MULTIVARIATE ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING SYSTEM WITH INTELLIGENT STORAGE AND REDUNDANT TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS

• US 20090195396A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Balmart Sistemas Electronicos Y De Comunicaciones S.L.
• Original Assignee: Balmart Sistemas Electronicos Y De Comunicaciones S.L.
• Inventors: Martinez Peiro, Marcos Antonio, Ballester Merelo, Francisco Jose
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/63 Redundant transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A multivariate environmental sensing system with redundant transmission pathways with a network of nodes detecting environmental conditions and processing a transmissible signal. Nodes use predetermined criteria to make periodic detections, maintaining a low power state between detections. Power is conserved by deciding whether detections are transmitted immediately, or may be stored for periodic transmission. The nodes power up and immediately transmit urgent detections, storing routine detections for delayed batch transmission. Nodes may transmit signals received from other nodes, passing along signals received from more distant nodes. Transmission may have a predetermined pattern, but the system alters this pattern if there is disruption to the system or pattern. Gateways process data from nodes and pass data to other gateways, on an immediate or deferred basis, to a control center, where data is analyzed. Control centers transmit programming instruction to the gateways and nodes in a retrograde fashion along the transmission pathways.

Claims

1. A multivariate environmental sensing system (10) with intelligent storage and redundant transmission pathways comprising:

at least a first node (100) and a second node (101), at least a first gateway (200) and a second gateway (201), and at least one control center (300), wherein;

(a) the at least first node (100) further comprises;

at least one first nodal power source (140);

at least a first nodal primary sensor (110) for detecting a first nodal first environmental condition (12) and generating a first nodal first environmental signal (20) representative of the detected first nodal first environmental condition (12);

at least a first nodal secondary sensor (120) for detecting a first nodal second environmental condition (14) and generating a first nodal second environmental signal (21) representative of the detected first nodal second environmental condition (14);

at least one first nodal receiver (150) for receiving a second nodal output signal (41), for receiving a first nodal output signal message received signal (50), and for receiving a control center programming signal (80);

at least one first nodal programmable nodal processor (180) for processing the at least first nodal first environmental signal (20) and the first nodal second environmental signal (21) to create a first nodal output signal (40) and creating a storable representation of the first nodal output signal (40), for processing the first nodal output signal message received signal (50), for processing the second nodal output signal (41) and generating a second nodal output signal message received signal (51), and for receiving and processing the control center programming signal (80);

at least one first nodal storage device (190) for storing the storable representation of the first nodal output signal (40); and

at least one first nodal transmitter (160) for transmitting the first nodal output signal (40), for transmitting the second nodal output signal (41), for transmitting the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), and for transmitting the control center programming signal (80);

at least one first nodal antenna (170) in electrical communication with the at least one first nodal transmitter (160); and

(b) the at least second node (101) further comprises;

at least one second nodal power source (141);

at least a second nodal primary sensor (111) for detecting a second nodal first environmental condition (16) and generating a second nodal first environmental signal (30) representative of the detected second nodal first environmental condition (16);

at least a second nodal secondary sensor (121) for detecting a second nodal second environmental condition (18) and generating a second nodal second environmental signal (31) representative of the detected second nodal second environmental condition (18);

at least one second nodal receiver (151) for receiving the first nodal output signal (40), for receiving the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), and for receiving the control center programming signal (80);

at least one second nodal programmable nodal processor (181) for processing the at least second nodal first environmental signal (30) and the at least second environmental signal (31) to create the second nodal output signal (41) and creating a storable representation of the second nodal output signal (41), for receiving the first nodal output signal (40) and generating the first nodal output signal message received signal (50), for processing the second nodal output signal message received signal (51) and generating a second nodal transmission stop signal (91), and for receiving and processing the control center programming signal (80);

at least one second nodal storage device (191) for storing the storable representation of the second nodal output signal (41); and

at least one second nodal transmitter (161) for transmitting the first nodal output signal (40), for transmitting the second nodal output signal (41), for transmitting the first nodal output signal message received signal (50), and for transmitting the control center programming signal (80);

at least one second nodal antenna (171) in electrical communication with the at least one second nodal transmitter (161); and

(c) the at least first gateway (200) further comprises;

at least one first gateway power source (240);

at least one first gateway receiver (250) for receiving an output signal selected from the group of output signals consisting of the first nodal output signal (40) and the second nodal output signal (41), for receiving a second gateway output signal (61), for receiving a first gateway output signal message received signal (70), and for receiving the control center programming signal (80);

at least one first gateway programmable gateway processor (280) for processing the output signal selected from the group of output signals consisting of the first nodal output signal (40) and the second nodal output signal (41) to create the first gateway output signal (60) and creating a storable representation of the first gateway output signal (60), for generating a nodal output signal message received signal selected from the group of nodal output signal message received signals consisting of the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) and the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), for processing the first gateway output signal message received signal (70) and generating a first gateway transmission stop signal (92), for processing the second gateway output signal (61) and generating a second gateway output message signal received signal (71), and for processing the control center programming signal (80);

a first gateway storage device (290) for storing the storable representation of the first gateway output signal (60);

at least one first gateway transmitter (260) for transmitting a gateway output signal selected from the group of gateway output signals consisting of the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (61), for transmitting a nodal output signal message received signal selected from the group of nodal output signal message received signals consisting of the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) and the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), for transmitting a second gateway output message signal received signal (71), and for transmitting the control center programming signal (80);

(d) the at least second gateway (201) further comprises;

at least one second gateway power source (241);

at least one second gateway receiver (251) for receiving an output signal selected from the group of output signals consisting of the first nodal output signal (40) and the second nodal output signal (41), for receiving the first gateway output signal (60), for receiving a second gateway output signal message received signal (71), and for receiving the control center programming signal (80);

at least one second gateway programmable gateway processor (281) for processing the output signal selected from the group of output signals consisting of the first nodal output signal (40) and the second nodal output signal (41) to create the second gateway output signal (61) and creating a storable representation of the second gateway output electrical signal (61), for generating a nodal output signal message received signal selected from the group of nodal output signal message received signals consisting of the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) and the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), for processing the first gateway output signal (60) and generating the first gateway output signal message received signal (70), and for processing the control center programming signal (80);

a second gateway storage device (291) for storing the storable representation of the second gateway output signal;

at least one second gateway transmitter (261) for transmitting a gateway output signal selected from the group of gateway output signals consisting of the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (61), for transmitting a nodal output signal message received signal selected from the group of nodal output signal message received signals consisting of the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) and the second nodal output signal message received signal (51), for transmitting the first gateway output signal message received signal (70), and for transmitting the control center programming signal (80); and

(e) the control center (300) further comprises;

at least one control center power source (340);

at least one control center receiver (350) for receiving the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (70);

at least one programmable control center processor (380) for processing the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (70) and for creating a storable representation of the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (70), for creating a humanly perceptible representation of the first gateway output signal (62) and a humanly perceptible representation of the second gateway output signal (63), for generating the first gateway output signal message received signal (70), for generating the second gateway output signal message received signal (71), and for processing the control center programming signal (80);

at least one control center storage device (390) for storing a digital representation of the first gateway output signal (60) and the second gateway output signal (61);

at least one control center programming device (385) for creating the control center programming signal (80) and for remotely programming the first nodal programmable processor (180), the second nodal programmable processor (181), the first gateway programmable processor (280), and the second gateway programmable processor (281);

at least one control center transmitter (360) for transmitting the first gateway output signal message received signal (70), the second gateway output signal message received signal (71), and the control center programming signal; and

at least one display device (400) for displaying the humanly perceptible representation of the first gateway output signal (62) and the humanly perceptible representation of the second gateway output signal (63).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one nodes (100, 101) further comprises a first nodal GPS device (130) in communication with the nodal processor (180) to generate a GPS coordinate signal (99), and the GPS coordinate signal (99) is transmittable by at least one of the at least one nodal transmitters (160, 161).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nodal first environmental condition (12) is humidity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nodal second environmental condition is temperature (14).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nodal power source (140) is at least one solar panel (246).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first nodal power source (140) is at least one battery (244).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control center programming device (385) is in communication with the control center (300) through the internet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display (400) further includes at least one remote display device (410) remote from the control center (300).

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the remote display device (410) is in communication with the control center (300) via the internet.

10. A method for detecting and monitoring environment conditions comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning at least a first node (100) in an area to be monitored;

(b) positioning at least a second node (101) in the area to be monitored;

(c) positioning at least a first gateway (200) in radio communication with the at least first node (100);

(d) positioning a control center (300) in radio communication with the at least one gateway (200);

(e) generating at least one environmental signal (20, 21) from a sensor selected from the group of sensors consisting of a first and second nodal sensor (110, 120) of the at least one node (100);

(f) processing in a first nodal programmable processor (180) the at least one environmental signal (20, 21) to generate a first nodal output signal (40);

(g) making a nodal output signal (40) disposition on the basis of predetermined criteria to make a disposition selected from the group of dispositions consisting of immediate transmission of the first nodal output signal (40) and deferred transmission of the first nodal output signal (40);

(h) effecting storage in a first nodal storage device (190) of a digital representation of the first nodal output signals (40) reflective of dispositions for deferred transmission;

(i) effecting periodic transmission by a first nodal transmitter (160) on a predetermined schedule of a digital representation of the first nodal output signals (40) reflective of dispositions for deferred transmission to at least one receiving site selected from the sites consisting of at least a second node (120) and the at least first gateway (200) along a predetermined transmission pattern;

(j) effecting immediate transmission by the nodal transmitter (160) of a digital representation of the first nodal output signal (40) reflective of disposition for immediate transmission to at least one receiving site selected from the sites consisting of at least the second node (120) and the at least first gateway (200) along a predetermined transmission pattern;

(k) generating a first nodal output signal message received signal (50) in the at least one receiving site and transmitting it for receipt to the at least one first node (100);

(l) repeating steps (i) through (k) by a series of alternate transmission steps selected from the group of steps consisting of higher powered transmissions and a predetermined hierarchy of predetermined transmission patterns for a predetermined period of time until the receiving site of step (j) above is the at least one first gateway (200) and the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) is generated and transmitted to the at least one first node (100), and the first nodal output signal message received signal (50) is received by the at least one first node (100);

(m) processing the first nodal output signal (40) in the gateway processor to create a first gateway output signal (60);

(n) making a disposition on the basis of predetermined criteria to make a disposition selected from the group of dispositions consisting of immediate transmission of the first gateway output signal (60) and deferred transmission of the first gateway output signal (60);

(o) effecting storage in a gateway storage device (290) of a digital representation of the first gateway output signal (60) reflective of dispositions for deferred transmission;

(p) effecting periodic transmission by a gateway transmitter (260) on a predetermined schedule of a digital representation of the first gateway output signal (60) reflective of disposition for deferred transmission to at least one receiving site selected from the sites consisting of at least a second gateway (201) and the control center (300) along a predetermined transmission pattern;

(q) effecting immediate transmission by the gateway transmitter (260) of a digital representation of the first gateway output signal (60) reflective of disposition for immediate transmission to at least one receiving site selected from the sites consisting of at least the second gateway (201) and the control center (300) along a predetermined transmission pattern;

(r) generating a first gateway output signal received signal (71) in the at least one receiving site and transmitting it for receipt to the at least one first gateway (200);

(s) repeating steps (p) through (r) by a series of alternate transmission steps selected from the group of steps consisting of higher powered transmissions and a predetermined hierarchy of predetermined transmission patterns until the receiving site of step (q) above is the control center (300) and the first gateway output signal received message (70) is received by the at least one gateway (200); and

(t) further processing the first gateway output signal (60) to create a humanly perceptible representation of the first gateway output signal (70).

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of remotely altering the programming of one of the processors selected from the group of processors consisting of the at least one nodal processor (180) and at least one gateway processor (280) from the control center (300).

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of transmitting the humanly perceptible representation of the first gateway output signal (70) to a plurality of distance sites.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating and storing a digital representation of the first gateway output signal (70) in a control center storage device (390).

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the receipt of the first nodal output signal received signal (50) by the at least first node (100) in step (l) creates a first nodal transmission stop signal (90) that stops further transmission until there is a change in at least one predetermined parameter of the first nodal output signal (40).

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receipt of the first gateway output signal message received signal (70) by the at least first gateway (200) in step (s) creates a first gateway transmission stop signal (92) that stops further transmission by the first gateway transmitter (260) until there is a change in at least one predetermined parameter of the first gateway output signal (60).

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of altering the programming of a programmable processor selected from the group of programmable processors consisting of the at least first nodal programmable processor (180) and the at least one first gateway programmable processor (280) by means of a signal transmitted by the control center transmitter (360).

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of geographically mapping the relative location of the at least first node (100) and the at least second node (101).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of geographically mapping the relative location of the at least first node (100) and the at least second node (101) further comprises the steps of,

(a) determining an absolute geographic position of the at least first node (100) by GPS;

(b) determining an absolute geographic position of the at least second node (101) by GPS;

(c) reporting the absolute geographic position of the at least first node (100) and at least second node (101) to the control center programmable processor (380) by means of at least one transmitted GPS location signal;

(d) mapping the absolute positions of the at least first node (100) and at least second node (101) by the control center (300) to determine the relative positions of the at least first node (100) and the at least second node (101), by the control center (300); and

(e) determining the predetermined transmission patterns of steps (l) and (q) at least in part on the basis of the relative positions of the at least first node (100) and at least second node (101).

19. A method for detecting and monitoring environment conditions comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning at least one sensor in an area to be monitored;

(b) sensing at least one environmental condition with the at least one sensor;

(c) creating a digital representation of the at least one environmental condition;

(d) choosing between an immediate transmission of a representation of the environmental condition and a deferred transmission of the representation of the environmental condition on the basis of predetermined criteria;

(e) storing a representation of the environmental condition selected for deferred transmission;

(f) transmitting the representation of the environmental condition selected for immediate transmission on an immediate basis and the representation of the environmental condition selected for deferred transmission on a periodic predetermined basis;

(g) receiving the representation of the environmental condition in at least one gateway and further processing the representation of the environmental condition;

(h) choosing between an immediate transmission of the representation of the environmental condition and a deferred transmission of the representation of the environmental condition on the basis of predetermined criteria;

(i) transmitting the representation of the environmental condition selected for immediate transmission on an immediate basis and the representation of the environmental condition selected for deferred transmission on a periodic predetermined basis;

(j) receiving the representation of the environmental condition in at least one control center and further processing the representation of the environmental condition; and

(k) making at least one assessment of the environmental condition.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising altering at least one of the predetermined criteria of steps selected from the group of steps consisting of step (d) and step (h) in response to the assessment of the environmental condition.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising altering at least one of the periodic predetermined basis of steps selected from the group of steps consisting of step (f) and step (i) in response to the assessment of the environmental condition.