Sensor-based communications network for remote and underground locations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11483387-B2
Application number	US-202016924267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2020
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the invention include using a controller to control a transceiver to transmit a sensor query signal to a first sensor at a first location of one or more locations having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor query signal energizes a first power supply for the first sensor, wherein energizing the power supply causes the first sensor to perform a sensor reading at the first location and transmit to the transceiver an encoded response signal representing the sensor reading, and analyzing, using the controller, the encoded response signal to determine the sensor reading at the first location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
using a controller to control a transceiver, disposed on a land based mobile vehicle, to transmit a sensor query signal to a first sensor, disposed underground, at a first location of one or more locations having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor query signal is a focused radio frequency (RF) beam that has a direction based on the first location, wherein the sensor query signal energizes a first power supply for the first sensor;
wherein energizing the power supply causes the first sensor to perform a sensor reading at the first location and transmit to the transceiver an encoded response signal representing the sensor reading, wherein the encoded response signal comprises a first response frequency, and wherein the first response frequency is generated based on a reflectance of the sensor query signal from an impedance of the first sensor; and
analyzing, using the controller, the encoded response signal to determine the sensor reading at the first location and an identity of the first sensor, wherein the identity of the first sensor is determined based on the first response frequency being within a first bandwidth,
wherein the first sensor is configured to monitor a temperature, a moisture, a soil content, and a pH level of a soil.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with a modulated length of time between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein determining the sensor reading at the first location comprises:
determining a set of time lengths between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses;
determining the sensor reading based on mapping each time length in the set of time lengths to a corresponding value.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with a modulated frequency for each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein determining the sensor reading at the first location comprises:
determining a set of frequencies comprising frequencies for each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses; and
determining the sensor reading based on mapping each frequency in the set of frequencies to a corresponding value.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with:
a modulated length of time between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses; and
a modulated frequency for each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor query signal has a frequency of about 10 megaHertz (MHz) to 1 gigaHertz (GHz).

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is addressed at a first frequency that is encoded for the first sensor; and
wherein the encoded response signal comprises the first frequency.

9. A system comprising:
one or more processors for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions controlling the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
operating a transceiver, disposed on a land based mobile vehicle, to transmit a sensor query signal to a first sensor, disposed underground, at a first location of one or more locations having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor query signal is a focused radio frequency (RF) beam that has a direction based on the first location, wherein the sensor query signal energizes a first power supply for the first sensor;
wherein energizing the power supply causes the first sensor to perform a sensor reading at the first location and transmit an encoded response signal representing the sensor reading, wherein the encoded response signal comprises a first response frequency, and wherein the first response frequency is generated based on a reflectance of the sensor query signal from an impedance of the first sensor; and
analyzing the encoded response signal to determine the sensor reading at the first location and an identity of the first sensor, wherein the identity of the first sensor is determined based on the first response frequency being within a first bandwidth,

wherein the first sensor is configured to monitor a temperature, a moisture, a soil content, and a pH level of a soil.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with a modulated length of time between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprises:
determining a sensor location of the first sensor based on the orientation of a direction and signal angle of the encoded response signal.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with a modulated frequency for each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein determining the sensor reading at the first location comprises:
determining a set of frequencies comprising frequencies for each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses; and
determining the sensor reading based on mapping each frequency in the set of frequencies to a corresponding value.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
controlling a transceiver, disposed on a land based mobile vehicle, to transmit a sensor query signal to a first sensor, disposed underground, at a first location of one or more locations having one or more sensors, wherein the sensor query signal is a focused radio frequency (RF) beam that has a direction based on the first location, wherein the sensor query signal energizes a first power supply for the first sensor;
wherein energizing the power supply causes the first sensor to perform a sensor reading at the first location and transmit an encoded response signal to the transceiver representing the sensor reading, wherein the encoded response signal comprises a first response frequency, and wherein the first response frequency is generated based on a reflectance of the sensor query signal from an impedance of the first sensor; and
analyzing the encoded response signal to determine the sensor reading at the first location and an identity of the first sensor, wherein the identity of the first sensor is determined based on the first response frequency being within a first bandwidth,
wherein the first sensor is configured to monitor a temperature, a moisture, a soil content, and a pH level of a soil.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the encoded response signal representing the sensor reading comprises a set of signal pulses having a first length with a modulated length of time between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses; and
wherein determining the sensor reading at the first location comprises:
determining a set of time lengths between each signal pulse in the set of signal pulses; and
determining the sensor reading based on mapping each time length in the set of time lengths to a corresponding value.

16. The computer program produ

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Elmegreen Bruce Gordon
• Klein Levente
• Zafar Sufi

Classifications

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L5/0044

  Allocation of payload; Allocation of data channels, e.g. PDSCH or PUSCH · CPC title

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04W4/38 Primary

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• H04L67/12 Primary

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