UNDERGROUND DATA COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD

• US 20160225248A1
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Amann, Vaughn G., Laprais, Anne-Maud B., Rodriguez, Ernesto M. Jr., Schrix, Lars, Weichold, Jens
• Application Number:
  US15/021,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20160225248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/185 Electrical failure alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 9/10 in cable chambers, e.g. in manhole or in handhole
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/02 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the earth or a large mass of water thereon, e.g. earth telegraphy
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An underground data communication apparatus, system, and method are described. The data communication system includes a transceiver disposed on an entrance port to an underground vault or enclosure, where the transceiver includes a rugged housing, where at least a portion of the rugged housing extends above the surface of the entrance port. A monitoring device is disposed in the vault. The monitoring device can be a sensor that provides data related to a real-time condition within the vault. In addition, the data communication system includes a gateway unit that relays the data to the transceiver. The gateway/transceiver can take a combination of wireless and/or wired signals from the monitoring device which provides real-time data regarding environmental, component, and/or other electronic equipment conditions for those components/equipment disposed within the vault.

Claims

1. A data communication system, comprising:

a transceiver disposed on an entrance port to an underground vault, the transceiver including a rugged housing the transceiver mounted to a hole formed in the entrance port;

a monitoring device disposed in the vault that provides data related to a real-time condition within the vault; and

a gateway unit that relays the data to the transceiver.

2. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is coupled to the gateway unit via communication cables.

3. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device communicates with the gateway unit wirelessly.

4. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a sensor.

6. The data communication system of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of the following sensors:

power, voltage, current, temperature, combustible materials or byproducts of combustion, mechanical strain, mechanical movement, humidity, soil condition, pressure, hazardous atmosphere, liquid flow, leakage, component end-of-life or lifetime, personnel presence, physical state, light level, and vibration.

7. The data communication system of claim 4, wherein the sensor is incorporated in a sensored termination device and is configured to monitor a condition of a power cable.

9. The data communication system of claim 1, further comprising a remote terminal unit (RTU) that receives a signal from the monitoring device.

10. The data communication system of claim 9, wherein the RTU includes a wireless network transmitter/receiver.

12. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the gateway unit is disposed in the transceiver unit.

14. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver unit includes a dual housing that includes an upper body portion and a lower body portion, wherein the upper body portion houses a first antenna portion and a first radio portion, and the lower body portion houses a second antenna portion and a second radio portion.

15. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the gateway unit performs local analysis and interpretation of data from the monitoring devices.

16. The data communication system of claim 15, wherein the gateway unit interprets monitoring device information to determine at least one of the following environmental conditions:

presence of a hazardous gas, moisture, dust, chemical composition, corrosion, and pest presence.

17. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the gateway unit is configured to perform a local action.

19. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the gateway unit is configured to send aggregated information upstream to another aggregation node or cloud server above ground.

20. The data communication system of claim 19, wherein the aggregated data comprises one or more of periodic status notification and asynchronous alarm notification.

21. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the gateway unit is configured to respond to messages sent to it by an upstream aggregation node or cloud.

22. The data communication system of claim 1, wherein the entrance port comprises a manhole cover.

25. The data communication system of claim 1 being a first underground data communication system located at a first vault, further comprising a second underground data communication system located at a second vault, wherein the second underground data communication system communicates via LAN communication with the first underground data communication system.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

26. A method of providing condition information about an underground vault, comprising:

providing a transceiver disposed on an entrance port to the underground vault, the transceiver including a rugged housing, at least a portion of the rugged housing extending above the surface of the entrance port;

receiving a LAN data packet corresponding to a vault condition from a monitoring device located within the vault;

interpreting and processing the LAN data packet;

generating a WAN data packet corresponding to either the LAN data packet or the processing of the LAN data packet; and

sending the WAN data packet to an entity outside of the vault.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein an active sensor located in the underground vault takes a measurement of a vault condition to generate measurement data, wherein the measurement signal is processed to generate measured data.

28-34. -34. (canceled)