Wireless sensor node executable code request facilitation method and apparatus

• US 7,676,805 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Strong Force IoT Portfolio 2016, LLC (Strong Force Intellectual Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rittle, Loren J., Yu, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US11/278,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20070236345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 717/176
• US Class Current: 717/176
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A wireless sensor node can request, responds to requests for, and maintain executable code (101), including executable code for which the wireless sensor node is itself tasked with executing. Upon receiving (102), however, a request for executable code that the wireless sensor node is not itself tasked with executing, one determines (103) whether to forward that request. This determination can be based upon any of a variety of decision-making criteria as may pertain to a given application setting (such as whether a different wireless sensor node is, in fact, already responding to this request for executable code, information regarding a number of hops to a known point of executable code injection as may be required to facilitate transport of the executable code from that source to a requesting wireless sensor node, and whether the wireless sensor node itself has locally cached the requested executable code).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a first wireless sensor node;

requesting executable code,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code;

determining whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the first wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

requesting executable code,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code comprises:

requesting executable code that the wireless sensor node is itself tasked with executing,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code that the wireless sensor node is itself tasked with executing to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code that the wireless sensor node is itself tasked with executing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

requesting executable code,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code comprises:

requesting executable code using a trickle mode of operation,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node using a trickle mode of operation, and

maintaining executable code using a trickle mode of operation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the first wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing comprises, at least in part, determining whether the first wireless sensor node has locally cached the executable code.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the first wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing comprises, at least in part:

receiving the request from at least one other wireless sensor node;

determining whether yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code;

when the yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code, determining to not forward the request.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining whether the yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code comprises waiting for at least a predetermined period of time to provide time for the yet another wireless sensor node to so respond to the request for transport of executable code.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the first wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing comprises, at least in part, making the determination based upon a number of hops to a known point of executable code injection as may be required to facilitate transport of the executable code from a source to a requesting wireless sensor node.

8. A wireless sensor node comprising:

a memory having executable code stored therein;

a wireless transmitter;

a wireless receiver;

a processor operably coupled to the memory, the wireless receiver, and the wireless transmitter and being configured and arranged to;

request executable code,

respond to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintain executable code;

determine whether to forward a request for transport of executable code, which executable code the wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing.

9. The wireless sensor node of claim 8 wherein the executable code that the processor is configured and arranged to request, respond to requests for transport of, and maintain comprises executable code that the wireless sensor node is itself tasked with executing.

10. The wireless sensor node of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to request executable code using a trickle mode of operation, respond to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node using a trickle mode of operation, and maintain executable code using a trickle mode of operation.

11. The wireless sensor node of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to determine whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing by, at least in part, determining whether the wireless sensor node has locally cached the executable code.

12. The wireless sensor node of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to determine whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing by, at least in part:

receiving the request from at least one other wireless sensor node;

determining whether yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code;

when the yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code, determining to not forward the request.

13. The wireless sensor node of claim 12 wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to determine whether yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code by waiting for at least a predetermined period of time to provide time for the yet another wireless sensor node to so respond to the request for transport of executable code.

14. The wireless sensor node of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured and arranged to determine whether to forward a request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node that the wireless sensor node is itself not tasked with executing by, at least in part, making the determination based upon a number of hops to a known point of executable code injection as may be required to facilitate transport of the executable code from a source to a requesting wireless sensor node.

15. A method comprising:

at a first wireless sensor node;

determining a need for executable code to be executed by the first wireless sensor node;

transmitting a request for transport of the executable code;

at a second wireless sensor node;

requesting executable code,

responding to requests from the first wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the first wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code which executable code the second wireless sensor node is tasked to execute;

receiving the request for transport of executable code;

upon determining that the request for transport of executable code comprises a request for transport of executable code that the second wireless sensor node is not tasked to execute, determining whether to forward the request for transport of executable code.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein

requesting executable code,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node, and

maintaining executable code which executable code the second wireless sensor node is tasked to execute comprises:

requesting executable code using a trickle mode of operation,

responding to requests from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node using a trickle mode of operation, and

maintaining executable code using a trickle mode of operation.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein determining whether to forward the request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node comprises, at least in part, determining whether the first wireless sensor node has locally cached the executable code that is being requested.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein determining whether to forward the request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node comprises:

determining whether yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code;

when the yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code, determining to not forward the request.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining whether the yet another wireless sensor node is responding to the request for transport of executable code comprises waiting for at least a predetermined period of time to provide time for the yet another wireless sensor node to so respond to the request for transport of executable code.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein determining whether to forward the request from at least one other wireless sensor node for transport of executable code to the at least one other wireless sensor node comprises, at least in part, making the determination based upon a number of hops to a known point of executable code injection as may be required to facilitate transport of the executable code from a source to the first wireless sensor node.