Dynamic Fusion Management

• US 20100161784A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Lien, Steven A., Jackson, Paul R., Knutti, John Clayton
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/02 Protocol performance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for managing a network of nodes that share sensor data is presented. In one embodiment, the system and method clusters groups of nodes into subnets. Nodes in a common subnet share sensor data with other nodes in the subnet at one rate, while nodes that are not in a common subnet share sensor data at a second substantially reduced rate.

Claims

1. A system for managing nodes on a network, comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node reporting a sensor data;

a clustering unit that groups said plurality of nodes into a plurality of subnets;

and wherein a first node of said plurality of nodes reports said sensor data to a second node of said plurality of nodes at a first rate if said first node and said second node are in a same subnet and at a second rate if said first node and said second node are in a different subnet, said second rate being substantially lower than said first rate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first rate is between two and twenty times higher than said second rate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said clustering unit groups said plurality of nodes as a function of a distance between each of said nodes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said clustering unit groups said plurality of nodes as a function of an area of responsibility of each of said nodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said clustering unit groups said plurality of nodes as a function of a connection time of a previous communications link between said one or more of said nodes, and as a function of an environmental impairment of a communications link between one or more of said nodes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said clustering unit periodically groups said plurality of nodes into a plurality of subnets.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of nodes further comprises a tracker for fusing a plurality of said sensor data from said plurality of nodes into a target track using a data fusion algorithm, and further comprising, a tracker manager, said tracker monitoring said tracker and modifying said data fusion algorithm based at least in part upon a volume of said plurality of said sensor data at said tracker.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said tracker manager modifies said data fusion algorithm based at least in part upon a criteria selected from the group consisting of a data accuracy requirement, a data priority requirement, and a mission objective requirement.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said tracker manager instructs said tracker to drop at least one of said sensor data based upon said data fusion algorithm.

10. A method for sharing sensor data between a plurality of nodes on a network, comprising:

grouping said plurality of nodes into a plurality of subnets;

sharing said sensor data at a first rate between a plurality of nodes in a common subnet at a first rate; and

sharing said sensor data at a second rate between a first node and a second node not in a common subnet; and

wherein said first rate is greater than said second rate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said grouping is based at least in part upon a criteria selected from the group consisting of a common mission objective, a communications connectivity strength between nodes, a distance between nodes, a previous grouping between nodes, and an environmental impairment to a communications link between nodes.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

fusing a plurality of said sensor data from said plurality of nodes into a target track using a data fusion algorithm.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

modifying said data fusion algorithm based upon a volume measurement of said sensor data and a data fusion processing capability of a tracker.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

discarding a sensor data based at least in part upon said volume measurement.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

performing said step of grouping said plurality of nodes into a plurality of subnets at least in part upon one of said volume measurement of said sensor data and said data fusion processing capability of said tracker.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

discarding a sensor data based at least in part upon a mission objective.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an information from a node, said information selected from the group consisting of a modified mission objective, a change in communications connectivity strength between nodes, a change in distance between nodes, and an environmental impairment to a communications link between nodes; and

performing said step of grouping said plurality of nodes into a plurality of subnets at least in part upon said information.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said wherein said first rate is between two and twenty times faster than said second rate.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein each node in a common subnet shares a sensor data with each of said nodes in said common subset.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein a single node from a first subnet shares a sensor data with a plurality of nodes in a second subset.