Systems, methods and devices for collecting data from wireless sensor nodes

• US 7,978,639 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Winter, Steven, Maltseff, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chery; Dady
• Application Number:
  US11/848,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/278
• US Class Current: 370/312
• 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: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A data request from a requesting device is received at a network of wireless sensor nodes. The data request is then forwarded through the network of wireless sensor nodes to a source wireless sensor node, where data responsive to the data request is generated. A reply including the responsive data is then forwarded along at least two communication paths through the network of wireless sensor nodes back to the requesting device.

Claims

1. A method for collecting data from a network of wireless sensor nodes, comprising:

directly transmitting a data request from a requesting device to a first wireless sensor node and a second wireless sensor node;

receiving at the requesting device a first reply including data responsive to the data request via the first wireless sensor node and a second reply including data responsive to the data request via the second wireless sensor node, the responsive data in the first reply and the responsive data in the second reply having been generated at a third wireless sensor node; and

filtering the first reply and the second reply at the requesting device based at least in part on an identifier associated with the third wireless sensor node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein directly transmitting the data request further includes directly transmitting the data request from a wireless mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein directly transmitting the data request further includes directly transmitting an identifier associated with the wireless mobile computing device, a priority indication, and an attribute associated with the data request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reply and the second reply further include the identifier associated with the third wireless sensor node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the first reply and the second reply further includes discarding the responsive data from the first reply and storing the responsive data from the second reply.

6. A system for collecting data from a network of wireless sensor nodes, comprising:

a wireless mobile computing device having;

a mobile device processor that executes instructions; and

a mobile device memory that stores instructions that cause the mobile device processor to;

transmit a data request; and

receive at least one reply including data responsive to the transmitted data request; and

a source wireless sensor node having;

a sensor that detects environmental characteristics;

a sensor node processor that executes instructions; and

a sensor node memory that stores instructions that cause the sensor node processor to;

receive a plurality of forwarded data requests corresponding to the transmitted data request from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes;

generate the responsive data based at least in part on the detected environmental characteristics;

determine a plurality of hop counts, each hop count corresponding to a number of direct transmissions in a communication path between the source wireless sensor node and the wireless mobile computing device including at least one of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes;

determine a minimum hop count value from among the determined plurality of hop counts; and

transmit a plurality of replies including the responsive data based at least in part on the determined plurality of hop counts to at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes associated with hop counts of the minimum hop count value.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor node memory stores further instructions that cause the sensor node processor to:

determine the plurality of hop counts by receiving a previous hop count from at least one of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor node memory stores further instructions that cause the sensor node processor to:

compare at least one of the plurality of forwarded data requests with at least one code in a look-up table; and

determine whether the sensor node processor can generate the responsive data based at least in part on the comparison.

9. A method for collecting data from a network of wireless sensor nodes, comprising:

receiving a data request from a requesting device at a network of wireless sensor nodes;

forwarding the data request through the network of wireless sensor nodes to a source wireless sensor node;

generating data responsive to the data request at the source wireless sensor node; and

forwarding a reply including the responsive data along at least two communication paths through the network of wireless sensor nodes to the requesting device, wherein each communication path extends from the source wireless sensor node to the requesting device, wherein forwarding the data request through the network of wireless sensor nodes further includes forwarding the data request from a first wireless sensor node to a second wireless sensor node with an identifier of the first wireless sensor node and a first hop count corresponding to a number of direct transmissions in a first communication path between the first wireless sensor node and the requesting device and forwarding the data request from a third wireless sensor node to the second wireless sensor node with an identifier of the third wireless sensor node and a third hop count corresponding to a number of direct transmissions in a third communication path between the third wireless sensor node and the requesting device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein forwarding the data request through the network of wireless sensor nodes further includes:

comparing the first hop count to the third hop count;

if the first hop count is greater than the third hop count, storing the identifier of the third wireless sensor node at the second wireless sensor node; and

forwarding the data request from the second wireless sensor node to a fourth wireless sensor node with an identifier of the second wireless sensor node and a second hop count equal to the third hop count incremented by one.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein forwarding the reply further includes:

determining a plurality of hop counts, each hop count corresponding to a number of direct transmissions in a communication path back to the requesting device; and

selecting communication paths between the source wireless sensor node and the requesting device having a minimum hop count value.

12. A wireless sensor node for collecting and transmitting data in a network of wireless sensor nodes, the wireless sensor node comprising:

a sensor that detects environmental characteristics;

a processor that executes instructions; and

a memory that stores instructions that cause the processor to;

receive a plurality of data requests from a plurality of wireless sensor nodes, the plurality of data requests corresponding to one original data request from a requesting device;

determine whether the processor can generate data responsive to the original data request based at least in part on the detected environmental characteristics;

determine a plurality of hop counts, each hop count corresponding to a number of direct transmissions in a communication path between the wireless sensor node and the requesting device including at least one of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes;

determine a minimum hop count value from among the determined plurality of hop counts; and

transmit a plurality of replies to at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes based at least in part on the determined plurality of hop counts to the at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes associated with hop counts of the minimum hop count value.

13. The wireless sensor node of claim 12, wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to:

determine the plurality of hop counts by receiving a previous hop count from at least one of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes.

14. The wireless sensor node of claim 12, wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to:

compare at least one of the plurality of data requests with at least one code in a look-up table; and

determine whether the processor can generate the responsive data based at least in part on the comparison.

15. The wireless sensor node of claim 12, wherein the plurality of replies include data generated based at least in part on the detected environmental characteristics.

16. A wireless mobile computing device for collecting data from a network of wireless sensor nodes, the wireless mobile computing device comprising:

a processor that executes instructions; and

a memory that stores instructions that cause the processor to;

directly transmit a data request to a first wireless sensor node;

receive a first reply including data responsive to the data request from the first wireless sensor node and a second reply including data responsive to the data request from a second wireless sensor node, the responsive data in the first reply and the responsive data in the second reply having been generated at a third wireless sensor node; and

filter the first reply and the second reply based on an identifier associated with the second wireless sensor node.

17. The wireless mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to directly transmit an identifier associated with the wireless mobile computing device, priority indication, and an attribute associated with the data request.

18. The wireless mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the first reply and the second reply include the identifier associated with the third wireless sensor node.

19. The wireless mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to filter the first reply and the second reply by discarding the responsive data from the first reply and storing the responsive data from the second reply.