Apparatus, system and method for a cloud based universal fleet monitoring system

• US 9,668,032 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nergysense LLC
• Original Assignee: Nergysense LLC
• Inventors: Wade, James R, Mosolgo, Robert William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S
• Application Number:
  US14/280,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 702 63, 455406, 455567, 324426, 713300, 713320, 713340
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/00 Selecting arrangements H04Q5/00 - H04Q11/00 take precedence
• 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

An enhanced system and method for monitoring operation of a plurality of data sensors allows monitoring of data from industrial batteries and/or Battery Data Sensors (BDSs), vehicles, charging systems and related equipment. One or more Data Collection Modules communicate wirelessly and receive data from each device sensor, store data in the Data Collector memory and asynchronously transmit the data through the Cloud and/or Internet to the Cloud Server, which stores and process all received raw data and stores configuration information for each uniquely identified monitored device. Users may interact with the monitoring system using smart Web-enabled devices, and may submit user configuration data via the Cloud Server and receive reports regarding operation of the monitoring system, individual sensors and monitored devices.

Claims

1. A battery sensor for attachment to and monitoring of any given one amongst a first population of interchangeable batteries, each battery being selectively connectable to any given one amongst a second population of interchangeable external devices, the system comprising:

one or more monitors configured to sense values of operational parameters of the given battery, respectively;

a memory to store at least an ID of the battery sensor;

a first interface configured to receive an ID from and of the given external device to which the given battery is connected; and

a second interface configured to communicate, at least indirectly with the host over a communication path for which at least one segment thereof is a wireless segment;

the sensed parameter values;

the battery sensor ID; and

the external device ID to a remote host.

2. The battery sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the second interface is further configured to receive from the host adaptive configuration data for the given external device; and

the first interface is further configured to generate adaptive data for the given external device based on the sensed parameter values and relations thereof with the given battery monitor ID and the given external device ID, respectively, and communicate the same to the given external device.

3. The battery sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the given external device is one of a charge sink and a charge source;

the first interface is further configured to communicate with the given external device using the same conduction path by which the given external device sinks or sources charge.

4. The battery sensor of claim 3, wherein:

as the charge sink, the given external device is an industrial vehicles for which at least one electric motor is the prime mover thereof; and

as the charge source, the given external device is charger.

5. The battery sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the second interface is further configured to communicate with the host at least indirectly via a data collector;

a communication link between the second interface and the data collector is the wireless segment of the communication path; and

the communication path includes at least one segment between the data collector and the host.

6. A system for monitoring a first population of interchangeable batteries, the system comprising:

a computational host remote from the first population of batteries; and

a second population of battery sensors, attachable to the first population of batteries and configured to monitor the same, respectively, each sensor including;

a first interface configured to communicate at least indirectly with the host over a communication path for which at least one segment thereof is a wireless segment;

the host including a second interface to communicate at least indirectly with the battery sensors;

the host being configured to receive, via the second interface, communications from the battery sensors, wherein a given communication from a given battery sensor includes an ID of the given battery sensor and sensed values of operational parameters of the given battery; and

the host being configured to quantitatively assess behavior as a whole of the first population of batteries based on the sensed values of the operational parameters and the IDs of the battery sensors corresponding thereto, respectively.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the system further comprises;

a third population of interchangeable devices external to the batteries, any given device amongst the third population being selectively connectable to any given one of the batteries;

each first interface is configured to receive an ID from and of the given external device to which the given battery is connected; and

the given communication from the given battery sensor further including the ID of the given external device; and

the host being further configured to generate one or more quantitative assessments of behavior as a whole of the first population of batteries based on relationships of the IDs of the external devices to the batteries connected thereto and the corresponding sensed values of the operational parameters, respectively.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the host is further configured to generate adaptive configuration data for the second population of interchangeable external devices based on the one or more quantitative assessments.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the given external device is one of a charge sink and a charge source;

each first interface is further configured to communicate with the given external device using the same conduction path by which the given external device sinks or sources charge.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

as the charge sink, the given external device is an industrial vehicles for which at least one electric motor is the prime mover thereof; and

as the charge source, the given external device is charger.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the system further comprises;

a third population of data collectors, each of the data collectors being configured to communicate with the host and with one or more of the battery sensors;

each first interface is further configured to communicate with the host at least indirectly via one of the data collectors such that a given data collector receives, from one or more of the battery sensors, the sensed values of the operational parameters and the corresponding battery sensor IDs, respectively;

a communication link between the first interface and the given data collector is the wireless segment of the communication path; and

the communication path includes at least one segment between the given data collector and the host.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

each data collector includes a memory to store at least an ID thereof; and

each data collector is further configured to the ID thereof to the host.

13. A system for monitoring a first population of interchangeable batteries, the system comprising:

a host remote from the first population of batteries;

a second population of battery sensors, attachable to the first population of batteries and configured to monitor the same, respectively; and

a third population of interchangeable devices external to the batteries, any given device amongst the third population being selectively connectable to any given one of the batteries;

each sensor including a first interface configured;

to communicate with the host at least indirectly over a communication path for which at least one segment thereof is a wireless segment; and

to receive an ID from and of the given external device to which the given battery is connected;

the host including a second interface to communicate at least indirectly with the batteries;

the host being configured to receive, via the second interface, communications from the battery sensors, wherein a given communication from a given battery sensor includes an ID of the given battery, sensed values of operational parameters of the given battery, and the ID of the given external device; and

the host being further configured to generate adaptive data for the given external device based on the sensed parameter values and relations thereof with the given battery sensor ID and the given external device ID, respectively, and communicate the same to the given external device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the host is further configured to generate one or more quantitative assessments of behavior as a whole of the first population of batteries based on the sensed parameter values and relations thereof with the battery sensor IDs and the external device IDs, respectively.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the given external device is one of a charge sink and a charge source;

each first interface is further configured to communicate with the given external device using the same conduction path by which the given external device sinks or sources charge.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

as the charge sink, the given external device is an industrial vehicles for which at least one electric motor is the prime mover thereof; and

as the charge source, the given external device is charger.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the system further comprises;

a fourth population of data collectors, each of the data collectors being configured to communicate with the host and with one or more of the battery sensors;

each first interface is further configured to communicate with the host at least indirectly via one of the data collectors such that a given data collector receives, from one or more of the battery sensors, the sensed values of the operational parameters and the corresponding battery sensor IDs, respectively;

a communication link between the first interface and the given data collector is the wireless segment of the communication path; and

the communication path includes at least one segment between the given data collector and the host.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

each data collector includes a memory to store at least an ID thereof; and

each data collector is further configured to the ID thereof to the host.

19. A system for monitoring operation of a plurality of data sensors, the system comprising:

at least one data sensor attached to a battery and configured to receive operational data from the battery, wherein the at least one data sensor includes;

a local memory for temporary storage of the operational data received from the at least one battery attached to the data sensor;

a power line communication module on the at least one data sensor; and

a wireless communication module configured to communication with and transit data from the local memory;

at least one data collector, configured to wirelessly communicate with and receive data from the at least one data sensor, wherein the data collector includes;

a cloud communication module configured to transmit data received from the at least one data sensor; and

a cloud server, having a processor and memory, configured to receive and process data from the at least one data collector;

wherein the cloud server is further configured;

to store the data from the at least one data collector in raw form;

to separately receive and store configuration data; and

to apply the configuration data to the data received from the at least one data collector to generate application data.