SELF-POWERED CLOUD-BASED WIRELESS STATE-CHANGE NOTIFIER

• US 20170148280A1
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lindsay Corporation
• Original Assignee: Net Irrigate LLC (Lindsay Corporation)
• Inventors: DeSalle, George, DeSalle, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,498,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An event driven monitoring device that can be configured to monitor a variety of operating conditions for a piece of equipment or system and may also report specific events related to these operating conditions to a central cloud-based server. The server can then broadcast customized alert information to other computers or systems configured to receive them. The monitoring device may accept input from many types of sensors allowing the device to detect and respond to changes in numerous types of sense parameters. Individuals and/or devices may receive reports from the remote server in response to certain events sent using any suitable protocol such as a text message, e-mail, push notification, or automated telephone call to name a few examples. The server may be configured with specialized rules programmed to determine which contacts should be notified for specific events related to individual pieces of equipment.

Claims

1. A remote monitoring system, comprising

a sensor responsive to changes in a sense parameter caused by the operation of a monitored device, wherein the sense parameter changes according to at least one aspect of the monitored device, and wherein the sensor produces a sensor signal that changes according to variations in the sense parameter;

an adaptor responsive to the sensor signal, the adaptor configured to use the sensor signal to generate an adapter output signal that is based on the sensor signal;

a monitoring device that is responsive to the adapter output signal, the monitoring device coupled to a communications link, wherein the monitoring device is configured to send an event message with event data corresponding with the adapter output signal, and wherein the event message is sent using the communications link; and

a server coupled to the communications link, wherein the server is configured to receive the event message sent by the monitoring device using the communications link, and wherein the server is configured to distribute alert messages to one or more recipient computing devices based on one or more notification rules using a processor.

2. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more event rules includes a threshold rule that is triggered when the adapter output signal indicates the sensed parameter is above a predetermined high threshold, or below a predetermined low threshold condition based on the sensor signal.

3. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitored device includes an electrical conductor, wherein the sense parameter is current flowing through the electrical conductor, and wherein the one or more event rules includes a current flow rule that is triggered when the adapter signal indicates the current flowing through the electrical conductor is greater than a predetermined high threshold, or less than a predetermined low threshold based on the sensor signal.

4. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitored device includes a pump, and wherein the sense parameter is a pressure of a fluid flowing through the pump, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor responsive to the fluid flowing through the pump, and wherein the one or more event rules includes a pressure rule that is triggered when the adapter output signal indicates a pressure that is above a predetermined high threshold, or below a predetermined low threshold condition based on the sensor signal.

5. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more event rules includes a reporting rule that is triggered periodically at substantially regular intervals, and wherein the event data includes a data value of the adapter signal indicating the value of the sense parameter when the reporting rule was triggered.

6. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the notification rules include an e-mail rule that configures the processor to send an e-mail to members of an e-mail notification list maintained by the server.

7. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the notification rules include an SMS message rule that configures the processor to send an SMS message to personal computing devices that are included in an SMS notification list maintained by the server.

8. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the notification rules include a telephone rule that configures the processor to initiate one or more automated telephone calls to one or more members of a telephone contact list maintained by the server.

9. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes a wireless communication interface configured to establish and maintain a wireless link to a cellular network, and wherein the communications link to the server includes the wireless link to the cellular network.

10. A monitoring device, comprising

a sensor adapter receiving a sensor signal from a sensor;

a wireless communication interface having a transmitter and a receiver, and at least one antenna coupled to the transmitter and receiver, the wireless communication interface configured to use the transmitter and receiver to establish and maintain a wireless communications link with a communications network;

a network interface configured to send event messages to a remote server using the communications link maintained by the wireless interface, the remote server coupled to the communications network;

a controller coupled to the sensor adapter, the network interface, and the wireless communication interface, the controller having a processor and a control module;

wherein the sensor is configured to generate the sensor signal based on a sense parameter that changes according to the operation of a monitored device;

wherein the sensor adapter is configured to convert the incoming sensor signal into an adapter output signal;

wherein the processor is configured to compare the adapter output signal with one or more event rules in the control module; and

wherein the processor is configured to create and send event messages using the network interface when the adapter output signal satisfies one or more of the event rules.

11. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the sense parameter is current flowing through an electrical conductor of the monitored device, wherein the sensor is a current sensor positioned adjacent to the electrical conductor, and wherein the one or more event rules includes a low current rule that is triggered when the adapter output signal indicates a low current condition for greater than a predetermined period of time.

12. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the sense parameter is a temperature of a component of the monitored device, and wherein the one or more event rules includes a high temperature rule that is triggered when the adapter output signal indicates the temperature is above a predetermined upper limit for greater than a predetermined period of time.

13. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the sensor signal includes a time varying sinusoidal wave, and wherein the adapter output signal includes a digital pulse.

14. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the event messages includes event data sent to the remote server using the network interface.

15. The monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the remote server includes a server processor configured to compare the event data with at least one notification rule, and wherein the server processor is configured to automatically initiate a communication with members of a recipient list associated with the at least one notification rule when the rule is triggered.

16. The monitoring device of claim 15, wherein the communication includes a telephone call automatically initiated by the server.

17. The monitoring device of claim 15, wherein the communication includes an SMS message that includes one or more aspects of the event data sent from the monitoring device.

18. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the communication network includes a cellular network.