Tracking Wireless Transmitters In Process Locations

• US 20150350817A1
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard A. Huntington, Vasudev Rayachoti, Wayne S. Pon, Xu Bin
• Original Assignee: Richard A. Huntington, Vasudev Rayachoti, Wayne S. Pon, Xu Bin
• Inventors: Huntington, Richard A., Xu, Bin, Rayachoti, Vasudev, Pon, Wayne S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system for wirelessly monitoring a property in a process, comprising a sensor data device for providing sensor data relating to the process a memory device comprising information, wherein the information comprises transmission information, a transportable wireless transmission device configured to receive the sensor data and the information, interpret the transmission information, and transmit the sensor data, the information, or both to a receiving station using the transmission information, and a temporary mounting position in proximity to the memory device for temporarily positioning the transportable wireless transmission device.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly monitoring a property in a process, comprising:

a sensor data device configured to provide sensor data relating to the process;

a memory device comprising information, wherein the information comprises transmission information; and

a transportable wireless transmission device configured to;

receive the sensor data and the information;

interpret the transmission information; and

transmit the sensor data, the information, or both to a receiving station using the transmission information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory device is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is related to the sensor, the transportable wireless transmission device, or both, and wherein the information is selected from a group consisting of a tag number, a sensor component identification number, an instrument range of the component, a calibration date of the component, an installation date of the component, a communications protocol, and a gateway router identification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data is selected from a group consisting of temperature, pressure, valve position, device position, flow, composition, conductivity, resistivity, differential pressure, mass spectrometry, humidity, density, level, angle, light, amps, voltage, weight, and magnetic field.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission device comprises a wireless local area network transmitter, a cellular modem, or both.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mounting position in proximity to the memory device for temporarily positioning the transportable wireless transmission device, and wherein the wireless transmission device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the location of the component with respect to the process comprises mapping a layout of a plant and identifying the location of the component with respect to the layout of the plant.

8. A method for wirelessly tracking a component, comprising:

mapping a layout of a plant;

populating a component identification device with component-specific data for a component, wherein the component identification device is proximally positioned with respect to the component;

positioning the component identification device proximate to the component;

positioning a wireless transmission device proximate to the component;

obtaining a location of the component;

transmitting the location of the component, the component-specific data, or both to a receiving station; and

determining the location of the component or the wireless transmission device with respect to the layout of the plant.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

removing the wireless transmission device from the position;

positioning the wireless transmission device in a second position proximate to a second component, wherein the second position is proximally positioned with respect to a second component identification device having component-specific data for the second component;

obtaining a location of the second component;

transmitting the location of the second component, the component-specific data, the wireless transmission device, or a combination thereof to a receiving station; and

determining the location of the second component with respect to the layout of the plant.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

moving the component to a second position;

obtaining a second location of the component;

transmitting the second location of the component, the component-specific data, the wireless transmission device, or a combination thereof to a receiving station; and

determining the second location of the component or the wireless transmission device with respect to the layout of the plant.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the location of the component with respect to the layout of the plant using a graphical user interface (GUI).

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the component location device is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the data is selected from a group consisting of a tag number, a component identification number, a communications protocol, an instrument range of the component, a calibration date of the component, and an installation date of the component.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmission device comprises a wireless local area network transmitter, a cellular modem, or both.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless transmission device comprises a global positioning system (GPS) sensor.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein proximally positioning the component identification device comprises integrating the component identification device into the body of the component.

17. An apparatus for wirelessly transmitting a location of a component, comprising:

a first receiver for receiving a component-specific data from a component identification device;

a second receiver for receiving the location of the component from a component location device;

a transmitter for transmitting the location of the component to a receiving station;

a memory for storing the component-specific data and the location of the component; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the transmitter, the first receiver, and the second receiver, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to;

receive the component-specific data from the component identification device;

receive the data of the component from the component location device; and

transmit the location of the component to the receiving station.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is detachably coupled to a structure, and wherein the component identification device is coupled to the structure.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is detachably electrically coupled to a power source, and wherein the power source is mechanically coupled to the component.

20. The apparatus of claim 17;

wherein the data is selected from a group consisting of a tag number, a component identification number, a communications protocol, an instrument range of the component, a calibration date of the component, an installation date of the component, and a sensor reading,

wherein the transmitter comprises a wireless local area network transmitter, a cellular modem, or both,

wherein the location is a global positioning system (GPS) location, and

wherein the transmitted location of the component comprises information sufficient to indicate the placement of the component with respect to a mapped layout of a plant.