Patent ID: 8547982
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A routing protocol method in a wireless sensor network having a plurality of clusters, each of the clusters having a cluster head, the network further having a sink node, the method comprising the steps of: waking up a first node of the wireless sensor network, thereby energizing the first node's systems; having the first node listen for a first keep alive data packet on an assigned communications channel for a predetermined time period; constituting the first node as a first cluster head if the predetermined time period has timed out without the first node receiving the first keep alive data packet; after constituting the first node as a first cluster head, having the first cluster head transmit a second keep alive data packet; having the first node measure a received signal strength indication (RSSI) if the first node received the first keep alive data packet; having the first node compare the RSSI to a threshold value; constituting the first node as a first cluster head if the RSSI is below the threshold value; constituting the first node as a first member node if the RSSI is above the threshold value; and having the first node follow scheduling from a single master clock of the wireless sensor network.