Server system for remote monitoring

• US 7,683,776 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthroscopic Surgery Associates Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cumulous Communications Corporation
• Inventors: Silva, Damon, Glenn, Gregory M., Henry, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/244,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20060028335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/3.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/539.25
• US Class Current: 340/531
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/80 Arrangements for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• 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 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 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A server system for remote monitoring includes a wireless communication interface, a processor, and a storage device. The wireless communication interface receives at least one data packet over wireless communications from a remote monitoring system. The processor processes the data packet including sensor information from a sensor coupled to the remote monitoring system. The storage device stores the sensor information.

Claims

1. A server system for remote monitoring, the server system comprising:

a communication interface for cost-controlled communication over a wireless communications network with a microprocessor controlled control board at a remote location, the communication interface configured to receive packets of compressed sensor data;

a processor configured to;

decompress packets of compressed sensor data received from the control board, wherein the packets have a predetermined maximum byte length based on control board report settings that control communication costs versus power usage,

determine what sensor data is associated with a sensor, and

determine whether an alarm level is triggered for a sensor;

a storage device configured to store received sensor data; and

a web interface that allows the server system'"'"'s user to;

configure control board report settings by sending instructions to the control board,

configure alarm settings used by the processor to determine whether an alarm level is triggered for a sensor, and

access historical data of a sensor based on the stored sensor data.

2. The server system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate instructions for a response that remedies a triggered alarm and the communication interface is further configured to transmit the instructions over the wireless communications network to the control board.

3. The server system of claim 1, wherein the web interface further allows the server system'"'"'s user to send calibration information for a sensor to the control board.

4. The server system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further configured to transmit an acknowledgement of successful communication to the control board.

5. The server system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to extract from a sensor data packet a location of a sensor and to provide the location for display through the web interface.

6. The server system of claim 4, wherein the communication interface is further configured to transmit instructions for configuring control board retransmission settings.

7. The server system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to extract from a sensor data packet a time and a date of when the sensor data was collected and to provide the time and date for display through the web interface.

8. The server system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether an alarm level is triggered based on the combination of sensor data from two or more sensors.

9. The server system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further configured to transmit instructions to the microprocessor controlled control board to determine whether an alarm level is triggered for a sensor, the determination taking place at the remote location of the control board.

10. The server system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a telemetry radio communications network.

11. The server system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications network comprises a cellular communications network.

12. A method for operating a server system, the method comprising:

receiving at least one packet of compressed sensor data over a wireless communications network from a control board at a remote location;

transmitting instructions for configuring control board report settings that control communication costs versus power usage;

decompressing the received packet to extract sensor data;

determining what sensor data is associated with a sensor;

determining whether an alarm level is triggered for a sensor;

storing the sensor data determined to be associated with a sensor; and

providing user access to stored historical data of a sensor through a web interface.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating instructions for a response that remedies a triggered alarm; and

transmitting the instructions over the wireless communications network to the control board.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing user configurability of calibration information of a sensor through a web interface.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement of successful communication to the control board.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a location of a sensor for display through the web interface.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting instructions for configuring control board retransmission settings.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing a time and a date of when the sensor data was collected by a sensor for display through the web interface.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining whether an alarm level is triggered based on the combination of sensor data from two or more sensors.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a message to a user based on a positive determination that the alarm level is triggered.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless communications network comprises telemetry radio communications.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless communications network comprises mobile cellular communications.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method for remote monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving at least one packet of compressed sensor data over a wireless communications network from a control board at a remote location;

transmitting instructions for configuring control board report settings that control communication costs versus power usage;

decompressing the received packet to extract sensor data;

determining what sensor data is associated with a sensor;

determining whether an alarm level is triggered for a sensor;

storing the sensor data determined to be associated with a sensor; and

providing user access to stored historical data of a sensor through a web interface.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to generate and transmit instructions for a response that remedies the condition that triggered the alarm level.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to provide user configurability of calibration information of a sensor through a web interface.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to transmit an acknowledgement of successful communication to the control board generate.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to provide a location of a sensor for display through the web interface.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, the program being further executable to transmit instructions for configuring control board retransmission settings.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to provide a time and a date of when the sensor data was collected by a sensor for display through the web interface.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to determine whether an alarm level is triggered based on the combination of sensor data from two or more sensors.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the program being further executable to send a message to a user based on a positive determination that the alarm level is triggered.