Autoconfiguration system for wireless sensor network and its method, and gateway apparatus for wireless sensor network

An autoconfiguration system for a wireless sensor network which includes a wireless sensor node of a plurality of wireless sensor nodes, and a gateway apparatus for connecting to an IPv6 network outside the wireless sensor network, said system comprising:

• said wireless sensor node being configured:
• to transmit a router solicitation message, with insertion of discrete information of a device or service within the wireless sensor node, to the gateway apparatus in order to set an IPv6 address in the IPv6 network when a connection with the wireless sensor network is established, and
• to receive a router advertisement message which contains prefix information of the IPv6 address in the IPv6 network transferred from said gateway apparatus;
• and
• said gateway apparatus being configured:
• to analyze the received router solicitation message to extract the discrete information of a device or service,
• to search for a service server, which is located remotely and connected through the IPv6 network, based on said discrete information,
• to acquire from the service server configuration information including information necessary for execution of a service application in said wireless sensor node and connection information necessary for connection with said service server,
• to provide IPv6 packet transfer function between a MAC layer protocol used in the wireless sensor network and a MAC layer protocol used in the IPv6 network,
• to multicast said router solicitation message received from said wireless sensor node into an IPv6 network, and
• to transfer said router advertisement message containing prefix information of the IPv6 address in the IPv6 network, received from the IPv6 network in response to said router solicitation message having been multicast, to the wireless sensor node;
• wherein said gateway apparatus sets said configuration information acquired from said service server in the router advertisement message upon receipt from the IPv6 network when transferring said router advertisement message to the wireless sensor node;
• and
• wherein said wireless sensor node, upon receipt of the router advertisement message transferred from said gateway apparatus, analyzes said router advertisement message to read out the configuration information and provides the configuration information to the service application for execution.

A gateway apparatus provided in a wireless sensor network which includes a plurality of wireless sensor nodes to connect to an IPv6 network outside the wireless sensor network, said gateway apparatus comprising:

• a unit configured:
• to receive a router solicitation message containing discrete information of a device or service within the wireless sensor node from the wireless sensor node which has transmitted the router solicitation message in order to set an IPv6 address in the IPv6 network,
• to analyze said received router solicitation message to extract the discrete information of a device or service,
• to search for a service server, which is located remotely and connected through the IPv6 network, based on said discrete information, and
• to acquire from the service server configuration information including information necessary for execution of a service application in said wireless sensor node and connection information necessary for connection with said service server;
• a unit configured:
• to provide IPv6 packet transfer function between a MAC layer protocol used in the wireless sensor network and a MAC layer protocol used in the IPv6 network,
• to multicast said router solicitation message received from said wireless sensor node into an IPv6 network;
• and
• a unit configured:
• to set the configuration information received from said service server in a router advertisement message upon receipt from the IPv6 network, and
• to transfer said router advertisement message to said wireless sensor node,
• wherein said wireless sensor node, upon receipt of the router advertisement message transferred from said gateway apparatus, analyzes said router advertisement message to read out the configuration information and provides the configuration information to the service application for execution.