Methods and devices for proximity in-app sensor pairing

Abstract

Described herein are methods and wireless devices for proximity in-app sensor pairing for science education. In one example, a computer implemented method comprises initiating a science software application on a wireless device, automatically displaying a sensor connection display on a user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors, obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device, and sorting the available sensors by the wireless sensor connection information including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method comprising:
 initiating a science software application on a wireless device;   automatically displaying a sensor connection display on a user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors;   obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device; and   sorting the available sensors by the wireless sensor connection information including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information.   
     
     
         2 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 automatically updating the sensor connection display on the user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors that have been ordered based on the RSSI information to indicate proximity to the wireless device. 
 
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 determining whether the sensor connections to the wireless device are completed. 
 
     
     
         4 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1  wherein obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device further comprises scanning, with the wireless device, for wireless sensors that are advertising availability for connection and filtering scanned wireless sensors to include wireless sensors for science software applications including the initiated science software application. 
     
     
         5 . The computer implemented method of  claim 4  wherein the RSSI information includes RSSI values for received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors. 
     
     
         6 . The computer implemented method of  claim 5  further comprising storing RSSI information for the received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors. 
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 6  further comprising computing a RSSI running average for each wireless sensor. 
     
     
         8 . A machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:
 initiating a science software application on a wireless device;   automatically displaying a sensor connection display on a user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors;   obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device; and   sorting the available sensors by the wireless sensor connection information including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information.   
     
     
         9 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 8  further comprising:
 automatically updating the sensor connection display on the user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors that have been ordered based on the RSSI information to indicate proximity to the wireless device. 
 
     
     
         10 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 9  further comprising:
 determining whether the sensor connections to the wireless device ar completed. 
 
     
     
         11 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 8  wherein obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device further comprises scanning, with the wireless device, for wireless sensors that are advertising availability for connection and filtering scanned wireless sensors to include wireless sensors for science software applications including the initiated science software application. 
     
     
         12 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 11  wherein the RSSI information includes RSSI values for received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors. 
     
     
         13 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 12  further comprising storing RSSI information for the received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors. 
     
     
         14 . The machine-accessible medium of  claim 13  further comprising computing a RSSI running average for each wireless sensor. 
     
     
         15 . A wireless device comprising:
 memory to store software including a science software application; and   at least one processing unit coupled to the memory, the at least one processing unit to execute instructions to initiate the science software application, to automatically display a sensor connection display on a user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors, to obtain wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device, and to sort the available sensors by the wireless sensor connection information including received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information.   
     
     
         16 . The wireless device of  claim 15  wherein the at least one processing unit to execute instructions to automatically update the sensor connection display on the user interface of the wireless device with the sensor connection display including selectable available sensors that have been ordered based on the RSSI information to indicate proximity to the wireless device. 
     
     
         17 . The wireless device of  claim 16  wherein the at least one processing unit to execute instructions to determine whether the sensor connections to the wireless device are completed. 
     
     
         18 . The wireless device of  claim 15  wherein obtaining wireless sensor connection information for sensors that are advertising their availability to the wireless device further comprises scanning, with the wireless device, for wireless sensors that are advertising availability for connection and filtering scanned wireless sensors to include wireless sensors for science software applications including the initiated science software application. 
     
     
         19 . The wireless device of  claim 18  wherein the RSSI information includes RSSI values for received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors. 
     
     
         20 . The wireless device of  claim 19  wherein the at least one processing unit to execute instructions to store RSSI information for the received RF communications from each of the filtered wireless sensors and to compute a RSSI running average for each wireless sensor.