Method and system for monitoring environmental conditions

• US 20060187017A1
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Kulesz, James J., Lee, Ronald W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/06 Monitoring of the line circuits, e.g. signalling of line faults
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• 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: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system for detecting the occurrence of anomalies includes a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting anomalies, and each of the nodes having a controller connected to the sensors associated with the node. The system also includes communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network. At least one software agent is capable of changing the operation of at least one of the controllers in response to the detection of an anomaly by a sensor.

Claims

1. A system for detecting the occurrence of anomalies comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting anomalies, and each of the nodes having a controller connected to the sensors associated with the node;

communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network; and

at least one software agent that is programmed to determine a response to the detection of predetermined anomalies by one or more of the sensors.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to run a specific test.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to modify a threshold level for a test.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to transmit additional data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to change the frequency of a routine specific test.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to send a status of calibration of a sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to query identification data of a sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to change the functionality of an entire node.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to change the transmittal rate of data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to perform predictive analysis.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to become a data storage facility.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the software agents is programmed to send a command to query another node.

13. A system for monitoring environmental conditions for anomalies comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting anomalies, each of the nodes having a controller connected to the sensors associated with the node, and each of the controllers having a software agent; and

communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network;

wherein each software agent is programmed to change the operation of at least one of the controllers and the sensors of the network when there is an indication that an anomaly has been detected.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the detected anomaly consists of at least one of the detection of the destruction of a communication link to an adjacent node, a loss of power from a primary source of power, a loss of controller capability, a decrease in capability of a processor, a decrease in the memory storage, and a command from another node.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein each software agent is programmed to operate the controller in an event state when there is an indication that an anomaly has been detected and a quiescent state when there is no indication that an anomaly has been detected.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein each software agent is embedded within the controller of the respective node.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the software agent establishes the concept of operations at the event node when an anomaly has been detected and posts data representative of the anomaly to adjacent nodes.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the software agent at each node is reprogrammable.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein each software agent contains at least one concept of operations for the respective node.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein each software agent is adapted to post data to at least one data repository of the network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each software agent is adapted to interpret event data posted by a software agent at another node and react accordingly.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein each software agent may post data to a data repository at another node of the network in response to interpreted event data.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein external agents that are outside of the network and communicably connected to the network may post data to a data repository of the network.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein each software agent may be modified from a location that is outside of the network and communicably connected to the network.

25. The system of claim 13, wherein software agents are adapted to monitor the network for disruptions.

26. The system of claim 13, wherein software agents are adapted to contain network disruptions.

27. The system of claim 13, wherein each node includes an identity agent containing data relating to the respective associated node.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein each identity agent is programmed to communicate with an attached sensor.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein each identity agent includes a technical electronic data sheet for the attached sensor.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein each identity agent is embedded in an interface between the sensor and the node.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein each identity agent is either programmable or permanently stored.

32. A system for responding to environmental anomalies comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting at least one environmental condition, each of the nodes having a controller connected to the sensors associated with the node;

communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network; and

at least one software agent capable of determining an anomaly scenario in response to the detection of at least one of the sensors and transmitting data related to the anomaly scenario to a human interface.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein each node includes at least one software agent.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein each controller includes at least one software agent.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein each controller includes a software agent for each associated sensor.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one software agent is adapted to move between nodes on the network.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the software agents are adapted to communicate with other software agents.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the software agents are adapted to post and retrieve data to a data repository.

39. The system of claim 32, wherein the software agents are adapted to collaborate with one another in response to the detection of one of at least one of the sensors to determine the operation of at least one of the controllers.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein the software agents include programming containing at least one predetermined concept of operations for at least one of the controllers.

41. A method of monitoring environmental conditions for anomalies comprising:

distributing a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting anomalies, each of the nodes having a controller connected to the sensors associated with the node, and each of the controllers having a software agent;

communicably connecting adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network; and

programming the software agents to change the operation of at least one of the controllers and the sensors of the network when there is an indication that an anomaly has been detected.

42. A system for responding to environmental conditions comprising:

a node having one or more sensors associated with the node capable of detecting at least one environmental condition, the node having a controller connected to the sensors; and

at least one software agent capable of determining a calculated response to the detections of the one or more sensors.

43. A system for monitoring environmental conditions comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting at least one environmental condition;

communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network; and

at least one software agent associated with each of the sensors, each of the at least one software agents capable of determining the optimal operation of the respective sensor based on a detection of an environmental condition of the respective sensor.

44. A system for monitoring environmental conditions comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart nodes, with each node having adjacent nodes, each of the nodes having one or more sensors associated with the node and capable of detecting at least one environmental condition;

communication links between adjacent nodes, whereby the nodes form a network; and

at least one software agent disposed within the system, at least one of the at least one software agents operable to change the concept of operations of at least a portion of the at least one software agents based on a detection of an environmental condition of the respective sensor.