Information-based self-organization of sensor nodes of a sensor network

• US 20070003146A1
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sandia National Laboratories (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Berry, Nina, Ko, Teresa
• Granted Patent: US 8,022,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/285 Generic home appliances, e.g. refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A sensor node detects a plurality of information-based events. The sensor node determines whether at least one other sensor node is an information neighbor of the sensor node based on at least a portion of the plurality of information-based events. The information neighbor has an overlapping field of view with the sensor node. The sensor node sends at least one communication to the at least one other sensor node that is an information neighbor of the sensor node in response to at least one information-based event of the plurality of information-based events.

Claims

1. A method of operating a sensor node comprising:

detecting, by said sensor node, a plurality of information-based events;

determining, by said sensor node, whether at least one other sensor node is an information neighbor of said sensor node based on at least a portion of said plurality of information-based events, wherein said information neighbor has an overlapping field of view with said sensor node; and

sending, by said sensor node, at least one communication to said at least one other sensor node that is an information neighbor of said sensor node in response to at least one information-based event of said plurality of information-based events.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying one or more features of said at least one information-based event, wherein said at least one communication comprises said one or more features.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

capturing a plurality of images at said sensor node;

wherein said detecting said one or more information-based events is based on one or more respective images of said plurality of images.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

verifying said at least one information-based event; and

in response to said verifying, extracting at least one feature of said at least one information-based event;

wherein said at least one communication comprises said at least one feature.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a classification of said at least one information-based event, wherein said at least one communication comprises said classification.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a heading of said at least one information-based event based on an first and second images that are captured by said sensor node, wherein said at least one communication comprises said heading.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a communication comprising at least one feature of another information-based event detected by a different sensor node;

determining whether said sensor node detected said another information-based event based on said at least one received feature and at least one feature of one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node; and

estimating a position of said another information-based event based on said at least one received feature and said at least one feature of said one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one communication comprises said position of said event.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a communication comprising at least one feature of another information-based event detected by a different sensor node;

determining whether said sensor node detected said another information-based event based on said at least one received feature and at least one feature of one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node; and

determining a position of said sensor node based on said at least one received feature and said at least one feature of said one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises:

counting said portion of said plurality of information-based events to provide a first value;

counting said portion of said plurality of information-based events that match any information-based events detected by said one or more other sensor nodes to provide a second value; and

wherein said sensor node determines that said at least one other sensor node is an information neighbor based on said first value and second value.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensor node and said at least one other sensor node are wireless sensor nodes.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises:

dividing at least one image associated with said at least one information-based event into regions;

counting said portion of said plurality of information-based events to provide a first value for each region;

counting said portion of said plurality of information-based events that match any information-based events detected by said one or more other sensor nodes to provide a second value for each region; and

wherein said sensor node determines that said at least one other sensor node is an information neighbor based on said first value and second value for each region.

13. A sensor node comprising:

at least one memory storing instructions executable by at least one processor, said at least one memory storing;

one or more instructions that detect an information-based event based on an image;

one or more instructions that determine whether at least one other sensor node is an information neighbor of said sensor node based on said information-based event, wherein said information neighbor has an overlapping field of view with said sensor node; and

one or more instructions that send at least one communication to said at least one other sensor node that is an information neighbor of said sensor node in response to said information-based event.

14. The sensor node of claim 13 wherein said at least one memory stores:

one or more instructions that identify one or more features of said at least one information-based event, wherein said at least one communication comprises said one or more features.

15. The sensor node of claim 14 wherein said at least one memory stores:

one or more instructions that receive a communication comprising at least one feature of another information-based event detected by a different sensor node;

one or more instructions that determine whether said sensor node detected said another information-based event based on said at least one received feature and said one or more features identified by said sensor node; and

one or more instructions that determine a position of said information-based event based on said at least one received feature and said one or more features identified by said sensor node.

16. The sensor node of claim 14 wherein said at least one memory stores:

one or more instructions that receive a communication comprising at least one feature of another information-based event detected by a different sensor node;

one or more instructions that determine whether said sensor node detected said another information-based event based on said at least one received feature and at least one feature of one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node; and

one or more instructions that determine a position of said sensor node based on said at least one received feature and said at least one feature of said one of said plurality of information-based events at said sensor node.

17. The sensor node of claim 13 wherein said one or more instructions that determine comprise:

one or more instructions that counts said information-based event to provide a first value; and

one or more instructions that counts a number of times that said information-based event matches an information-based event detected by said at least one other sensor node to provide a second value;

wherein said at least one other sensor node is determined to be said information neighbor of said sensor node based on said first value and second value.

18. The sensor node of claim 13 further comprising:

an image sensor that captures said image;

a shared memory that stores said image; and

a radio that transmits said at least one communication.

19. The sensor node of claim 18 wherein said image sensor, said shared memory, and said radio are on separate modules, wherein said modules comprising said image sensor, said shared memory and said radio are activated independently.

20. The sensor node of claim 13 wherein said sensor node is a wireless sensor node.