comparing the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers for each grouped mobile terminals; extractinq, for each grouped mobile terminals, mobile terminals, as the mobile terminals in the same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values; determining, for each grouped mobile terminals, the at least first mobile terminal and the at least second mobile terminal; transmitting, for each grouped mobile terminals, to the at least second mobile terminal the instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sensor value acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link is established using a plurality of access points, and the method further comprising: specifying, by the computer, mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established using a same access point among the plurality of access points; comparing, by the computer, stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers of the specified mobile terminals; extracting, by the computer, from the specified mobile terminals, mobile terminals with which the difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; and determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, the at least first mobile terminal and the at least second mobile terminal. ### Claim 7 A sensor control apparatus that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals, the sensor control apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive the plurality of sensor values obtained by the plurality of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals from the plurality of mobile terminals through a communication network; a storage device configured to store each of the sensor values received by the receiver along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the received sensor values was obtained; and a processor configured to: compare the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers; extract mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; determine, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and transmit, to the at least second mobile terminal, an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval. ### Claim 8 A sensor control method employed in a system including a plurality of mobile terminals having sensors and a server which is coupled to the terminals through a wireless communication link and which controls the plurality of mobile terminals to acquire a plurality of sensor values of the sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals, the method comprising: receiving, by the server, the plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals; storing, by the server, each of the received sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the received sensor values was obtained; comparing, by the server, the stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers; extracting, by the server, mobile terminals, as mobile terminals in a same condition, with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; determining, by the server, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and transmitting, by the server, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval. ### Claim 9 A sensor value acquiring method executed by a computer that controls a plurality of mobile terminals to acquire sensor values of sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals through a wireless communication link, the method comprising: acquiring, by the computer, a plurality of sensor values from the plurality of mobile terminals with which the wireless communication link is established, the plurality of sensor values being obtained by the sensors included in the plurality of mobile terminals; storing, by the computer, each of the acquired sensor values along with an identifier to identify a mobile terminal with which each of the acquired sensor values was acquired; acquiring, by the computer, electric wave intensities of the wireless communication link when the plurality of sensor values are obtained from the plurality of mobile terminals; specifying mobile terminals located in a certain area based on the acquired electric wave intensities; comparing, by the computer, stored sensor values corresponding to different identifiers of the specified mobile terminals; extracting, by the computer, from the specified mobile terminals, mobile terminals with which a difference of compared sensor values is equal to or smaller than a threshold value; determining, by the computer, from the extracted mobile terminals, at least a first mobile terminal and at least a second mobile terminal, the at least first mobile terminal being controlled to transmit first sensor value with first time interval, the at least second mobile terminal being to be controlled to transmit second sensor value with second time interval which is longer than the first time interval; and transmitting, by the computer, to the at least second mobile terminal an instruction to change the time interval of transmitting the second sensor value to the second time interval.