Wireless Sensing Module and Method of Operation
First Claim
1. A wireless sensing module with extended service life comprising:
- An environmental enclosure, andthe following electrical components;
at least one sensor of a physical parameter;
said at least one sensor generates output electrical signals proportional to value of the physical parameter;
a data acquisition hardware acquiring output electrical signals from at least one sensor and converting it into digital measurement data;
a microcontroller controlling the wireless sensing module by executing a code, receiving the digital measurement data, transferring the digital measurement data, processing the digital measurement data and transferring results of the measurement data processing;
non-volatile memory for storing the measurement data, results of the measurement data processing;
at least one transceiver for wireless communication with external wireless devices;
at least one battery, including at least one rechargeable battery providing electrical power to the electrical components of the wireless sensing module;
at least one energy harvesting device for converting energy from the environment into electrical energy and generating an electrical voltage as a result;
a group of components forming a power management circuit for charging of at least one rechargeable battery from at least one energy harvesting device;
at least one antenna; and
at least one printed circuit board;
at least one sensor of a physical parameter, the data acquisition hardware, the microcontroller, the non-volatile memory, at least one transceiver, at least one battery, at least one energy harvesting device, the components forming the power management circuit, and at least one antenna are electrically connected to at least one printed circuit board;
wherein in order to provide mechanical, chemical, electrical and environmental protection of the components and extend service life of the wireless sensing module the enclosure contains all electrical components of the wireless sensing module.
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Abstract
A wireless sensing module with extended service life containing at least one sensor of a physical parameter, a data acquisition hardware acquiring output electrical signals from at least one sensor and converting it into digital measurement data, a microcontroller, a non-volatile memory, at least one transceiver for wireless communication with external wireless devices, at least one battery, including at least one re-chargeable battery, at least one energy harvesting device, a power management circuit, and at least one antenna. All components of the wireless sensing module are mounted on a printed circuit board and placed into an enclosure providing mechanical, chemical, electrical and environmental protection. The wireless sensing modules can be used in different applications, including long-term condition monitoring of structures.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A wireless sensing module with extended service life comprising:
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An environmental enclosure, and the following electrical components; at least one sensor of a physical parameter;
said at least one sensor generates output electrical signals proportional to value of the physical parameter;a data acquisition hardware acquiring output electrical signals from at least one sensor and converting it into digital measurement data; a microcontroller controlling the wireless sensing module by executing a code, receiving the digital measurement data, transferring the digital measurement data, processing the digital measurement data and transferring results of the measurement data processing; non-volatile memory for storing the measurement data, results of the measurement data processing; at least one transceiver for wireless communication with external wireless devices; at least one battery, including at least one rechargeable battery providing electrical power to the electrical components of the wireless sensing module; at least one energy harvesting device for converting energy from the environment into electrical energy and generating an electrical voltage as a result; a group of components forming a power management circuit for charging of at least one rechargeable battery from at least one energy harvesting device; at least one antenna; and at least one printed circuit board;
at least one sensor of a physical parameter, the data acquisition hardware, the microcontroller, the non-volatile memory, at least one transceiver, at least one battery, at least one energy harvesting device, the components forming the power management circuit, and at least one antenna are electrically connected to at least one printed circuit board;wherein in order to provide mechanical, chemical, electrical and environmental protection of the components and extend service life of the wireless sensing module the enclosure contains all electrical components of the wireless sensing module.
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2. A wireless sensing module with extended service life for use in smart infrastructure applications, including structural health monitoring systems and green buildings, comprising:
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an environmental enclosure, and the following electrical components; at least one sensor of a physical parameter;
said at least one sensor generates output electrical signals proportional to value of the physical parameter;a data acquisition hardware acquiring output electrical signals from at least one sensor and converting it into digital measurement data; a microcontroller controlling the wireless sensing module by executing a code, receiving the digital measurement data, transferring the digital measurement data, processing the digital measurement data and transferring results of the measurement data processing; non-volatile memory for storing the measurement data, results of the measurement data processing; at least one transceiver for wireless communication with external wireless devices; at least one battery, including at least one rechargeable battery providing electrical power to the electrical components of the wireless sensing module; at least one energy harvesting device for converting energy from the environment into electrical energy and generating an electrical voltage as a result of that; a group of components forming a power management circuit for charging of at least one rechargeable battery from at least one energy harvesting device; at least one antenna; and at least one printed circuit board;
at least one sensor of a physical parameter, data acquisition hardware, the microcontroller, the non-volatile memory, at least one transceiver, at least one battery, at least one energy harvesting device, the components forming the power management circuit, and at least one antenna are electrically connected to at least one printed circuit board;wherein in order to provide mechanical, chemical, electrical and environmental protection of the components and extend service life of the wireless sensing module the enclosure contains all electrical components of the wireless sensing module. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of operation of a wireless sensing module comprising the steps of:
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providing a wireless sensing module comprising; an environmental enclosure, and the following electrical components; at least one sensor;
said at least one sensor generates output electrical signals in response to a measurand acting on the at least one sensor and in response to qualified events;a data acquisition hardware acquiring output electrical signals of at least one sensor and converting it into digital measurement data; a microcontroller having a clock rate, the microcontroller receives the digital measurement data, transfers the digital measurement data, processes the digital measurement data and transfers results of the measurement data processing; non-volatile memory for storing the measurement data and the results of the measurement data processing; at least one transceiver for wireless communication with external wireless devices; at least one battery, including at least one rechargeable battery, providing electrical power to the components of the wireless sensing module; at least one energy harvesting device for converting energy from the environment into electrical energy; a group of components forming a power management circuit for charging of at least one rechargeable battery from at least one energy harvesting device; at least one clock; at least one antenna; and at least one printed circuit board;
at least one sensor, the data acquisition hardware, the microcontroller, the non-volatile memory, at least one transceiver, at least one battery, at least one energy harvesting device, the components forming the power management circuit, and at least one antenna are electrically connected to at least one printed circuit board;defining operating parameters, including timing and duration of measurement sessions for each sensor and its sampling rate; periodicity of data transmission; range of environmental conditions for wireless data transmission; providing a code for controlling the wireless sensing module;
the code allows for executing at least the following steps;putting the wireless sensing module into a power saving mode—
sleep mode;waking up the microcontroller of the wireless sensing module; responding to external wireless signals; activating at least one sensor and the data acquisition hardware; making measurements with at least one activated sensor and collecting both digitized results of measurements and supplemental information—
raw measurement data;saving measurement data in the non-volatile memory; activating the transceiver; transmitting the measurement data; charging the at least one rechargeable battery; running the code, wherein in order to minimize average power consumption and extend service life of the wireless sensing module the raw measurement data is pre-processed by the microprocessor and the volume of data to be transmitted by at least one transceiver is reduced in comparison with the volume of raw measurement data;
the pre-processing includes operations selected from the group of operations consisting of;
averaging of consecutive measurements, averaging of concurrent measurements made by different sensors, calculating average for a set of collected raw measurement data—
offset, removing offset, introducing offset, applying temperature and other corrections to the raw measurement data, data compression, using error correction codes and combination of the above.- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification