Automation apparatuses, systems and methods
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of sensor circuits respectively located at different geographical regions, each sensor circuit being configured and arranged to monitor an environmental characteristic;
a plurality of slave control circuits having an input port coupled to receive communications indicative of the monitored environmental characteristic from at least one of the sensor circuits, having a wireless communication circuit configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with wireless communication circuits at other ones of the slave control circuits, and having a computer processor circuit configured and arranged to control operational equipment to which the received communications pertain by outputting control signals to the operational equipment based upon the received communications and the monitored environmental characteristic; and
a master control circuit having a wireless communication circuit configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the wireless communication circuits at the slave control circuits, and having a computer processor circuit configured and arranged with the slave control circuits and the wireless communication circuits to wirelessly communicate using a wireless-based communications network with wireless communication links between ones of the slave control circuits and at least one wireless link between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, bymonitoring communication characteristics of a plurality of communications paths between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, each communication path including at least two of the wireless communication links and at least one of the slave control circuits via which communications are passed to another one of the slave control circuits,selecting one of the communication paths based upon the monitored communication characteristics, andusing the selected one of the communication paths, communicating data between the master control circuit and the one of the slave control circuits.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Automation is effected for various remote circuits. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, environmental characteristics are monitored at each of a plurality of remote systems located at different geographical regions (e.g., remote agricultural systems, or other equipment) and controlled by one or more local/master systems. Data indicative of the monitored environmental characteristic is communicated and used for controlling operational equipment, based upon operational instructions communicated from the master system. These communications are carried out by monitoring communication characteristics of communications paths between the master system and the remote systems, with some communication paths including one or more of the remote systems via which communications are passed (e.g., relayed). One of the communication paths is selected based upon the monitored communication characteristics, and used for communicating the operational instructions with the remote systems.
42 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of sensor circuits respectively located at different geographical regions, each sensor circuit being configured and arranged to monitor an environmental characteristic; a plurality of slave control circuits having an input port coupled to receive communications indicative of the monitored environmental characteristic from at least one of the sensor circuits, having a wireless communication circuit configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with wireless communication circuits at other ones of the slave control circuits, and having a computer processor circuit configured and arranged to control operational equipment to which the received communications pertain by outputting control signals to the operational equipment based upon the received communications and the monitored environmental characteristic; and a master control circuit having a wireless communication circuit configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the wireless communication circuits at the slave control circuits, and having a computer processor circuit configured and arranged with the slave control circuits and the wireless communication circuits to wirelessly communicate using a wireless-based communications network with wireless communication links between ones of the slave control circuits and at least one wireless link between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, by monitoring communication characteristics of a plurality of communications paths between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, each communication path including at least two of the wireless communication links and at least one of the slave control circuits via which communications are passed to another one of the slave control circuits, selecting one of the communication paths based upon the monitored communication characteristics, and using the selected one of the communication paths, communicating data between the master control circuit and the one of the slave control circuits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus comprising:
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a wireless communication circuit configured and arranged to communicate with a multitude of slave control circuits at disparate geographical regions using a wireless-based communications network; a monitoring circuit configured and arranged with the wireless communication circuit to monitor communication characteristics of a plurality of communications paths via which data is communicated with the slave control circuits, at least some of the communication paths including at least one of the slave control circuits via which communications are passed to another one of the slave control circuits; a routing circuit configured and arranged to, for each of the slave control circuits, select at least one of the communication paths for communicating with the slave control circuit based upon the monitored communication characteristics; and a control circuit configured and arranged with the wireless communication circuit, the monitoring circuit and routing circuit to, for each slave control circuit, control operation of the slave control circuit by communicating operational instructions to the slave control circuit using the selected one of the communication paths for the slave control circuit, ascertain environmental characteristics sensed by each slave control circuit via the selected one of the communication paths, in response to the ascertained environmental characteristics, modify operation of the slave control circuit by communicating revised operational instructions to the slave control circuit using the selected one of the communication paths, and in response to the monitoring circuit selecting a different one of the communication paths, communicating with the slave control circuit using the different one of the communication paths. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method comprising:
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monitoring an environmental characteristic at each of a plurality of sensor circuits respectively located at different geographical regions; for each of the sensor circuits, communicating data indicative of the monitored environmental characteristic to one of a plurality of slave control circuits and to a master control circuit; at each slave control circuit, controlling operational equipment by outputting control signals to the operational equipment based upon operational instructions received from the master control circuit and based on the monitored environmental characteristic; and at a master control circuit, wirelessly communicating the operational instructions with the slave control circuits using a wireless-based communications network with wireless communication links between ones of the slave control circuits and at least one wireless link between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, by monitoring communication characteristics of a plurality of communications paths between the master control circuit and one of the slave control circuits, each communication path including at least two of the wireless communication links and at least one of the slave control circuits via which communications are passed to another one of the slave control circuits, selecting one of the communication paths based upon the monitored communication characteristics, and using the selected one of the communication paths, communicating the operational instructions between the master control circuit and the one of the slave control circuits.
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Specification