Patent ID: 8873438

Claim:
A computer implemented method of adaptive aggregation of data in a wireless sensor network (WSN), the method comprising: receiving data packets produced from a plurality of sensor nodes at an aggregator sensor node; initiating a process for aggregation of received data packets at the aggregator sensor node, wherein the aggregation process at the aggregator sensor node comprises: receiving a first feedback value or a first special instruction; selecting, from among a plurality of aggregation mechanisms for aggregating received data packets, a first aggregation mechanism for aggregating received data packets, wherein selection of the first aggregation mechanism is based on at least one of the received first feedback value or the received first special instruction; aggregating a first set of received data packets into a first aggregated data packet based on the selected first aggregation mechanism; receiving a second feedback value and a second special instruction, wherein the received second feedback value differs from the received first feedback value, or the received second special instruction differs from the received first special instruction; selecting, from among the plurality of aggregation mechanisms for aggregating received data packets, a second aggregation mechanism for aggregating received data packets, wherein selection of the second aggregation mechanism is based on at least one of the received second feedback value or the received second special instruction; and aggregating a second set of received data packets into a second aggregated data packet, based on the selected second aggregation mechanism; wherein the number of received data packets aggregated within the second aggregated data packet generated by an aggregator sensor node implementing the second aggregation mechanism differs from the number of received data packets aggregated within the first aggregated data packet generated by said aggregator sensor node implementing the first aggregation mechanism.