IT202100018164A1 - Modular system for remote environmental monitoring - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Accompanying a patent application for an industrial invention entitled: ?Modular system for remote environmental monitoring?

The main purpose of the proposed invention is the monitoring of various parameters in multiple environments (e.g. cold rooms, controlled environments) while safeguarding the integrity of the system and reporting any malfunctions to users.

The currently existing monitoring systems tend to use a series of devices (sensors) connected to a central apparatus, without their own autonomy and whose functioning? strictly dependent on it; from here, in case of malfunction of the central apparatus, the devices cease to function and to record the data, undermining the operability? of the entire system

The standalone connotation of the devices and the additional features of the proposed system aim to minimize the assumptions of impossibility? monitoring of environmental parameters and data transmission.

At the current state of the art, there are several systems that allow the monitoring of environments:

A. QUESTION NUMBER 102008901629857 ? SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

THROUGH REMOTE CONTROL OF VITAL PARAMETERS AND RISK FACTORS DETECTED IN THE DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT AND PORTABLE DETECTION DEVICES USED IN THIS SYSTEM: The invention mainly presents which feature is similar to those characterizing the proposal? the supply of a system is also capable of remotely monitoring the environment by detecting temperature, the presence of harmful gaseous substances, such as carbon monoxide or methane gas, interruption and malfunction of the electrical system and so on, in order to highlight anomalies and automatically activate an alarm?. However, does it differ? inter alia ? as the monitoring takes as its object a specific environment, the domestic one, and is it? oriented on the basis of the patient's health and the risk factors indicated therein. Conversely, the current invention proposal is openly susceptible to application in different environments (for example, even in the corporate environment), also guaranteeing the modularity? of the sensor according to the monitored environment.

B. APPLICATION NUMBER 102014902253153 ? SYSTEM OF CONTROL AND REGULATION OF THE TEMPERATURE IN A ROOM: Although the invention allows the control and regulation of the temperature of a single room, the current proposal of the invention has various advantages among which:

to. The current invention proposal allows monitoring not only of ?environments? intended as rooms, but also, for example, of refrigerators (etc.); b. The evolution given by the current patent proposal lies in the fact that the standalone devices can be customized with respect to the environment where they are located. Furthermore, the standalone devices are independent of the mother (in part, like a sort of decentralized network), and do not have to adapt to a single desired value, thus invalidating the others as well;

c. The current invention proposal makes it possible to send automated alerts (bots), which can also be received remotely (e.g., via a mobile device) and to show the monitored data to the user in real time through the interface. C. QUESTION WO2020074743A1 ?

(Remote monitoring of temperature control devices): The invention in question has many elements similar to the features of the current invention proposal, the main ones of which are reported are data transmission via WLAN or the Internet, plug-in installation and-play devices that monitor the temperature and the possibility? for the user to receive remote data communications. However, despite these similarities, and although the invention in question finds application in various fields (both industrial and domestic), and in terms of sophisticated (e.g. by triggering the movement of machinery), the element that distinguishes the current proposal? the standalone and independent connotation of the various system devices, which make the architecture? how already? said ? essentially decentralized. In other words, the invention lacks one of the elements characterizing the currently proposed system, i.e. the possibility that the standalone devices (children) also work independently of the mother and vice versa (and also in case of malfunction of the latter).

The innovative technical characteristics that characterize the modular remote environmental monitoring system proposed in the current patent application differentiate it from the prior closest art, as summarized in the light of the aforementioned patent applications, mainly under the following profile: the proposed system, using standalone monitoring, guarantees the autonomy of the ?children?, who are able to function, recording data, or sending alerts, even in the event of ?flaws? or malfunctions to the? mother?, thus guaranteeing? a sort of ?decentralization? of the system and safeguarding its robustness and integrity.

The invention is described with reference to the attached Figure 1: Figure 1 presents a conceptual diagram of the system structure.

With reference to Figure 1, the modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1) represents an Internet Of Things (IOT) system for monitoring environmental parameters (e.g. refrigerators, work environments).

The system consists of:

I. a device ?the mother? (2);

II. multiple standalone devices ?children? (3);

III. a ?database?, connected to the web server (4);

IV. multiple ?users? (5);

V. A communication network ?Internet? (6);

YOU. A ?GSM? (7).

The children (3) operate autonomously, monitor the environmental parameters through special sensors (probes interfaced on a microcontroller), transmit the data collected through the web server and feed the connected database (4); they also send the users associated (5) with the device an automatic private message if a given pre-set threshold is exceeded; the functioning of the children (3) is independent of the mother (2), which does not take care of detecting physical quantities, but acts as a redundant controller; the mother (2) ?requires? the data to the database (4) and operates a control function, checking for any disconnection or malfunctioning of the children (3); moreover, through an interface, it also communicates with the user. The interface shows, through real-time graphs, the recorded values, signaling any disservices.

All child devices (3) of the modular remote monitoring system (1) are able to operate autonomously, even in the event of ?accidents? or faults on the mother device (2), while continuing to monitor the environmental parameters and to record the collected data on the database. At the same time, both the children (3) and the mother (2) are equipped with a buffer battery, to deal with any power drops.

Furthermore, data transmission takes place according to a dual channel:

? under normal conditions, via connection to the internet (6); ? in case of emergency, or malfunctions found, the mother? capable of sending users a special alert, using the Internet (6) or, where not available, the GSM network (7) with the installation of a special SIM.

The sons (3) can be used for monitoring different types of environments; in case of passage from one environment to another, ? it is sufficient simply to modify the sensor attached to the microcontroller, without completely replacing the device.

How already? highlighted, the? technical effect further pu? be both internal to the IT system and external to it. In this regard, the modular remote environmental monitoring system, inter alia, allows you to:

to. Monitor, through the sensors incorporated in the sons (3), the environmental parameters; b. Transmit information and send messages ? through the internet network (6), or the gsm network (7) ? between the various devices (2,3) and the user (5);

c. Store information on a dedicated database (4);

d. In the event of malfunctions detected, trigger the buffer battery of the devices (2,3);

And. Send the user (5) a notification to report any malfunctions.

This technical feature, together with all the other technical characteristics that characterize the proposed system (buffer battery; dual channel internet network -GSM; sending of automated messages; connection with an interface visible to the user remotely, etc.) allow it to solve the technical problem is that existing monitoring equipments lack nowadays, thus avoiding? that an accident or malfunction of the central apparatus could affect the regular monitoring and transmission of data to the user. Furthermore, users (5) can ask the mother (2) at any time for the status of the environmental parameters coming from the children (3) associated with them.

Claims (9)

1. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1) which allows the monitoring of multiple environments of different nature made up of: multiple standalone ?child? (3) that they are able to measure parameters in different environments; a ?mother? device (2) monitoring multiple standalone ?child? (3) and communicates with multiple ?users? (5); a ?database? (4) where are the parameters measured by the ?child? (3); multiple ?users? (5) which can request specific information on the measured parameters and which are informed of any changes in the various environments and alerted in the event of malfunctions or disconnections of the ?child? standalone devices? (3); a communication network ?Internet? (6) which allows the connection between the ?mother? (2), the ?child? (3), the ?database? (4) and the multiple ?users? (5); a ?GSM? communication network (7) which allows an alternative connection where ?Internet? (6) is not available. 2. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claim 1, wherein the ?mother? (2), requesting information from the ?database? (4), operates a redundant control function verifying the possible malfunction and disconnection of the ?children? (3); 3. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the ?mother? (2), through a web interface and/or through an automatic bot, it communicates with the user in case of emergency, or in case of malfunctions it sends the user a specific alert, using the ?Internet? (6) or, where not available, the ?GSM? (7); 4. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claim 1, where ?child? standalone devices? (3) operate autonomously by monitoring environmental parameters through appropriate sensors; 5. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claims 1 and 4, where the sensors connected to the ?child? standalone devices? (3) can be interchanged to monitor desired parameters in multiple environments; 6. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claims 1, 4 and 5, wherein the ?child? standalone devices? (3) feed the ?database? (4) transmitting the collected data through the web server and, furthermore, send to the ?users? (5) an automatic private message if a certain threshold is exceeded; 7. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claims 1-6 wherein all the ?child? standalone devices? (3) are independent of the functioning of each other and are independent of the functioning of the ?mother? device? (2). 8. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claims 1-7 wherein the ?mother? (2) and any standalone ?child? (3) are equipped with a backup battery which is automatically recharged in the presence of electric power and, in the event of an electric malfunction, it is triggered to ensure continuity? of the normal functions of the system and communicate the malfunction to the ?users? (5). 9. Modular system for remote environmental monitoring (1), according to claim 1, wherein the parameters saved in the database (4) can be viewed by the ?users? (5) at any time via an interactive web interface or via an automatic bot.