Scalable wireless remote control and monitoring system with automatic registration and automatic time synchronization

• US 7,290,037 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2002
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gamut Systems & Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Profile Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Florin, Robert C., Clark, Todd A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US10/225,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 709/227, 709/228, 709/208, 709/209, 709/210, 709/211, 340/3.51, 340/3.7
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/42 Transmitting or receiving remote control signals via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A system for controlling, monitoring and receiving data from a plurality of devices located at a remote site. A network operations center (NOC) has a plurality of protocols for a plurality of applications. A customer interface with the NOC provides customer control and monitoring of the devices and enables the customer to receive alert notifications from the devices. Master, remote and remote slave units communicate between the NOC and the devices at the remote site, and enable one remote slave unit to communicate with many devices. Registration subroutines are periodically initiated in the system to automatically identify, and to enable communication with, any newly added or removed components. The system also periodically initiates a time synchronization subroutine to synchronize the real time clocks in all system components to Greenwich Mean Time to insure the accuracy of time associated with alert notifications.

Claims

1. A system for controlling, monitoring and receiving data from a plurality of devices of various types located at a remote site, said system comprising:

a network operations center for keeping track of one or more remote sites, said network operations center having a plurality of protocols for a plurality of applications, said network operating center having means for selecting one of said protocols corresponding to one of said applications;

a customer interface having two-way communications with said network operating center to allow a customer'"'"'s applications to control and monitor said plurality of remotely located devices, said customer interface further providing an ability to receive messages relating to an alert condition at one or more of the plurality of remotely located devices;

a master unit to bi-directionally communicate directly with the network operations center via a network, said master unit also being in bi-directional communication with one or more remote units, wherein the master unit permits scaling up or down the number of remote units communicating with the master unit;

a remote slave unit located at the remote site, said remote slave unit being in two-way communication with the plurality of devices and with at least one remote unit, wherein the at least one remote unit bi-directionally communicates directly with both the remote slave unit and the master unit;

wherein the remote slave unit periodically initiates a registration subroutine to poll the plurality of devices to determine the identity of each of the devices, and to automatically register any new devices on the system; and

wherein the remote slave unit is adapted;

to send notification of alert conditions from any one of the plurality of devices to the network operating center, via the at least one remote unit and the master unit, and

to receive reprogramming commands from the customer interface, via the master unit and the at least one remote unit, and to transmit the reprogramming commands to any of the plurality of devices.

2. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 1, wherein notification of alert conditions are communicated from the remote slave unit to the at least one remote unit, then from the remote unit to the master unit and finally from the master unit to the network operating center.

3. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 2 wherein the master unit communicates with the network operating center via a two-way wireless network and the remote slave unit communicates with the remote unit via a two-way radio frequency link.

4. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the network operating center has a real-time clock synchronized to Greenwich Mean Time, and the network operating center periodically polls the system to determine if the remote slave unit and if the plurality of devices are synchronized to the same time.

5. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 4 wherein the network operating center includes the current GMT time in its polling message to assist the remote slave unit in synchronizing to the current GMT time.

6. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 1 wherein new devices may be installed on the system and be placed in communication with the same remote slave unit.

7. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 6 wherein up to 255 devices are in communication with the remote slave unit.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the remotely located devices is a temperature sensor.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the remotely located devices monitors an HVAC unit.

10. A system for controlling, monitoring and receiving data from a plurality of devices of various types located at a remote site, said system comprising:

a network operations center for keeping track of one or more remote sites, said network operations center having a plurality of protocols for a plurality of applications, wherein said network operating center selects one of said protocols corresponding to one of said applications;

a customer interface having two-way communications with said network operating center to allow customer'"'"'s applications to control and monitor said plurality of remotely located devices, said customer interface further providing an ability to receive messages relating to an alert condition at one or more of the plurality of remotely located devices;

a master unit to bi-directionally communicate directly with the network operations center via a network, said master unit also being in bi-directional communication with one or more remote units via a network, wherein the master unit permits scaling up or down the number of remote units communicating with the master unit;

a remote unit in bi-directional communication with the master unit;

a remote slave unit located at the remote site, said remote slave unit in two-way communication with the plurality of devices and with at least one remote unit;

at least one remote unit bi-directionally communicates directly with both the remote slave unit and the master unit;

wherein the remote slave unit periodically initiates a registration subroutine to poll the plurality of devices to determine the identity of each of the devices, and to automatically register any new devices on the system; and

wherein the remote slave unit is adapted;

to send notification of alert conditions from any one of the plurality of devices to the network operating center, via the at least one remote unit and the master unit, and

to receive reprogramming commands from the customer interface, via the master unit and the at least one remote unit, and to transmit the reprogramming commands to any of the plurality of devices.

11. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 10, wherein notification of alert conditions are communicated from the remote slave unit to the at least one remote unit, then from the remote unit to the master unit and finally from the master unit to the network operating center.

12. The system as claimed in accordance with claim 11 wherein the master unit communicates with the network center via a two-way wireless network and the remote slave unit communicates with the remote unit via a two-way radio frequency link.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the remotely located devices is a temperature sensor.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the remotely located devices monitors an HVAC unit.

15. A system for controlling, monitoring and receiving data from a plurality of devices of various types located at a remote site, the system comprising:

a network operations center for keeping track of one or more remote sites, said network operations center having a plurality of protocols for a plurality of applications, the network operating center selecting one of the protocols corresponding to one of the applications;

a customer interface having two-way communications with the network operating center to allow a plurality of applications to control and monitor the plurality of remotely located devices, the customer interface further providing an ability to receive messages relating to an alert condition of at least one of the plurality of devices;

a master unit to hi-directionally communicate directly with the network operations center via a network, said master unit also being in bi-directional communication with one or more remote units, wherein the master unit permits scaling up or down the number of remote sites communicating with the master unit;

at least one remote unit, hard-wired to the master unit, to communicate with the master unit;

a first remote slave hard-wired to a first set of the plurality of devices, to wirelessly communicate with a first remote unit of the at least one remote unit;

a second remote slave hard-wired to a second set of the plurality of devices, to wirelessly communicate with a second remote unit of the at least one remote unit;

wherein the second remote slave periodically initiates a registration subroutine to poll the second set of plurality of devices to determine the identity of each of the second set of plurality of devices, and to automatically register any new devices on the system;

wherein the first remote slave periodically initiates a registration subroutine to poll the first set of plurality of devices to determine the identity of each of the first set of plurality of devices, and to automatically register any new devices on the system; and

wherein two-way communication is established between the network operating center for sending notification of alert conditions from any one of the first set and the second set of the plurality of devices, to the network operating center and for sending reprogramming commands from the customer interface to any of the first set and the second set of the plurality of devices.