Sensor node and gateway mutually communicating in wireless sensor network

• US 9,538,465 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Hyo Sun, Bae, Chi Sung, Hong, Young Jun, Shin, Kun Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Faisal
• Application Number:
  US14/339,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20150139198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 370/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• 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 gateway and method thereof are provided to communicate with sensor nodes. The gateway includes a generator configured to generate, based on schedule information on a previous uplink interval, response data. The gateway also includes an allocator configured to allocate a subsequent uplink interval to the sensor nodes to generate schedule information on the subsequent uplink interval. The gateway includes a transmitter configured to transmit the response data and the schedule information on the subsequent uplink interval to the sensor nodes.

Claims

1. A gateway to communicate with sensor nodes, the gateway comprising:

a processor configured to

determine, with respect to a time slot included in a previous uplink interval, whether data is received from a sensor node corresponding to the time slot;

generate, based on previous schedule information on the previous uplink interval, response data,

wherein, upon determining that the data is received, the processor is configured to set a bit corresponding to the sensor node among a set of bits included in the response data to be a first logic value, and

wherein, upon determining that the data is not received, the processor is configured to set the bit to be a second logic value; and

generate subsequent schedule information about a subsequent uplink interval, the subsequent schedule information comprising elements in the subsequent uplink interval allocated to the sensor nodes; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the response data and the subsequent schedule information to the sensor nodes,

wherein the response data comprises the set of bits, each bit corresponding to a sensor node that transmitted data in the previous uplink interval.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the response data indicates whether data transmitted by the sensor nodes in the previous uplink interval is received.

3. The gateway of claim 1, wherein a number of the bits in the response data is identical to a number of elements included in the previous schedule information, and a sequence of the bits corresponds to a sequence of the elements included in the previous schedule information.

4. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the elements of the subsequent schedule information correspond to time slots included in the subsequent uplink interval, and each of the elements comprises an identifier (ID) of a sensor node based on a sequence by which the subsequent uplink interval is allocated to the sensor nodes.

5. The gateway of claim 4, wherein each of the elements comprises an instructor to instruct a modulation scheme for a time slot corresponding to a corresponding element.

6. The gateway of claim 1, wherein a number of time slots to divide the subsequent uplink interval into is determined based on a number of the elements included in the subsequent schedule information.

7. The gateway of claim 1, wherein a point in time for data transmission in the subsequent uplink interval is determined based on an index of an element included in the subsequent schedule information.

8. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits to the sensor nodes a synchronization signal including the response data and the subsequent schedule information.

9. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, based on cumulative data received from the sensor nodes after converting from a sleep mode to an active mode, whether the active mode is to be converted into the sleep mode,

wherein the gateway operates in a low power mode in the sleep mode.

10. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate an element in the subsequent uplink interval to a sensor node selected based on at least one of a quantity of sensing data, whether data retransmission is required, and an amount of power consumption.

11. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the response data comprises an identical data structure irrespective of a number of sensor nodes allocated to the previous uplink interval.

12. The gateway of claim 1, wherein, in response to a data structure of the response data being related to a data structure of the previous schedule information, the response data comprises a small size bitmap.

13. A method of a gateway to communicate with sensor nodes, the method comprising:

determining, with respect to a time slot included in a previous uplink interval, whether data is received from a sensor node corresponding to the time slot;

generating, based on previous schedule information on the previous uplink interval, response data,

wherein, upon determining that the data is received, the processor is configured to set a bit corresponding to the sensor node among a set of bits included in the response data to be a first logic value, and

wherein, upon determining that the data is not received, the processor is configured to set the bit to be a second logic value;

generating subsequent schedule information about a subsequent uplink interval, the subsequent schedule information comprising elements in the subsequent uplink interval allocated to the sensor nodes; and

transmitting the response data and the subsequent schedule information to the sensor nodes,

wherein the response data comprises the set of bits, each bit corresponding to a sensor node that transmitted data in the previous uplink interval.