METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BATTERY-AWARE DYNAMIC BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION FOR GROUPS OF WIRELESS SENSOR NODES IN A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK

• US 20080211666A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Strong Force IoT Portfolio 2016, LLC (Strong Force Intellectual Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moat, Kent D., Saidi, Ali, Chiricescu, Silviu, May, Philip E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus that allocates bandwidth among wireless sensor nodes in wireless sensor groups in a wireless sensor network (WSN) is disclosed. The method may include forming a plurality of wireless sensor node groups from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes based on battery levels of the wireless senor nodes, allocating transmission time slots for the wireless sensor nodes in each of the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric, determining average battery levels for each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level of all of the wireless sensor nodes, determining differences between the average battery levels of each of the wireless sensor node groups and the average battery level of all of the wireless sensor nodes, wherein if any difference in the average battery levels is above a predetermined threshold, regrouping the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups.

Claims

1. A method for allocating bandwidth among wireless sensor nodes in wireless sensor groups in a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprising:

forming a plurality of wireless sensor node groups from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes based on battery levels of the wireless senor nodes;

allocating transmission time slots for the wireless sensor nodes in each of the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric;

determining average battery levels for each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level for all of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network;

determining differences between the average battery levels of each of the wireless sensor node groups and the average battery level of all of the wireless sensor nodes, wherein if any difference in the average battery levels is above a predetermined threshold,

regrouping the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the differences in the average battery levels of the wireless sensor node groups are not above a predetermined threshold,

allocating transmission time slots for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission time slots allocation for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups is based on at least one channel quality metric and the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes and the regrouping of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes is performed according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups and in battery levels of nodes within each wireless sensor node group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel quality metric is at least one of a link quality indicator and a relative signal strength indicator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes serves as a battery-aware dynamic bandwidth group coordinator and allocates transmission time slots to the other wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups in the wireless sensor network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the each plurality of wireless sensor nodes transmits sensor information, the sensor information being at least one of temperature, pressure, humidity, motion, vibration, and sound.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the each plurality of wireless sensor nodes are part of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device being one of a portable MP3 player, satellite radio receiver, AM/FM radio receiver, satellite television, iPod, portable laptop, portable computer, wireless radio, wireless telephone, portable digital video recorder, cellular telephone, mobile telephone, and personal digital assistant (PDA).

8. An apparatus that allocates bandwidth among wireless sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network (WSN), comprising:

one or more sensors that sense environmental conditions;

a transceiver that transmits sensor information related to the sensed environmental conditions using transmission time slots; and

a controller that forms a plurality of wireless sensor node groups from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes based on battery levels of the wireless senor nodes, allocates the transmission time slots for the wireless sensor nodes in each of the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric, determines average battery levels for each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level for all of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network, and determines differences between the average battery levels of each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level for all of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network, wherein if any difference in the average battery levels is above a predetermined threshold, the controller regroups the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein if the controller determines that the differences in the average battery levels of the wireless sensor node groups are not above a predetermined threshold, the controller allocates transmission time slots for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller allocates transmission time slots for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric and the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes and regroups the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups and in battery levels of the wireless sensor nodes within each wireless sensor node group.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one channel quality metric is at least one of a link quality indicator and a relative signal strength indicator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus serves as a battery-aware dynamic bandwidth group coordinator which allocates transmission time slots to the other wireless sensor nodes in the plurality of wireless sensor node groups in the wireless sensor network.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitted sensor information is related to at least one of temperature, pressure, humidity, motion, vibration, and sound.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is part of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device being one of a portable MP3 player, satellite radio receiver, AM/FM radio receiver, satellite television, iPod, portable laptop, portable computer, wireless radio, wireless telephone, portable digital video recorder, cellular telephone, mobile telephone, and personal digital assistant (PDA).

15. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more sensors that sense environmental conditions;

a transceiver that transmits sensor information related to the sensed environmental conditions using transmission time slots; and

a controller that forms a plurality of wireless sensor node groups from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes based on battery levels of the wireless senor nodes, allocates the transmission time slots for the wireless sensor nodes in each of the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric, determines average battery levels for each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level for all of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network, and determines differences between the average battery levels of each of the wireless sensor node groups and average battery level for all of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network, wherein if any difference in the average battery levels is above a predetermined threshold, the controller regroups the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein if the controller determines that the differences in the average battery levels of the wireless sensor node groups are not above a predetermined threshold, the controller allocates transmission time slots for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller allocates transmission time slots for the plurality of wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor node groups based on at least one channel quality metric and the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes and regroups the plurality of wireless sensor nodes according to the battery levels of the plurality wireless sensor nodes to minimize any variance in average battery level across all of the wireless sensor node groups and in battery levels of the wireless sensor nodes within each wireless sensor node group.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the at least one channel quality metric is at least one of a link quality indicator and a relative signal strength indicator.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the transmitted sensor information is related to at least one of temperature, pressure, humidity, motion, vibration, and sound.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 15, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a portable MP3 player, satellite radio receiver, AM/FM radio receiver, satellite television, iPod, portable laptop, portable computer, wireless radio, wireless telephone, portable digital video recorder, cellular telephone, mobile telephone, and personal digital assistant (PDA).