Data forwarding method for reliable service in sensor networks

• US 20060153154A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ji-hoon, Yoon, Joo-sang, Kang, Chul-hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

A method for relaying received data by a relay node in a sensor network that includes a sink node, a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node, and the relay node for relaying the data transmitted from the source node to the sink node. The relay node determines whether the source node that transmits the data is a previously identified source node, stores the data in a buffer and forwards the data to a neighbor node when the source node transmitting the data is the previously identified source node according to the determination. The data is managed based on the relay node having the buffer, rather than the source node and the sink node as in the related art. Further, the data error can be promptly handled.

Claims

1. A method for relaying received data by a relay node in a sensor network that includes a sink node, a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node, and the relay node for relaying the data transmitted from the source node to the sink node, the method comprising:

determining whether the source node that transmits the data is a previously identified source node; and

storing the data in a buffer and forwarding the data to a neighbor node when the source node transmitting the data is the previously identified source node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in the buffer is retransmitted after an acknowledgement (ACK) message for the data has not been received within a time period.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the time period considers a previous time period.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data is transmitted along an alternate route when an ACK message for the retransmitted data is not received, or when a Keep Alive message is not received from the neighbor node.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data is transmitted to a node that transmits an Update message when an ACK message for the retransmitted data is not received, or when a Keep Alive message is not received from the neighbor node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the node transmitting the Update message records information relating to the source node that transmits the data, and stores the received data in its buffer.

7. A relay node in a sensor network including a sink node, a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node, and the relay node for relaying the data transmitted from the source node to the sink node, the relay node comprising:

a controller which generates an instruction to store and transmit the data when a source node, which is extracted from the received data, is a previously identified source node; and

a buffer which stores the received data according to the instruction.

8. The relay node according to claim 7, wherein the controller comprises:

a buffer manager which generates an instruction to remove the data stored in the buffer, or stores the received data.

9. The relay node of claim 8, further comprising:

a transceiver which transmits data between the relay node and one of the source node and the sink node via a neighbor node;

an acknowledgement section which generates an ACK message when the relay node has received the data from the source node; and

a query section which generates a query when the relay mode has received a query from the sink node.

10. The relay node of claim 9, further comprising:

a message section that generates one of a Keep Alive message indicative of a normal relevant operation being performed, and an Update message indicative of said relay node being a dissemination node; and

a query database manager that stores information relating to the sink node and data received from the source node.

11. The relay node according to claim 8, wherein the buffer manager generates the instruction to drop the data stored in the buffer when an acknowledgement (ACK) message for the transmitted data is received.

12. A data forwarding system comprising:

a sink node;

a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node; and

a relay node for storing the data in a buffer and forwarding the data to a neighbor node when the source node transmitting the data is a previously identified source node.

13. The data forwarding system according to claim 12, wherein the relay node forwards the data stored in the buffer to at least two nodes when data transmission is requested by the at least two nodes.

14. The data forwarding system according to claim 12, wherein the relay node retransmits the data stored in the buffer when an acknowledgement (ACK) message for the data is not received within a time period.

15. The data forwarding system according to claim 12, wherein the relay node determines a route for the data transmission when the sink node requesting the data transmission changes its location.

16. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for relaying received data by a relay node in a sensor network that includes a sink node, a source node for collecting and transmitting data requested by the sink node, and the relay node for relaying the data transmitted from the source node to the sink node, the method comprising:

determining whether the source node that transmits the data is a previously identified source node; and

storing the data in a buffer and forwarding the data to a neighbor node when the source node transmitting the data is the previously identified source node.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the data stored in the buffer is retransmitted after an acknowledgement (ACK) message for the data has not been received within a time period.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the time period considers a previous time period.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the data is transmitted along an alternate route when an ACK message for the retransmitted data is not received, or when a Keep Alive message is not received from the neighbor node.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the data is transmitted to a node that transmits an Update message when an ACK message for the retransmitted data is not received, or when a Keep Alive message is not received from the neighbor node, and further wherein the node transmitting the Update message records information relating to the source node that transmits the data, and stores the received data in its buffer.