Modular approach for smart and customizable security solutions and other applications for a smart city

• US 10,529,221 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navio International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Navio International, Inc.
• Inventors: Jarrell, John A., Brown, Ernest C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US15/489,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/088 with lighting device mounted on top of the standard, e.g. for pedestrian zones
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/10 Outdoor lighting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A modular approach is provided for sensing and responding to detected activity or an event in a region that can be implemented quickly and easily using existing city infrastructure to establish a grid of sensors and detectors to provide localized or wide area coverage. The approach provides a turnkey solution or smart city in a box that can be adapted to different situations and needs to provide communications functionality and/or a desired or customized functionality for a wide range of different applications.

Claims

1. A system for automatically installing and removing one or more modular devices from a support member, the system comprising:

a telescoping pole attached to a movable base, wherein the telescoping pole is configured to be raised or lowered in accordance with commands received from a command center;

a lateral arm coupled to a top portion of the telescoping pole at a coupling point, wherein at least one end of the lateral arm is configured to extend laterally away from the coupling point; and

a primary gripping device coupled to a first end of the lateral arm and a secondary gripping device coupled to a second end of the lateral arm;

wherein the telescoping pole comprises a controllable motor configured to rotate the lateral arm, and wherein the lateral arm comprises an inverted motor on at least one end of the lateral arm that is configured to spin the primary gripping device or the secondary gripping device clockwise or counterclockwise, and

wherein the primary gripping device, in conjunction with a sensor and a camera is configured to;

(i) find a location of a first modular device that is coupled to the support member,

(ii) grip, twist and apply a downward force to the first modular device in order to free or release the first modular device from the support member, and

(iii) hold the first modular device while the telescoping pole is being lowered;

and wherein the secondary gripping device is configured to;

(i) locate and grip a second modular device from a rack or a bin on the movable base,

(ii) hold the second modular device while the telescoping pole extends to reach a top portion of the support member,

(iii) locate an empty socket on the top portion of the support member, and

(iv) insert the second modular device into the socket, exert a downward pressure on the second modular device, and twist the second modular device into place in the socket before releasing the grip on the second modular device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises the sensor and the camera.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the telescoping pole is motorized.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable base is mounted on a portion of a vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices comprises a legacy device, a station, or an application module.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary gripping device and the secondary gripping device are downward-facing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a distance sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises a streetlight.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices comprises one or more application specific modules selected from the group consisting of:

an unmanned aerial vehicle communication module, an unmanned aerial vehicle management module, a ground vehicle communication module, a ground vehicle management module, a threat detection or threat alert module, an imaging module, a monitoring module, a weather sensing module, a weather alert module, an environmental sensing module, an environmental alert module, a traffic monitoring module, a traffic alert module, an activity sensing module, an activity alert module, a disturbance sensing module, a disturbance alert module, a weapon sensing module, a weapon alert module, a terror sensing module, a terror alert module, an earthquake movement sensing module, an earthquake movement alert module, a smoke or fire sensing module, a smoke or fire alert module, a civil unrest or riot detection module, a civil unrest or riot alert module, a natural disaster sensing module, a natural disaster alert module, an accident sensing module, an accident sensing alert module, a communications module, a roadway construction monitoring module, a building or structure construction monitoring module, an impaired driver monitoring module, an impaired driving alert module, an intersection violation monitoring module, an intersection violation alert module, a shot identification or suspect monitoring module, a shot identification or suspect alert module, a communications repeater module, a wireless internet provision module, a vehicle information logging module, a parking monitor module, an on-request monitoring module, an unmanned aerial vehicle recharge module, a military or port security module, a pipeline integrity module, an air pollution module, and an unmanned aerial vehicle detection or security module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more application specific modules comprises at least one sensor or detection component selected from the group consisting of:

a camera, a photo cell, a microphone, an activity sensor, a motion sensor, a sound meter, an acoustic sensor, an optical sensor, an ambient light sensor, an infrared sensor, a gas sensor, a gas detector, a particle sensor, a gas particle sensor, an airborne particulate sensor, a smoke sensor, a fire sensor, an environmental sensor, a weather sensor, a temperature sensor, a thermometer, a pressure sensor, a wind sensor, a rainfall sensor, a dew point sensor, a seismic sensor, a radar detector, a lidar detector, a navigation beacon, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a pullbox, a communications receiver, a cellphone, a wireless router, and a communications sensor configured to detect a transmission.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more application specific modules are configured to provide one or more sensing applications selected from the group consisting of:

unmanned aerial vehicle communication or management;

autonomous ground vehicle communication or management;

threat detection or alerting to detected threats;

imaging or monitoring features;

weather sensing or weather alerts;

environmental sensing or environmental alerts;

traffic monitoring or traffic alerts;

activity sensing or activity alerts;

disturbance sensing or disturbance alerts;

weapon sensing or alerting to detected weapons;

terror sensing or alerting to detected activity indicating possible terror attacks;

earthquake movement sensing or earthquake alerts;

smoke and fire sensing or smoke and fire alerts;

civil unrest and riot detection or alerting to civil unrest and riots;

natural disaster sensing or alerting to detected natural disasters;

accident sensing or accident alerts;

other communications;

roadway construction monitoring;

building or structure construction monitoring;

impaired driver monitoring or impaired driver alerts;

intersection violation monitoring or intersection violation alerts;

shot identification or suspect tracking;

communications repeater;

wireless internet provision;

vehicle information logging;

parking monitoring; and

pollution monitoring.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices are configured to be powered by the support member upon installation onto the support member.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more modular devices is configured to be coupled to the support member and fully operational to provide communications functionality within a range of about 10 seconds to about 5 minutes.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices comprises a detection component.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection component comprises a microphone, a camera, a radar component, or a lidar component.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection component is configured to detect a removal attempt of the one or more modular devices from the support member to which the one or more modular devices are coupled.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices are in communication with a data store that is configured to store information for performing a functionality of the one or more modular devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data store is configured to store a precise location identifier of the system or of a portion of the system.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data store is configured to store a precise location identifier for a point of interest.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the point of interest is selected from the group consisting of a location of the support member to which the one or more modular devices are installed, a location associated with a road in a vicinity of the one or more modular devices, and an airborne location in a vicinity of the one or more modular devices.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more modular devices comprise (1) a communications module configured to communicate wirelessly with another system, a control center, or with a wireless communication device;

and (2) a processing module comprising a processor configured to execute an instruction to perform a desired task.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to adjust an intensity of a luminaire of a streetlight.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing module is configured to execute instructions to collect, aggregate, or evaluate data generated by an activity or event.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the collection, aggregation, or evaluation of data is performed using artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data mining techniques.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the data or portions of the data collected, aggregated, or evaluated are disaggregated.