Control plane for sensor communication

• US 9,521,216 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2011
• 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: Ji, Lusheng, Miller, Robert R. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Rebecca
• Application Number:
  US14/802,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

An architecture that can employ a control plane for managing communications with respect to a set of sensors is provided. By utilizing a control plane, a distinction between control messages and data messages can be provided in a standardized way and the set of sensors can benefit from additional functionality and configurability. For example, the control plane can be employed to modify parameters associated with the set of sensors, which can be effectuated in real time and in situ as opposed to at the time of fabrication or deployment. Moreover, such modifications can relate to both the sensing portions of a particular sensor as well as the communication portions of a particular sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor device, comprising:

a communication circuit that communicates with devices of a sensor network;

a sensing circuit that measures a physical quantity according to a parameter;

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving sensed data indicative of a measurement of the physical quantity;

transmitting a data message comprising first data indicative of the sensed data that is measured according to the parameter, wherein the data message is transmitted via a data plane of the sensor network that communicatively couples sensor devices one of which is the sensor device;

receiving a control message comprising second data indicative of an instruction to adjust the parameter used to measure the physical quantity, wherein the control message is received via a control plane of the sensor network; and

adjusting the parameter used to measure the physical quantity according to the instruction.

2. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a sensitivity parameter that determines a sensitivity by which the physical quantity is measured.

3. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a scale parameter that determines a scale by which the the physical quantity is measured.

4. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a range parameter that determines range values by which the physical quantity is measured.

5. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a first parameter, the physical quantity is a first physical quantity, and the instruction relates to measuring the first physical quantity according to the first parameter and to measuring a second physical quantity according to a second parameter.

6. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the instruction relates to a change of the physical quantity to be measured.

7. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is a first sensor device, the physical quantity is a first physical quantity, and the transmitting the data message further comprises:

receiving the data message, from a second sensor device of the sensor devices, comprising third data indicative of a second physical quantity received from the second sensor device; and

forwarding the data message via the data plane.

8. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the instruction is a first instruction, the parameter is a first parameter, the sensor device is a first sensor device, and the receiving the control message further comprises:

receiving the control message comprising fourth data indicative of a second instruction to adjust a second parameter associated with a second sensor device of the sensor devices; and

forwarding the control message to the second sensor device via the control plane.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, via a data plane of a sensor network that communicatively couples sensor devices and the system, a data message from a sensor device of the sensor devices, wherein the data message comprises first data indicative of a measurement of a physical quantity that is measured by the sensor device according to a parameter;

determining an adjustment to the parameter used to measure the physical quantity; and

transmitting, via a control plane of the sensor network, a control message to the sensor device, wherein the control message comprises second data indicative of an instruction adjust the parameter used to measure the physical quantity in accordance with the determining.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the parameter determines a sensitivity by which the physical quantity is measured.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the parameter determines a scale of the physical quantity being measured.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the parameter determines a range of values of the physical quantity being measured.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the parameter is a first parameter, the physical quantity is a first physical quantity, and the adjustment relates to measuring the first physical quantity according to the first parameter and to measuring a second physical quantity according to a second parameter.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the adjustment adjusts the physical quantity to be measured by the sensor device.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining an address of the sensor device, and wherein the address represents a group sensor network address that identifies a group of sensor devices of the sensor devices for group communication.

16. A method, comprising:

transforming, by a sensor device comprising a processor, a measurement associated with a physical quantity to measurement data, wherein the measurement is according to a parameter used to measure the physical quantity;

transmitting, by the sensor device, the measurement data via a data plane of a sensor network that communicatively couples sensor devices, wherein one of the sensor devices is the sensor device;

receiving, by the sensor device, control data via a control plane of the sensor network, wherein the control data is indicative of an instruction to change the parameter used to measure the physical quantity; and

changing, by the sensor device, the parameter used to measure the physical quantity according to the instruction.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the sensor device, second measurement data from a second sensor device of the sensor devices; and

forwarding, by the sensor device, the second measurement data via the data plane.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the sensor device, second control data indicative of a second instruction to adjust a second parameter associated with a second sensor device of the sensor devices; and

forwarding, by the sensor device, the second control data to the second sensor device via the control plane.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the changing the parameter comprises changing the parameter associated with a way the sensor device performs measurements.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the parameter determines a sensitivity by which the physical quantity is measured.