Server system for remote monitoring

• US 7,902,975 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• 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:
  US12/698,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 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 of environmental conditions, 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 which include sensor data;

a processor configured to;

process the packets which include 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, and

identify the sensor associated with the sensor data; and

a storage device configured to store received sensor data according to the identification of the associated sensor.

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

3. The server system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate instructions for the control board, the instructions concerning a determination of whether an alarm level is triggered for the sensor, and wherein the communication interface is further configured to transmit the instructions over the wireless communications network to the control board.

4. The server system of claim 1, further comprising a web interface that allows a user to:

configure control board report settings, and

access historical data of a selected sensor, wherein the historical data includes the sensor data stored in the storage device.

5. The server system of claim 4, wherein the web interface further allows the user to transmit calibration information regarding the sensor to the control board.

6. A method for operating a server system for remote monitoring of environmental conditions, the method comprising:

receiving at least one packet which includes sensor data through a cost-controlled communication interface over a wireless communications network, the at least one packet sent from a control board at a remote location;

transmitting instructions over the wireless communications network to the control board for configuring control board report settings that control communication costs;

executing instructions stored in a memory of the server system, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor identifies the sensor associated with the sensor data in the received packet; and

storing the sensor data in memory according to the identification of the associated sensor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein further execution of the instructions by the processor determines that an alarm level is triggered based on the sensor data of the sensor.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating and transmitting instructions to the control board, the instructions concerning an action responsive to the environmental condition that triggered the alarm level.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving user input regarding sensor calibration, the input received through a web interface.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method for remote monitoring of environmental conditions by a plurality of sensors, the method comprising:

receiving at least one packet which includes sensor data through a cost-controlled communication interface over a wireless communications network, the at least one packet sent from a control board at a remote location;

transmitting instructions over the wireless communications network to the control board for configuring control board report settings that control communication costs;

identifying a sensor associated with the sensor data in the received packet; and

storing the sensor data in memory according to the identification of the associated sensor.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for receiving user input regarding sensor, the user input received through a web interface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for transmitting an acknowledgement of successful communication to the control board upon receipt of the at least one data packet.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for transmitting instructions for configuring control board retransmission settings to the control board.

14. A remote monitoring system for monitoring environmental conditions by a sensor, the system comprising:

a communication interface for cost-controlled communication with a server system over a wireless communications network;

a sensor interface communicatively coupled to a sensor, the sensor interface configured to;

calibrate a sensor for data measurement by updating calibration information of the sensor, and

receive sensor data regarding data measurement from the sensor; and

a microprocessor controlled control board configured to;

configure control board report settings that control communication costs, the configuration according to instructions received at the communications interface,

update calibration information of the sensor based on the instructions received at the communications interface, and

process the sensor data received at the sensor interface to form at least one data packet, wherein the at least one data packet has a predetermined maximum byte length based on the control board report settings that control communication costs, wherein the at least one data packet is transmitted from the communication interface to the system server.

15. The remote monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the sensor data from the sensor includes an identifier.

16. A method for operating a remote monitoring system for monitoring environmental conditions by a plurality of sensors, the method comprising:

calibrating a sensor for data measurement by updating calibration information of the sensor;

receiving sensor data from the sensor through a sensor interface;

receiving instructions through a communication interface to configure report settings that control communication costs;

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor processes sensor data to form at least one data packet, wherein the at least one data packet has a predetermined maximum byte length based on the configured report settings that control communication costs; and

transmitting the at least one data packet through the communication interface.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a computer processor to perform a method for operating a remote monitoring system for monitoring environmental conditions by a plurality of sensors, the method comprising:

calibrating a sensor for data measurement by updating calibration information of the sensor;

receiving sensor data from the sensor through a sensor interface;

receiving instructions through a communication interface to configure report settings that control communication costs;

processing sensor data to form at least one data packet, wherein the at least one data packet has a predetermined maximum byte length based on the configured report settings that control communication costs; and

transmitting the at least one data packet through the communication interface.

18. An apparatus for remotely monitoring environmental conditions by a plurality of sensors, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to;

measure data concerning an environmental condition at a remote site,

process the measured sensor data, and

transmit the processed sensor data to a control board;

a memory device configured to store calibration information for the sensor;

a control board including a microprocessor, the control board configured to;

receive the processed sensor data from a sensor,

process the processed sensor data,

process the twice-processed sensor data to form at least one data packet, wherein the data packet has a predetermined maximum byte length based on control board report settings that control communication costs, and

transmit the at least one packet to a server system.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sensor is further configured to use the calibration information stored in the memory device to process the measured sensor data.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control board is further configured to use the calibration information stored in the memory device to process the processed sensor data.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sensor is further configured to use data compression to process the measured sensor data.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control board is further configured to use data compression to process the processed sensor data.