Sensor event assessor input/output controller

• US 9,225,783 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mis Security, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Broadband Discovery Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Stephanson, Cory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US14/489,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20150003480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 370/537
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/02 Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/02 simultaneously, i.e. using frequency division
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/02 Details electronic switching or gating H03K17/00
• 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 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• 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

Abstract

A sensor event assessor input/output controller is disclosed. In one embodiment, a multi-channel sensor input configuration provides two-way communication with a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors having its own channel. An electronic signal receiver receives electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors at a pre-defined sample rate. A signal combiner bundles the electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors into a single electronic signal. A single channel output is used to provide the single electronic signal to the sensor event assessor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for combining sensor output from a plurality of sensors to a single channel of sensor information for a sensor event assessor, the method comprising:

providing a multi-channel sensor input configuration to provide two-way communication with a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors having its own channel;

receiving electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors at a pre-defined sample rate,

combining the electronic signals into a single electronic signal; and

providing the single electronic signal over a single channel output to a sensor event assessor.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating a sample rate adjustment to one or more of the plurality of sensors.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if one or more of the plurality of sensors is operating on battery power.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

automatically developing a sensor power adjustment strategy based on a battery power determination; and

communicating a sensor power adjustment to one or more of the plurality of sensors based on the sensor power adjustment strategy.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

periodically querying each of the plurality of sensors to confirm sensor power; and

automatically updating the sensor power adjustment strategy as sensor power changes.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically querying each of the plurality of sensors to determine a sensor type; and

automatically developing a sensor organization strategy based on the sensor type, the sensor organization strategy comprising;

developing a sensor hierarchy;

establishing a sensor utilization strategy; and

providing a sensor cascade provision for each of the plurality of sensors.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising:

communicating a sensor organization to each of the plurality of sensors based on the sensor organization strategy.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising:

periodically querying each of the plurality of sensors to confirm the sensor organization strategy; and

automatically updating the sensor organization strategy as a sensor is added to or removed from the plurality of sensors.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a sensor baseline calibration normal from the electronic signals received from the plurality of sensors; and

automatically providing the sensor baseline calibration normal to one or more of the plurality of sensors that are outside of the sensor baseline calibration normal.

10. A sensor input/output controller comprising:

a multi-channel sensor input configuration to provide two-way communication with a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors having its own channel;

an electronic signal receiver to receive electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors at a pre-defined sample rate,

a signal combiner to bundle the electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors into a single electronic signal; and

a single channel output to provide the single electronic signal to a sensor event assessor.

11. The sensor input/output controller of claim 10, wherein the electronic signals are received by the electronic signal receiver via a wired connection.

12. The sensor input/output controller of claim 10, wherein the electronic signals are wirelessly received by the electronic signal receiver via a communication technology selected from a group consisting of AM, FM, PCM, GPS, RS232, RS485, USB, firewire, infrared and fiber optic communication technologies.

13. The sensor input/output controller of claim 10 wherein the electronic signals include an event information selected from a group of event information electronic signals consisting of:

size, position, direction and vector.

14. The sensor input/output controller of claim 10 further comprising:

a sensor configuration manager comprising;

a sensor type determiner;

a sensor sample rate adjustor; and

a sensor power manager.

15. The sensor input/output controller of claim 14 wherein the sensor configuration manager further comprises:

a sensor organization strategy developer to establish a sensor utilization strategy and determine a sensor hierarchy.

16. The sensor input/output controller of claim 10 further comprising:

a sensor baseline calibration module to determine a baseline from the electronic signals received from the plurality of sensors.

17. A non-transitory computer-usable medium comprising instructions, wherein the instructions when executed cause a computer system to perform a method for combining sensor output from a plurality of sensors to a single channel of sensor information for a sensor event assessor, the method comprising:

providing a multi-channel sensor input configuration to provide two-way communication with a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors having its own channel;

receiving electronic signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors at a pre-defined sample rate,

combining the electronic signals into a single electronic signal; and

providing the single electronic signal over a single channel output to a sensor event assessor.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

determining power constraints for one or more of the plurality of sensors;

determining sensor types for each of the plurality of sensors; and

automatically enacting a sensor power adjustment strategy based on the sensor types and the power constraints.

19. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

determining a sensor baseline calibration normal from the electronic signals received from the plurality of sensors; and

automatically providing the sensor baseline calibration normal to one or more of the plurality of sensors that are outside of the sensor baseline calibration normal.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving the electronic signal from the sensors in the group consisting of;

a magnetic sensor, a chemical sniffer sensor, a millimeter wave sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a seismic sensor, and a laser tripwire.