All WEATHER HOUSING ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

• US 20070043807A1
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Twitchell, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,830,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A sensor network for monitoring of a pipeline comprises a sensor disposed for monitoring of a pipeline, the sensor capable of acquiring data related to the pipeline and communicating sensor data; a first remote sensor interface (RSI) comprising a data communications device capable of receiving the sensor data communicated from the sensor, and transmitting data relating to the received sensor data; and a data communications device capable of receiving the data transmitted by the first RSI and transmitting data related to the sensor data directly or indirectly to a network external to the sensor network. The sensor network comprises a common designation network.

Claims

1. A sensor network for monitoring of a pipeline, the network comprising:

(a) a sensor disposed for monitoring of a pipeline, the sensor capable of acquiring data related to the pipeline and communicating sensor data;

(b) a first remote sensor interface (RSI) comprising a data communications device capable of,

(i) receiving the sensor data communicated from the sensor, and

(ii) transmitting data relating to the received sensor data; and

(c) a data communications device capable of receiving the data transmitted by the first RSI and transmitting data related to the sensor data directly or indirectly to a network external to the sensor network;

(d) wherein the sensor network comprises a common designation network.

2. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the data communications device comprises a second RSI.

3. The sensor network of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of spatially separated RSIs disposed along the pipeline for monitoring of the pipeline, wherein data related to the sensor data is transmitted and received among the plurality of RSIs such that data related to the sensor data propagates along the pipeline.

4. The sensor network of claim 3, wherein data related to the sensor data propagates in a particular direction along the pipeline among the plurality of RSIs in a sequential order according to increasing distance from the first RSI.

5. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the data communications device comprises a gateway capable of at least intermittent communications with the external network.

6. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a substance sensor.

7. The sensor network of claim 6, wherein the substance sensor is sensitive to a substance present within the pipeline such that the substance sensor is capable of detecting the substance escaping from the pipeline.

8. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a hydrocarbon sensor.

9. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a device or array of devices for measuring state conditions of a pipeline or that of its contents such as temperature, flow rate, and pressure.

10. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an activity-monitoring or reconnaissance device such as a camera, a microphone, a motion detector, a light detector, and a broadband RF signal scanner.

11. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a device for detecting physical presence at a pipeline, a leak of a pipeline, or tampering with a pipeline.

12. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer or an acoustic pulse detector.

13. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor acquires data regarding the security, integrity, configuration, condition, disposition, orientation, location, contents, or surroundings of the pipeline.

14. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor is capable of detecting an automobile driven proximal to the pipeline.

15. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the pipeline is an oil pipeline.

16. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor network is a common designation network.

17. The sensor network of claim 16, wherein the sensor network is an ad hoc class-based network.

18. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the sensor network comprises at least two common designation networks disposed along an extent of the pipeline, whereby data communications along the pipeline may be sent over one common designation network to the exclusion of the other common designation network.

19. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the data communication device of the first RSI includes a standards based radio, and wherein the data communication device includes a second receiver that wakes the standards based radio upon receipt of a broadcast that includes a common designation of the first RSI.

20. The sensor network of claim 19, wherein the first RSI is configured to add, change, or remove one or more common designations thereof based on instructions communicated to the first RSI.

21. The sensor network of claim 19, wherein the sensor network comprises at least two common designation networks disposed along an extent of the pipeline, whereby data communications along the pipeline may be sent over one common designation network to the exclusion of the common designation network.

22. A method for monitoring of a pipeline that includes (i) a sensor disposed for monitoring of a pipeline, (ii) a plurality of remote sensor interfaces disposed generally along an extent of the pipeline, and (iii) a data communications device disposed proximate the pipeline for receiving data from the at least one remote sensor interface and communicating with a network external to the wireless sensor network, the method including the steps of:

(a) acquiring, by the sensor, data related to the pipeline;

(b) after step (a), communicating, by one of the remote sensor interfaces, sensor data;

(c) after step (b), receiving, by another one of the remote sensor interfaces, the sensor data;

(d) after step (c), transmitting data, by the other remote sensor interface, that relates to the received sensor data;

(e) after step (d), receiving, by the data communications device, data transmitted by one of the remote sensor interfaces that relates to the sensor data; and

(f) after step (e), communicating, by the data communications device, data that is related to the sensor data to a network external to the wireless sensor network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one common designation network is formed.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein a plurality of common designation networks are formed.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising supplying power to the at least one remote sensor interface utilizing solar power.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein solar power is supplied by at least one solar panel.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising supplying power to the gateway utilizing solar power.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein solar power is supplied by at least one solar panel.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein communicating data related to the sensor data to a network external to the wireless sensor network includes communicating via a satellite radio signal.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein communicating data related to the sensor data to a network external to the wireless sensor network includes communicating via a cellular telephony signal.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (f) is performed by a gateway upon receipt of an appropriate wake-up signal and is not performed at periodic intervals determined based on a timer of the gateway.