Method and apparatus for providing ad-hoc networked sensors and protocols

• US 20040028023A1
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siracusa, Robert, Mandhyan, Indur B., Caliskan, Alaattin, Hashfield, Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/419,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20040028023A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/38 adapting due to varying relative distances between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method for providing an ad-hoc network of sensors. More specifically, the ad-hoc networked sensor system is based on novel network protocols that produce a self-organizing and self-healing network.

Claims

1. A sensor system having a plurality of nodes, comprising:

at least one sensor for detecting a sensor event;

a sensor node for interfacing with said at least one sensor to receive said sensor event; and

a control node for receiving said sensor event from said sensor node via a route through a plurality of nodes.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein said sensor node remains in a wait state until said sensor event is received from said at least one sensor.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises a global position system receiver, a temperature sensor, a voltage sensor, a vibration sensor, or an acoustic sensor.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, further comprising a relay node, wherein said relay node forms a part of said route, for passing said sensor event from said sensor node to said control node.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, where said control node is a gateway node for communicating with a wide area network (WAN).

6. The sensor system of claim 5, wherein said wide area network is a wireless wide area network.

7. The sensor system of claim 4, further comprising:

a bridge node for connect two sub-networks, where said control node is located in a first sub-network and said sensor node is in a second sub-network, and wherein said bridge node forms a part of said route.

8. The sensor system of claim 7, wherein said two sub-networks have different bandwidth.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein said nodes with the sensor system are self-organizing.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein said nodes with the sensor system are self-healing.

11. A method for establishing a network node within a sensor system, where said sensor system comprises consumer and producer nodes, said method comprising the steps of:

a) activating a consumer node;

b) sending a message by said consumer node to its neighbor nodes, where said message identifies presence of said consumer node;

c) propagating said message by each of said neighbor nodes to all nodes within the sensor system; and

d) recording a route to said consumer node by each node within the sensor system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

e) forwarding a message by a producer node to said consumer node, wherein said message describes parameters of said producer node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said message includes a sensor type or a listing of configurable parameters.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

e) forwarding a message by a producer node to said consumer node, wherein said message acknowledges the presence of said consumer node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said producer node enters a wait state, and will exit said wait state when one of the following events is detected:

a sensor data event, a probe receipt event, a mobility event or a route event.

16. A method for establishing a network node within a sensor system, where said sensor system comprises consumer and producer nodes, said method comprising the steps of:

a) activating a producer node;

b) placing said producer node into a wait state, wherein said producer node waits for a message to indicate that a route is available to a consumer node.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

c) sending a message by said producer node to its neighbor nodes to participate in a piconet.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of:

d) establishing a route to said consumer node.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

e) sending a credential message to said consumer node to identify characteristics of said producer node to said consumer node.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

f) causing said producer node to enter a wait state.