Method and system for remotely monitoring and controlling field devices with a street lamp elevated mesh network

• US 7,817,063 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Charles, Norseen, John, Hawkins, Stan, Swiedler, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US11/538,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20070222581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 34087002-87003, 340/870.07, 340/870.16, 455/405, 455/445, 702/61
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• 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: H05B 47/195 the transmission using visible or infrared light

Abstract

An elevated mesh network supported and operably coupled to street lamps can be used to remotely monitor and control field devices. The packet transceiver modules of the mesh network can also be coupled to sensors that monitor operation of a street lamp as well as environmental conditions. The elevated mesh network supported by street lamps can use RF links to couple with one or more remote field devices that also have packet transceiver modules. The elevated mesh network can also include a communications gateway that couples the elevated mesh network to an asynchronous communications system. The communications gateway is a store and forward system that can periodically connect to the asynchronous communications system in order to upload compressed data derived from the remote field devices. The asynchronous communications system can connect the elevated mesh network to a back-end computer system that may monitor, diagnose, and control the remote field devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for communicating data between a remote field device and a back-end computer system comprising:

receiving data from a remote field device of a plurality of remote field devices, the data indicating a traffic condition being monitored by the remote field device;

transmitting the data from the remote field device to an elevated mesh network;

relaying the data across the elevated mesh network to a communications gateway;

determining if the data should be communicated to the back-end computer system;

establishing a link between the communications gateway and the back-end computer system for a predetermined amount of time; and

transferring the data from the communications gateway to the back-end computer system while the link is active, wherein the back-end computer system or the communications gateway adjusts a rate of operation of one or more traffic devices associated with at least one of the plurality of remote field devices responsive at least in part to the traffic condition indicated by the data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising supporting the elevated mesh network with one or more utility poles.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the data should be communicated to the back-end computer system further comprises determining if a request for information has been received by the communications gateway.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the data should be communicated to the back-end computer system further comprises determining if a predetermined amount of time has passed.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the data should be communicated to the back-end computer system further comprises determining if the data received from the remote field device comprises a special value or delta change code.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic devices includes a traffic light or traffic gate.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the rate of operation of the one or more traffic devices is adjusted by adjusting a respective frequency of the one or more traffic devices.

6. A system for communicating data between a remote field device and a back-end computer system comprising:

a remote field device comprising a packet transceiver module, wherein the remote field device is one of a plurality of remote field devices;

an elevated mesh network comprising a plurality of nodes, each node comprising a packet transceiver module, at least one node in communication with the remote field device; and

a communications gateway forming a part of the elevated mesh network and receiving data originating from the remote field device from one of a node in the mesh network and the remote field device, the communications gateway determining if the data should be communicated to a back-end computer system and selectively establishing a link with the back-end computer system on a periodic basis, the data indicating a traffic condition being monitored by the remote field device, wherein the back-end computer system or the communications gateway adjusts a rate of operation of one or more traffic devices associated with at least one of the plurality of remote field devices responsive at least in part to the traffic condition indicated by the data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the elevated mesh network is supported by one or more utility poles.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the communications gateway stores the data in memory for a period of time while the link with the back-end computer system is inactive.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the communications gateway operates as a node and relays information to other nodes in the elevated mesh network.

17. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more traffic devices includes a traffic light or traffic gate.

18. The system of claim 6, wherein the rate of operation of the one or more traffic devices is adjusted by adjusting a respective frequency of the one or more traffic devices.

10. A computer-implemented method for communicating data between a remote field device and a back-end computer system comprising:

transmitting the data from a non-light remote field device of a plurality of non-light remote field devices to an elevated mesh network supported by utility poles, the data indicating a traffic condition being monitored by the remote field device;

receiving the data with a communications gateway that is part of the elevated mesh network and that is supported by a utility pole;

determining if the data should be communicated to the back-end computer system; and

establishing a link between the communications gateway and the back-end computer system for a predetermined amount of time, wherein the back-end computer system or the communications gateway adjusts a rate of operation of one or more traffic devices associated with at least one of the plurality of non-light remote field devices responsive to the traffic condition indicated by the data.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising relaying the data across the elevated mesh network to a communications gateway.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising transferring the data from the communications gateway to the back-end computer system while the link is active.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising attaching a node of the mesh network to a street lamp.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising compressing the data with the communications gateway.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the one or more traffic devices includes a traffic light or traffic gate.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the rate of operation of the one or more traffic devices is adjusted by adjusting a respective frequency of the one or more traffic devices.