INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160049067A1
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hyland, Gregory E., Keefe, Robert Paul, Barker, Clayton Robert III, Zakas, Marietta Edmonds
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/003 Arrangement for testing of watertightness of water supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/94 Investigating contamination, e.g. dust G01N21/85 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• 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 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

An infrastructure monitoring system includes: a first monitoring device configured to detect and monitor a first condition of a first aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the first condition; a second monitoring device configured to detect and monitor a second condition of a second aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the second condition; a third monitoring device configured to detect and monitor a third condition of a third aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the third condition; and an operations center communicatively coupled to each monitoring device, the operations center configured to receive the data signal from each monitoring device and determine whether the data included in the data signal received from any one of the monitoring devices indicates a problem within the infrastructure.

Claims

1. An infrastructure monitoring system comprising:

a first monitoring device configured to

detect and monitor a first condition of a first aspect of the infrastructure and

transmit a data signal including data relating to the first condition;

a second monitoring device configured to

detect and monitor a second condition of a second aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the second condition;

a third monitoring device configured to

detect and monitor a third condition of a third aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the third condition; and

an operations center communicatively coupled to each monitoring device, the operations center configured to receive the data signal from each monitoring device and determine whether the data included in the data signal received from any one of the monitoring devices indicates a problem within the infrastructure, wherein the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect define different aspects of the infrastructure system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each monitoring device is wirelessly communicatively coupled to the operations center.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each monitoring device comprises

at least one sensor sensing at least one condition of the first, second, or third conditions within the infrastructure,

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

a first communications device adapted to transmit and receive data, and

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

4. The system of claim 1, the infrastructure monitoring system further comprising a control device communicatively coupled to the operations center, the control device comprising

a second communications device adapted to receive and transmit data,

at least one output port, and

a second processor communicatively coupled to the second communications device and the at least one output port.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations center is further configured to determine whether the data relating to the first, second, or third condition as detected by any one of the first, second, or third monitoring devices indicates an amount of contamination determined to be a problem within the infrastructure, an approximate source location of the contamination, and flow direction of the contamination.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first condition is related to a contamination aspect of the infrastructure, the second condition is related to a leakage aspect of the infrastructure, and the third condition is related to a pressure aspect of the infrastructure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each monitoring device monitors at least one additional condition.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure monitoring system disseminates information about the infrastructure from the infrastructure monitoring system including disseminating an indicia of the problem within the infrastructure.

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

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations center comprises multiple operations centers, and wherein each operation center is located at a different location within the system.

11. A method of disseminating information, the method comprising:

detecting, by a first monitoring device, a first condition of a first aspect of an infrastructure and transmitting a data signal to an operations center, the data signal including data relating to the first condition;

detecting, by a second monitoring device, a second condition of a second aspect of the infrastructure and transmitting a data signal to the operations center, the data signal including data relating to the second condition;

detecting, by a third monitoring device, a third condition of a third aspect of the infrastructure and transmitting a data signal to the operations center, the data signal including data relating to the third condition; and

determining, by the operations center, whether the data included in the data signal received from any of the monitoring devices indicates a problem within the infrastructure, wherein the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect define different aspects of the infrastructure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each monitoring device comprises:

at least one sensor sensing at least one of the first, second, or third conditions within the infrastructure,

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

a first communications device adapted to transmit and receive data, and

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

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining, by the operations center, whether any of the data relating to the first, second, and third conditions as detected respectively by the first, second, and third monitoring devices, indicates an amount of contamination determined to be the problem within the infrastructure, an approximate source location of the contamination, and flow direction of the contamination.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second monitoring device monitors the first condition.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining, by the operations center, whether a change in data between data as detected by the first monitoring device relating to the first condition from data as detected by the second monitoring device relating to the first condition indicates a second problem within the infrastructure.

16. An infrastructure monitoring system comprising:

a first monitoring device at a first location, the first monitoring device configured to detect and monitor a condition of an aspect of an infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the condition;

a second monitoring device at a second location, the second monitoring device configured to

detect and monitor the condition of the aspect of the infrastructure and transmit a data signal including data relating to the condition; and

an operations center communicatively coupled to each monitoring device, the operations center configured to receive the data from the first and second monitoring devices, determine whether the data from the first monitoring device differs from the data from the second monitoring device, and determine whether a difference in data indicates a problem within the infrastructure.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations center is further configured to determine whether the data relating to the condition as detected by the first monitoring device and second monitoring device indicates an amount of contamination determined to be the problem within the infrastructure, an approximate source location of the contamination, and flow direction of the contamination.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the infrastructure monitoring system disseminates information about the infrastructure from the infrastructure monitoring system including disseminating an indicia of the problem within the infrastructure.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein each monitoring device comprises

at least one sensor sensing the condition within the infrastructure,

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

a communications device adapted to transmit and receive data, and

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

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first monitoring device is coupled to a camera.