INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20100295672A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International Incorporated (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Barker, Clayton Robert, Hyland, Gregory E., Keefe, Robert Paul, Zakas, Marietta Edmunds
• Granted Patent: US 8,823,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 9/06 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13 Plc programming
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• 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: Y10T 137/5468 Cap, cover or hood

Abstract

An infrastructure monitoring system and method that comprises multiple communications devices. At least one communications device is coupled to an element of the infrastructure.

Claims

1. An infrastructure monitoring system comprising:

an operations center; and

a plurality of communications devices communicatively coupled to the operations center;

wherein, at least one communications device of said plurality of communications devices is coupled to a component of the infrastructure; and

wherein at least two communications devices are monitoring devices, the first monitoring device monitoring a first aspect of the infrastructure and the second monitoring device monitoring a second aspect of the infrastructure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring devices comprise:

at least one sensor sensing at least one condition within the infrastructure;

a data storage device storing data sensed by the at least one sensor;

a transceiver device adapted to transmit and receive data; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the data storage device, and the transceiver device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations center and the plurality of communications devices are wirelessly communicatively coupled.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one communications device is an output device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the output device comprises:

a transceiver device adapted receive or transmit data;

at least one output port; and

a processor communicatively coupled to at least one of the transceiver device and

the at least one output port.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the operations center and the at least one output device are wirelessly communicatively coupled.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein each communications device is adapted to receive transmissions for a second communications device and retransmit the transmission to the second communications device.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein each communications device is adapted to receive transmissions for the operations center and retransmit the transmission to the operations center.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one output device is coupled to at least one of an actuator control device, an alarm, a Radio-Frequency Identification device and a tamper prevention device.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein a monitoring device and an output device are contained within the same unit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device and the output device share at least one of a power source, a transceiver device, and a processor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure comprising at least one of a water distribution system, an electricity distribution system, a gas distribution system, a traffic control system, and an emergency response system.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one monitoring device monitors for at least one of use of gas, water, electricity, tampering, leaks, GPS location, proximity, tilt, smoke, temperature, rust, corrosion, fluid flow, pressure, water quality, air quality, contamination, infrastructure status, pH, radiation, and motion.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system produces an alert when the at least one monitoring device registers an event.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one monitoring device is coupled to a visual or acoustical device.

16. The system of claim 1, the operations center comprises multiple operations centers.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each operations center is uniquely located.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations center monitors a plurality of infrastructures concurrently.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality infrastructures of are selected from the group consisting of water systems, electrical systems, gas systems, emergency response systems, traffic control systems, and combinations thereof.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the component of the infrastructure is one of a fire hydrant, a smoke detector, a valve, a valve box, a valve box cover, a meter, a meter box, a meter box cover, a water tower, a water tank, a pumper nozzle, a hose nozzle, or a manhole cover.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the component of the infrastructure is a fire hydrant and the communications device coupled to the fire hydrant is a repeater.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the component of the infrastructure is a fire hydrant and at least one portion of the fire hydrant is comprised of a material that does not interfere with the communications.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the component of the infrastructure is a fire hydrant and the communications device coupled to the fire hydrant is positioned within one of the nozzle cap, the pumper nozzle, the hose nozzle, the fire truck hookup, and the bonnet.

24. An infrastructure monitoring system comprising:

an operations center; and

a plurality of communications devices communicatively coupled to the operations center;

wherein, at least one communications device of said plurality of communications devices is coupled to a fire hydrant.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the communications device coupled to the fire hydrant is one of a monitoring device, an output device, and a repeater.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one portion of the fire hydrant is comprised of a material that does not interfere with the communications.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the communications device coupled to the fire hydrant is positioned within one of the nozzle cap, the pumper nozzle, the hose nozzle, the fire truck hookup, and the bonnet.

28. A fire hydrant comprising:

a bonnet; and

a communications device coupled to the bonnet, wherein the communications device is an element of a infrastructure monitoring system.

29. The fire hydrant of claim 28, wherein the bonnet is insulated from water within the fire hydrant.