System and Method for Selecting a Communication Network in a Sensor Network

• US 20170034316A1
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Pei, Guangyu, Kumar, Anil
• Granted Patent: US 10,057,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A sensor network is disclosed, and includes a first network based on a wireless communication protocol, a second network based on a power line communication protocol, and at least one sensor node in communication with one of the first network and the second network. The sensor node includes at least one sensor and a control module in communication with the at least one sensor. The control module includes control logic for selecting one of the first network and the second network based on at least one operating parameter of the sensor network.

Claims

1. A sensor network, comprising:

a first network based on a wireless communication protocol;

a second network based on a power line communication protocol; and

at least one sensor node in communication with one of the first network and the second network, the at least one sensor node including at least one sensor and a control module in communication with the at least one sensor, the control module including control logic for selecting one of the first network and the second network based on at least one operating parameter of the sensor network.

2. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the control module includes a memory, and wherein a network stack configuration is saved within the memory of the control module.

3. The sensor network of claim 2, wherein the network stack configuration includes at least one wireless stack based on the wireless communication protocol and at least one power line stack based on the power line communication protocol.

4. The sensor network of claim 3, wherein the at least one wireless stack and the at least one power line stack are both based on a seven-layer Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model, and wherein both the at least one wireless stack and the at least one power line stack each include a plurality of layers.

5. The sensor network of claim 4, wherein the at least one operating parameter is based on whether a specific layer the plurality of layers of either the at least one wireless stack or the at least one power line stack is unavailable.

6. The sensor network of claim 4, wherein the at least one operating parameter is based on whether a physical (PHY) layer of the at least one wireless stack or the at least one power line stack is unavailable.

7. The sensor network of claim 4, wherein the at least one operating parameter is based on a higher level layer of the at least one wireless stack or the at least one power line stack.

8. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol is based on an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 protocol.

9. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the power line communication protocol is a narrow-band power line communication that operates at frequency bands below about 500 kiloHertz (kHz).

10. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the power line communication utilizes one of an existing alternating current (AC) power line and an existing direct current (DC) power line within an aircraft.

11. The sensor network of claim 1, comprising a data concentrator in communication with one of the first network and the second network, the data concentrator including a second control module.

12. The sensor network of claim 11, wherein the second control module includes control logic for selecting one of the first network and the second network based on the at least one operating parameter of the sensor network.

13. The sensor network of claim 11, wherein the second control module includes a memory, and wherein a network stack configuration is saved within the memory of the control module.

14. A method of selecting one of a first network and a second network within a sensor network of an aircraft, the method comprising:

detecting, by a control module, at least one operating parameter of the sensor network; and

selecting, by the control module, one of the first network and the second network based on the at least one operating parameter of the sensor network, wherein the first network is based on a wireless communication protocol, the second network is based on a power line communication protocol, and the control module is part of at least one sensor node in communication with one of the first network and the second network.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising providing a network stack configuration saved within a memory of the control module.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising including at least one wireless stack based on the wireless communication protocol and at least one power line stack based on the power line communication protocol within the network stack configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one wireless stack and the at least one power line stack are both based on a seven-layer Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model, and wherein both the at least one wireless stack and the at least one power line stack include a plurality of layers.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising a data concentrator in communication with one of the first network and the second network, the data concentrator including a second control module.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising selecting one of the first network and the second network based on the at least one operating parameter of the sensor network by the second control module.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising saving a network stack configuration within a memory of the control module.