Sensor node and sensor network system

• US 8,330,596 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Takeshi, Yamashita, Shunzo, Aiki, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): OTT, FREDERICK R
• Application Number:
  US12/155,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Provided is a sensor node including: a sensor for measuring biological information; a CPU for acquiring data by driving the sensor; a wireless communication unit for transmitting the data acquired by the CPU; a battery for supplying the control unit, the wireless communication unit, and the sensor with electric power; a RAM for storing the data; a compression unit for compressing the data stored in the RAM when the wireless communication unit cannot carry out the transmission; and a flash memory for storing the compressed data, thereby storing as much sensing data as possible on the sensor node, which is limited in resources, and preventing loss of the sensing data.

Claims

1. A sensor node comprising:

a sensor for measuring biological information;

a control unit for acquiring data by driving the sensor, the data including an acceleration value;

a wireless communication unit for transmitting the data acquired by the control unit;

a battery for supplying the control unit, the wireless communication unit, and the sensor with electric power;

a volatile storage unit for storing the data;

a compression unit for compressing the data stored in the volatile storage unit when the wireless communication unit cannot carry out the transmission if and only if the acceleration value included in the data is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the compression unit comprising a difference representation conversion unit for converting the data into differences between the data and an encoding unit for converting a first difference that is smaller than a second difference into a shorter length code than that of the second difference; and

a non-volatile storage unit for storing the compressed data.

2. The sensor node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a switch for starting, upon start of an access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power, and stopping, upon end of the access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power.

3. The sensor node according to claim 1, wherein:

the non-volatile storage unit comprises a plurality of pages each of which is a predetermined unit of write; and

the control unit, upon write of data to the non-volatile storage unit, successively switches the plurality of pages while circulating from a top page toward an end page.

4. The sensor node according to claim 1, wherein the compression unit comprises an encoding unit for converting the data into a predetermined variable length code.

5. The sensor node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a wireless communication inactivation unit for switching the wireless communication unit to one of an inactive state and an active state.

6. The sensor node according to claim 1, wherein:

the volatile storage unit comprises a buffer for storing the data; and

the control unit stores one of the acquired data and the data read from the non-volatile storage unit in the buffer, and transfers the data in the buffer to the wireless communication unit to transmit the data.

7. A sensor network system comprising:

a sensor node for transmitting data measured by a sensor for measuring biological information, the data including an acceleration value; and

a relaying apparatus for receiving the data and transferring the received data to a server computer, wherein;

the sensor node comprises;

a control unit for acquiring data by driving the sensor;

a wireless communication unit for transmitting the data acquired by the control unit;

a battery for supplying the control unit, the wireless communication unit, and the sensor with electric power;

a volatile storage unit for storing the data;

a compression unit for compressing the data stored in the volatile storage unit when the wireless communication unit cannot carry out the transmission if and only if the acceleration value included in the data is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the compression unit comprising a difference representation conversion unit for converting the data into differences between the data and an encoding unit for converting a first difference that is smaller than a second difference into a shorter length code than that of the second difference; and

a non-volatile storage unit for storing the compressed data; and

the relaying apparatus comprises;

a wireless communication unit for communicating with the sensor node;

a decoding unit for decoding the data received from the sensor node; and

a network communication unit for transmitting the decoded data to the server computer.

8. The sensor network system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit comprises a switch for starting, upon start of an access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power, and stopping, upon end of the access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power.

9. The sensor network system according to claim 7, wherein:

the non-volatile storage unit comprises a plurality of pages each of which is a predetermined unit of write; and

the control unit, upon write of data to the non-volatile storage unit, successively switches the plurality of pages while circulating from a top page toward an end page.

10. The sensor network system according to claim 7, wherein the compression unit comprises an encoding unit for converting the data into a predetermined variable length code.

11. The sensor network system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit comprises a wireless communication inactivation unit for switching the wireless communication unit to one of an inactive state and an active state.

12. The sensor network system according to claim 7, wherein:

the volatile storage unit comprises a buffer for storing the data; and

the control unit stores one of the acquired data and the data read from the non-volatile storage unit in the buffer, and transfers the data in the buffer to the wireless communication unit to transmit the data.

13. A sensor network system comprising:

a sensor node for transmitting data measured by a sensor for measuring biological information, the data including an acceleration value; and

a relaying apparatus for receiving the data and transferring the received data to a server computer, wherein;

the sensor node comprises;

a control unit for acquiring data by driving the sensor;

a wireless communication unit for transmitting the data acquired by the control unit;

a battery for supplying the control unit, the wireless communication unit, and the sensor with electric power;

a volatile storage unit for storing the data;

a compression unit for compressing the data stored in the volatile storage unit when the wireless communication unit cannot carry out the transmission if and only if the acceleration value included in the data is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the compression unit comprising a difference representation conversion unit for converting the data into differences between the data and an encoding unit for converting a first difference that is smaller than a second difference into a shorter length code than that of the second difference; and

a non-volatile storage unit for storing the compressed data;

the relaying apparatus comprises;

a wireless communication unit for communicating with the sensor node; and

a network communication unit for transmitting the data received from the sensor node to the server computer; and

the server computer comprises;

a communication unit for communicating with the relaying apparatus;

a decoding unit for decoding the data received from the relaying apparatus; and

a data storage unit for storing the decoded data.

14. The sensor network system according to claim 13, wherein the control unit comprises a switch for starting, upon start of an access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power, and stopping, upon end of the access to the non-volatile storage unit, supplying the non-volatile storage unit with the electric power.

15. The sensor network system according to claim 13, wherein:

the non-volatile storage unit comprises a plurality of pages each of which is a predetermined unit of write; and

the control unit, upon write of data to the non-volatile storage unit, successively switches the plurality of pages while circulating from a top page toward an end page.