USN middleware apparatus and method for generating information based on data from heterogeneous sensor networks and information service providing system using the same

• US 8,040,232 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaifi, LLC (Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Oh, Se-Won, Park, Jong-Hyun, Lee, Yong-Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/439,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/523, 340/524, 340/534, 340/539.26, 340/540, 340/541, 340/286.02, 709/218, 709/223, 709/224, 709/201, 709/206
• US Class Current: 340/521
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Provided are a Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) middleware apparatus and method for generating an information service based on heterogeneous sensor networks and a system for providing the information service using the same. In the system, a sensor node constructing a sensor network senses environment information, and a sensor network data transmitter collects sensed data sensed by the sensor node in real-time and transmits the collected sensed data in a message form. A USN middleware extracts object and environment information by cleaning, classifying and integrating the message received from the sensor network data transmitter, generates conditional events and context aware information from the extracted object and environment information, and provides the information service to an application program, the application program providing a user with information related to environment where the sensor network observes.

Claims

1. A system for providing an information service based on heterogeneous sensor networks, comprising:

a sensor node constructing a sensor network to sense environment information;

a sensor network data transmitter for collecting sensed data sensed by the sensor in real-time and transmitting the collected sensed data in a message form; and

a Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) middleware for extracting object and environment information by cleaning, classifying and integrating the message received from the sensor network data transmitter, generating conditional events, context aware information, and knowledge contents from the extracted object and environment information, and providing the information service to an application program, the application program providing a user with information related to environment where the sensor network is installed.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the ubiquitous sensor network middleware comprises:

a sensor network abstraction unit for extracting the sensed data from the message received from the sensor network data transmitter;

a sensor network intelligence unit for extracting the object and environment information by analyzing the sensed data extracted by the sensor network abstraction unit, and generating the conditional events including notification and alarm about a certain condition, and the context aware information from the extracted object and environment information; and

a service platform management unit for providing the events and the context aware information to the application program in a form suitable for the application program.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the sensor network abstraction unit comprises:

a sensor network interface for extracting the sensed data by referring to a message transfer protocol;

a sensor network interface protocol storage for managing a rule for the message transfer protocol; and

a sensor network monitor for monitoring a state of the sensor network, based on the data received from the sensor network interface.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the sensor network intelligence unit comprises:

a sensed data analyzer for performing an analysis operation to clean, classify and integrate the sensed data processed by the sensor network abstraction unit;

an event processor for generating the conditional events including notification and alarm according to a rule set by the application program and managing the generated events; and

a context information manager for sensing and generating the context aware information, based on the sensed data analyzed by the sensed data analyzer.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the service platform management unit comprises:

a directory service manager for identifying and searching resources of the sensor network;

a service process manager for scheduling and managing an operation sequence of the sensed data analyzer, the event processor, the context information manager, and the directory service manager in order to obtain a desired information service according to the application program; and

an application program interface for providing the application program with the results processed by the sensor network monitor, the sensed data analyzer, the event processor, the context information manager, and the directory service manager in an information service form suitable for the application program.

6. A Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) middleware apparatus for generating an information service based on heterogeneous sensor networks, comprising:

a sensor network abstraction unit for extracting sensed data from a message received from a sensor network;

a sensor network intelligence unit for extracting object and environment information by performing an analysis operation to clean, classify and integrate the sensed data extracted by the sensor network abstraction unit, and generating an event, including notification and alarm, and context aware information from the extracted object and environment information; and

a service platform management unit for providing the event and the context aware information to the application program in a form suitable for the application program.

7. The ubiquitous sensor network middleware apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the sensor network abstraction unit comprises:

a sensor network interface for extracting the sensed data by referring to a message transfer protocol;

a sensor network interface protocol storage for managing a rule for the message transfer protocol; and

a sensor network monitor for monitoring a state of the sensor network, based on the data received from the sensor network interface.

8. The ubiquitous sensor network middleware apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the sensor network intelligence unit comprises:

a sensed data analyzer for performing an analysis operation to clean, classify and integrate the sensed data processed by the sensor network abstraction unit;

an event processor for generating the event including the knowledge contents according to a rule set by the application program and managing the generated event; and

a context information manager for sensing and generating the environment condition information, based on the sensed data analyzed by the sensed data analyzer.

9. The ubiquitous sensor network middleware apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the service platform management unit comprises:

a directory service manager for identifying and searching resources of the sensor network;

a service process manager for scheduling and managing an operation order of the sensed data analyzer, the event processor, the context information manager, and the directory service manager in order to obtain a desired information service according to the application program; and

an application program interface for providing the application program with the results processed by the sensor network monitor, the sensed data analyzer, the event processor, the context information manager, and the directory service manager in an information service form suitable for the application program.

10. A method for generating an information service based on heterogeneous sensor networks in a ubiquitous sensor network middleware apparatus, comprising:

extracting sensed data and monitoring a state management of a sensor network, based on the extracted sensed data;

performing an analysis operation to clean, classify and integrate the extracted sensed data;

extracting object and environment information from the analyzed sensed data, and generating context aware information based on the extracted object and environment information;

generating an event including notification event, alarm, and knowledge contents according to a rule set by an application program;

scheduling an operation sequence for providing an information service to the application program; and

providing the application program with the information service obtained according to the scheduled operation sequence, the information service including events and context aware information.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the performing an analysis operation to clean, classify and integrate the extracted sensed data analyzes sensed data from a specific single sensor network, or analyzes sensed data from a plurality of sensor networks, or analyzes sensed data from the sensor network in association with predefined legacy data.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the providing the application program with the information service obtained according to the scheduled operation sequence, the information service including events and context aware information provides the information service to the application program only one time, or periodically provides the information service during a request period of the application program, or provides the information service at a specific time point when a requirement from the application program is satisfied.