WIRELESS SENSOR NODE GROUP AFFILIATION METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20070266078A1
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rittle, Loren, Le Brun, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,688,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless sensor node can obtain (102) a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process and then subsequently transmit (103) information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation. By one approach this affiliation formation process can comprise, at least in part, using wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to other wireless sensor nodes. Such wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to other wireless sensor nodes might be received, for example, directly from that other wireless sensor node and/or via an intermediary wireless sensor node that acts to forward such information from the other wireless sensor node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a wireless sensor node;

obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process;

transmitting information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation subsequent to the affiliation formation process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process comprises, at least in part, forming the wireless sensor node group affiliation as a function, at least in part, of other wireless sensor node group affiliation information as corresponds to at least one other wireless sensor node.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein wirelessly receiving the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information from at least one of:

the at least one other wireless sensor node;

an intermediary wireless sensor node that is forwarding the other wireless sensor node group affiliation information from the at least one other wireless sensor node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining a wireless sensor node group affiliation pursuant to an affiliation formation process further comprises transmitting information regarding that wireless sensor node group affiliation during the affiliation formation process.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

wirelessly receiving and storing executable instructions as pertain to the wireless sensor node group affiliation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless sensor node group affiliation comprises an inactive wireless sensor node group affiliation.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining that the wireless sensor node group affiliation should be changed from the inactive wireless sensor node group affiliation to an active wireless sensor node group affiliation;

operating as an active wireless sensor node group affiliate.

9. A wireless sensor node comprising:

a memory storing, at least in part, a wireless sensor node group affiliation as was determined during an affiliation formation process;

a transmitter operably coupled to the memory and having an output that provides a post-affiliation formation process message regarding the wireless sensor node group affiliation.

10. The wireless sensor node of claim 9 further comprising:

a processor operably coupled to the memory and the transmitter and being programmed to;

facilitate development of the wireless sensor node group affiliation during the affiliation formation process; and

cause transmission of the message regarding the wireless sensor node group affiliation by the transmitter.

11. The wireless sensor node of claim 10 wherein the processor comprises means for facilitating development of the wireless sensor node group affiliation during the affiliation formation process and for causing transmission of the message regarding the wireless sensor node group affiliation by the transmitter.

12. The wireless sensor node of claim 9 wherein the wireless sensor node group affiliation comprises either of:

an active wireless sensor node group affiliation; and

an inactive wireless sensor node group affiliation.

13. A method comprising:

transmitting a first at least one group affiliation criterion to a plurality of wireless sensor nodes to facilitate determination by at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes as to their affiliation with respect to a first wireless sensor node group;

subsequent to transmitting the first at least one group affiliation criterion, transmitting a second at least one group affiliation criterion to the plurality of wireless sensor nodes to facilitate determination by at least some of the plurality of wireless sensor nodes as to their affiliation with respect to a second wireless sensor node group as a function, at least in part, of information regarding the first wireless sensor node group.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding self-affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding other node-affiliation with the first wireless sensor group.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding non-affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the information regarding the first wireless sensor node group comprises information regarding at least one of:

active status; and

inactive status;

affiliation with the first wireless sensor node group.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the second wireless sensor node group comprises a subset of the first wireless sensor node group.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining that an active affiliate of the second wireless sensor node group should change its active status;

causing an inactive affiliate of the second wireless sensor node group to change to active status and thereby substitute for the active affiliate.