Communications and power harvesting system for in-pipe wireless sensor networks
First Claim
1. A system for communicating data in confined waveguides containing a fluid, the system comprising:
- a first node located at a first location of a confined waveguide, the first node comprising;
a first processor to modulate data for transmission in the confined waveguide; and
a transmitter unit including a transmitter to convert the modulated data to a transmission signal and a transducer to convert the transmission signal to a propagation signal to propagate via the fluid in the confined waveguide; and
a second node located at a second location of the confined waveguide at a given distance away from the first node, the second node comprising;
a receiver unit including a transducer to convert the propagation signal to a received signal and a receiver to convert the received signal to a modulated signal; and
a second processor coupled to the receiver unit to demodulate the modulated signal to a data signal.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system or corresponding method provides for communicating data in confined waveguides containing a fluid. The system includes processing and transmitter/receiver operations at nodes in or alone the confined waveguides and transducers to produce a propagation signal that transmits modulated data via the fluid in the confined waveguide. Applications include sensing information about the fluid, such as the pressure, pH, or other parameter(s), and transmitting that data via the fluid in the confined waveguide. For example, the system may be distributed about an oil pipeline or network of oil pipelines. Nodes in the system may include turbines that generate power for use by the nodes at levels sufficient to support the node for its activities. Signal processing and multiple transducers at each node may be employed to extend distances up to kilometers between nodes for low-cost operation of the system.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A system for communicating data in confined waveguides containing a fluid, the system comprising:
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a first node located at a first location of a confined waveguide, the first node comprising;
a first processor to modulate data for transmission in the confined waveguide; and
a transmitter unit including a transmitter to convert the modulated data to a transmission signal and a transducer to convert the transmission signal to a propagation signal to propagate via the fluid in the confined waveguide; and
a second node located at a second location of the confined waveguide at a given distance away from the first node, the second node comprising;
a receiver unit including a transducer to convert the propagation signal to a received signal and a receiver to convert the received signal to a modulated signal; and
a second processor coupled to the receiver unit to demodulate the modulated signal to a data signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for communicating data in confined waveguides containing a fluid, the method comprising:
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modulating data for transmission in the a confined waveguide;
converting the modulated data to a transmission signal and further converting the transmission signal to a propagation signal;
propagating the propagation signal via the fluid in the confined waveguide for a given distance;
receiving the propagation signal and converting the propagating signal to a modulated signal; and
demodulating the modulated signal to a data signal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification