Adaptive communication method and sensor node for performing the method

• US 8,289,190 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lim, Jae Han, Kim, Jungsook, Kim, Kyeong Tae, Jang, Byung Tae, Sung, Kyung Bok, Yoo, Jaejun, Kim, Do Hyun, Choi, Jeong Dan, Jang, Jeong Ah
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunnings, Travis
• Application Number:
  US12/630,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 340/933, 340/938
• US Class Current: 340/938
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/042 using inductive or magnetic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

Provided are an adaptive communication method and a sensor node for performing the same. The sensor node adaptively selects transmitted signal output strength and a wakeup zone of transmitted data based on a received signal strength indication of a control packet received from a sink node and existence of an obstacle acquired through a sensor, and transmits data based on the adaptive selection. Also, during an operation as a receive mode, the sensor node wakes up and determines whether to receive the data from the transmit node based on wakeup zone configuration information per sensor node received from the sink node and a wakeup zone selected by a sensor node currently operable as a transmit node.

Claims

1. A sensor node included in a sensor network in a road environment, comprising:

a sensor for outputting sensing information generated by sensing an obstacle interrupting communication of the sensor node;

an obstacle determiner for determining existence of an obstacle based on the sensing information; and

a controller for determining a wakeup zone of data transmitted by the sensor node based on the existence state of the obstacle.

2. The sensor node of claim 1, wherein

the sensor includes:

a first sensor for sensing whether there is an obstacle occupying the sensor node; and

a second sensor for sensing whether there is an obstacle located on the sensor node.

3. The sensor node of claim 1, wherein

the controller determines transmitted signal output strength based on a received signal strength indication of a control packet received from a sink node included in the sensor network.

4. The sensor node of claim 3, wherein

the controller determines the wakeup zone including the sink node and at least one of a plurality of sensor nodes based on the received signal strength indication and the existence state of the obstacle.

5. The sensor node of claim 4, wherein

the controller inserts a flag bit corresponding to the wakeup zone after a preamble of a transmission frame, and transmits the same.

6. The sensor node of claim 5, wherein

the controller determines whether to receive data of a transmit node based on wakeup zone configuration information for each sensor node received from the sink node and a wakeup zone of the transmit node received from the transmit node during an operation in the receive mode.

7. A communication method of a sensor node included in a sensor network in a road environment, comprising:

acquiring sensing information generated by sensing the existence state of an obstacle interrupting communication of the sensor node;

selecting a wakeup zone of data transmitted by the sensor node from among a sink node included in the sensor network and at least one sensor node based on the sensing information; and

transmitting a transmission frame into which a flag bit corresponding to the wakeup zone is inserted.

8. The communication method of claim 7, wherein the communication method includes:

acquiring a received signal strength indication from a control packet received from the sink node; and

determining transmitted signal output strength based on the received signal strength indication.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein

the selecting includes

selecting the wakeup zone based on the received signal strength indication and the sensing information.

10. The communication method of claim 7, wherein

the sensing information includes information generated by sensing an obstacle occupying the sensor node and information generated by sensing an obstacle located on the sensor node.

11. A communication method of a sensor node included in a sensor network in the road environment, comprising:

receiving wakeup zone configuration information for each sensor node included in the sensor network from a sink node included in the sensor network when switched to a receive mode;

receiving a wakeup zone of a transmit node from the transmit node corresponding to wakeup zone configuration information including the sensor node from among the wakeup zone configuration information for each sensor node; and

waking up so as to receive data of the transmit node when the sensor node is included in the wakeup zone.

12. The communication method of claim 11, wherein

the sink node selects a number of sensor nodes included in wakeup zone configuration information for each sensor node based on a data transmission success rate for each sensor node included in the sensor network.

13. The communication method of claim 12, wherein

the wakeup zone configuration information includes types of wakeup zones that are selectable when the sensor node is operable as a transmit node and identity information of a sensor node included for each wakeup zone.

14. The communication method of claim 12, wherein

the wakeup zone is acquired from a flag bit transmitted after a preamble of a transmission frame received from the transmit node.