Configurable distributed smart sensor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10728633-B2
Application number	US-201816226277-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A sensor node of a sensing network acquires first sensing data from an internal sensing node and/or second sensing data via an interface from an external sensing node. The sensor node is configured with a selected configuration file. The first and second events are detected as a function of the first and/or second sensing data based on the configuration file. The method further includes performing a first action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the first event and performing a second action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the second event, wherein the first and second action sets are defined by the configuration file. Once configured with the configuration file, detecting the first and second events and performance of any of the first and second action sets is performed autonomously of a controller or host of a system being monitored by the sensing network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor node of a plurality of sensor nodes of a sensing network having a controller and/or a host the sensing network being configured for monitoring a system, the sensor node comprising:
one or more of at least one integral sensing elements and an interface for communicating with at least one external sensing element, wherein each of the integral sensors is internal to the sensor node and is configured to sense a physical characteristic of the system and output associated first sensing data, and wherein each of the at least one external sensing element is external to the sensor node and is configured to sense a physical characteristic of the system and output associated second sensing data;
a processing device configured to:
be configured with a configuration file selected from a plurality of configuration files, the configuration file defining a plurality of action sets to perform in association with detection of respective first and second events;
acquire at least one of the first and second sensing data from a respective at least one of the integral sensing element and the at least one external sensing element;
detect the first and second events as a function of at least one of the first and second sensing data based on the configuration file;
initiate an event trigger; and
perform a first action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the first event and perform a second action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the second event, wherein the first and second action sets are defined by the configuration file, the first action set is only performed upon initiation of the event trigger, and detection of the event trigger is a function of at least one logic operation applied to output of detection of the first and second events as a function of sensing data output by at least two sensing elements of the at least one integral sensing elements and the at least one external sensing elements, and once the processing device is configured with the configuration file, detection of the first and second events and performance of any of the first and second action sets is performed autonomously of the controller and the host of the sensing network.

2. The sensor node of claim 1 , wherein,
the processing device is further configured to initiate an event trigger,
the first action set is only performed upon initiation of the event trigger, and
the event trigger is initiated whenever the first event is detected.

3. The sensor node of claim 1 , wherein the sensing data output by the at least two-sensing elements includes the first sensing data as output by first and second integral sensing elements of the at least one integral sensing element.

4. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the sensing data output by the at least two sensing elements includes the first sensing data as output by a first integral sensing elements of the at least one integral sensing element and a first external sensing element of the at least one external sensing element.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein,
the processing device is further configured to initiate at least one event trigger,
the first and second action sets are only performed in response to initiation of one of the at least one event trigger, and
before the at least one event trigger is detected, the at least one integral sensing element and the at least one external sensing element operate in a listening mode to continually retain a limited amount of the respective first and second sensing data.

6. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein operating in the listening mode by the at least one integral sensing element and the at least one external sensing element further includes continually digitizing prior to the retaining the limited amount of the respective first and second sensing data.

7. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein,
the first action set includes at least one sensing element of the at least one integral sensing element and the at least one external sensing element exiting the listening mode, and
exiting the listening mode includes retaining at least a predetermined portion of the first and/or second sensing data sensed by the at least one sensing element of the at least one integral sensing element and the at least one external sensing element that exited listening mode before exiting the listening mode.

8. The sensor of claim 7 , wherein,
the at least one sensing element exiting the listening mode further includes submitting a second specified amount of the first or second sensing data for recordation by an external recording device, and
the second specified amount including at least one of a third specified amount of previously retained first or second sensing data and a fourth specified amount of not yet output first or second sensing data.

9. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein the at least one sensing element operating in the listening mode includes continually monitoring whether the at least one event trigger was initiated.

10. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the processing device is re-configurable for being configured with a second configuration file different than the first configuration file at any time during a lifetime of the sensor node.

11. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein,
prior to detection of the first and second events, the at least one external sensor is unpowered, and
the first action set includes controlling provision of power to the at least one external sensor for providing power to the at least one external sensor.

12. The sensor of claim 11 , wherein controlling provision of the power to the at least one external sensor includes controlling the provision of the power to be temporary.

13. A method performed by a sensor node of a plurality of sensor nodes of a sensing network having a controller and/or a host, the sensing network being configured for monitoring a system, the method comprising:
being configured with a configuration file selected from a plurality of configuration files, the configuration file defining a plurality of action sets to perform in association with detection of respective first and second events;
acquiring at least one of first and second sensing data associated with sensing a physical characteristic of the system, the first sensing data being acquired internal to the sensor node, and the second sensing data being acquired external to the sensor node via an interface;
detecting the first and second events as a function of at least one of the first and second sensing data based on the configuration file;
initiating an event trigger;
performing a first action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the first event, wherein the first action set is only performed upon initiation of the event trigger; and
performing a second action set of the plurality of action sets as a function of detecting the second event, wherein the first and second action sets are defined by the configuration file, the first action set is only performed upon initiation of the event trigger, and detection of the event trigger is a function of at least one logic operation applied to output of detection of the first and second events as a function of sensing data output by at least two sensing elements of the at least one integral sensing elements and the at least one external sensing elements, and after being configured with the configuration file, detection of the first and second events and performance of any of the first and second action sets is performed autonomously of the controller or the host of the system.

14. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprises initiating at

Assignees

• Simmonds Precision Products

Inventors

• Gang Travis
• Dement Travis
• Rule Benjamin T
• Henck Thomas

Classifications

• H04Q2209/823

  where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm · CPC title

• G05B23/0297

  Reconfiguration of monitoring system, e.g. use of virtual sensors; change monitoring method as a response to monitoring results · CPC title

• G05B23/0262 Primary

  Confirmation of fault detection, e.g. extra checks to confirm that a failure has indeed occurred · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• G01D21/02 Primary

  Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass · CPC title