Machine architecture for event management in a wireless sensor network

• US 7,561,544 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Ganesh, Arul
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US10/974,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20060098594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 705/59, 455/418, 395/670, 395/406, 396/406
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless sensor node comprises a wireless transceiver to communicate over a wireless communication link with at least one other node in a wireless sensor network, a sensor interface to receive sensor data from a sensor, and a programmable processor coupled to the sensor interface and the wireless transceiver. The programmable processor executes program instructions that implement a virtual machine for executing an event program that is generated from a query. The event program comprises a plurality of instructions, each instruction being associated with an event. The virtual machine allocates a token data structure for each of event and manages the execution of the plurality of instructions using the token data structures.

Claims

1. A wireless sensor node, comprising:

a wireless transceiver to communicate over a wireless communication link with at least one other node in a wireless sensor network;

a sensor interface to receive sensor data from a sensor; and

a programmable processor coupled to the sensor interface and the wireless transceiver, wherein the programmable processor executes program instructions that implement a virtual machine for executing an event program that is generated from a query;

wherein the event program comprises a plurality of instructions, each instruction being associated with an event;

wherein the virtual machine allocates a token data structure for each event and manages the execution of the plurality of instructions using the token data structures; and

wherein each of a subset of the events has an associated event handler, wherein each event handler has a set of input token data structures and an output token data structure associated therewith, wherein the virtual machine causes the event handler to be executed by the wireless sensor node when a predetermined logical relationship associated with that event handler exists between the set of input token data structures associated with that event handler.

2. The wireless sensor node of claim 1, wherein when each event occurs, the virtual machine marks the token data structure allocated to that event.

3. The wireless sensor node of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine allocates an interrupt to at least one event and configures the wireless sensor node to generate an interrupt when that event occurs, wherein when the interrupt is generated, the virtual machine marks the token data structure allocated to that event.

4. The wireless sensor node of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine allocates a hardware timer to at least one event and configures the wireless sensor node to generate an interrupt when that event occurs, wherein when the interrupt is generated, the virtual machine marks the token data structure allocated to that event.

5. The wireless sensor node of claim 1, wherein when an event occurs, the virtual machine determines for each event handler if the predetermined logical relationship associated with that event handler exists and, if the predetermined logical relationship associated with that event handler exists, causes the event handler to be executed by the wireless sensor node.

6. The wireless sensor node of claim 1, wherein, for each event handler, the predetermined logical relationship for that event handler comprises logically combining each of the set of input token data structures associated with that event handler using a predetermined logical operator that is associated with that event handler.

7. The wireless sensor node of claim 6, wherein the predetermined logical operator associated with each event handler comprises one of an AND logical operator, an OR logical operator, and a XOR logical operator.

8. A wireless sensor node, comprising:

a wireless transceiver to communicate over a wireless communication link with at least one other node in a wireless sensor network;

a sensor interface to receive sensor data from a sensor; and

a programmable processor coupled to the sensor interface and the wireless transceiver, wherein the programmable processor uses a Petri net-based model to execute an event program that specifies a set of events, wherein the event program is generated from a query;

wherein the programmable processor executes a virtual machine that implements the Petri net-based model; and

wherein each of a subset of the events has an associated event handler, wherein each event handler has a set of input token data structures and an output token data structure associated therewith, wherein the virtual machine causes the event handler to be executed by the wireless sensor node when a predetermined logical relationship associated with that event handler exists between the set of input token data structures associated with that event handler.

9. The wireless sensor node of claim 8, wherein each of the set of events has a token data structure allocated thereto, wherein the Petri net-based model is a function of the token data structures.