Emergent information pattern driven sensor networks

• US 7,710,258 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Landon C. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang; Son M
• Application Number:
  US11/838,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20090045947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/517, 340521-522, 340/524, 34082501-82502, 340/2.1, 340/3.1, 340/3.31, 340/3.31 C
• US Class Current: 340/522
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms

Abstract

Emergent information is created and utilized by an array of sensors. Each sensor is programmed with a trigger rule, which describes a local condition that must be met for the sensor to trigger an event signal, and a relationship rule, which describes a hierarchy of communication control among sensors in the array of sensors. When a predetermined percentage or weighting of the sensors trigger event signals, emergent information that describes conditions at the array location is generated.

Claims

1. A system for utilizing emergent information from an array of sensors, the system comprising:

an array of sensors deployed to an array location, wherein each sensor in the array of sensors is programmed with a trigger rule that describes a local condition that must be met for the sensor to trigger an event signal, and wherein each sensor in the array of sensors is programmed with a relationship rule that describes a hierarchy of communication control among sensors in the array of sensors, and wherein each sensor in the array of sensors comprises multiple different trigger rules to be used in a creation of different emergent information, and wherein the relationship rule defines how each sensor, in the array of sensors, communicates with other sensors in the array of sensors,

wherein, in response to conditions at the array location causing a predetermined percentage of sensors, from the array of sensors, to trigger event signals, emergent information is generated by the array of sensors about the array location, wherein the emergent information describes conditions at the array location, and wherein the emergent information exists only when the predetermined percentage of the sensors trigger event signals;

a local controller that is composed of only the array of sensors, and wherein the local controller responds to the emergent information by using a consolidation of trigger rules from the array of sensors; and

a remote controller for updating the trigger rule and the relationship rule in each sensor in the array of sensors.

2. A system for utilizing emergent information from an array of sensors, the system comprising:

an array of sensors deployed to an array location, wherein each sensor in the array of sensors is programmed with a trigger rule that describes a local condition that must be met for the sensor to trigger an event signal, and wherein each sensor in the array of sensors is programmed with a relationship rule that describes a hierarchy of communication control among sensors in the array of sensors,

wherein, in response to conditions at the array location causing a predetermined percentage of sensors, from the array of sensors, to trigger event signals, emergent information is generated by the array of sensors about the array location, wherein the emergent information describes conditions at the array location, and wherein the emergent information exists only when the predetermined percentage of the sensors trigger event signals.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a local controller that is composed of only the sensors in the array of sensors, and wherein the local controller responds to the emergent information by using a consolidation of trigger rules from the array of sensors.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a remote controller for updating the trigger rule and the relationship rule in each sensor in the array of sensors.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein each sensor in the array of sensors comprises multiple different trigger rules to be used in a creation of different emergent information.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the relationship rule defines how each sensor, in the array of sensors, communicates with other sensors in the array of sensors.

7. A computer readable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for utilizing emergent information from an array of sensors by performing the steps of:

deploying an array of sensors to an array location;

programming each sensor in the array of sensors with a trigger rule, wherein the trigger rule describes a local condition that must be met for the sensor to trigger an event signal;

programming each sensor in the array of sensors with a relationship rule, wherein the relationship rule describes a hierarchy of communication control among sensors in the array of sensors;

activating the array of sensors; and

in response to conditions at the array location causing a predetermined percentage of sensors, from the array of sensors, to trigger event signals, generating emergent information about the array location, wherein the emergent information describes conditions at the array location, and wherein the emergent information exists only when the predetermined percentage of the sensors trigger event signals, wherein the computer readable medium is a computer readable storage medium.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured for:

updating, from a remote controller, the trigger rule and the relationship rule in each sensor in the array of sensors.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the array location is on a water coastline, and wherein the array of sensors comprises a weather sensor, a thermal sensor, a video camera, a radar system, and an audio sensor.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the array location is a well, and wherein the array of sensors comprises a pressure sensor and a heat sensor coupled to a downhole drill bit.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the relationship rule defines how each sensor, in the array of sensors, communicates with other sensors in the array of sensors.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the relationship rule defines which sensor, in the array of sensors, communicates with a remote controller for the array of sensors.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer readable medium is a component of a remote server, and wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a local computer from the remote server.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the computer executable instructions are capable of being provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.