Main hub, sub hub, and sensor node communicating in wireless body area network (WBAN) including at least one sub hub, and communication method thereof

• US 9,014,094 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young Soo, Park, Chang Soon, Hyon, Tae In, Hwang, Hyo Sun, Park, Sung Soo, Lee, Seok Won, Hong, Dae Sik, Ju, Hyung Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSE, KERRI M
• Application Number:
  US13/676,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20130195083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks

Abstract

A main hub, a sub hub, and a sensor node communicating in a wireless body area network (WBAN) including at least one sub hub, and a communication method thereof, are provided. A communication method of the main hub, includes assigning a beacon slot to the sub hub. The method further includes receiving, from the sub hub, a beacon signal based on the beacon slot. The method further includes verifying whether the sub hub includes data to be transmitted to the main hub based on the beacon signal. The method further includes receiving, from the sub hub, the data based on a result of the verification.

Claims

1. A communication method of a main hub in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising the main hub, a sub hub, and a sensor node, the method comprising:

assigning a beacon slot to the sub hub;

receiving, from the sub hub that is determined as a target hub by the at least one sensor node from the at least one sub hub, a beacon signal based on the beacon slot;

verifying whether the sub hub determined as the target hub comprises data to be transmitted to the main hub based on the beacon signal; and

receiving, from the sub hub, the data based on a result of the verification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the sub hub, a request for connection between the sub hub and the main hub;

connecting the sub hub and the main hub in response to the request; and

transmitting, to the sensor node, information about the sub hub connected to the main hub.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, to the main hub, another beacon slot; and

transmitting, to the sub hub and the sensor node, another beacon signal based on the other beacon slot.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, to the sub hub, an uplink period for data transmission based on the result of the verification.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

assigning, to the main hub, another beacon slot; and

transmitting, to the sub hub, information about the uplink period using another beacon signal based on the other beacon slot.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recognizing that the sub hub is absent based on a communicability with the sub hub.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a target hub, among the main hub and the sub hub, to process data of the sensor node based on the beacon signal; and

transmitting, to the target hub, the data and the information about the uplink period based on a result of the determination of a target hub.

8. A communication method of a sub hub in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising a main hub, the sub hub, and a sensor node, the method comprising:

receiving, from the main hub, information about a beacon slot of the main hub;

receiving, from the sensor node, data;

determining whether the main hub is absent based on whether the sub hub receives, from the main hub, a beacon signal based on the beacon slot; and

transmitting, to the main hub, the data based on a result of the determination,

wherein the sub hub obtains information about time and frequency synchronization and scheduling information by decoding the beacon signal from the main hub, and regenerates a beacon signal of the sub hub based on the obtained information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

requesting the main hub for connection between the main hub and the sub hub.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the requesting of the main hub comprises:

setting a sender identifier (ID) of another beacon signal that is transmitted from the sub hub.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting, to the sensor node, an acknowledgement (ACK) signal based on the sender ID.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

setting a time synchronization with another sub hub neighboring the sub hub based on a result of the determination.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the setting of the time synchronization comprises:

setting another beacon slot based on a receivable beacon signal of the other sub hub at predetermined beacon periods;

obtaining time synchronization information based on the other beacon slot; and

setting the time synchronization based on the time synchronization information.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the main hub, information about an uplink period for data transmission based on the result of the determination; and

transmitting, to the main hub, the data based on the information about the uplink period.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

assigning, to the main hub, a downlink period for data transmission based on the information about the uplink period.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, to the main hub, an ACK signal requesting the main hub for assignment, to the sub hub, of a period based on a node ID of the sensor node.

17. A communication method of a sensor node in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising a main hub, a sub hub, and the sensor node, the method comprising:

receiving, from the main hub, information about the sub hub connected to the main hub, and information about beacon slots of the main hub and the sub hub, respectively;

receiving, from the main hub, or the sub hub, or any combination thereof, a beacon signal based on the information about the beacon slots;

determining a target hub, among the main hub and the sub hub, to process data of the sensor node based on the beacon signal; and

transmitting, to the target hub, the data,

wherein the target hub obtains information about time and frequency synchronization and scheduling information by decoding the beacon signal from the main hub, and regenerates a beacon signal of the sub hub based on the obtained information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining of the target hub comprises:

determining the main hub as the target hub if the beacon signal is received from the main hub.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining of the target hub comprises:

determining the sub hub as the target hub in response to the beacon signal being not received from the main hub and being received from the sub hub.

20. A main hub in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising the main hub, a sub hub, and a sensor node, the main hub comprising:

a slot assignment unit configured to assign, to the sub hub, a beacon slot;

a receiver configured to receive, from the sub hub that is determined as a target hub by the at least one sensor node from the at least one sub hub, a beacon signal based on the beacon slot; and

a verifier configured to verify whether the sub hub determined as the target hub comprises data to be transmitted to the main hub based on the beacon signal,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive, from the sub hub, the data based on a result of the verification.

21. The main hub of claim 20, wherein:

the receiver is further configured to receive, from the sub hub, a request for connection between the sub hub and the main hub; and

the main hub further comprises

a connection unit configured to connect the sub hub and the main hub in response to the request, and

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the sensor node, information about the sub hub connected to the main hub.

22. The main hub of claim 20, further comprising:

an uplink assignment unit configured to assign, to the sub hub, an uplink period for data transmission based on the result of the verification.

23. A sub hub in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising a main hub, the sub hub, and a sensor node, the sub hub comprising:

a receiver configured to

receive, from the main hub, information about a beacon slot of the main hub, and

receive, from the sensor node, data;

a determining unit configured to determine whether the main hub is absent based on whether the sub hub receives, from the main hub, a beacon signal based on the beacon slot; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the main hub, the data based on a result of the determination,

wherein the sub hub obtains information about time and frequency synchronization and scheduling information by decoding the beacon signal from the main hub, and regenerates a beacon signal of the sub hub based on the obtained information.

24. The sub hub of claim 23, further comprising:

a connection request unit configured to request the main hub for connection between the main hub and the sub hub.

25. The sub hub of claim 23, wherein the sub hub comprises a control function with respect to the WBAN.

26. A sensor node in a wireless body area network (WBAN) comprising a main hub, a sub hub, and the sensor node, the sensor node comprising:

a receiver configured to

receive, from the main hub, information about the sub hub connected to the main hub, and information about beacon slots of the main hub and the sub hub, respectively, and

receive, from the main hub, or the sub hub, or any combination thereof, a beacon signal based on the information about the beacon slots;

a determining unit configured to determine a target hub, among the main hub and the sub hub, to process data of the sensor based on the beacon signal; and

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the target hub, the data,

wherein the sub hub obtains information about time and frequency synchronization and scheduling information by decoding the beacon signal from the main hub, and regenerates a beacon signal of the sub hub based on the obtained information.

27. The sensor node of claim 26, wherein the determining unit is further configured to:

determine the main hub as the target hub if the beacon signal is received from the main hub; and

determine the sub hub as the target hub in response to the beacon signal being not received from the main hub and being received from the sub hub.