Monitoring remote environmental conditions

• US 8,760,282 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthroscopic Surgery Associates Corporation
• Original Assignee: Arthroscopic Surgery Associates Corporation
• Inventors: Glenn, Gregory M., Silva, Damon, Henry, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US13/533,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/3.1, 340/539.26, 340/539.22
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• 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: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A server system for remote monitoring includes a wireless communication interface, a processor, and a storage device. The wireless communication interface receives at least one data packet over wireless communications from a remote monitoring system. The processor processes the data packet including sensor information from a sensor coupled to the remote monitoring system. The storage device stores the sensor information.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the system comprising:

a communication interface for communicating over a wireless communications network with a sensor at a remote location, wherein the communication interface receives packets that include sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition, the packets compiled based on control board report settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage;

a storage device configured to update stored sensor data with the received sensor data; and

a processor configured to generate an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to weather.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a liquid level.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a measurement of voltage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor data concerning the detected environmental condition is collected and transmitted from the sensor in real-time.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web interface for providing a user with access to the stored sensor data via the Internet.

7. A method for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the method comprising:

communicating over a wireless communications network with a sensor at a remote location, wherein the communication includes receiving packets that include sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition, the packets compiled based on control board report settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage;

updating stored sensor data with the received sensor data; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor generates an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to weather.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a liquid level.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a measurement of voltage.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor data concerning the detected environmental condition is collected and transmitted from the sensor in real-time.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a user with access to the stored sensor data via the Internet.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the method comprising:

communicating over a wireless communications network with a sensor at a remote location, wherein the communication includes receiving packets that include sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition, the packets compiled based on control board report settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage;

updating stored sensor data with the received sensor data; and

generating an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.

14. A system for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the system comprising:

a sensor interface communicatively coupled to a sensor, the sensor interface configured to receive sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition from the sensor;

a microprocessor controlled control board configured to process the sensor data received at the sensor interface to form at least one packet, the at least one packet compiled based on control board settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage; and

a communication interface for communication with a designated server over a wireless communications network, the communication interface configured to transmit the at least one data packet to the designated server for updating stored sensor data, wherein the designated server generates an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is configured to detect environmental conditions relating to weather.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a liquid level.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a level of voltage.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor data concerning the detected environmental condition is collected and transmitted from the sensor in real-time.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein a user is provided with access to the stored sensor data via the Internet.

20. A method for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition from the sensor through a sensor interface;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor processes the sensor data to form at least one data packet, the at least one data packet compiled based on control board report settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage; and

transmitting the at least one data packet through the communication interface to a designated recipient for updating stored sensor data, wherein the designated recipient generates an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to weather.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a liquid level.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the detected environmental condition relates to a measurement of voltage.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the sensor data concerning the detected environmental condition is collected and transmitted from the sensor in real-time.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a user with access to the stored sensor data via the Internet.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method for monitoring remote environmental conditions, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data concerning a detected environmental condition from the sensor through a sensor interface;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor processes the sensor data to form at least one data packet, the at least one data packet compiled based on control board report settings, wherein a length of each packet is limited based on minimization of power consumption and minimization of air time usage; and

transmitting the at least one data packet through the communication interface to a designated recipient for updating stored sensor data, wherein the designated recipient generates an alert when the stored sensor data meets one or more predefined conditions.