Autonomous and controllable systems of sensors and methods of using such systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9638829-B2
Application number	US-201414538771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2014
Priority date	Feb 23, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

An autonomous and controllable system of sensors and methods for using such a system of sensors are described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor comprising:
an inner enclosure;
an outer enclosure enclosing the inner enclosure;
at least one sensing device for measuring a physical quantity, or a controlling device for controlling the sensor; and
a first layer between an outer surface of the inner enclosure and an inner surface of the outer enclosure,
wherein the sensor comprises at least one energy harvesting tool and at least one internal source of power; and
the at least one energy harvesting tool is configured to harvest mechanical or thermal energy or sunlight from ambient resources and store the harvested energy in the at least one internal source of power.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the energy harvesting tool is a triboelectric or thermopile material, or a self-charging power cell.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the outer enclosure further comprises a circularly shaped enhanced orbit region configured to be more resistant to mechanical wear than a remaining region of the outer enclosure, and wherein the controlling device is configured to move the sensor in such a way that the circularly shaped enhanced orbit region is in contact with the ground.

4. The sensor of claim 3 , wherein the circularly shaped enhanced orbit region comprises a high tensile resistance material.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is elastic.

6. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the outer enclosure further comprises a gyroscopic imager in a gel or liquid, thereby allowing free relative motion of the imager with respect to the sensor.

7. The sensor of claim 6 , wherein the gel or liquid is ethanol.

8. The sensor of claim 6 , wherein the imager comprises a protective outer layer made of sapphire or transparent elastomers.

9. A sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors according to claim 1 , wherein each sensor is configured to communicate with other sensors within the sensor system, and the plurality of sensors in the sensor system forms a network of sensors.

10. The sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the network of sensors is configured to share tasks and responsibilities between the sensors, according to available resources of the sensors.

11. The sensor system of claim 10 , wherein the tasks and responsibilities comprise sensing the environment, tracking targets, or communicating with a base station.

12. The sensor system of claim 11 , wherein the network of sensors is further configured to dynamically change the supervising peer if the supervising peer exits the supervising sub-region, thereby selecting a previously presented supervising peer among the sensors in the sub-region.

13. The sensor system of claim 10 , wherein the available resources comprise power, memory, bandwidth, structure's endurance, or chemicals that need to be spread out.

14. The sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the network of sensors is configured to virtually divide an area of interest in a grid comprising a plurality of sub-regions, and select a sensor as a supervising peer for coordinating an activity of sensors in a sub-region.

15. The sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the network of sensors is configured to virtually divide an area of interest in a grid comprising a plurality of sub-regions, each sub-region having: a ranking weight value that represents a level of importance of the sub-region relative to a specified task of the network of sensors, a total number of sensors in the sub-region, a total power available in the at least one internal source of power of each sensor in the sub-region, a total power available to be harvested by the at least one energy harvesting tool of each sensor in the sub-region, a rate of energy generation by the at least one energy harvesting tool of each sensor in the sub-region, available memory of each sensor in the sub-region, available assigned bandwidth to each sensor in the sub-region, and number of sensors which are currently outside the sub-region but could be commanded to enter the sub-region from nearby sub-regions.

16. The sensor system of claim 15 , wherein the network of sensors is further configured to assign a ranking of priority to a specific sub-region, based on a priority of a strategy value specific sub-region.

17. The sensor system of claim 16 , wherein the network of sensors is further configured to assign a number of sensors to a specific sub-region, based on a total number of sensors in the grid, a total power available in the at least one internal source of power of each sensor in the grid, a total power available to be harvested by the at least one energy harvesting tool of each sensor in the grid, a rate of energy generation by the at least one energy harvesting tool of each sensor in the grid, available memory of each sensor in the grid, available assigned bandwidth to each sensor in the grid, and current distribution of sensors among different sub-regions of different ranking.

18. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the outer enclosure comprises at least one rigidizable tightening ring encircling the inner enclosure, the at least one rigidizable tightening ring having a controllable rigidity.

19. The sensor of claim 18 , wherein the at least one rigidizable tightening ring is made of aluminum, titanium or carbon fiber.

20. The sensor of claim 18 , wherein the at least one rigidizable tightening ring is laminated on the outer surface of the inner enclosure.

21. The sensor of claim 18 , wherein the at least one rigidizable tightening ring is configured to be an antenna.

22. The sensor of claim 18 , further comprising:
at least one tubular ring; and
at least one disseminator canister attached to the at least one tubular ring, the at least one disseminator canister being located in the outer enclosure.

23. The sensor of claim 22 , wherein the at least one tubular ring is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.

24. The sensor of claim 22 , wherein at least one disseminator canister contains chemical dispersants or bioremediation bacteria.

25. The sensor of claim 18 , further comprising at least one disseminator canister located in the outer enclosure.

26. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising electronic circuits and sensors printed on the outer surface of the inner enclosure.

27. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the inner enclosure comprises:
at least one diffuser capsule containing an inflating and/or strengthening agent; and
a control mechanism configured to activate the at least one diffuser capsule, thereby inflating the sensor.

28. The sensor of claim 27 , wherein the inflating agent is nitrogen.

29. The sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
three mutually orthogonal tubes, connected at a center located at a central position for each of the three mutually orthogonal tubes;
at least six movable weights, slidable along the three mutually orthogonal tubes, the at least six movable weights being of equal weight, equally distributed in number among the three mutually orthogonal tubes, and equally divided, for each tube, among each opposite side of each tube with respect to the center;
a blocking structure at the center, configured to prevent the at least six movable weights to slide through the center; and
a controller, located inside the blocking structure, configured to control a position for each of the at least six movable weights,
wherein the at least six movable weights can be moved

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Davoodi Faranak
• Davoudi Farhooman

Classifications

• H04Q2209/25

  using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights · CPC title

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G08C19/00

  Electric signal transmission systems (G08C17/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• G01V11/002 Primary

  Details, e.g. power supply systems for logging instruments, transmitting or recording data, specially adapted for well logging, also if the prospecting method is irrelevant (means for transmitting well survey signals E21B47/12; signal transmission systems in general G08C; transmission in general H04B) · CPC title