Sensor network system for managing the latest data and history data

• US 7,953,571 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Odaka, Toshiyuki, Muro, Keiro, Ogushi, Minoru, Suzuki, Kei, Suzuki, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Feliciano; Eliseo Ramos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suarez; Felix E
• Application Number:
  US11/882,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 702/117, 702/121, 702/127, 702/182, 702/183, 702/188, 348/143, 715/716, 701/35
• US Class Current: 702/127
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

In a sensor network system comprising a sensor terminal and a management server, the sensor terminal transmits observation data acquired using the sensor, the management server has a latest data storage manager which manages the latest observation data among observation data received from the sensor terminal, a history data storage manager which manages the history of the observation data from any time when data was received from the sensor terminal to the latest observation data, and a missing data manager which manages missing history data, and compensates the missing history data based on a predetermined rule, and when a request for such observation data is received, at least one of the latest observation data managed by the latest data storage manager, and history data wherein the missing data has been compensated and managed by the history data storage manager, is output according to the type of request.

Claims

1. A sensor network system comprising:

a sensor terminal, which alternates between an activated state and a sleeping state, collects and transmits observation data by wireless communications in said activated state and stops collecting and transmitting observation data in said sleeping state; and

a management server, which includes;

a latest data storage manager which manages a set of latest observation data of observation data received from said sensor terminal;

a history data storage manager which manages history data of the observation data received from said sensor terminal from a set of previous observation data received from said sensor terminal to said set of latest observation data; and

a missing data manager which manages loss of said history data indicating missing observation data transmitted from said sensor terminal and not received by said management server,

wherein said missing data manager sends a retransmission request to said sensor terminal to retransmit the missing observation data that was not received by said management server based on a predetermined rule,

wherein said sensor terminal, upon receiving said retransmission request from said management server, retransmits said missing observation data to said management server, and

wherein, in case that a request for observation data is received from user terminal, at least one of the set of latest observation data managed by said latest data storage manager and the history data managed by said history data storage manager is output to said user terminal according to a type of said request for observation data received from said user terminal.

2. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein said sensor terminal has a wireless communications circuit which performs communication, and

wherein in case that said observation data is transmitted, power supply to said wireless communications circuit is stopped regardless of whether or not an acknowledgement from said management server has been received.

3. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein said observation data contains a sequence number showing a sequence in which said observation data was acquired, and

wherein, in case that the sequence numbers of the observation data stored as history data are not continuous, said missing data manager determines that data is missing from said history data.

4. The sensor network system according to claim 3,

wherein, in case that data is missing from said stored history data, said missing data manager determines whether or not the difference between said sequence number of the oldest observation data among the missing observation data, and said sequence number of said latest observation data, exceeds a predetermined threshold, and

wherein, in case that it is determined that the difference of said sequence numbers exceeds the predetermined threshold, said missing data manager requests transmission of said missing observation data.

5. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein, in case that a request for observation data is received, said missing data manager determines whether or not data is missing from said history data, and

wherein, in case that it is determined that some data is missing from said history data, said missing data manager requests transmission of said missing observation data to said sensor terminal.

6. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein said missing data manager determines whether or not data is missing from said history data at a predetermined timing, and

wherein, in case that it is determined that some data is missing from said history data, said missing data manager requests transmission of said missing observation data to said sensor terminal.

7. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein said missing data manager receives a heartbeat signal transmitted at a predetermined interval from said sensor terminal,

wherein said missing data manager determines whether or not data is missing from said history data based on the receive state of said heartbeat signal, and

wherein, in case that it is determined that there is data missing from said history data, said missing data manager requests transmission of said missing observation data to said sensor terminal.

8. The sensor network system according to claim 7,

wherein said sensor terminal transmits said observation data at a predetermined interval,

wherein said missing data manager uses said observation data transmitted from said sensor terminal as said heartbeat signal,

wherein, in case that said heartbeat signal is not received at said predetermined interval, said missing data manager determines that some data is missing from said history data, and

wherein, in case that it is determined that some data is missing from said history data, after receiving said heartbeat signal, said missing data manager requests transmission of said missing observation data to said sensor terminal.

9. The sensor network system according to claim 1,

wherein the observation data stored in the memory of said sensor terminal is associated with a timestamp showing the time at which this observation data was acquired, and a time synchronization flag showing whether or not the value of said timestamp is synchronized with the timing managed by said management server, and

wherein said sensor terminal prohibits transmission of observation data associated with a time synchronization flag showing that the value of the timestamp is not synchronized with the timing managed by said management server.

10. The sensor network system according to claim 9,

wherein, in case that it acquires timing information showing the time managed by said management server, said sensor terminal executes a timing synchronization processing which synchronizes the timing held by said sensor terminal with said timing information,

wherein said sensor terminal computes the difference between a timing showing said timing information and a timing held at a time when said sensor terminal acquired said timing information before said timing synchronization processing was executed,

wherein said sensor terminal adds said computed difference to the timestamp associated with the observation data stored in said memory, and

wherein said sensor terminal makes said timing synchronization flag associated with the timestamp to which said difference was added, a value showing that the value of said timestamp is synchronized with the timing managed by said management server.

11. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein said management server outputs at least one of the latest observation data damaged by said latest data storage manager, and history data in which losses were compensated and managed by said history data storage manager, based on the association of at least one of the type of request with said latest data storage manager or said history data storage manager.

12. The sensor network system according to claim 1,wherein, in case that said observation data request is a requesting the expression of said latest observation data and said history data in graphical form, said management server outputs the history data stored in said history data storage manager, and after outputting said history data, outputs said latest observation data stored in said latest data storage manager.

13. The sensor network system according to claim 12,

wherein said server displays said latest observation data and said history data in graphical form on a connected display unit, and

wherein the time at which said latest observation data and said history data were acquired is taken as the horizontal axis.

14. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein said management server displays the latest observation data together with information identifying said sensor terminal in tabular form, on a connected display unit.

15. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein said management server displays said latest observation data on a map showing the position of said sensor terminal, on a connected display unit.

16. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor terminal alternates between said activated state and said sleeping state at a predetermined time interval.

17. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein the type of said request is a type of display request from a user.

18. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein the loss of said history data is caused by a wireless communications problem.

19. The sensor network system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor terminal collects environmental information in real time.