Sensor deployment mechanism at a monitored location

• US 9,551,594 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Senseware, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Senseware, Inc.
• Inventors: Stamatakis, Julien G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US14/710,170
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/856.3, 340/539, 340/22, 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00842 the system comprising a plurality of damper doors; Air distribution between several outlets
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/0001 for ventilation F24F11/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40228 Modbus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 : using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 : using a wireless 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 2209/60 : for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/80 : Arrangements in the sub-station, i.e. sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/82 : where the sensing device takes the initiative of sending data
• 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 24/02 : Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 : between gateways and public network devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 : Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A universal sensor interface enables selective coupling of one or more sensor module units to a wireless node. Each sensor module unit can contain a suite of sensors selected for a particular sensor application at a monitored location. Reconfiguration of the wireless sensor network can occur seamlessly through the plug-and-play connectivity between the sensor module units and the wireless node.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a sensor module having a first set of sensors and a first controller that receives first sensor data derived from first measurements by the first set of sensors, the first set of sensors enclosed in a housing and configured to monitor a state of physical conditions at a monitored location at which the device is installed; and

a wireless node having a wireless transceiver that communicates with a gateway device at the monitored location via wireless communication, a second set of one or more sensors, and a second controller, the sensor module connected to the wireless node via a wired communication interface that enables a transfer of the first sensor data from the sensor module to the wireless node,

wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the first sensor data received from the sensor module, and to transmit second sensor data derived from second measurements by the second set of one or more sensors in the wireless node, to the gateway device at the monitored location via wireless communication for delivery to a host system that is remote from the monitored location.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates with the gateway device using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the wired communication interface includes a cable.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first set of sensors includes a pulse sensor for measuring activity of a relay switch in a rotary utility meter.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first set of sensors includes a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, and a light sensor.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the wired communication interface includes a data signaling connection and a clock signaling connection.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes a temperature sensor.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes a sensor configured to measure a health and/or status of the wireless node.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes a voltage sensor.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the wired communication interface includes a connector interface for removable, pluggable insertion.

11. A method performed by a wireless device, comprising:

generating, by a sensor module, first sensor data derived from first measurements by a first set of sensors in the sensor module, the first set of sensors enclosed in a housing and configured to monitor a state of physical conditions at a monitored location at which the wireless device is installed, the sensor module having a wired communication interface that enables connection of the sensor module to a wireless node, the wireless node combined with the sensor module forming the wireless device;

directing, by the sensor module, a transmission of first sensor data signals, which are based on the first sensor data, from the sensor module to the wireless node via the wired communication interface;

generating, by the wireless node, second sensor data derived from second measurements by a second set of one or more sensors in the wireless node; and

transmitting, by a wireless transceiver in the wireless node, the first sensor data obtained via receipt by the wireless node of the first sensor data signals via the wired communication interface and the second sensor data to a gateway device at the monitored location via wireless communication for delivery to a host system that is remote from the monitored location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating first sensor data comprises generating first sensor data using a suite of sensors that includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor and a light sensor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating first sensor data comprises generating first sensor data using a pulse sensor for measuring activity of a relay switch in a rotary utility meter.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating second sensor data comprises generating second sensor data using a sensor configured to measure a health and/or status of the wireless node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating second sensor data comprises generating second sensor data using a voltage sensor.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the first sensor data and the second sensor data to the gateway device using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

17. A device, comprising:

a sensor module having a first set of sensors and a controller that receives first sensor data derived from first measurements by the first set of sensors, the first set of sensors enclosed in a housing, the sensor module having a wired connection to a meter device for receipt of output signals from the meter device for measurement by the first set of sensors; and

a wireless node having a wireless transceiver that communicates with a gateway device at a monitored location via wireless communication, and a second set of one or more sensors, the sensor module connected to the wireless node via wired communication that enables a transfer of the first sensor data from the sensor module to the wireless node,

wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the first sensor data received from the sensor module, and to transmit second sensor data derived from second measurements by the second set of one or more sensors in the wireless node, to the gateway device at the monitored location via wireless communication for delivery to a host system that is remote from the monitored location.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates with the gateway device using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes a sensor configured to measure a health and/or status of the wireless node.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the second set of one or more sensors includes a voltage sensor.