Networked pest control system

• US 10,085,133 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dow Agrosciences LLC (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Borth, Paul W., Scherer, Peter N., Tolley, Mike P., Voglewede, Christopher J., Schneider, Brian M., Orr, Nailah, Baxter, Richard V., Brune, Douglas K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/402,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 3405732
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/02 with devices or substances, e.g. food, pheronones attracting the insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/026 combined with devices for monitoring insect presence, e.g. termites bait stations A01M1/2005; detecting other animals in a given area A01M31/002
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/103 for crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/2011 for crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 2200/011 Crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/00 Traps for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/30 Break-back traps , i.e. mouse-trap type
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 23/38 Electric traps
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 25/002 Bait holders, i.e. stationary devices for holding poisonous bait at the disposal of the animal
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/265 by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A pest control device system includes a plurality of pest control devices and a data collector. The system may further include the data collector in the form of a gateway that is connected to a data management server via a computer network along with other gateways in corresponding pest control device groups. Each pest control device includes a pest sensor and a wireless communication circuit to transmit information from the corresponding sensor. The devices also configure to define a local wireless communication network that can relay the information from one to the next and ultimately to the data collector.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating a pest control system including a plurality of pest control devices and a data collector, the pest control devices including a plurality of pest sensors and each pest control device including a respective wireless communication circuit;

receiving a base sensor signal from a pest sensor of a first pest control device of the pest control devices;

periodically receiving a next sensor signal from the pest sensor at predefined intervals of time;

determining, in response to receiving each next sensor signal, whether a difference between the base signal and the next sensor signal exceeds a predetermined threshold;

updating a counter in response to determining that the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold;

determining whether the counter exceeds a predetermined limit that is associated with a targeted pest;

wirelessly transmitting, in response to determining that the counter exceeds a predetermined limit, sensor information indicative of a presence of a targeted pest from the pest sensor of the first pest control device to a second pest control device of the pest control devices, wherein the predetermined limit is associated with the targeted pest; and

wirelessly providing the sensor information from the second pest control device to the data collector.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the pest control devices includes a respective bait for one or more species of pest.

6. The method of claim 5, which includes attracting at least one of termites and bedbugs with the bait.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the pest control devices include at least one of:

(a) an active transponder and (b) two or more sensor types.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes:

providing the data collector as a form of gateway;

interfacing the gateway to a computer network; and

providing a user access to data gathered with pest control devices through the computer network.

9. The method of claim 8, which includes:

providing a number of different gateways, the gateways each corresponding to a respective one of several different pest control device groups;

monitoring each of several different locations with the respective one of the different pest control device groups, the different locations being remote from one another;

from each of the different gateways, communicating information through the computer network to a data management server; and

establishing the user access with the data management server.

10. The method of claim 1, which includes:

providing one or more of the pest control devices with a respective bait for a rodent; and

detecting rodent activity with the respective pest sensor of at least one of the one or more of the pest control devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more of the pest control devices includes a respective rodent trap and the respective pest sensor of each of the one or more of the pest control devices signals activation of the respective rodent trap.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective wireless communication circuit of the first pest control device is out of communication range with the data collector, and the relaying of the sensor information from the second pest control device includes sending the sensor information through at least a third pest control device of the pest control devices before the sensor information reaches the data collector.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a first group of the pest control devices each communicate data to the data collector through one or more of a second group of pest control devices.

2. A method, comprising:

operating a pest control system including a plurality of pest control devices and a data collector, the pest control devices including a plurality of pest sensors and each pest control device including a respective wireless communication circuit;

activating an installation operational mode of the selected pest control devices of the pest control devices;

establishing a wireless communication link between a first pest control device of the selected pest control devices and a second pest control device of the selected pest control devices;

in response to establishing the wireless communication link, providing an output to an operator indicating establishment of the wireless communication link;

receiving a base sensor signal from a pest sensor of the first pest control device;

periodically receiving a next sensor signal from the pest sensor at predefined intervals of time;

determining, in response to receiving each next sensor signal, whether a difference between the base signal and the next sensor signal exceeds a predetermined threshold;

updating a counter in response to determining that the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold;

determining whether the counter exceeds a predetermined limit that is associated with a targeted pest;

wirelessly transmitting, in response to determining that the counter exceeds a predetermined limit, sensor information indicative of a presence of a targeted pest from the pest sensor of the first pest control device to the second pest control device, wherein the predetermined limit is associated with the targeted pest; and

wirelessly providing the sensor information from the second pest control device to the data collector.

3. The method of claim 2, which includes applying a magnetic field proximate to a selected one of the pest control devices to initiate the activation of the installation operation mode, and wherein the selected one of the pest control devices includes a magnetic switch responsive to the magnetic field, the output includes a first visual indicator output, and further comprising:

providing a second visual indicator output different than the first visual indicator output if the selected one of the pest control devices fails to establish the wireless communication link after a predefined period of time;

in response to the second visual indicator output, installing one or more other of the pest control devices; and

after the installing of the one or more other of the pest control devices, attempting again to establish the wireless communication link for the selected one of the pest control devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected one of the pest control devices fails to establish the wireless communication link and further comprising:

changing position of the selected one of the pest control devices; and

establishing the wireless communication link with the selected one of the pest control devices after the changing of the position thereof.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of the pest control devices includes a respective bait for one or more species of pest.

15. The method of claim 14, which includes attracting at least one of termites and bedbugs with the bait.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein at least some of the pest control devices include at least one of:

(a) an active transponder and (b) two or more sensor types.