SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING REMOTE DEVICES

• US 20100194582A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: PETITE, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,964,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/9.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/364 Seismic filtering G01V1/37 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31093 Communication between sensors, actuators and gateway
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling remote devices are provided. In an embodiment, a system can comprise one or more remotely controlled sensors and actuators. The remote sensors/actuators can interface with uniquely identified remote transceivers that transmit and/or receive data. The embodiment can also comprise a plurality of transceivers each having a unique address, and a controller adapted to communicate with at least one of the transceivers in a preformatted message. A sensor can be associated with at least one transceiver to detect a condition and output a data signal to the transceiver, and an actuator can be associated with a transceiver to receive a control signal and activate a device. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A wireless communication device for use in a wireless communication system configured to communicate command and sensed data within the wireless communication systems, the wireless communication device comprising:

a transceiver configured to send and receive wireless communications;

and a controller configured to communicate with at least one other remote wireless device via the transceiver with a preformatted message, the controller further configured to format a message comprising a receiver address comprising an address of at least one remote wireless device;

a command indicator comprising a command code;

a data value comprising a message.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the controller is configured to receive a preformatted message from another wireless communication device, and based on a command code provided in the preformatted message, implement a certain function corresponding to the command code.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 21, wherein the transceiver comprises a unique transceiver address to distinguish the transceiver from other transceivers in the wireless communication system.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 23, wherein the unique transceiver address is an Internet Protocol address.

25. The wireless communication device of claim 22, wherein the function code further comprises an Internet Protocol address.

26. The wireless communication device of claim 22, wherein the command code of the preformatted message are concatenated to provide a receiving device with multiple command codes, the device configured to perform one or more functions corresponding to the command code in the preformatted message.

27. A method of communicating command and sensed data between remote wireless devices, the method comprising:

providing a receiver to receive at least one message;

wherein the message has a packet that comprises a receiver address, a command indicator comprising a command code, a variable data value comprising a message, and a redundancy check error detector; and

providing a controller to determine if at least one received message is a duplicate message and determining a location from which the duplicate message originated.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing one or more remote wireless communication devices, wherein the remote wireless devices comprise geographically remote transceivers adapted to transmit and receive the at least one message, and wherein transmission is accomplished by radio frequency or internet protocol.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing at least one remote wireless communication device, wherein at least one of the devices has a unique address and the packet further comprises at least one address field to contain the unique address for at least one device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the unique address of at least one remote wireless communication device is an Internet Protocol address.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining if an error exists in a packet of the at least one message.

32. In a communication system to communicate command and sensed data between remote devices, the system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a data packet, the data packet comprising a receiver address of at least one remote device;

a command indicator comprising a command code;

a data value comprising a message;

and a controller associated with a remote wireless device comprising a transceiver configured to send and receive wireless signals, the remote device configured to send a preformatted message comprising the receiver address, a command indicator, and the data value via the transceiver to at least one other remote device.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

a plurality of transceivers each having a unique address, the transceiver being one of the plurality of transceivers;

a plurality of controllers associated with each the controller associated with at least one of the transceivers, the controller being in communication with at least one other transceiver with a preformatted message; and

at least one sensor associated with at least one of the transceivers to detect a condition and output a data signal to the transceiver and at least one actuator associated with at least one of the transceivers to activate a device.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the controller sends the preformatted message via an associated transceiver, and at least one transceiver sends the preformatted response message.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the preformatted message is concatenated with function codes to provide the receiving device with multiple function codes, the device configured to perform the functions in the preformatted message.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein at least one transceiver receives the preformatted message requesting sensed data, confirms the receiver address as its own unique address, receives a sensed data signal, formats the sensed data signal into scalable byte segments, determines the number of segments required to contain the sensed data signal, and generates and transmits the preformatted response message comprising at least one packet.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the unique address of at least one receiver is an Internet Protocol address.

38. A wireless communication device for use in a communication system to communicate commands and sensed data between remote wireless communication devices, the wireless communication device comprising:

a transceiver configured to send and receive wireless communications; and

a controller, operatively coupled to the transceiver, configured to communicate with at least one other remote wireless device via the transceiver with a preformatted message, the controller further configured to receive and format data messages, wherein data messages comprising a receiver address comprising an address of at least one remote wireless device;

a command indicator comprising a command code;

a data value comprising a scalable message;

and a function code corresponding to function status of a device co-located with the transceiver.

39. The wireless communication device of claim 38, wherein the device co-located with the transceiver is a sensor operatively coupled to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to format the data value with data sensed by the sensor.

40. The wireless communication device of claim 38, wherein the command code comprises at least one of a device-specific code or a non-device-specific code, wherein the device-specific code commands change of a setting of an actuator co-located with the transceiver and the non-device-specific code includes network status/diagnostic commands.