APPARATUS FOR INTERNETWORKED WIRELESS INTEGRATED NETWORK SENSORS (WINS)

• US 20100148940A1
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Borgia/Cummins LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sipos, Anton L., Kaiser, William J., Gelvin, David C., Pottie, Gregory J., Girod, Lewis D., Newberg, Fredric, Merrill, William M., Vardhan, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0464 Annular ring patch
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• 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: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

The Wireless Integrated Network Sensor Next Generation (WINS NG) nodes provide distributed network and Internet access to sensors, controls, and processors that are deeply embedded in equipment, facilities, and the environment. The WINS NG network is a new monitoring and control capability for applications in transportation, manufacturing, health care, environmental monitoring, and safety and security. The WINS NG nodes combine microsensor technology, low power distributed signal processing, low power computation, and low power, low cost wireless and/or wired networking capability in a compact system. The WINS NG networks provide sensing, local control, remote reconfigurability, and embedded intelligent systems in structures, materials, and environments.

Claims

1-83. -83. (canceled)

84. A network comprising:

a plurality of network elements including at least one node configured to be coupled among an environment,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to provide node information to the plurality of network elements,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to be self-assembled into a multi-cluster network and to select a start node as a base node, wherein the base node is operable to communicate an assembly packet throughout the network,

wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured so that information of the assembly packet alternates between directing a node to become a base node of a particular cluster number and directing a node to become a remote node of a particular cluster number, and

wherein the particular cluster number is incrementally changed when the information of the assembly packet so alternates.

85. The network of claim 84, wherein the alternating of the information of the assembly packet occurs with each successive communication between directing a node to become a base node of a particular cluster number and directing a node to become a remote node of a particular cluster number.

86. The network of claim 84, wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured so that the assembly packet is modified by each node as it moves through the network to indicate an action to be performed by the next node to receive the assembly packet.

87. The network of claim 84, wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured so that the assembly packet is ignored by a node that has previously seen the assembly packet.

88. The network of claim 84, wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured so that the assembly packet communicates to each node receiving the assembly packet whether such receiving node is a base or a remote and the cluster to which such receiving node belongs.

89. The network of claim 84, wherein the start node comprises a first node to wake up.

90. The network of claim 84,

wherein the plurality of network elements includes at least one node configured as a remote node that belongs to multiple clusters and that is operable to contact multiple base nodes.

91. The network of claims 84,

wherein the at least one node is coupled to at least one client computer through the plurality of network elements, and

wherein the plurality of network elements includes at least one gateway, at least one server, and at least one network.

92. The network of claim 84, wherein communications among the plurality of network elements comprise multihop communications.

93. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to provide node information to the plurality of network elements, to distribute data processing through the network in response to the node information, and to transfer data using message packets,

wherein the message packets are aggregated into compact forms using message aggregation protocols, and

wherein the message aggregation protocols are adaptive to message priority and available energy.

94. The network of claim 93,

wherein the message packets include decoy message packets, and

wherein information to be transferred is impressed on random message packets to limit access to the information to be transferred.

95. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node includes at least one sensor,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to process data gathered from the environment by the at least one sensor to reach a decision at the at least one node and to forward a summary message corresponding to the decision through the network, and

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to store or route the gathered data through the network in response to energy detection at the at least one node.

96. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is configured to provide node information to the plurality of network elements,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to establish at least one redundant information pathway among the plurality of network elements,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to automatically re-route around any node communication failure that occurs when remotely controlling a function of at least one of the plurality of network elements,

wherein the node communication failure occurs in one or more nodes that are each a member of the network prior to the node communication failure,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured for two-way communication between at least a portion of the plurality of network elements,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to collect sensor data, and

wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured to perform routing of the sensor data in the network in response to energy detection for one or more nodes on potential routes for the routing of the data.

97. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node includes a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs),

wherein the plurality of APIs is configured to control at least one device selected from a group consisting of sensors, actuators, communications devices, signal processors, information storage devices, node controllers, and power supply devices, and

wherein the plurality of APIs is configured to support remote control of the at least one device.

98. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to provide node information including message priority and energy availability to the plurality of network elements and to predistribute code and data anticipated for future use through the network using low priority messages,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to distribute data processing through the network, and

wherein the distribution of data processing varies dynamically based on the message priority or the energy availability.

99. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to provide node information including node resource cost to the plurality of network elements,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to distribute data processing through the network in response to the node resource cost, and

wherein the distribution of the data processing comprises selecting at least one data type for processing, selecting at least one of the plurality of network elements to process the selected at least one data type, and transferring data of the selected at least one data type to the selected at least one of the plurality of network elements.

100. The network of claim 84,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to be remotely controllable using at least one client computer,

wherein the at least node is further configured to provide node information including node resource cost and message priority to one or more other nodes of the plurality of network elements in response to at least one parameter of a signal received from a sensor that collects data from the environment, and

wherein the plurality of network elements is further configured to distribute data processing on the collected data to the plurality of network elements in response to the message priority.

101. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to provide node information to the plurality of network elements and to distribute data processing through the network in response to the node information,

wherein the plurality of network elements is configured to support a plurality of levels of synchronization among different subsets of the plurality of network elements,

wherein a first level of synchronization is supported among a first subset of the plurality of network elements,

wherein a second level of synchronization is supported among a second subset of the plurality of network elements,

wherein at least one of the plurality of levels of synchronization is energy usage aware.

102. The network of claim 101,

wherein the at least one node comprises a first processor and a second processor,

wherein the second processor is configured to cycle into and out of a sleep state,

wherein the at least one node is configured to use the first processor to acquire data, determine that the acquired data is above a high level threshold or below a low level threshold, and responsively alert the second processor while the second processor operates in the sleep state, and

wherein the at least one node is configured to use the second processor, after the second processor has cycled out of the sleep state, to perform event identification based on the acquired data.

103. The network of claim 84,

wherein the at least one node is further configured to be remotely controllable and programmable via internetworking among the plurality of network elements, is further configured to provide node information including node resource information and message priority to one or more other nodes of the plurality of network elements, and is further configured to distribute data processing, other than processing for topology learning or the addition of one or more new nodes to the network, in the network in response to the node information, and

wherein the distribution of the data processing varies dynamically based on the message priority.