INFORMATION ACQUISITION USING A SCALABLE WIRELESS GEOCAST PROTOCOL

• US 20130012231A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/023 Limited or focused flooding to selected areas of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Information is acquired from a geographically-distributed sensor network using a scalable wireless geocast protocol. Geographically distributed networks of unattended sensors are placed at desired locations to collect various types of information, such as, for example, environmental parameters, temperature, humidity, rainfall, heat signatures, video, audio, seismic activity, and/or wind conditions. To acquire information, a query is provided to the geographic area at which the sensors are located utilizing the geocast protocol. Delivery of the query is based on a physical location of a region in which a sensor network is located, the type of information being queried, and/or temporal conditions. Each sensor that receives a query determines if all requirements/conditions are satisfied. If so, the query is accepted and processed by the recipient sensor, and responded to accordingly. Responses to queries are provided via the geocast protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a geocast protocol, a query for information, the query comprising an indication of a region of intended reception of the query;

determining if the recipient of the query is within the region;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, not accepting the query; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is within the region processing the query.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via the geocast protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, providing a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via a unicast over a reverse message path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the query comprises determining if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought, the method further comprising:

if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought;

determining if the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, providing, via the geocast protocol, the response; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, not providing a response.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the query comprises determining if the query comprises an indication of a temporal condition, the method further comprising:

if the query comprises an indication of a temporal condition, providing the response, via the geocast protocol, in accordance with the temporal condition.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, retransmitting the query via the geocast protocol.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, retransmitting the query, via the geocast protocol, in accordance with a location at which the query was received.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region;

determining whether a same query was received at least a predetermined number of times; and

when it is determined that the query has not been received the predetermined number of times, retransmitting the query, via the geocast protocol.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region;

determining whether the query was sent from a location closer than a predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query; and

when it is determined that the query was not sent from a location closer than the predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query, retransmitting the query, via the geocast protocol.

10. A sensor comprising:

an input/output portion configured to;

receive, via a geocast protocol, a query for information, the query comprising an indication of a region of intended reception of the query; and

a processing portion configured to;

determine if the recipient of the query is within the region;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, not accept the query; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is within the region, process the query.

11. The sensor of claim 10, the input/output portion further configured to provide a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via the geocast protocol.

12. The sensor of claim 10, the input/output portion further configured to provide a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via a unicast over a reverse message path.

13. The sensor of claim 10, wherein the processing portion processes the query to determine if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought:

the processing portion further configured to;

if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought;

determine if the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, not providing a response; and

the input/output portion further configured to;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, provide, via the geocast protocol, the response.

14. The sensor of claim 10, wherein the processing portion processes the query to determine if the query comprises an indication of a temporal condition:

the input/output portion further configured to;

if the query comprises an indication of a an indication of a temporal condition, provide the response, via the geocast protocol, in accordance with the temporal condition.

15. The sensor of claim 10, when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, the sensor further configured to perform at least one of:

retransmit the query via the geocast protocol;

retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol, in accordance a location at which the query was received;

determine whether a same query was received at least a predetermined number of times and when it is determined that the same query has not been received the predetermined number of times, retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol;

or

determine whether the query was sent from a location closer than a predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query and when it is determined that the query was not sent from a location closer than the predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query, retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol.

16. A tangible storage medium comprising processor executable instructions for causing a processor to perform the steps of:

receiving, via a geocast protocol, a query for information, the query comprising an indication of a region of intended reception of the query;

determining if the recipient of the query is within the region;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, not accepting the query; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is within the region processing the query.

17. The tangible storage medium of claim 16, the processor executable instructions further for causing the processor to perform at least one of:

providing a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via the geocast protocol, or

providing a response to the query in accordance with a result of processing the query via a unicast over a reverse message path.

18. The tangible storage medium of claim 16, wherein processing the query comprises determining if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought, the method further comprising:

if the query comprises an indication of a type of information being sought;

determining if the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought;

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, providing, via the geocast protocol, the response; and

when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not capable of obtaining the type of information being sought, not providing a response.

19. The tangible storage medium of claim 16, wherein processing the query comprises determining if the query comprises an indication of a temporal condition, the method further comprising:

if the query comprises an indication of a an indication of a temporal condition, providing the response, via the geocast protocol, in accordance with the temporal condition.

20. The tangible storage medium of claim 16, when it is determined that the recipient of the query is not within the region, the processor executable instructions further for causing the processor to perform at least one of:

retransmit the query via the geocast protocol;

retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol, in accordance a location at which the query was received;

determine whether a same query was received at least a predetermined number of times and when it is determined that the same query has not been received the predetermined number of times, retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol;

or

determine whether the query was sent from a location closer than a predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query and when it is determined that the query was not sent from a location closer than the predetermined minimum distance from the location of recipient of the query, retransmit the query, via the geocast protocol.