Apparatus for detecting environmental conditions for a structure or article

• US 20050017873A1
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Liu, Chang, Engel, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.10
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0008 of bridges
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0041 by determining deflection or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0066 by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration vibration testing of structures G01M7/00

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting environmental conditions for a structure or article. The apparatus comprises one or more sensors for sensing conditions at the component or articles and producing one or more signals and a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data based on the one or more signals to a remote device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting environmental conditions for a structure or article comprising:

one or more sensors for sensing conditions at the component or articles and producing one or more signals;

a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data based on the one or more signals to a remote device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a power source for said one or more sensors and said wireless transmitter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said one or more sensors, said wireless transmitter, and said power source are contained within an article.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said one or more sensors, said wireless transmitter, and said power source are enclosed within a structural component of the structure.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the structural component comprises at least one of a masonry brick, a concrete brick, poured concrete, structural steel, and asphalt.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the structure comprises at least one of a building, a bridge, a road, and a pavement.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensors comprise at least one of a thermistor, a vibration sensor, a moisture sensor, a chemical sensor, and an acoustic sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a power source for said one or more sensors and said wireless transmitter, said power source comprising at least one of a storage device and a charging device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

control circuitry for controlling receiving of signals from the one or more sensors and for controlling sending of data through the wireless transmitter.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said control circuitry is programmed to receive signals from the one or more sensors at regular intervals.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said control circuitry is programmed to enter a sleep mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said control circuitry is programmed to enter a sleep mode based on a prediction of signals from the one or more sensors.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more sensors and the wireless transmitter are enclosed within a chamber of a structural component of the structure.

14. A structure, a structural component, or an article incorporating the apparatus of claim 1.

15. A network for detecting environmental conditions within a structure or article, the network comprising:

a sensor node comprising at least one sensor and a wireless transmitter;

at least one hub for receiving wired or wireless signal transmitted from said structure or article.

16. The network of claim 15 wherein said sensor node is contained within a structural component of the structure.

17. The network of claim 15 wherein said sensor node is integrated with the article.

18. The network of claim 15 further comprising:

a base in communication with said at least one hub for receiving signals sent from said at least one hub.

19. The network of claim 18 further comprising:

a computer coupled to at least one of said base and said at least one hub.

20. A method of detecting environmental conditions in a structure, the method comprising:

providing a signal from at least one sensor disposed within a structural component of the structure;

processing the signal to provide a data stream;

wirelessly transmitting the data stream to a remote device;

receiving the wireless transmitted data stream.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said processing the signal comprises:

multiplexing the signal from the at least one sensor;

converting the multiplexed signal to a serial data stream.