Monitoring system and method
First Claim
1. An integrated monitoring apparatus for monitoring the liquids, sediments or material accumulated within a sewer manhole, comprising:
- a housing adapted to be secured to or integrated with a lid of a sewer manhole;
an ultrasonic or distance sensor unit located within said housing or integrated therewith, said sensor unit configured to obtain depth measurements at periodic intervals;
a wireless transceiver located within said housing; and
a processor located within said housing, said processor connected to said wireless transceiver and configured to periodically transmit the depth measurements to a remote monitoring station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A monitoring system includes one or more monitoring devices, positioned in sewer manholes, storm drains, etc., and a remote monitoring station that communicates wirelessly therewith. The monitoring device may be an integrated unit, including sensors, a two-way telemetry unit, a power supply, a processor, and supporting hardware, all located in an enclosed, waterproof housing. The monitoring device is placed within a manhole cavity to obtain depth (e.g., water level) measurements and report the measurements back to the remote monitoring station, which analyzes the data and responds to alert messages when a dangerous water level is detected. The sample and reporting rates of the device, as well as the water level threshold values, may be remotely programmable via commands transmitted from the remote monitoring station. An additional sensor may monitor the manhole cover for security purposes. Additional external monitoring instruments may be connected to the device, which relays data therefrom to the remote monitoring station.
145 Citations
36 Claims
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1. An integrated monitoring apparatus for monitoring the liquids, sediments or material accumulated within a sewer manhole, comprising:
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a housing adapted to be secured to or integrated with a lid of a sewer manhole; an ultrasonic or distance sensor unit located within said housing or integrated therewith, said sensor unit configured to obtain depth measurements at periodic intervals; a wireless transceiver located within said housing; and a processor located within said housing, said processor connected to said wireless transceiver and configured to periodically transmit the depth measurements to a remote monitoring station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A monitoring system for monitoring the liquids, sediments or material accumulated within a plurality of geographically dispersed sewer manholes, the system comprising:
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a plurality of battery-operated, wireless monitoring devices positioned within sewer manhole cavities and configured to be attachable to or integrated with a lid of the sewer manhole thereof, for measuring depth in the manhole cavities, each of said monitoring devices using an ultrasonic or distance sensor for measuring depth; and a remote monitoring station configured to communicate with said monitoring devices through one or more intermediary wireless links located remotely from said remote monitoring station and within a geographical vicinity of the sewer manholes being monitored, said remote monitoring station receiving depth measurements at periodic intervals from said monitoring devices and durably storing said depth measurements. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of monitoring the liquids, sediments or material accumulated within a sewer manhole, the method comprising:
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placing a monitoring apparatus within a sewer manhole by lowering the monitoring apparatus into a sewer manhole cavity and securing the monitoring apparatus to or integrated it with a lid of the sewer manhole, said monitoring apparatus comprising an ultrasonic or distance sensor oriented in a downward direction when installed within the manhole; obtaining depth measurements of liquids, sediments or material accumulated at the bottom of the sewer manhole cavity at a sampling interval, using said sensor, and storing said depth measurements; and wirelessly transmitting, at a transmission interval longer than said sampling interval, one or more of the accumulated depth measurements to a remote monitoring station for processing; wherein said step of wirelessly transmitting one or more of the accumulated depth measurements to the remote monitoring station comprises the step of communicating between the monitoring apparatus and the remote monitoring station over a path including a public telephone network, and using a format compatible with a standard Internet protocol. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for monitoring the liquids, sediments or material accumulated within a sewer manhole, the method comprising:
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boring a hole in a lid of a sewer manhole; removing an additional portion of the lid so as to form a lip adjacent to the hole; dropping a monitoring apparatus into the hole of the lid so that an outer portion of the monitoring apparatus rests on the lip and a top surface of said monitoring apparatus is substantially flush with a top surface of the lid, said monitoring apparatus including an ultrasonic or distance sensor oriented in a downward direction when thus positioned in the manhole lid; obtaining depth measurements of liquids, sediments or material accumulated at the bottom of the sewer manhole cavity using said sensor; and wirelessly transmitting the depth measurements to a remote monitoring station for processing. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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Specification