KR20060070165A - Transmitting/receiving method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes using wireless telecommunication in wireless sensor network - Google Patents

Abstract

1. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wireless transmit / receive method for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration in a wireless sensor network.

2. The technical problem to be solved by the invention

The present invention transmits / receives a program image for reconfiguring a plurality of sensor nodes in operation (software upgrade and various settings) by using a wireless communication channel, thereby improving the convenience of an operator for reconfiguring sensor nodes and The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wireless transmit / receive method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network to perform reconfiguration dynamically without system interruption.

3. Summary of Solution to Invention

The present invention provides a wireless transmission method for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration at a base terminal node, comprising: a connection step of forming a wireless communication channel with a plurality of wireless sensor nodes; A node selecting step of selecting a target sensor node among the plurality of wireless sensor nodes; An information generating step of generating information for dynamic reconstruction; And transmitting the generated information for dynamic reconfiguration to the target sensor node to perform a dynamic reconfiguration operation.

4. Important uses of the invention

The invention is used in wireless sensor networks and the like.

Dynamic reconfiguration, wireless communication channel, program image, target sensor node, wireless sensor network.

Description

Transmitting / Receiving method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes using wireless telecommunication in wireless sensor network             

1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a wireless sensor network including a base terminal node and a plurality of sensor nodes according to the present invention;

2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of components of an operating system and hardware mounted on a base terminal node and a sensor node according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless transmission / reception method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in a wireless sensor network according to the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for forming a wireless communication channel having a tree structure in a wireless transmission / reception method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a dynamic reconfiguration target module according to hardware configuration for each sensor node type according to the present invention; FIG.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless transmission method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes in a base terminal node according to the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a wireless reception method for dynamic reconfiguration at a target sensor node according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: base terminal node 15: sensor node

21: Micro Control Unit (MCU) 22: Wireless Communication Module (RF)

23: flash memory 24: sensing and drive module

25: Program Flash 26: Boot Loader

27: wireless message handler

The present invention relates to a wireless transmission / reception method for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration in a wireless sensor network, and more particularly, to transmit a program image for reconfiguration of a sensor node (software upgrade and system setting change) using a wireless communication channel. A wireless transmit / receive method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in a wireless sensor network for reconfiguring a sensor node dynamically without receiving and moving / operating the sensor node.

Ubiquitous Computing is a concept that makes computers and communication services available in real life as if they were water and air. In other words, all things ubiquitous in real life, such as personal computers, car navigators, televisions, home appliances (e.g. refrigerators, washing machines), gaming terminals, wireless communication terminals (e.g. mobile terminals, smart phones, personal mobile communication) It is ubiquitous computing that a computer is mounted on a terminal) and networked so that each object can exchange information with each other and lead the convenience and efficiency of real life. For example, smart cards, digital homes, and the like, which have recently been introduced, are in the spotlight as the next generation growth engine.

One way to actually implement such ubiquitous computing is in the field of wireless sensor networks. Wireless Sensor Network is a collection of ultra-high power and ultra-light weight (several to thousands) wireless sensors connected through a wireless communication module (RF) that transmits and receives information from a narrow range. It is a network that transmits to a central server for comprehensive information processing. For example, wireless sensors can be installed in mountains, fields, and rivers to collect relevant information for environmental monitoring. In addition, the wireless sensor networks can be applied to military, home network, factory management, disaster monitoring, and other fields. .

Looking at the configuration and features of the wireless sensor network in more detail, the wireless sensor network is largely composed of a wireless sensor network area where the wireless sensor nodes are installed, and a sink node connecting the external network. Countless wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network area transmit information (eg, temperature and humidity) collected according to their role to the sink node using an internally mounted wireless communication module (RF). It receives various sensing values from the wireless sensor nodes and delivers them to the central server through the serial line. The operator (user) of the wireless sensor network may query the wireless sensor network through the sink node or receive the collected information. In particular, the wireless sensor network has a self-organizing capability. That is, rather than specific wireless sensor nodes are fixedly connected to form a network, a plurality of wireless sensor nodes dynamically form a wireless communication channel according to a situation / environment to transmit / receive information with each other.

Here, looking at the type of each wireless sensor node, the smart tag node having the operator ID information and the wireless communication function, and the ultrasonic wave, infrared rays, gas, temperature, illuminance, humidity, and the like and the sensing value according to the wireless communication module ( There is a sensing node for delivering to other nodes using RF), a driving node performing a driving operation according to an instruction from the sink node, and a sink node (anchor node).

Wireless sensor networks are made up of many wireless sensor nodes, ranging from dozens to hundreds (even thousands), which means that low-speed communications due to wireless media, limited power / memory, and no reinstallation due to random placement of sensor nodes. Constraints exist. Accordingly, even within the above constraints, an operating system capable of transmitting / receiving information using a wireless communication function and processing various events is required.

Meanwhile, looking at the reconfiguration of each wireless sensor node in the wireless sensor network according to the prior art, the conventional software download method using wired communication is used. That is, a method of downloading a program to each wireless sensor node by disconnecting numerous wireless sensor nodes installed and operating in each location and using wired communication of serial line or parallel line.

This may cause inconvenience to the operator, such as stopping the wireless sensor nodes in operation, removing and moving the wireless sensor nodes in each location, and then instructing a reconfiguration operation by connecting a wired line.

Meanwhile, in the communication field using a wireless communication terminal, when a communication method is changed during roaming, a technology for enabling a wireless communication terminal to download and execute new software immediately using a wireless communication channel is currently developed.

When the method of downloading the software using the wireless communication channel is applied to the reconfiguration of the wireless sensor nodes in the wireless sensor network, the inconvenience of a large part of the operator is eliminated, and each wireless sensor is more effectively without interruption of operation of the wireless sensor nodes. It is expected to be able to perform reconfiguration on the nodes.

The present invention has been proposed to meet the above-mentioned expectations. The present invention proposes to reconfigure sensor nodes by transmitting / receiving a program image for reconfiguring a plurality of active sensor nodes (software upgrade and various configuration changes) using a wireless communication channel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless transmit / receive method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network for improving the convenience of an operator and dynamically reconfiguring each sensor node without system interruption.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it will be readily appreciated that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless transmission method for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration at a base terminal node, comprising: a connection step of establishing a wireless communication channel with a plurality of wireless sensor nodes; A node selecting step of selecting a target sensor node among the plurality of wireless sensor nodes; An information generating step of generating information for dynamic reconstruction; And transmitting the generated information for dynamic reconfiguration to the target sensor node to perform a dynamic reconfiguration operation.

On the other hand, another method of the present invention, a wireless receiving method for the sensor node dynamic reconfiguration at the sensor node, the method comprising: a mode switching step of switching to the dynamic reconfiguration mode in response to a request from the base terminal node; A receiving step of receiving information for dynamic reconfiguration from the base terminal node; And a dynamic reconfiguration step of performing a dynamic reconfiguration operation by using the received information for dynamic reconfiguration.

The above objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereby those skilled in the art may easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. There will be. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a wireless sensor network including a base terminal node and a plurality of sensor nodes according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of sensor nodes 15 are included in a wireless sensor network area, and a base terminal node 10 establishes a wireless communication channel with a plurality of sensor nodes 15. Joining (joining) the sensor network area. A process of forming a wireless communication channel will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The base terminal node 10 uses a static program reconfigurer and a program builder to generate a program image (execution image) for reconfiguration of the wireless sensor node 15, that is, software upgrade and system setting change. For example, it is possible to upgrade or change programs (applications and system programs), parameters (e.g., wireless communication parameters), operating conditions (e.g., thresholds) of sensors or actuators, etc. required for the operation of the wireless sensor node 15. have. At this time, since the generation of the program image is an operation performed at compile time, it is called a static reconstruction.

In addition, the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21 of the base terminal node 10 controls the overall operation of the base terminal node 10 by operating a nano Qplus operating system, and simultaneously converts the statically reconfigured program image into a wireless communication channel. By using the control function to transmit to a plurality of wireless sensor nodes 15, more precisely the target sensor node 15. That is, after selecting the target sensor node 15 that is the work target of the dynamic reconfiguration among the numerous wireless sensor nodes 15 and generating a program image required for each target sensor node 15 or for each sensor node type, Each component is controlled to transmit using a communication channel.

The wireless communication module (RF) 22 transmits / receives a radio signal with an external device under the control of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21. That is, the generated program image is transmitted to the target wireless sensor node 15 using a wireless communication channel.

On the other hand, the plurality of wireless sensor nodes 15 (hereinafter referred to as sensor nodes) included in the wireless sensor network area are each sensor node in addition to the wireless communication module (RF) 22 and the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21. It is equipped with a sensor according to the role of 15). A hardware component including a microcontroller unit (MCU) 21, a wireless communication module (RF) 22, and a sensor mounted on the base terminal node 10 and / or the sensor node 15 is illustrated in FIG. 2. It will be described later with reference to. Here, the wireless sensor network region refers to a set of multiple sensor nodes excluding the base terminal node.

2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an operating system and hardware components mounted on a base terminal node and a sensor node according to the present invention.

The base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15 according to the present invention may be equipped with various applications, sensors, and hardware according to the role of each node. The base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15 are commonly equipped with a Nano QPlus operating system designed to operate efficiently under limited resources.

First, the components of the hardware mounted on the base terminal node 10 and / or the sensor node 15 will be described. A base module for providing a wired communication interface such as a serial line or a parallel line, computing Main module having a micro control unit (MCU) 21 having a function and a radio communication module (RF) 22 for wireless communication with other nodes, temperature, illuminance, humidity, The sensor module includes a sensor module for detecting infrared rays, an actuator module including an AC or DC relay switch, and a driving motor. Each sensor node 15 may be equipped with different hardware components depending on the role of each node, and thus software components mounted on each sensor node 15 are also differentiated. That is, different dynamic reconfiguration target modules (software modules) may be selected according to hardware components of each sensor node 15. Detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

Here, looking at the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21 in more detail, the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21 includes a program flash for loading a program image. Then, the nano QPlus operating system, various applications, compilers and linkers are driven to control generation of a program image and transmission of the image to the target sensor node 15.

The wireless communication module (RF) 22 is used to transmit various sensing values of the sensor node 15 to other nodes. In addition, various signals (eg, a dynamic reconfiguration request signal from the base terminal node to the target sensor node) and a program image are transmitted / received using a wireless communication channel formed between the base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15. .

The flash memory 23 is a storage area for storing external data. In the case of the target sensor node 15, the flash memory 23 primarily stores a program image received from the base terminal node 10 in the flash memory 23. Thereafter, the program image stored in the flash memory 23 is secondly stored (reflashed) by the program flash 25 under the control of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21 of the sensor node 15. The reason for storing two times as described above is to protect the microcontroller chip that actually configures the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21.

Each sensor node 15 is equipped with a sensor / driving module 24 which is a component necessary for sensing temperature, illuminance, humidity, ultrasonic waves, etc. according to the role of each node.

Meanwhile, referring to the components of the Nano QPlus operating system mounted on the base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15, the boot loader 26 of the sensor node 15 may receive a program received from the base terminal node 10. The image is refreshed from the flash memory 23 to the program flash 25 of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 21.

In addition, the wireless message handler 27 refers to a control module for transmitting / receiving various signals and program images through a wireless communication channel between the base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless transmission / reception method for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration in a wireless sensor network according to the present invention.

First, the base terminal node 10 and the plurality of sensor nodes 15 form a wireless sensor network (301). That is, the base terminal node 10 joins (joins) a wireless sensor network region in which a plurality of sensor nodes 15 exist, and makes wireless communication in a tree structure in which the base terminal node 10 is a root node. Form a channel.

Referring to FIG. 4, a process of forming a wireless communication channel having a tree structure is described in detail. The base terminal node 10 selects sensor nodes 15 positioned as child nodes, and each child node is a child node. Selecting other sensor nodes 15 located around them as their child nodes is repeated to form a wireless communication channel having a tree structure. Here, the network type does not necessarily have to be a tree structure, but in the case of the tree structure, other nodes that one sensor node 15 needs to identify are limited to the parent node and the child node (about 10 to 256), and thus dynamically generated. It is more preferable to form a wireless communication channel in a tree structure. Here, the channel formation dynamically is an inherent characteristic of the wireless sensor network.

Thereafter, the base terminal node 10 selects a target sensor node for dynamic reconfiguration among the plurality of sensor nodes connected through the wireless communication channel (302). As shown in FIG. 4, the target sensor node may be one sensor node 15, but all sensor nodes 15 or some sensor nodes 15 connected to a wireless communication channel may be used as target sensor nodes. You can also choose.

Thereafter, the base terminal node 10 generates a program image for transmission to the target sensor node 15 (303), and transmits the generated program image via the wireless sensor network (304). Here, the program image refers to an execution image for new installation or upgrade of software, software bug fix, system setting change, and the like.

Thereafter, the target sensor node 15 executes the program image received from the base terminal node 10 to perform a dynamic reconstruction operation (305). That is, the target sensor node 15 can directly execute the received program image without interrupting the operation of the entire system, thereby installing or upgrading software or changing various settings of the system.

The base terminal node 10 determines whether a new target sensor node is selected according to an external input and terminates when a new target sensor node is not selected, and when the new target sensor node is selected, the base terminal node 10. ) Selects a target sensor node for dynamic reconfiguration among a plurality of sensor nodes connected through the wireless communication channel (302).

Operation of the base terminal node 10 and the sensor node 15 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 described later.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a dynamic reconfiguration target module according to a hardware configuration of each sensor node type according to the present invention. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, software modules that are the targets of dynamic reconfiguration may differ from each other according to the hardware configuration for each type of sensor node. Here, the type (type) of the sensor node may be divided according to the role (function) of each sensor node in the wireless sensor network.

That is, since the software modules required for controlling the hardware are different according to the components of each hardware mounted in the smart tag node, the sensing node, the driving node, the anchor node, or the sink node, the target module for dynamic reconfiguration for each sensor node type. It is also different.

For example, the anchor or sink node includes a main module and a base module as mandatory components as hardware components, and thus a wireless message handler among various modules of the nano QPlus operating system. (27) (RF in FIG. 5), a task management module (Task Mgmt in FIG. 5), a UART module (UART in FIG. 5) should be included as essential dynamic reconfiguration target modules, and other modules may be included according to selection. As another example, the sensing node includes a main module and a sensor module as essential components as hardware components, and thus, wireless message handler 27 and task management among various modules of the nano Qplus operating system. Module, power management module (PWR Mgmt of FIG. 5), sensing module (Sensing of FIG. 5) should be included as an essential dynamic reconfiguration target module, and other modules may be included as optional. In this case, when the sensing node is a node that senses temperature and illuminance, it is natural that a software module related to temperature and illuminance should be selected as an essential dynamic reconfiguration target module.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless transmission method for dynamic reconfiguration of sensor nodes in a base terminal node according to the present invention.

First, the base terminal node 10 joins a wireless sensor network area composed of a plurality of sensor nodes 15 to form a wireless communication channel having a tree structure (601).

In addition, the base terminal node 10 selects the target sensor node 15 using the identifier (ID) and the location information of each sensor node 15 (602), and reconfigures the mode to the selected target sensor node 15. The switch request signal is transmitted (603). Here, the identifier of each sensor node 15 is set in advance, and the process of acquiring and confirming the location information of each sensor node 15 departs from the gist of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In operation 604, the base terminal node 10 generates a program image for dynamic reconstruction using a program reconstructor and a program builder.

The base terminal node 10 switches the operation mode to the reconfiguration download mode, and then transmits the generated program image to each target sensor node 15 (605).

As the transmission of the program image is completed, the base terminal node 10 transmits a reconfiguration request signal to each target sensor node 15 (606), and determines whether to reconfigure another sensor node to determine a new target sensor node. In the case of reconfiguring, the process proceeds to step 602 in which the target sensor node 15 is selected using the identifier (ID) and the location information of each sensor node 15, and ends when the new target sensor node is not reconfigured.

In another embodiment, if the dynamic reconfiguration target module for the target sensor node 15 is the same or partly the same, the program image generation process for the same target module may be performed before other processes of the entire wireless transmission method. . For example, the program image may be generated before transmitting the reconfiguration mode switch request signal to the target sensor node. Of course, if there is only one target sensor node 15, it is obvious that the program image generation process may be implemented by inserting it in any order.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless reception method for dynamic reconfiguration at a target sensor node according to the present invention.

First, the target sensor node 15 that receives the reconfiguration mode switch request signal from the base terminal node 10 stops executing the program and switches to the dynamic reconfiguration mode (701).

Thereafter, as the program image is received from the base terminal node 10, it is stored in the flash memory 23 (702).

Subsequently, upon receiving the reconfiguration request signal from the base terminal node 10 (703), the internal storage area of the micro control unit (MCU) 21 receives the received program image using the boot loader 26. The in-program flash 25 refreshes (writes the program image to the firmware) (704). Then, the program image is executed to perform dynamic reconstruction work (705). That is, install or upgrade software or change system settings.

The target sensor node 15 then reruns the program (706).

As described above, the method of the present invention may be implemented as a program and stored in a recording medium (CD-ROM, RAM, ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, etc.) in a computer-readable form. Since this process can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art will not be described in more detail.

The present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications, and changes without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the drawings.

The present invention as described above, by performing a reconfiguration operation for a plurality of wireless sensor nodes that are already installed and operating in each location by using a wireless communication, there is an effect that can improve the convenience of the operator.

In other words, the present invention enables the operator to perform the reconfiguration without removing the existing wireless sensor nodes or interrupt the operation, it is possible to facilitate the operator compared to the reconfiguration using the wired communication.

In addition, the present invention has the effect that can be performed by the wireless sensor node immediately by transmitting and receiving a program image (execution image), the dynamic reconstruction can be performed without interruption of the system.

Claims (8)

In the wireless transmission method for the sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in the base terminal node, Establishing a wireless communication channel with a plurality of wireless sensor nodes; A node selecting step of selecting a target sensor node among the plurality of wireless sensor nodes; An information generating step of generating information for dynamic reconstruction; And A transmission step of transmitting the generated information for dynamic reconfiguration to the target sensor node to perform a dynamic reconfiguration operation Wireless transmission method for the sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in the base terminal node comprising a. The method of claim 1, The information for the dynamic reconfiguration, A wireless transmission method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in a base terminal node, characterized in that the executable program image. The method of claim 2, The program image, Wireless transmission method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in the base terminal node, characterized in that the image of the software module and the system settings. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The connecting step, A wireless transmission method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in a base terminal node, characterized in that it forms a wireless communication channel of a tree structure with a plurality of wireless sensor nodes. In the wireless receiving method for the sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in the sensor node, A mode switching step of switching to the dynamic reconfiguration mode according to a request from the base terminal node; A receiving step of receiving information for dynamic reconfiguration from the base terminal node; And A dynamic reconfiguration step of performing a dynamic reconfiguration operation using the received information for dynamic reconfiguration Wireless receiving method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration at the sensor node comprising a. The method of claim 5, The information for the dynamic reconfiguration, Wireless reception method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in a sensor node, characterized in that the executable program image. The method of claim 6, The program image, Wireless reception method for sensor node dynamic reconfiguration in the sensor node, characterized in that the image of the software module and the system settings. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, The dynamic reconstruction step, Wireless reception for dynamic sensor node reconfiguration at the sensor node, comprising one or more of a program, a parameter (e.g., wireless communication parameter), and a change operation for each of an operating condition (e.g., operating condition of the sensor / actuator). Way.

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