WIRELESS METROLOGY COMMUNICATION

• US 20160173962A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Vance, Jonathan B., Nguyen, Ken, Martignoni, Andrew J. III, Deck, Eric E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,602,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04Q 9/02 Automatically-operated arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method of communicating a gauge measurement may include receiving from a gauge a measurement signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge. The method may further include producing a communication signal including the received measurement. The method may further include wirelessly transmitting the communication signal according to a wireless network protocol. In some examples, a wireless metrology assembly may comprise an input/output controller operatively coupled to a first wireless network controller. The input/output controller may be configured to receive from a gauge a measurement signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge. The input/output controller may be configured to receive the measurement signal from the gauge when the wireless metrology assembly is operatively coupled to the gauge, and to produce a communication signal including the received measurement. The first wireless network controller may be configured to wirelessly transmit the communication signal according to a wireless network protocol.

Claims

1. A method of communicating a gauge measurement comprising:

receiving from a gauge a measurement signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge;

producing a communication signal including the received measurement; and

wirelessly transmitting the communication signal according to a wireless network protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly transmitting the communication signal includes wirelessly transmitting the communication signal according to a ZigBee network protocol having an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communication standard.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing gauge-specific information on a storage device, and wherein producing a communication signal includes producing the communication signal with the gauge-specific information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gauge outputs the measurement signal with the measurement formatted according to a first format of a plurality of formats, the method further comprising generating the communication signal with the measurement formatted according to a second format of the plurality of formats.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user input corresponding to one of a plurality of inputs selectable by the user that relate to the measurement output by the gauge, and wirelessly transmitting a feedback signal representative of the user input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly receiving the transmitted communication signal, determining the measurement from the received communication signal, and storing the determined measurement on a first storage device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving from a gauge a measurement signal, producing a communication signal, and wirelessly transmitting the communication signal are performed by a wireless metrology assembly having firmware and a second storage device, the method further comprising storing on the second storage device a first configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly, reading on the first storage device a second configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly, transmitting the second configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly wirelessly to the wireless metrology assembly, receiving by the wireless metrology assembly the second configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly, and replacing on the second storage device the first configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly with the received second configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the gauge outputs the measurement signal with the measurement formatted according to a first format of a plurality of formats, and receiving a measurement signal from the gauge, producing a communication signal, and wirelessly transmitting the communication signal are performed by a wireless metrology assembly having firmware;

the method further comprising storing a version of the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly for each of the plurality of formats on the first storage device, receiving an indication from a user that the first format is appropriate for the gauge, determining the version of firmware that provides processing of measurements formatted according to the first format, reading the determined version of the firmware from the first storage device, and transmitting the read version of the firmware wirelessly to the wireless metrology assembly, receiving by the wireless metrology assembly the transmitted version of the firmware, and installing the received version of the firmware on the wireless metrology assembly.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising outputting by a computer to a display device a display signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge, receiving, on a wireless feedback device physically and operatively separate from and independently movable relative to the gauge and relative to the computer, a user input corresponding to one of a plurality of inputs selectable by the user that relate to the measurement displayed on the display device, wirelessly transmitting by the wireless feedback device a feedback signal representative of the user input, receiving the transmitted feedback signal, and processing the determined measurement based at least in part on the received feedback signal.

10. A wireless metrology assembly comprising an input/output controller and a first wireless network controller operatively coupled to the input/output controller, the input/output controller configured to receive from a gauge when the wireless metrology assembly is operatively coupled to the gauge, a measurement signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge, and to produce a communication signal including the received measurement, and the first wireless network controller being configured to wirelessly transmit the communication signal according to a wireless network protocol.

11. The wireless metrology assembly of claim 10, wherein the wireless network protocol is a ZigBee network protocol according to an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communication standard.

12. The wireless metrology assembly of claim 10, further comprising a metrology storage device configured to store one or more gauge-specific data, and the input/output controller is configured to produce the communication signal with at least one of the one or more gauge-specific data.

13. The wireless metrology assembly of claim 10, wherein the gauge outputs the measurement signal with the measurement formatted according to a first format of a plurality of formats, the input/output controller being configured to generate the communication signal with the measurement formatted according to a second format of the plurality of formats.

14. The wireless metrology assembly of claim 10, wherein the wireless metrology assembly is configured to receive a user input corresponding to one of a plurality of inputs selectable by the user that relate to the measurement output by the gauge, and to wirelessly transmit a feedback signal representative of the user input.

15. A wireless metrology system comprising:

the wireless metrology assembly of claim 10;

a storage device;

a wireless base adapter configured to wirelessly receive the transmitted communication signal; and

a computer configured to receive the communication signal from the wireless base adapter, determine the measurement from the communication signal, and to store the determined measurement on the storage device.

16. The wireless metrology system of claim 15, wherein the wireless metrology assembly includes firmware that is configurable, the storage device also stores a first configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly, the computer is configured to read the first configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly and to send the first configuration for the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly wirelessly to the wireless metrology assembly via the wireless base adapter, and the wireless metrology assembly is configured to replace an existing second firmware configuration with the received first configuration for the firmware.

17. The wireless metrology system of claim 15, wherein the gauge outputs the measurement signal with the measurement formatted according to a first format of a plurality of formats, and wherein the wireless metrology assembly includes firmware, the storage device also stores a version of the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly for each of the plurality of formats, the computer is configured to receive an indication from a user that the first format is appropriate for the gauge, to read the version of the firmware of the wireless metrology assembly for the first format, and to transmit the read version of the firmware wirelessly to the wireless metrology assembly via the wireless base adapter, and the wireless metrology assembly is configured to install the transmitted firmware of the wireless metrology assembly.

18. The wireless metrology system of claim 15, further comprising a display device operatively coupled to the computer and configured to display a display signal received from the computer, the computer being configured to output to the display device a display signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge, and wherein the wireless metrology assembly includes a gauge adapter including a first housing supporting the input/output controller and the first wireless network controller, the wireless metrology assembly further including a wireless feedback device including a second housing physically separate from and independently movable relative to the first housing, a user-input device supported by the second housing, and a second wireless network controller also supported by the second housing, the user-input device being configured to receive a user input corresponding to one of a plurality of inputs selectable by the user that relate to the measurement displayed on the display device, and the second wireless network controller being configured to wirelessly transmit a feedback signal representative of the user input to the computer via the wireless base adapter.

19. A wireless metrology system comprising:

a wireless metrology assembly having at least one input device configured to receive an indication relating to a measurement, the indication being manually entered on the input device and corresponding to at least one of a plurality of inputs selectable by a user, the wireless metrology assembly being configured to receive from a gauge when the wireless metrology assembly is operatively coupled to the gauge a measurement signal representative of a measurement output by the gauge, to wirelessly transmit a communication signal representative of the measurement signal, and to wirelessly transmit a feedback signal representative of the entered indication;

a display device configured to display a display signal; and

a base assembly configured to wirelessly receive the transmitted communication signal, to communicate to the display device the display signal including an indication of the measurement output by the gauge, and to wirelessly receive the feedback signal.

20. The wireless metrology system of claim 19, wherein the wireless metrology assembly includes a gauge adapter and a wireless feedback device physically separate from and independently movable relative to the gauge adapter, the gauge adapter being configured to receive from the gauge when the gauge adapter is operatively coupled to the gauge the measurement signal, and to wirelessly transmit the communication signal, the wireless feedback device including the input device and being configured to receive a user input corresponding to one of a plurality of inputs selectable by the user that relate to the measurement displayed on the display device, and to wirelessly transmit a feedback signal representative of the user input to the base assembly.