Data storage for distributed sensor networks

• US 7,536,388 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Tegreene, Clarence T., Jung, Edward K. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/903,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 340/853.01, 340/10.1, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/870.01, 455/423, 455/3.01, 706/8, 706/20, 709/231, 709/208, 709/223, 709/224, 600/301, 707/1, 707/10, 701/34, 701/59, 700/30, 714/701
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems that store occurrence-data gathered by a distributed sensor network. In an approach, an exemplary method includes receiving a target-occurrence selection, storing a parameter sensed by a sensor of the network in a sensor data set, and searching the sensor data set for data correlating to the target-occurrence. Data correlating to the target-occurrence is stored, and the sensed parameter is deleted from the data set. In another approach, an exemplary system includes a data storage device, a computing device operable to communication with the distributed sensors, and instructions implementing the above method.

Claims

1. An occurrence-data storage system, comprising:

(a) a data storage device;

(b) a plurality of distributed sensor nodes, each sensor node being respectively operable to sense and communicate data related to a parameter;

(c) a computing device coupled with the data storage device and operable to communicate with the plurality of distributed sensor nodes; and

(d) instructions loaded on the data storage device that, when executed by a processor of the computing device, configure the computing device to;

(i) store an instance of data related to the sensed parameter from a first sensor node of the plurality of sensor nodes in a first sensor data set in the data storage device;

(ii) receive an input selection corresponding to a target-occurrence having a representative feature, the representative feature including at least one recognizable pattern of at least one parameter sensed by one or more of the sensor nodes;

(iii) in response to the input selection corresponding to the target-occurrence, automatically search the first sensor data set for data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature;

(iv) when sensor data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature is found, store the correlated sensor data in a retained data storage; and

(v) delete the instance of data related to the sensed parameter from the first sensor data set according to a deletion sequence.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage device includes a digital data storage device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensed parameter includes a chronological sequence.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a sensor of the plurality of sensor nodes senses a parameter selected from a group consisting of optical, acoustic, pressure, temperature, thermal, acceleration, magnetic, biological, chemical, and motion.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensed optical parameter includes at least one selected from a group consisting of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a sensor node includes a unique identifier.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor node is further operable to communicate the identifier in an association with the data related to the sensed parameter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data related to the sensed parameter may define a feature of an occurrence.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the retained data storage is stored in the data storage device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further configure the computing device to:

(vi) store another instance of data related to the sensed parameter from a first sensor node of the plurality of sensor nodes in the first sensor data set in the data storage device;

(vii) automatically search the first sensor data set for data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature;

(viii) when sensor data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature is found, store the correlated sensor data in a retained data storage; and

(ix) delete the another instance of data related to the sensed parameter from the first sensor data set according to a deletion sequence.

11. An occurrence-data storage system, comprising:

(a) a digital data storage device;

(b) a central computing device coupled with the digital data storage device and operable to communicate with distributed remote sensor nodes, each sensor node operable to sense data representing a respective feature, and to communicate the sensed data to the computing device, the respective feature having a correlation to an occurrence; and

(c) instructions loaded on the digital data storage device that, when executed by a processor of the computing device, configure the computing device to;

(i) store sensed data from a first sensor node of the distributed sensor nodes in a first sensor data set in the digital data storage device;

(ii) receive an input selection corresponding to a target-occurrence having a representative feature, the representative feature including at least one recognizable pattern of at least one parameter sensed by one or more of the sensor nodes;

(iii) select a pattern recognition criteria corresponding to the representative feature of the target-occurrence;

(iv) in response to the input selection corresponding to the target-occurrence, automatically search the first sensor data set for data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature using the selected pattern recognition criteria;

(v) when sensor data correlating to the target-occurrence representative feature is found, store the correlated sensor data in a retained data storage; and

(vi) delete the sensed data from the first sensor node from the first data set according to a deletion sequence.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the retained data storage is local to the first sensor node.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the retained data storage is local to the central computing device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the retained data storage is a remote digital storage device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein access to the retained data storage is controlled.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the central computing device and at least one sensor node of the distributed sensor nodes communicate over a communications link.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications link includes at least one selected from a group consisting of an optical, a wireless, and a wired link.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the communications link includes an intermediate sensor node that relays a communication between the first sensor node and the central computing device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the input selection is received from a user.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the input selection is received from a program.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the program is running on another computing device.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the pattern recognition criteria is automatically selected in response to the user selected target-occurrence.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the pattern recognition criteria is automatically selected in response to a characteristic of the user selected target-occurrence.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the deletion sequence includes a substantially first-in, first-out order.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein the first data set includes a multi-element data structure from which elements can be removed only in the same order in which the elements were inserted.

26. The system of claim 11, wherein the first data set includes a multi-element data structure from which elements can be removed based on factors other than order of insertion.