Sensor network management system

• US 20060190458A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mishina, Yusuke, Sato, Akiko, Motobayashi, Masahiro, Okochi, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An attribute value of a matter accompanied by a sensor is transmissibly accessible in a sensor node system constituted by wireless terminal computers having the sensor, the wireless communication base stations and server computers. The wireless terminal computer reports at the time of wireless communication an identification number of a wireless communication base station with which it communicates previously. A relay processing service is dynamically constituted so that when a wireless communication base station different from itself is reported, the wireless base station as the communication counter-part can transmissbly look up the wireless terminal computer from a host computer.

Claims

1. A communication method of a computer system including wireless terminals, wireless base stations connected to said wireless terminals through a wireless communication network, and a name server and a task server connected to said wireless base stations through said communication network, wherein, when said wireless terminal exists within a communication range of said wireless base station:

said wireless base station generates a relay service identifier for a relay service of said wireless terminal and executes registration management of a correspondence relation of a set of an identifier of said wireless terminal and said relay service identifier generated;

said name server executes registration management of a set of an identifier of said wireless base station executing the registration management of the set of the correspondence relation and said relay service identifier managed by said wireless base station; and

said wireless terminal connected to said wireless communication network is accessed from said task server connected to said communication network through said base station.

2. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said name server executes registration management of a correspondence relation of a set of the identifier of said wireless base station, said relay service identifier managed by said wireless base station and said identifier of said wireless terminal receiving the relay service identified by said relay service identifier; and

when said task server transmits a wireless terminal reference request to said name server by using said identifier of said wireless terminal, said name server converts said identifier of said wireless terminal to said relay service identifier and converts said wireless terminal reference request to said relay service reference request.

3. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 2, wherein:

a wireless base station global identifier uniquely designated inside said computer system and a wireless base station local identifier are allocated as said identifier to said wireless base station, said name server generates a wireless base station local identifier for said wireless base station on the basis of said wireless base station global identifier and executes registration management of said wireless base station global identifier and said correspondence relation of the set of said relay service identifier managed by said wireless base station and said identifier of said wireless terminal receiving the relay service identified by said relay service identifier; and

said wireless base station stores and manages said wireless base station local identifier so generated and said wireless terminal stores and manages said identifier of its own and said wireless base local identifier of said wireless base station with which said wireless terminal communicates.

4. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 3, wherein:

said wireless terminal transmits said wireless base station local identifier at the time of communication with said wireless base station;

said wireless base station again allocates a new identifier to said wireless terminal when said wireless base station local identifier received is different from a wireless base station local identifier stored therein, again allocates a new relay service corresponding to said wireless terminal and further executes updating registration management of a correspondence relation of the identifier of said wireless terminal again allocated and the new relay service again allocated;

said name server allocates a new wireless base station local identifier to said wireless base station, executes updating registration management of the identifier of said wireless terminal and a correspondence relation of a global identifier of said wireless base station and the identifier of the new relay service again allocated;

said wireless base station executes updating storage management of said wireless base station local identifier again allocated; and

said wireless terminal executes updating storage management of said identifier of said wireless terminal again allocated and said wireless base station local identifier again allocated.

5. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

said name server manages a correspondence relation of an entity identifier of an entity accompanied by said wireless terminal and the identifier of said wireless terminal; and

when said task service of said task server looks up said wireless terminal by using said entity identifier of said entity accompanied by said wireless terminal, said task service sends entity identifier to said name server and asks an identifier solution, and said name server asked for the identifier solution retrieves the identifier of said wireless terminal from said entity management means by using said entity identifier accompanying said request, retrieves the relay service identifier by using the identifier of said wireless terminal retrieved and sends it as a response to said task service.

6. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 3, wherein:

said name server manages a correspondence relation of an entity identifier of an entity accompanied by said wireless terminal and the identifier of said wireless terminal global identifier; and

when said task service inside said task server looks up said wireless terminal by using said entity identifier of said entity accompanied by said wireless terminal, said task service sends entity identifier to said name server and asks an identifier solution, and said name server asked for the identifier solution retrieves the identifier of said wireless terminal from said entity management means by using said entity identifier accompanying said request, retrieves the relay service identifier by using the identifier of said wireless terminal retrieved from said relay service management means and sends it as a response to said task service.

7. A computer system including wireless terminals, wireless base stations connected to said wireless terminals through a first wireless communication network, and a name server computer and a task server computer connected to said wireless base stations through a second communication network, wherein said name server computer comprises:

a wireless terminal combination rule for combining a plurality of wireless terminals so that they can be looked up as a logically single wireless terminal, and wireless terminal combination rule management means for managing said wireless terminal combination rule;

a wireless base station combination rule for combining a plurality of wireless base stations so that they can be looked up as a logically single wireless base station, and wireless base station combination rule management means for managing said wireless base station combination rule;

a wireless terminal and wireless base station combination rule for combining a plurality of wireless terminals and base stations so that they can be looked up as a correspondence relation of a logically single wireless terminal and a logically single wireless base station, and wireless terminal and wireless base station combination rule management means for managing said wireless terminal and wireless base station combination rule; and

wireless terminal and wireless base station combination control means for interpreting a reference request to said logically single wireless terminal by using said wireless terminal combination rule, said wireless base station combination rule and said wireless terminal and wireless base station combination rule, deciding the combination of a plurality of said wireless terminals and said wireless base stations, sending said wireless terminal reference request for the combination so decided, receiving the result of said reference request sent, and generating the result of said reference request for said logically single wireless terminal by combining said result information received in accordance with said interpretation.

8. A communication method of a computer system including a plurality of terminals, a plurality of base stations communicating with said terminals through a first network and a server communicating with said base stations through a second network, wherein:

said terminal has a memory for storing a terminal identifier for identifying said terminal itself;

said base station has a memory for storing a terminal identifier of said terminal with which said base station communicates and a relay identifier in association with each other;

said server has a memory for storing, in association with one another, an identifier of said base station, and said terminal identifier and said relay identifier stored in said base station in association with each other;

when communication is made with a specific terminal from any part inside said second network, said memory of said server is retrieved and said relay identifier is sent to said base station on the basis of said relay identifier and said identifier of said base station associated with a terminal identifier representing said specific terminal; and

said base station retrieves said memory on the basis of said relay identifier received and gains access to said terminal having said terminal identifier associated with said relay identifier.

9. A communication method of a computer system according to claim 8, wherein:

said terminal has a memory for storing a first terminal identifier primarily designating itself inside said computer system and a second terminal identifier primarily designating itself inside said base station with which said terminal communicates;

said base station has a memory for storing said first and second terminal identifiers of said terminal with which said base station communicates and said relay identifier in association with one another;

said server has a memory for storing, in association with one another, said identifier of said base station, and said first terminal identifier and said relay identifier stored in said base station in association with one another;

when communication is made with a specific terminal from any part inside said second network, said memory of said server is retrieved and said relay identifier is sent to said base station on the basis of said relay identifier and said identifier of said base station associated with said first terminal identifier representing said specific terminal; and

said base station retrieves said memory on the basis of said relay identifier received and gains access to said terminal having said second terminal identifier associated with said relay identifier.