Monitoring system and method

• US 9,424,740 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Szabo, Gabor, Erdos, Akos, Balazs, Jeno, Csato, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARAMOLA, ISRAEL O
• Application Number:
  US13/604,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20130241744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 702/188, 701/532, 600/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• 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 system for monitoring an area is provided. The system comprises a plurality of stationary sensors that can sense events and comprise a wireless output signal broadcast capability for transmitting output signals from the stationary sensors by a wireless communication protocol. The system further comprises gateway units connected to a wired backbone network and configured to transmit information relating to the output signals of the stationary sensors by a wired communication protocol, and a base station connected to the wired backbone network configured to receive the information transmitted by the gateway units on the wired communication protocol and to time-stamp the events signaled by the stationary sensors. The monitored area comprises sub-areas, and a group of stationary sensors are assigned to each of the sub-areas and to a gateway unit for directly receiving the output signals from the group of stationary sensors.

Claims

1. A medical monitoring system for monitoring of an area, the system comprising:

a plurality of stationary sensors without time stamping capability, configured to sense events and comprising a wireless output signal broadcast capability for transmitting output signals from the stationary sensors by a wireless communication protocol;

gateway units for receiving the output signals of the stationary sensors, the gateway units connected to a wired backbone network and configured to transmit information relating to the output signals of the stationary sensors by a wired communication protocol on the wired backbone network; and

a base station connected to the wired backbone network, the base station configured to receive the information transmitted by the gateway units on the wired communication protocol and to time-stamp the events signaled by the stationary sensors,

wherein the area comprises sub-areas, wherein a group of stationary sensors are assigned to each of the sub-areas and to a gateway unit directly receiving the output signals of the group of stationary sensors, and wherein the network topology of the stationary sensors, gateway units and base station provides each stationary sensor with substantially the same communication path length to the base station so that the base station time stamps the signaled events in sequence order.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway units are configured to transmit information relating to the output signals of the stationary sensors by the wireless communication protocol to the base station in the case of a failure of the wired communication.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol is ZigBee.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wired communication protocol is Power Line Networking.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the stationary sensors are motion sensors.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is a home or an assisted living monitoring system.

7. A method for monitoring of an area, the method comprising:

applying a plurality of stationary sensors without time stamping capability, the sensors comprising a wireless output signal broadcast capability; and

transmitting output signals from the stationary sensors by a wireless communication protocol to a plurality of gateway units connected to a wired backbone network and configured to transmit information relating to the output signals of the stationary sensors by a wired communication protocol on the wired backbone network to a base station,

wherein the plurality of stationary sensors are configured to sense events, and wherein the area comprises sub-areas, to each of the sub-areas is assigned;

a group of stationary sensors; and

a gateway unit directly receiving the output signals of the group of the stationary sensors, wherein the events signaled by the stationary sensors to the base station are time-stamped by the base station,

the method further comprising arranging the stationary sensors, gateway units and base station in a network topology that provides each stationary sensor with substantially the same communication path length to the base station so that the base station time stamps the signaled events in sequence order.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, in the case of a failure of the wired communication, the plurality of gateway units communicate the information relating to the output signals of the stationary sensors by the wireless communication protocol to the base station.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the wireless communication protocol is ZigBee.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the wired communication protocol is Power Line Networking.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the stationary sensors are motion sensors.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the area is a home or an assisted living facility.