Deployable sensor system using mesh networking and satellite communication

• US 10,015,259 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRIAD National Security, LLC
• Original Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Frigo, Janette, Judd, Stephen, Proicou, Michael, McCabe, Kevin, Enemark, Donald, Saari, Alexandra, Hinzey, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US15/259,121
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/32 there being a common recording element for two or more variables
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A sensor system may be configured for continuous operation in a low resource environment and/or in extreme environmental conditions. The sensor system may have sufficient processing capabilities to provide scientific computing for pre-processing, quality control, statistical analysis, event classification, data compression and corrections (e.g., spikes in the data), autonomous decisions and actions, triggering other nodes, and information assurance functions that provide data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation. The hardware may have both mesh networking and satellite and cellular communication capability, and may be available for relatively low cost. Such a network provides the flexibility to have potentially any number of nodes be completely independent from one another. Thus, the network may scale across a diverse terrain.

Claims

1. A networking system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a line-of-sight (LOS) radio configured to communicate with nodes within range of a signal transmitted by the LOS radio, wherein

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises communication hardware configured to communicate with a satellite, a cellular network, a radio network, or any combination thereof, the at least one of the plurality of nodes comprising the communication hardware configured to provide state-of-health (SOH) information for the networking system,

nodes that lack the satellite, cellular, and/or radio communication hardware, if any, are configured to transmit data to at least one of the plurality of nodes comprising the satellite, cellular, and/or radio communication hardware directly, via one or more relay nodes, or both,

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to function as an originator of sensor data, a destination for sensor data, and a relay for sensor data, and

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises a processor that performs scientific computing for pre-processing, quality control, statistical analysis, event classification, data compression and corrections, autonomous decisions and actions, triggering other nodes, and information assurance functions to provide data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation.

2. The networking system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor in communication with one or more sensor nodes of the plurality of nodes, wherein the one or more sensor nodes are configured to receive data from the at least one sensor and relay or directly communicate the received data to the satellite, the cellular network, and/or the radio network.

3. The networking system of claim 2, further comprising:

a remote server configured to receive communications either directly or indirectly from the satellite, the cellular network, and/or the radio network, wherein

the received communications comprise data from the one or more sensors.

4. The networking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes is configured to operate as both a sensor node and a relay node.

5. The networking system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes comprises at least one sensor node, at least one relay node, and at least one satellite communication node.

6. The networking system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of nodes comprising the communication hardware is configured to organize received data into packets for data transmission via a satellite link, a cellular network link, a radio network link, or any combination thereof.

7. The networking system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is configured to maintain itself in an ultra-low power sleep mode with average power consumption in the microwatt range.

8. The networking system of claim 7, wherein

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to periodically wake up to retrieve data from a sensor, process the retrieved sensor data, and store the processed sensor data in memory, or send a message via the satellite, the cellular network, or the radio network, and

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to return to the ultra-low power sleep mode after storing the processed sensor data or sending the message.

9. The networking system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is sufficiently robust to operate in environments ranging from 85°

C. to −

40°

C.

18. The networking system of claim 1, wherein the SOH information comprises a station ID, battery voltages, microprocessor temperatures, system temperatures, and a time/date stamp.

19. The networking system of claim 1, wherein the SOH information comprises an event status bit indicating whether a scientific goal has occurred.

10. A mesh networking sensor system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a line-of-sight (LOS) radio configured to communicate with nodes within range of a signal transmitted by the LOS radio; and

at least one sensor in communication with one or more sensor nodes of the plurality of nodes, wherein

the plurality of nodes is configured to form a self-forming, self-healing mesh network,

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises communication hardware configured to communicate with a satellite, a cellular network, a radio network, or any combination thereof,

nodes that lack the satellite, cellular, and/or radio communication hardware, if any, are configured to transmit data to at least one of the plurality of nodes comprising the satellite, cellular, and/or radio communication hardware directly, via one or more relay nodes, or both,

the one or more sensor nodes are configured to receive data from the at least one sensor and relay or directly communicate the received data to the satellite, the cellular network, and/or the radio network, and

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises a processor that performs scientific computing for pre-processing, quality control, statistical analysis, event classification, data compression and corrections, autonomous decisions and actions, triggering other nodes, and information assurance functions to provide data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation.

11. The mesh networking sensor system of claim 10, further comprising:

a remote server configured to receive communications either directly or indirectly from the satellite, the cellular network, and/or the radio network, wherein

the received communications comprise state-of-health (SOH) information from one or more nodes, sensor data from the one or more sensors, or both.

12. The mesh networking sensor system of claim 10, wherein

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to periodically wake up to retrieve data from a sensor, process the retrieved sensor data, and store the processed sensor data in memory, or to send a message via the satellite, the cellular network, or the radio network, and

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to return to an ultra-low power sleep mode after storing the processed sensor data or sending the message.

13. The mesh networking sensor system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is sufficiently robust to operate in environments ranging from 85°

C. to −

40°

C.

14. A system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a line-of-sight (LOS) radio configured to communicate with nodes within range of a signal transmitted by the LOS radio, wherein

the plurality of nodes is configured to form a self-forming, self-healing mesh network,

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises communication hardware configured to communicate with a satellite,

nodes that lack the satellite communication hardware, if any, are configured to transmit data to at least one of the plurality of nodes comprising the satellite communication hardware directly, via one or more relay nodes, or both, and

at least one of the plurality of nodes comprises a processor that performs scientific computing for pre-processing, quality control, statistical analysis, event classification, data compression and corrections, autonomous decisions and actions, triggering other nodes, and information assurance functions to provide data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more sensor nodes; and

at least one sensor in communication with the one or more sensor nodes, wherein

the one or more sensor nodes are configured to receive data from the at least one sensor and relay or directly communicate the received data to the satellite.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a remote server configured to receive communications either directly or indirectly from the satellite, wherein

the received communications comprise state-of-health (SOH) information from one or more nodes, sensor data from the one or more sensors, or both.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to periodically wake up to retrieve data from a sensor, process the retrieved sensor data, and store the processed sensor data in memory, or to send a message via the satellite, and

each of the plurality of nodes is configured to return to an ultra-low power sleep mode after storing the processed sensor data or sending the message.