Remote monitoring system

• US 9,541,454 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Schechter Tech LLC (Digi International Inc.)
• Inventors: Schechter, Harry J., Felichko, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US14/842,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20150369671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/500, 340/501, 340/506, 340/539.16, 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2200/00 Transmission systems for measured values, control or similar signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 25/02 by signalling back receiving station to transmitting station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A temperature monitoring service in which remote monitoring units are distributed to customers who then set up monitoring as desired at their facilities. The devices may be registered through a web site using the Internet. Monitoring information may be communicated using a publicly available, wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network. The service may be provided with a system, including a server, which can deliver high levels of monitoring functionality. The server may support streaming monitoring information to a customer for analysis or sending a command activating a device connected to a remote unit. Remote units associated with the same location may be in a pool, comprising one active unit and one or more spare units, in which the server automatically identifies the active unit. The server may support analyzing monitoring information according to an expected cycle pattern of a ventilation system at the monitored facility.

Claims

1. A method of operating an environmental monitoring system to monitor one or more environmental parameters of an environment, wherein the environmental monitoring system comprises at least one remote unit disposed in the environment and at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment, wherein each remote unit of the at least one remote unit comprises a sensor to sense an environmental parameter and a transceiver, wherein the method comprises:

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a normal pattern of variation over time in the environment of a first environmental parameter of the environment;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal pattern of variation over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering an alert.

2. A method of operating an environmental monitoring system to monitor one or more environmental parameters of an environment, wherein the environmental monitoring system comprises at least one remote unit disposed in the environment and at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment, wherein each remote unit of the at least one remote unit comprises a sensor to sense an environmental parameter and a transceiver, wherein the method comprises:

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a normal change over time in the environment of a first environmental parameter of the environment;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering an alert,

wherein;

the adaptively calculating, the determining, and the triggering are performed by the at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment; and

the method further comprises receiving, at the at least one computing device over time, a plurality of environmental parameter reports from the at least one remote unit in the environment, each report of the plurality of environmental parameter reports comprising an environmental parameter value detected in the environment at a time;

the adaptively calculating from the analysis of the data comprises adaptively calculating from an analysis of environmental parameter values of the plurality of environmental parameter reports over time; and

the determining whether the state indicates a deviation comprises determining based on an environmental parameter report of the plurality of environmental parameter report.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation comprises determining based at least in part on the environmental parameter value of a most-recently-received environmental parameter report received from the at least one remote unit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation comprises determining based at least in part on environmental parameter values of a second plurality of environmental parameter reports received from the at least one remote unit.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

adaptively calculating the normal change over time comprises adaptively calculating a pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter of the environment; and

determining whether a state of the first normal parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time comprises determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation from the pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

adaptively calculating a pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter of the environment comprises adaptively calculating a cyclical pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter of the environment; and

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation from the pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter comprises determining whether one or more values for the first environmental parameter indicate a deviation from the cyclical pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein:

adaptively calculating the normal change over time comprises adaptively calculating a normal rate of change in the first environmental parameter of the environment; and

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time comprises determining whether two or more values for the first environmental parameter indicate a deviation from the normal rate of change in the first environmental parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the two or more values for the first environmental parameter indicate a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time comprises determining whether the two or more values for the first environmental parameter indicate more than a threshold variation from the normal rate of change in the first environmental parameter.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the environmental monitoring system further comprises at least one second remote unit disposed in a second environment; and

the method further comprises adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one second remote unit disposed in the second environment, a second normal change over time in the second environment of the first environmental parameter of the second environment, the second normal change over time being different from the normal change over time.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a second normal change over time in the environment of a second environmental parameter of the environment, the second nounal change over time being different from the normal change over time; and

determining whether a state of the second environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the second environmental parameter from the second normal change over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering the alert.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein:

a first device is disposed in the environment; and

the method further comprises, in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, transmitting at least one message to the first device to place the first device into a first state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

a second device is disposed in the environment, the first device and the second device being arranged such that the first device controls operation of the second device; and

transmitting the at least one message to the first device to place the first device into the first state comprises transmitting at least one message to which the first device is configured to respond by performing a first control to place the second device into a second state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first device controls an actuator coupled between the second device and a power source; and

transmitting the at least one message to the first device comprises transmitting at least one message to which the first device is configured to respond by changing a state of the actuator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second device is HVAC equipment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first environmental parameter is temperature;

the at least one remote unit comprises a temperature sensor;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time comprises determining whether a temperature in the environment indicates a deviation from a normal change over time of temperature in the environment.

16. A method of operating an environmental monitoring system to monitor one or more environmental parameters of an environment, wherein the environmental monitoring system comprises at least one remote unit disposed in the environment and at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment, wherein each remote unit of the at least one remote unit comprises a sensor to sense an environmental parameter and a transceiver, wherein the method comprises:

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a normal change over time in the environment of a first environmental parameter of the environment;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering an alert,

wherein;

a first device is disposed in the environment;

the method further comprises, in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, transmitting at least one message to the first device to place the first device into a first state;

a second device is disposed in the environment, the first device and the second device being arranged such that the first device controls operation of the second device;

transmitting the at least one message to the first device to place the first device into the first state comprises transmitting at least one message to which the first device is configured to respond by performing a first control to place the second device into a second state;

the first device controls an actuator coupled between the second device and a power source;

transmitting the at least one message to the first device comprises transmitting at least one message to which the first device is configured to respond by changing a state of the actuator;

the second device is HVAC equipment;

the first environmental parameter is temperature;

the at least one remote unit comprises a temperature sensor;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal change over time comprises determining whether a temperature in the environment indicates a deviation from a normal change over time of temperature in the environment;

receiving, at the at least one computing device over time, the plurality of environmental parameter reports from the at least one remote unit comprises receiving the plurality of environmental parameter reports via at least one network, the at least one network comprising a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), wherein each environmental parameter report of the plurality is formatted according to a best effort communication protocol; and

the method further comprises responding to a first environmental parameter report of the plurality by transmitting, from the at least one computing device and to a first remote unit of the at least one remote unit that transmitted the first environmental report, an acknowledgement of receipt of the first environmental parameter report, the acknowledge of receipt being included in a message formatted according to the best effort communication protocol.

17. At least one computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method of operating an environmental monitoring system to monitor one or more environmental parameters of an environment, wherein the environmental monitoring system comprises at least one remote unit disposed in the environment and at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment, wherein each remote unit of the at least one remote unit comprises a sensor to sense an environmental parameter and a transceiver, wherein the method comprises:

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a normal pattern of variation over time in the environment of a first environmental parameter of the environment;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal pattern of variation over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering an alert.

18. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

adaptively calculating the normal pattern of variation over time comprises adaptively calculating a cyclical pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter of the environment; and

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal pattern of variation over time comprises determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation from the cyclical pattern of variation in the first environmental parameter.

19. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

adaptively calculating a normal rate of change in the first environmental parameter of the environment; and

determining whether the state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation from the normal rate of change in the first environmental parameter.

20. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method of operating an environmental monitoring system to monitor one or more environmental parameters of an environment, wherein the environmental monitoring system comprises at least one remote unit disposed in the environment and at least one computing device disposed remote from the environment, wherein each remote unit of the at least one remote unit comprises a sensor to sense an environmental parameter and a transceiver, wherein the method comprises;

adaptively calculating, from analysis of data collected by one or more of the at least one remote unit disposed in the environment, a normal pattern of variation over time in the environment of a first environmental parameter of the environment;

determining whether a state of the first environmental parameter indicates a deviation of the first environmental parameter from the normal pattern of variation over time; and

in response to determining that the state indicates a deviation, triggering an alert.