SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMICALLY CHANGING NETWORK NODE BEHAVIOR

• US 20100074143A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synapse Wireless Incorporated (Mcwane Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Synapse Wireless Incorporated (Mcwane Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ewing, David B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,885,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for dynamically changing network node behavior. In one exemplary embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of nodes defining a wireless sensor network, and the plurality of nodes includes at least a first node and a second node. The first node has an output interface, a virtual machine, a stack, and a communication device. The stack is configured to packetize payload data into data packets, and the communication device is configured to communicate the data packets via wireless signals through the wireless sensor network. The output interface is coupled to an apparatus, and the second node is configured to transmit a script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node via at least one data packet. The first node is configured to run the script image on the virtual machine such that the apparatus is controlled by the script image.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically changing network node behavior, comprising:

a plurality of nodes defining a wireless sensor network, the plurality of nodes including at least a first node and a second node, the first node having an output interface, a first virtual machine, a first stack, and a first communication device, the first stack configured to packetize payload data into data packets, the first communication device configured to communicate the data packets via wireless signals through the wireless sensor network, the output interface coupled to an apparatus, the second node configured to transmit a first script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node via at least one data packet,

wherein the first node is configured to run the first script image on the first virtual machine such that the apparatus is controlled by the first script image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first node has an input interface coupled to a sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes includes a third node coupled to a sensor, the third node configured to transmit a remote procedure call through the wireless sensor network to the first node based on the sensor, wherein the remote procedure call identifies a function of the first script image, wherein the first node is configured to invoke the function in response to the remote procedure call, and wherein the function controls the apparatus.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the third node has an input interface, a second virtual machine, a second stack, and a second communication device, the second stack configured to packetize payload data into data packets, the second communication device configured to communicate the data packets packetized by the second stack via wireless signals through the wireless sensor network, the input interface coupled to the sensor, the third node configured to transmit the remote procedure call in response to a detection of an event via the sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine is a bytecode interpreter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a host configured to define a script source based on user input, the host configured to convert the script source to the first script image and to transmit the first script image via the second node through the wireless sensor network to the first node.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first node has core functions, wherein the host is configured to define a remote procedure call and to include at least a portion of the first script image in the remote procedure call, wherein the remote procedure call identifies one of the core functions, and wherein the identified one of the core functions is configured to write the first script image to memory of the first node in response to the remote procedure call.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the identified one of the core functions is configured to add a function name of at least one function of the first script image to a function catalog, the function catalog listing functions of the first script image and the core functions, wherein the first node is configured to sort the function catalog.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the identified one of the core functions is configured to write the first script image to the memory in a native language of the first virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first node has a first resource of a first type and a second resource of the first type, and wherein the first resource is allocated to the first virtual machine such that the first resource may not be used by the first stack, and wherein the second resource is allocated to the first stack such that the second resource may not be used by the first virtual machine.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a host configured to display a source script from which the first script image is derived, wherein the host is configured to modify the source script based on user input and to convert the modified source script to a second script image, wherein the host is configured to transmit the second script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node, and wherein the first node is configured to write the second script image to memory of the first node.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless sensor network is a mesh network.

13. A method for dynamically changing network node behavior, comprising the steps of:

forming a wireless sensor network via a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes including at least a first node and a second node;

coupling an apparatus to an output interface of the first node;

wirelessly receiving at least one data packet from the wireless sensor network at the first node, the at least one data packet defining a script image;

depacketizing the at least one data packet to recover the script image; and

running the first script image on a virtual machine of the first node thereby controlling the apparatus via the first script image.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

coupling a sensor to an input interface of the second node;

transmitting a remote procedure call from the second node through the wireless sensor network to the first node based on the sensor, wherein the remote procedure call identifies a function of the first script image;

invoking the function in response to the remote procedure call; and

controlling the apparatus via the invoked function.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual machine is a bytecode interpreter.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

defining a script source based on user input;

converting the script source to the first script image; and

transmitting the first script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

defining a remote procedure call;

inserting at least a portion of the first script image in the remote procedure call;

identifying a core function of the first node via the remote procedure call; and

invoking the core function in response to the remote procedure call such that the core function writes the first script image to memory of the first node, wherein the transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting the remote procedure call through the wireless sensor network to the first node.

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

listing core function of the first node and at least one function of the first script image in a function catalog; and

sorting the function catalog.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the core function writes the first script image to the memory in a native language of the virtual machine.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a source script from which the first script image is derived;

modifying the source script based on user input;

converting the modified source script to a second script image;

transmitting the second script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node; and

writing the second script image to memory of the first node.