Dynamic stack-based networks for resource constrained devices

• US 8,189,474 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Original Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Inventors: Venkataraman, Mukundan, Muralidharan, Kartik, Gupta, Puneet
• Primary Examiner(s): SEFCHECK, GREGORY B
• Application Number:
  US11/906,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080212504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• 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: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless sensor network provides a communication link between a plurality of nodes. Communication among the plurality of nodes is based one or more protocol components that are associated with a selected quality of service (QoS). A preamble byte can have bit values assigned based on application preferences, and the preamble byte used to select one or more protocol components from a component library. The preamble byte is combined with a data payload and transmitted to additional nodes based on the selected QoS.

Claims

1. A wireless sensor network node, comprising:

a preamble module adapted for defining a set of requirements for communication of a data packet by an application, the preamble module configured to define the set of requirements by establishing a preamble comprising an indication of an application type, an indication of a data packet type, a real time flag, an acknowledgement flag, a link estimate flag, a retransmission flag and a load balance flag, the premable module further configured to set or reset at least one of the acknowledgement flag, the link estimate flag, the retransmission flag and the load balance flag based on one or more of the application type, the data packet type and the real time flag;

a protocol lookup module configured to identify at least one protocol component based at least in part on the application type and the data packet type; and

a processor configured to process the data packet based on the at least one protocol component and deliver the processed data packet to a scheduler.

2. The network node of claim 1, wherein the preamble is communicated with the data packet.

3. The network node of claim 2, wherein the preamble is defined as a data byte that includes bits associated with data type, data transfer reliability, and data transfer delay, respectively.

4. A method, comprising:

establishing at least one preamble bit comprising an indication of an application type of a network application transmitting a data payload, a data packet type of a data packet comprising the data payload, a real time flag, an acknowledgement flag, a link estimate flag, a retransmission flag and a load balance flag;

setting or resetting at least one of the acknowledgement flag, the link estimate flag, the retransmission flag and the load balance flag based on one or more of the application type, the data packet type and the real time flag;

establishing a protocol stack that includes a plurality of protocol components based at least in part on the application type and the data packet type;

attaching the at least one preamble bit to the data payload; and

transmitting the at least one preamble bit and the data payload.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting at least one protocol component based on the at least one preamble bit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting the data payload and the at least one preamble bit to a network node based on the selected at least one protocol component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one preamble bit is part of a preamble byte that includes preamble bits associated with data type, data reliability, and data delivery delay, and the preamble byte is attached to the data payload.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a plurality of protocol components based on the preamble byte.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one preamble bit and the data payload are transmitted by the network application.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one selected protocol component is selected based on a preferred energy use at least one network node.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one selected protocol component is selected based on congestion at least one network node.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating the established protocol stack with a subsequent data payload that is substantially similar to the transmitted data payload;

attaching the at least one preamble bit to the subsequent data payload; and

selecting at least one subsequent protocol component that is different than the plurality of protocol components associated with transmission of the transmitted data payload.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the subsequent data payload based on the at least one subsequent protocol component.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the data payload is associated with an environmental sensor or a security sensor.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet type indicates a control packet, the application type indicates a point-to-point addressing and networking methodology and the real time flag is set to false;

and

the setting or resetting comprises setting the acknowledgement flag to false, the link estimate flag to true; and

the load balance flag to false.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet type indicates a data packet, the application type indicates a point-to-point addressing and networking methodology, the real time flag is set to false;

and

the setting or resetting comprises setting the acknowledgement flag to true, the retransmission flag to true, the link estimate flag to true and the load balance flag is set to true;

wherein the plurality of protocol components comprises a UDP module.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet type indicates a data packet, the application type indicates a broadcast addressing and networking methodology and the real time flag is set to false;

and

the setting or resetting comprises setting the acknowledgement flag to false, the link estimate flag to false and the load balance flag is set to false;

wherein the plurality of protocol components comprises a UDP component and an S-MAC component.

18. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet type indicates a data packet, the application type indicates a multicast addressing and networking methodology and the real time flag is set to true;

and

the setting or resetting comprises setting the acknowledgement flag to false, the link estimate flag to false; and

the load balance flag to false;

wherein the plurality of protocol components comprises a UDP component and an S-MAC component.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet type indicates a data packet, the application type indicates a multicast addressing and networking methodology, the real time flag is set to true and the acknowledgement flag is set to false;

and

the setting or resetting comprises setting the retransmission flag to false, the link estimate flag to false and the load balance flag to false;

wherein the plurality of protocol components comprises UDP, SPEED, S-MAC and GAF components.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

establishing at least one preamble bit comprising an indication of an application type of a network application transmitting a data payload, a data packet type of a data packet comprising the data payload, a real time flag, an acknowledgement flag, a link estimate flag, a retransmission flag and a load balance flag;

setting or resetting at least one of the acknowledgement flag, the link estimate flag, the retransmission flag and the load balance flag based on one or more of the application type, the data packet type and the real time flag;

establishing a protocol stack that includes a plurality of protocol components based at least in part on the application type and the data packet type;

attaching the at least one preamble bit to the data payload; and

transmitting the at least one preamble bit and the data payload.