Methods and systems for a universal wireless platform for asset monitoring

• US 9,870,690 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2013
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Laflen, John Brandon, Hasan, S M Shajedul, Wik, Steven William, Zhao, Yang, Polishchuk, Yakov, Biel, Patrick Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US14/048,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/02 involving measurement of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 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: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A metrological interface device includes a printed circuit board (“PCB”) including at least one metrological sensor communication interface and at least one first wireless communication interface. The metrological interface device is in communication with a metrological sensing device via the metrological sensor communication interface. Each metrological sensing device is coupled to a physical asset. Each metrological interface device is configured to receive the metrological data from the metrological sensing device. The metrological interface device is configured to receive metrological data from the metrological sensing device via the metrological sensor communication interface. Metrological data represents physical measurement data associated with the physical asset. Each metrological interface device is configured to advertise connection availability to a plurality of mobile computing devices, and also configured to receive a connection request from a connecting mobile computing device, and is additionally configured to create an active connection with the connecting mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system comprising:

a plurality of metrological interface devices, each said plurality of metrological interface devices comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising at least one metrological sensor communication interface, and at least one first wireless communication interface, wherein each said plurality of metrological interface devices is in communication with a respective metrological sensing device via said at least one metrological sensor communication interface, wherein each respective metrological sensing device is configured to detect metrological data from a physical asset, each said plurality of metrological interface devices is configured to receive the metrological data from the respective metrological sensing device; and

a plurality of mobile computing devices, each said plurality of mobile computing device comprising a memory device, a processor coupled to said memory device, and a second wireless communication interface coupled to said memory device and to said processor, wherein said second wireless communication interface is configured to communicate with said plurality of metrological interface devices via said first wireless communication Interface, wherein each mobile computing device of said plurality of mobile computing devices is a heterogeneous mobile computing device and is configured to;

scan for available metrological interface devices of said plurality of metrological interface devices, wherein the available metrological interface devices are a subset of said plurality of metrological interface devices;

transmit a connection request to at least one of the available metrological devices to connect to the at least one of the available metrological devices;

create an active connection with the at least one of the available metrological interface devices;

store, at said memory device, at least one analytical application, the at least one analytical application programmed to run on the heterogeneous mobile computing device; and

analyze metrological data, at said memory device, using the at least one analytical application;

communicate with the connected said at least one of the available metrological interface devices to receive the metrological data that is to be analyzed,

wherein each of said plurality of metrological interfaces is configured to;

advertise connection availability to said plurality of mobile computing devices;

receive a connection request from a connecting mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices; and

stop advertising connection availability to remaining said plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein the at least one analytical application is designed based on a set of application programming interface (API) libraries associated with connecting to said plurality of metrological interface devices;

wherein the set of API libraries allow the at least one analytical application to provide substantially similar features of said connected to at least one of the available metrological interface devices on the heterogeneous mobile device that has created the active connection with the at least one of the available metrological interface devices.

2. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each said first wireless communication interface and each said second wireless communication interface is configured to communicate using protocols including at least one of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and wireless local area network protocols.

3. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each said PCB is configured to interface with said respective metrological sensing device via the at least one metrological sensor communication interface using a standard interface protocol including at least one of universal serial bus (USB), recommended standard 232 (RS232), Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), serial peripheral interface bus (SPI), analog, and a generic I/O interface.

4. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is configured to establish a data connection to a plurality of said plurality of metrological interface devices, substantially simultaneously.

5. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of mobile computing devices are mobile computing devices including at least one of a tablet computer, a smartphone, and a phablet.

6. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each respective metrological sensing device is coupled to a physical asset, and each of said plurality of metrological interface devices is further configured to:

receive, from the respective metrological sensing device via said at least one metrological sensor communication interface, metrological data substantially representing physical measurement data associated with the physical asset.

7. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of metrological devices further comprises a chassis substantially housing said PCB.

8. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of metrological interface devices is coupled to the respective metrological sensing device and enclosed within the chassis.

9. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices stores an asset model and is configured to compare metrological data received from the at least one of the available metrological interface devices to the asset model.

10. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is configured to update the asset model based on the metrological data received from the at least one of the available said metrological interface devices.

11. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is further configured to:

a) receive a metrological data set that substantially represents data associated with the physical asset at a point in time;

b) process, by said processor, the metrological data set and an asset data model into a processed metrological data set that substantially represents a model of the physical asset associated with the metrological sensing device and further associated with said metrological interface device receiving the metrological data set that substantially represents data associated with the physical asset at the point in time;

c) upon determining, based on the processed metrological data set, a metrological variance, recalibrated the asset data model and return to step (a); and

d) upon determining no metrological variance, report the metrological asset data model to at least one report recipient.

12. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is configured to:

process the metrological data set and the asset data model into the processed metrological data set using at least one networked computing resource associated with said mobile computing device processing the metrological data set and the asset model.

13. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is configured to:

process the metrological data set from a secondary metrological data set into a primary metrological data set, wherein the secondary metrological data set represents a second set of data associated with the physical asset which does not represent a physical state of the physical asset and the primary metrological data set represents a first set of data associated with the physical asset which represents the physical state of the physical asset.

14. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of mobile computing devices is configured to process the metrological data set by applying at least one of heuristic algorithms and expert-user input.

15. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said metrological interface devices is further configured to:

determine whether a connection state to a connected one of said plurality of mobile computing devices has changed;

release the connection to the connected one of said plurality of mobile computing devices; and

resume advertising availability to said plurality of mobile computing devices.

16. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said metrological interface devices is further configured to:

determine whether a connection condition to a connected one of said plurality of mobile computing devices has changed; and

change a data connection to the connected one of said plurality of mobile computing devices from an active connection to a dormant connection, the dormant connection substantially representing a connection where data communication is halted and less energy is consumed than in an active connection.

17. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of mobile computing devices are configured to communicate with said plurality of metrological interface devices by at least one of:

requesting metrological data from at least one metrological interface device of said plurality of metrological interface devices;

calibrating said at least one metrological interface device; and

receiving metrological data from said at least one metrological interface device.

18. The computer-implemented system in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of metrological interface devices has firmware encoded in said PCB, wherein the firmware governs at least one of communication protocols, interface protocols, encryption, data formats, and power management.