Sensor devices and networks for remotely acquiring stormwater data

• US 10,292,025 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hadronex, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StormSensor, Inc.
• Inventors: Stettler, Anya Rose, Darling, Robert Bruce, Gibbs, IV, William Irl
• Primary Examiner(s): Rushing, Mark S
• Application Number:
  US15/483,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 340618
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards devices, systems, and methods for remotely acquiring stormwater data. A sensor device includes sensors and a transceiver. The sensors generate stormwater data in response to a fluid communication with (or exposure to) stormwater flowing through a stormwater drainage (such as a pipe). The transceiver provides the stormwater data to another sensor device included within a self-healing mesh network including similar sensor devices. The transceiver receives other stormwater data from still other sensor devices included in the mesh network. The sensor device additionally include a processor device, a memory device, a rechargeable battery, and a global positioning device. The components may be integrated on an inner surface of a compression ring that is positionable within the stormwater pipe. The mesh network includes a controller node for receiving the stormwater data from the sensor devices and relaying the stormwater to a remote computing device.

Claims

1. A sensor device for acquiring stormwater data, comprising:

one or more sensors that are each configured and arranged for generating the stormwater data in response to a fluid communication with stormwater;

a transceiver device that is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured and arranged for providing at least a portion of the stormwater data to a second sensor device and receiving other stormwater data from a third sensor device;

a compression ring that is coupled to the transceiver device and each of the one or more sensors, wherein the compression ring is configured and arranged for positioning adjacent to an inner surface of a cavity that forms at least a portion of a flow-path for the stormwater such that the compression ring exerts an outward force on the inner surface of the cavity to hold the sensor device in place in the portion of the flow-path for the stormwater.

2. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the

compression ring includes an inner surface that is coupled to the transceiver device and each of the one or more sensors and an outer surface that is configured and arranged for positioning adjacent to the inner surface of the cavity that the fluid communication between the one or more sensors and the stormwater is established.

3. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors includes a depth sensor that generates a portion of the stormwater data that encodes a depth of the stormwater within a flow-path cavity based on the generation and detection of mechanical-energy waves.

4. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors includes a velocity sensor that generates a portion of the stormwater data that encodes a velocity of the stormwater within a flow-path cavity based on a detection of a frequency-shift of mechanical-energy waves.

5. The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is configured and arranged for positioning within a cavity that forms at least a portion of a flow-path for the stormwater such that when positioned within the cavity, the transceiver device is positioned vertically-above a level of the stormwater and at least a portion of the one or more sensors is positioned vertically-below the level of the stormwater.

6. The sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory device that is configured and arranged for storing the stormwater data;

a processor device that is configured and arranged for operating the one or more sensors, the transceiver device, and the memory device; and

a power device that is configured and arranged for providing power to each of the one or more sensors, the transceiver device, the memory device, and the processor device.

7. The sensor device of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that is coupled to the compression ring and houses at least the one or more sensors and the transceiver device.

8. A system for acquiring stormwater data, the system comprising:

a first sensor node that includes;

first plurality of sensors that generate the stormwater data;

a first local-data transceiver device; and

a compression ring that is coupled to the first local-data transceiver device and each of the first plurality of sensors, wherein the compression ring is configured and arranged for positioning adjacent to an interior surface of a cavity of a stormwater channel such that the compression ring exerts an outward force on the inner surface of the cavity to hold the first sensor node in place in the stormwater channel; and

a controller node that includes;

a second local data-transceiver device that receives the stormwater data from the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node; and

a remote-data transceiver device that provides the received stormwater data to a remote computing device.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a second sensor node that includes;

a second plurality of sensors that generate other stormwater data; and

a third local-data transceiver device that provides the other stormwater data to the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node, wherein

the first local-data transceiver device of the first node provides the other stormwater data to the remote-data transceiver device of the controller node, and the remote-data transceiver device of the controller node provides the other stormwater data to the remote computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein in response to a detection of a non-operation of the first sensor node, the third local-data transceiver device of the second sensor node provides the other stormwater data to the second local-data transceiver device of the controller node.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller node further includes a first memory device that stores a sensor node configuration and a controller node configuration, wherein each of the sensor node configuration and the controller node configuration is received, at the controller node, from the remote computing device via the remote-data transceiver device of the controller node.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first sensor node further includes a second memory device that stores the sensor node configuration, wherein the sensor node configuration is received, at the first sensor node, from the second local-data transceiver device of the controller node via the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the compression ring includes an inner surface that is coupled to the first local-data transceiver device and each of the first plurality of sensors and an outer surface that enables coupling of the first sensor node to the interior surface of the cavity of the stormwater channel.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller node aggregates and buffers additional stormwater data generated and received from a plurality of other sensor nodes.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of sensors includes a turbidity sensor that generates stormwater data encoding one or more optical properties of stormwater.