Systems and methods for dynamically changing network node behavior

• US 8,885,513 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synapse Wireless Incorporated (Mcwane Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Synapse Wireless Incorporated (Mcwane Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ewing, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chriss, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivas, Salvador E
• Application Number:
  US12/437,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for dynamically changing network node behavior. In one exemplary embodiment, a system comprises a plurality of nodes defining a wireless sensor network, and the plurality of nodes includes at least a first node and a second node. The first node has an output interface, a virtual machine, a stack, and a communication device. The stack is configured to packetize payload data into data packets, and the communication device is configured to communicate the data packets via wireless signals through the wireless sensor network. The output interface is coupled to an apparatus, and the second node is configured to transmit a script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node via at least one data packet. The first node is configured to run the script image on the virtual machine such that the apparatus is controlled by the script image.

Claims

1. A wireless sensor network for dynamically changing network node behavior, comprising:

a first node having an output interface, a first virtual machine for implementing a bytecode interpreter, a first stack, and a first communication device, the first stack operable to packetize payload data into data packets, the first communication device operable to wirelessly communicate the data packets through the wireless sensor network, the output interface coupled to an apparatus, the first node having a function catalog stored in memory of the first node, wherein the function catalog includes identifiers of functions to be invoked by the first node;

a second node operable to transmit a first script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node; and

a third node coupled to a sensor and having a second virtual machine for implementing a bytecode interpreter, a second stack, and a second communication device, the second stack operable to packetize payload data into data packets, the second communication device operable to wirelessly communicate the data packets packetized by the second stack through the wireless sensor network, the third node configured to transmit a first remote procedure call through the wireless sensor network to the first node in response to an event sensed by the sensor,

wherein the first remote procedure call is a unicast message and has an identifier identifying a function of the first script image, wherein the first node is operable to store the first script image and to automatically update the function catalog such that the first node is operable to invoke, in response to the identifier in the first remote procedure call, said function based on the function catalog, and wherein the first node is operable to run the function of the first script image on the first virtual machine in response to the first remote procedure call such that the apparatus is controlled by the function based on the event sensed by the sensor of the third node.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the first node has an input interface coupled to a sensor.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a host operable to define a script source based on user input, the host operable to convert the script source to the first script image and to transmit the first script image to the second node for communication of the first script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node.

4. The network of claim 3, wherein the first node has core functions, wherein the host is operable to define a second remote procedure call and to include at least a portion of the first script image in the second remote procedure call, wherein the second remote procedure call identifies one of the core functions, and wherein the identified one of the core functions is operable to write the first script image to the memory of the first node in response to the second remote procedure call.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the first node is operable to sort the function catalog.

6. The network of claim 4, wherein the identified one of the core functions is operable to write the first script image to the memory in a native language of the first virtual machine.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the first node has a first resource of a first type and a second resource of the first type, and wherein the first node is operable to allocate the first resource to the first virtual machine such that the first resource may not be used by the first stack, and wherein the first node is operable to allocate the second resource to the first stack such that the second resource may not be used by the first virtual machine.

8. The network of claim 1, further comprising a host operable to display a source script from which the first script image is derived, wherein the host is operable to modify the source script based on user input and to convert the modified source script to a second script image, wherein the host is operable to transmit the second script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node, and wherein the first node is operable to write the second script image to the memory of the first node.

9. The network of claim 1, wherein the wireless sensor network is a mesh network.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the third node is configured to compare data from the sensor to a threshold and to transmit the first remote procedure call to the first node in response to a comparison of the data to the threshold.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the first node is configured to add the identifier of the function to the function catalog stored in the memory of the first node, wherein the function catalog has a pointer that points to a memory address where the function is stored at the first node, and wherein the first node is configured to access the function based on the pointer in response to the first remote procedure call.

12. A method for dynamically changing network node behavior, comprising the steps of:

packetizing data into data packets by a first stack of a first node of a wireless sensor network, the first node having a first virtual machine for implementing a bytecode interpreter;

wirelessly communicating the data packets through the wireless sensor network;

storing a function catalog in memory of the first node, wherein the function catalog includes identifiers of functions to be invoked by the first node;

transmitting through the wireless sensor network a first script image from a second node of the wireless sensor network to the first node;

storing the script image in the memory of the first node;

packetizing data into data packets by a second stack of a third node of the wireless sensor network, the third node having a second virtual machine for implementing a bytecode interpreter;

wirelessly communicating the data packets packetized by the second stack through the wireless sensor network;

sensing an event by a sensor coupled to the third node;

transmitting a first remote procedure call from the third node through the wireless sensor network to the first node in response to the sensed event, wherein the first remote procedure call is a unicast message and has an identifier identifying a function of the first script image;

automatically updating the function catalog at the first node such that the first node invokes, in response to the identifier in the first remote procedure call, the function based on the function catalog;

running the function on the first virtual machine in response to the first remote procedure call; and

controlling the apparatus with the function based on the sensed event.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

defining a script source based on user input; and

converting the script source to the first script image.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

defining a second remote procedure call;

inserting at least a portion of the first script image in the second remote procedure call;

identifying a core function of the first node based on the second remote procedure call; and

invoking the core function in response to the second remote procedure call such that the core function writes the first script image to the memory of the first node, wherein the transmitting the first script image step comprises the step of transmitting the second remote procedure call through the wireless sensor network to the first node.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sorting the function catalog.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a source script from which the first script image is derived;

modifying the source script based on user input;

converting the modified source script to a second script image;

transmitting the second script image through the wireless sensor network to the first node; and

writing the second script image to the memory of the first node.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving data from the sensor; and

comparing the data to a threshold,

wherein the transmitting the first remote procedure call step is based on the comparing step.