Information acquisition using a scalable wireless geocast protocol

• US 9,973,881 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US15/635,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/023 Limited or focused flooding to selected areas of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Information is acquired from a geographically-distributed sensor network using a scalable wireless geocast protocol. Geographically distributed networks of unattended sensors are placed at desired locations to collect various types of information, such as, for example, environmental parameters, temperature, humidity, rainfall, heat signatures, video, audio, seismic activity, and/or wind conditions. To acquire information, a query is provided to the geographic area at which the sensors are located utilizing the geocast protocol. Delivery of the query is based on a physical location of a region in which a sensor network is located, the type of information being queried, and/or temporal conditions. Each sensor that receives a query determines if all requirements/conditions are satisfied. If so, the query is accepted and processed by the recipient sensor, and responded to accordingly. Responses to queries are provided via the geocast protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising

receiving, from a first sensor, in a mobile ad hoc network, a query message comprising a request for information, the query message comprising an indication of a region of intended reception of the query message, the region defined by a first defined size;

altering the region of the first defined size to a region of a second defined size based on a number of sensors in the region of the first defined size; and

responsive to determining that a second sensor is within the region of the second defined size, responding to the query message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises video parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises audio parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises wind conditions parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises temperature parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises humidity parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises heat signature parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises seismic activity parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a temporal condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information pertains to environmental parameters.

11. The method of claim 1, further operations comprising providing to the first sensor, via a unicast over a reverse message path, a response to the query message based on a result of processing the query message.

12. The method of claim 1, further operations comprising providing to the first sensor, via a unicast over a reverse message path, a response to the query message based on a result of processing the query message, wherein the reverse message path is described in the received query message.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause said computing device to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving, from a first sensor, in a mobile ad hoc network, a query message comprising a request for information, the query message comprising an indication of a region of intended reception of the query message, the region defined by a first defined size;

altering the region of the first defined size to a region of a second defined size based on a number of sensors in the region of the first defined size; and

responsive to determining that a second sensor is within the region of the second defined size, responding to the query message.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information comprises video, audio, wind conditions.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information comprises temperature, humidity, rainfall, or wind conditions.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information comprises seismic activity parameters.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information comprises heat signature parameters.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the information comprises a temporal condition.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further operations comprising providing to the first sensor, via a unicast over a reverse message path, a response to the query message based on a result of processing the query message.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further operations comprising providing to the first sensor, via a unicast over a reverse message path, a response to the query message based on a result of processing the query message, wherein the reverse message path is described in the received query message.