Wireless Sensor Network Mote Routing Resilience

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless sensor networks face challenges in obtaining timely and reliable information about environmental hazards due to high costs and unpredictability in data generation and communication, with existing solutions being ineffective for widespread use and prone to failures in critical communication nodes.

Innovation Solution

A wireless sensor network utilizing 'smart dust' sensors or motes that form a mesh or ad-hoc network, enabling data transmission without dependency on a single point, with a distributed routing table and 'pre-active heartbeat' algorithm for network resiliency and efficient data routing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single-point communication architecture is used in wireless sensor networks, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates when critical communication nodes fail

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork reliabilityVSAvoidcommunication architecture complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the communication network into multiple independent paths and routes, where data can be transmitted through alternative paths if one path fails. This is achieved by implementing distributed routing tables at each node that store multiple route options to the sink node, thereby improving reliability without requiring a completely complex centralized architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic route selection and updates in the communication network. Nodes can dynamically switch between different routes based on network conditions, node availability, and path quality metrics. This dynamic behavior allows the network to adapt to failures and maintain reliability while keeping individual node complexity manageable through standardized protocols.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive sensor deployment is implemented to ensure continuous monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to data processing overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental monitoring accuracyVSAvoiddata processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and processes only the most critical environmental parameters and data points that indicate hazard conditions. Rather than processing all sensor data comprehensively, the system identifies and prioritizes key indicators of environmental hazards, reducing processing time while maintaining measurement precision for critical parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements rapid data processing and transmission protocols that allow the network to quickly skip through data collection and transmission phases when hazard conditions are detected. The system can rush through the data pipeline for critical events, reducing the effective processing time for important measurements while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentUS7475158B2Method for enabling a wireless sensor network by mote communication

Publication Date: 2009.01.06 TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO LTD

AI summary

A system and method for implementing a wireless sensor network. The system comprises a plurality of motes, each mote having a sensor and a wireless communication system for communicating with neighboring motes; a distributed routing table distributed amongst each of the plurality of motes; and an update system for periodically updating the distributed routing table.