CA2465755A1 - Monitoring apparatus with satellite data communications - Google Patents

Abstract

A remote sensing unit and system, the system comprising: at least one remote sensor having: a micro controller; a connector for sensors; a sensor interface communicating with the micro controller, the sensor interface being configurable for various sensors being connected to the connector; a transmission unit including an antenna for transmitting information from the micro controller; a power supply for supplying power to the microprocessor, sensor interface and transmission unit; and a housing for holding the micro controller, connector, sensor interface and transmission unit; at least one base station for receiving and forwarding information from the at least one remote sensor; and an application server for receiving information from the at least one base station, processing the information, and sending a report to a client.

Description

MONITORING APPARATUS WITH SATELLITE DATA COMMUNICATIONS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for remotely monitoring a sensor, and more specifically, to a system with the capability to support various sensors with the ability to communicate through satellite data communications.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Obtaining information from remote locations is required in numerous industries. For example, in the gas pipeline industry, it is often required to monitor generators to ensure these generators are still running. These generators could be located in a remote location outside of cellular telephone networks or land-based communications systems.
In other cases, trucking companies need to monitor the location and condition of a truck in their fleet, including for example, temperature, vibration, whether the truck rig is connected to the trailer, or other parameters. Again, these trucks often travel outside of established cellular communication systems.
In another example, fire fighters need to be monitored when fighting forest fires to ensure the safety of personnel. These fire fighters would also benefit from access to emergency signalling in order to receive help in emergency situations.
The above and many other applications will be known to those in the art of remote sensing and communications.
Due to the wide variety of applications for remote sensing and communications, prior art devices are typically custom built for the specific application for which the device is intended. This leads to costly engineering for each device.

Further, because these devices are located in remote locations, power consumption needs to be minimized. In many applications, battery life is critical to any remote sensing and communications device as it is costly and inconvenient to replace batteries for remotely located devices.
The size of the device is also a consideration. This is especially true when the unit is meant to be transported by individuals such as in the fire-fighting situation described above.
If the device includes a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, then two antennas are required in order to both receive the telementary data from the GPS system and to transmit over a communications system. Prior art antenna design has used two antennas located on separate boards that are in a spaced apart relationship in order to avoid interference between the antennas. This necessitates a larger housing for the unit, which would be inconvenient for a portable device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a remote sensing and communications system that is adapted for numerous applications.
The interface of the present invention includes a port to which a variety of connectors can be affixed. The connectors can be attached to sensors and can be either analog or digital.
The connectors further allow serial or parallel inputs to be connected to the device. In this way, the device can be adapted to a multitude of sensors as envisioned by the final user of the product and, based on programming within the device, it will accept whatever input is provided.
The present invention further includes a board with two antennas in a single plane in order to reduce the space requirements necessary for the antennas in the present device. By ensuring that the sensing of the GPS signal is mutually exclusive from the transmitting of a communications signal, both devices can be mounted in the same plane.
Further, the rotation of the antenna to ensure that the near field blind spot of a first antenna overlaps with the second antenna, interference is further minimized.
The present device communicates preferably over a satellite network that allows the device to be deployed at almost any point on earth. The device sends a data message through a satellite to a satellite-receiving station which then forwards the data to a server monitoring the devices. This server can then generate a report and send it to the ultimate client.
The present invention further includes a unique power management system.
Specifically, the present invention provides a primary power regulator to provide a DC
voltage to the device's subsystems. Secondary regulators with software control switches are employed between the primary regulator and the device's subsystems. In this way, subsystems which are not being employed by the device for that device's application can be turned off at the secondary power regulator, thus minimizing power consumption. A further advantage of having secondary power regulators is the scalability of the present system in order to add subsystems that can be connected to the primary regulator.
The present invention therefore provides a remote sensing and communications unit comprising:a micro controller; a connector for sensors; a sensor interface communicating with said micro controller, said sensor interface being configurable for various sensors being connected to said connector; a transmission unit including an antenna for transmitting information from said micro controller to a base station; a power supply for supplying power to said microprocessor, sensor interface and transmission unit; and a housing for holding said micro controller, connector, sensor interface and transmission unit.
The present invention further provides a remote sensing system comprising: at least one remote sensor having: a micro controller; a connector for sensors; a sensor interface communicating with said micro controller, said sensor interface being configurable for various sensors being connected to said connector; a transmission unit including an antenna for transmitting information from said micro controller; a power supply for supplying power to said microprocessor, sensor interface and transmission unit; and a housing for holding said micro controller, connector, sensor interface and transmission unit; at least one base station for receiving and forwarding information from said at least one remote sensor;
and an application server for receiving information from said at least one base station, processing said information, and sending a report to a client.
The present invention still further provides an antenna system comprising: a first antenna;
a second antenna mounted in the same plane as the first antenna, whereby said first antenna can be turned off when said second antenna is transmitting or receiving, and vice versa.
The present invention yet further provides a power regulation system for improved power management, said power regulation system including: a first and second primary voltage regulator receiving voltage from a power supply; secondary voltage regulators receiving voltage from said first and second primary voltage regulator, said secondary voltage regulators having a software enable line to turn off said secondary voltage regulators.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a diagram showing the various components within the sensing and communications system;
FIGURE 2 is a block diagram of the components within the remote sensing unit;
FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of a prior art antenna configuration;
FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of another antenna configuration;
FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the antenna configuration of the present invention shown in Figure 4;
FIGURE 6 is a plan view of an antenna showing the antenna near field blind spots;
FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of a preferred antenna configuration;

FIGURE 8 is a schematical block diagram of a portion of the power system within the present invention;
FIGURE 9 is an exploded perspective view of the casing of the remote sensing unit; and FIGURE 10 is a schematical diagram of the connectors of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is now made to Figure 1. The present system provides a one-way packet data transmitter integrated with a micro-controller and an internal power supply, which is designed to be a communications platform for delivering telementary and location data from remote fixed or mobile assets. In a preferred embodiment, the integrated transmitter is a satellite radio transmitter. However, as will be known to those skilled in the art, other transmitters using a variety of frequencies or technologies can be utilized.
A remote sensing unit 10, which contains the transmitter described above, can further include an integrated high-sensitivity global positioning system (GPS) receiver.
Remote sensing unit 10 is configured to be used in multiple applications and is therefore required to be compact, relatively lightweight, rugged and preferably having only limited external inputs. Remote sensing unit 10 further requires the ability to have an internal power supply. The remote sensing unit 10 is described in greater detail below.
In operation, remote sensing unit 10 preferably communicates with a satellite system 12 by sending one-way packet data to satellite system 12. In operation, satellite system 12 is preferably the Global StarT"" satellite system. Packet data from remote sensing unit 10 is then forwarded to a ground station and through traditional communication means known to those skilled in the art is forwarded to an application server 14. Each element of the system is described in more detail below.

Reference is now made to Figure 2. Remote sensing unit 10, in a preferred embodiment, includes a GPS receiver 20. GPS receivers are known in the art, and in testing, a GPS
receiver developed by FastraX Oy has been used satisfactorily. It is preferable that the GPS receiver module include a highly sensitive receiver that can acquire very low GPS
signals on the order of -150dBm, have low power requirements, and include an onboard memory to allow data processing and storage specifically for delivering wireless location based services.
GPS information is sent from GPS receiver 20 to microcontroller 22. In one embodiment built by the applicant, the microcontroller is a Hitachi H8 microcontroller HD64F38004FP10W. Microcontroffers are well known in the art and other microcontrollers could be selected. Features desired in the microcontroller include power management capabilities, on-chip memory and on-chip peripherals. Further, the operating temperature range needs to be wide in order to ensure the operability of the remote sensing unit 10 in a variety of applications where extremes of heat and cold can be encountered.
The design of the present invention further maximizes the use of microcontroller 22 and minimizes the amount of external hardware required to minimize power consumption.
Whenever possible, a function is implemented in the microcontroller in order to maximize power management.
Microcontroller 22 receives further inputs from sensor interfaces 24. Due to the wide variety of applications that require remote sensing and reporting, the sensor interfaces 24 need to be able to accommodate and connect to a number of sensors. The inputs can be either digital and analog and digital data can be input both serially and in parallel. In order to accommodate this, firmware within remote sensing unit 10 needs to be easily modifiable to interface with the myriad of possible external devices being monitored.

In a preferred embodiment, sensor interfaces of the present invention use two 8-pin connectors 25 and 26 as seen in Figures 9 and 10. Each pin is dedicated for a specific input and together these form the input for remote sensing unit 10.
Port 25 includes eight pins. Pin 121 provides power to the unit and comes from an external power source such as a battery. Pin 122 of connector 25 is for ground. Pins 124 to 128 are for serial port 27, and pin 123 is for internal control 28.
Connector 26 also has eight pins, of which pins 131 to 134 are for digital inputs 29 and pins 134 to 138 are for analog inputs 30. One skilled in the art will realize that four pins for digital input allows two separate digital inputs. Each digital input has a send and a return pin, thus the requirement for four lines. Similarly, each analog line has a ground and a sense and thus the four pins for the analog lines allow two separate analog lines.
Digital inputs as described above are used by external devices to indicate binary states.
In a preferred embodiment, optocouplers insulate the inputs from the main board and the digital inputs are thus two-wires, and current sensing inputs. Internal circuitry preferably redirects all input changes to a wake-up line. When a change occurs, the firmware on remote sensing unit 10 reads all activated inputs and waits for a preconfigured anti-bouncing delay. If the state change still exists after the anti-bouncing delay, the remote sensing unit 10 sends both the previous state and the current state for comparison to the end user.
Analog inputs are connected to a 10-bit resolution AID converter and preferably the maximum allowed voltage input is 3.3 Volts which allows a voltage delta of 3.3 I 1024 = 3.2 mV. Firmware on the remote sensing unit 10 scales the digital result from the AID
converter to a value within a reconfigured voltage range. When the scaling is complete, microcontroller 22 compares the scaled value with the user's configured low and high boundary values. If either boundary is crossed, the value is transmitted.

Analog inputs preferably also include a debounce delay for each input. This is the minimum amount of time that an analog input must cross a threshold before being considered valid. The purpose of this is to eliminate false threshold crossings due to transient events and waves.
As will be realized by those skilled in the art, analog inputs cannot wake up remote sensing unit 10 and therefore can only be taken on a periodic basis.
In order to provide scalability, the applicant has included a riser card 31 with more inputs than can be accommodated by connectors 25 and 26. This allows the scalability and provision of further connectors in order to allow more inputs into remote sensing unit 10.
Specifically, riser card 31 provides eight lines into serial ports 27, thus allowing two separate serial ports. Further, riser card 31 has 16 lines into digital inputs 29 thus allowing eight digital inputs. Eight fines going to analog inputs 30 allow four analog inputs.
Internal control 28 has a number of inputs to allow the microcontroller and firmware to be controlled, and these lines can include internal components as well as external control from connector 25.
The present invention further includes four digital outputs 32 which include eight lines leaving riser card 31. These lines can be connected to a separate riser card in order to provide digital output to sensors where required. Digital outputs 32 may be used in situations where a sensor needs to be turned on or to start sensing, for example, acoustic water level sensors. Those skilled in the art will realize that other uses for digital outputs also exist.
Microcontroller 22 receives further inputs from power supply 34. Preferably, power supply 34 is a battery to facilitate use of the remote sensing unit 10 in remote locations. Power supply 34 must be able to deliver bursts of power, up to three watts, for a duration of five seconds in order to provide enough power for a satellite transmission.

Microcontrofler 22 is programmed to send data based on the application. For example, the sensor interface 24 may be a digital input that is triggered in an alarm situation. In that case, microcontroller 22 may send a transmission only upon receipt of the alarm situation.
In other cases, microcontroller 22 may, for example, be tracking the pressure inside a truck transported vessel and based on this application may choose to wake up every 20 minutes to send a report as to the vessel's position and the pressure inside the vessel.
The number of satellite transmissions required in a given time period is dependent on the application that remote sensing unit 10 is used for. However, it is expected that the worst case scenario with respect to battery life would be transmissions every 15 minutes. [For example, the battery must be able to deliver three-watt bursts with a duty cycle of four times per hour over the course of one month.]
The wake-up of the remote sensing unit 10 is accomplished through the use of a wake-up code. In a preferred embodiment, this is a 12-bit variable which denotes increments of 15 minutes. Thus, an interval lies within the range of 15 minutes and 42 days (OxFFF x 15 minutes).
Wake-ups can also occur when data from sensors connected to the RS232 ports is acquired.
Wake-up may also occur in a sensor mode where the sensor is the initiator and data transfer is started by activating a request to send (RTS) line. Remote sensing unit 10 responds by activating a clear to send (CTS) line and the sensor starts sending data.
In a periodic wake-up mode, remote sensing unit 10 initiates data transfer. In this mode, the use of either a request to send/clear to send protocol can be used or a different software protocol can be used. In the first case, remote sensing unit 10 activates a CTS

line and the sensor responds by activating the RTS line. Ifi software protocol is chosen, remote sensing unit 10 sends a command string and the sensor starts sending data.
A further option is to have a mode in which the remote sensing unit is always on. In this mode, the remote sensing unit 10 always listens to its serial ports allowing a sensor to send data at any time except when the remote sensing unit is transmitting data to satellite transmission unit 36. Communications with satellite transmission unit 36 are generally less than one second in duration. The remote sensing unit forwards the data received on the serial port to the satellite network immediately. In this mode, remote sensing unit 10 behaves as a unidirectional transmitter. However, batteries are quickly drained in this mode.
Transmissions are sent using satellite transmission unit 36. In an embodiment built by the applicant, the satellite transmitter is an AeroAstro G-SENST"" device. This satellite transmitter is used for communicating with the Global StarT"'satellite system.
However, as one skilled in the art will realize, other communication means are possible, including communications through CDMA2000, GPRS, radio or other wireless means.
In order to have both a GPS receiver 20 and a satellite transmitter unit 36, remote sensing unit 10 needs two antennas. Reference is now made to Figure 3.
Figure 3 shows a prior art design for a system that includes two antennas.
Antenna unit 40 includes two printed circuit boards 42 and 44 that are divided with a spacer between them. A ceramic antenna 46 is mounted to circuit board 42 by a rivet 48.
Similarly, ceramic antenna 50 is mounted to printed circuit board 44 by a rivet 52.
The problem with the configuration of Figure 3 is the amount of space required for a device in which the two antennas need to be separated on their respective circuit boards. The separation has been required for rivet mounts and for interference purposes.
Further, because antenna 50 is pointed in a downward direction, space is required underneath antenna system 40 in order to ensure that signals are properly received by antenna 50.
The large vertical space required by the configuration of Figure 3 is obviously a disadvantage when a compact application is required. This is especially true in a unit carried by a person, and thus the smallest possible configuration for the device is desired.
Reference is now made to Figure 4 in which like numerals have been used to identify like elements. Figure 4 shows an alternative configuration for an antenna system 40 in which antennas 46 and 50 are mounted to a single circuit board 42. Antenna 46 is mounted below printed circuit board 42 and antenna 50 is mounted above printed circuit board 52.
As with the configuration of Figure 3, the configuration of Figure 4 has a number of disadvantages. For example, leads 54 cause significant interference to the transmissions of antenna 50. Again, the mounting of antenna 46 below the board requires a significant space underneath the antenna unit 40 to ensure signal reception.
Reference is now made to Figure 5 showing a preferred antenna configuration of the present invention. In this embodiment, both antennas are positioned above a single printed circuit board 42 as shown. In this embodiment, interference between antennas 46 and 50 is reduced by ensuring that microcontroller 22 controls when these antennas are receiving and sending. Microcontroller 22 allows a GPS signal to be received on antenna 46. The microcontroller can then turn off antenna 46 and activate antenna 50 for satellite transmission. In this way, both antennas can be mounted above a printed circuit board in the same plane. This results in space savings since two circuit boards with a spacer between them are not required, both antennas are mounted to the same side of board 42 to minimize width and the unit will work regardless of the amount of space beneath the antennas.
Reference is now made to Figure 6. An antenna such as that used in the present invention includes a number of near field blind spots. In Figure 6, antenna 46 has blind spots 56 at each corner as depicted by the grey areas. The applicant has found that the strategic positioning of blind spots 56 can be used to further minimize interference between the antennas. Reference is now made to Figure 7.
In Figure 7, antennas 46 and 50 are rotated 45 degrees so that one antenna is in the blind spot of the other. Thus, antenna 46 is positioned such that antenna 50 lies, at least partially, in its blind spot and vice versa, thus further reducing interference between the two antennas.
Based on the above, both antennas can lie in a single plane allowing optimal space usage within remote sensing unit 10 and allowing remote sensing unit 10 to be smaller.
A further consideration for remote sensing unit 10 is battery life. In many applications, sensing unit 10 will be deployed in a remote location that is difficult to access. It is therefore desirable to service the remote sensing unit as infrequently as possible. In order to prolong battery life, low power components such as the transmitter, GPS receiver and microcontroller are chosen. Other battery saving techniques are also employed.
Reference is now made to Figure 8.
In a preferred embodiment, battery power is provided to a power regulation system 70 along an external power line 72 from the battery pack 34. The power is received at primary voltage regulators 74 and 76. In a preferred embodiment, primary voltage regulators 74 and 76 are MAXIM Max1776 stepdown converters.
In a preferred embodiment, primary regulator 74 has an output 78 of 5.5 V and primary regulator 76 has an output 80 of 3.6 V.
The voltage from output 78 of primary voltage regulator 74 goes to secondary voltage regulators 82. Secondary voltage regulators 82 are preferably Texas instruments TPS76750Q fast-transient-response 1-A lowdropout (LDO) voltage regulators.
Secondary voltage regulators 82 convert the input voltage of 5.5 V to an output voltage 84 of 5.0 V.
Similarly, output voltage 80 of 3.6 V from regulator 76 is preferably sent as an input to secondary voltage regulators 86. Secondary voltage regulators 86 are preferably Texas instruments TPS77133DGK or other similar regulators. These voltage regulators take the input of 3.6 V and produce an output voltage 88 of 3.3 V.
Voltage regulators 82 and 86 each include a software enable line 90 controllable from microcontroller 22. Software enable line 90 allows each secondary voltage regulator to be turned on and off as needed, and therefore allows subsystems within remote sensing unit 10 to be turned on and off as needed. This is beneficial since many applications will not need some of the subsystems that are included in remote sensing unit 10, and the ability to turn the subsystems off prevents voltage drains, thereby prolonging battery life.
The design of power system 70 as described above further includes the advantage that the system is scalable. If more 5 V systems are needed, the designer simply needs to add more secondary regulators 82. Similarly, if more 3.3 V systems are required, a designer can add more secondary regulators 86.
Reference is now made to Figure 9. Remote sensing unit 10 is preferably housed within a single weatherproof housing 99 that is as small as possible. The housing includes a casing 100, a waterproof seal 102, and rear cover plate 110. The casing encloses the antenna board 42, a mounting plate 104 for connectors 25 and 26, mother board 108 for microcontroller 22 and GPS receiver 20. Power is supplied through connector 25.
Considerations for housing 99 include the requirement that the remote sensing unit 10 could be exposed to a local environment for years at a time including sun, wind, rain, storms, animals, snow and ice, and that the unit should work under all conditions. When mounted to movable assets, the unit must also be able to deal with salt water and road grime. It must function in refrigerated environments and be able to contend with rapid heating and cooling. The unit should also be light when carried by a human being and all these considerations should be taken into account when considering the choice of materials for the housing.
In practice, a preferred embodiment includes a double clamshell design with an inner clamshell providing environment-proof cavity for the electronics and an outer clamshell providing mounting, cable management, battery mounting, and product identification.
Configuration of remote sensing unit 10 to program the unit for the specific application and sensors that are to be used is accomplished through the connection of a computer to one of ports 25 or 26. Due to the large number of applications that the remote sensing unit can be used for, remote sensing unit 10 has a number of configurable parameters.
These parameters are set after manufacture is complete but before the unit is completely installed in the field.
A first configurable parameter that is set using a configuration wizard is the serial interface.
The clear to send (CTS) and request to send (RTS) can be configured as part of the hardware flow control. Further, the baud rate, number of bits, parity and stop bits can also be configured. In the preferred implementation described above, only one serial interface is used with connectors 25 and 26. However, an alternative implementation could include multiple serial ports and, in one case, two serial ports 27 are contemplated with eight lines coming to the serial ports from a riser card.
A configuration wizard can also configure the analog inputs. Configurable parameters for the analog inputs include setting the value of the scaler or the maximum value. As one skilled in the art will realize, the reading from an analog input will be the percentage of the scaler value set in the above step.

Analog inputs can also be set with an upper, lower, both or neither threshold value. This allows the flexibility to have an event trigger if an upper boundary is hit, a lower boundary is hit, either boundary is hit, or have no event trigger at all based on analog inputs.
The analog inputs can also be configured with a debounce parameter. This debounce parameter will ensure that a valid reading is coming from the analog inputs 30 in order to cause an event trigger.
A further parameter that may be configured using a configuration wizard is the digital interface. Configurable parameters include an edge trigger on a rising edge, falling edge, or both. Also, a digital debounce parameter can be set to ensure a valid reading.
A further configurable option is the timer. As described above, the remote sensing unit can be timer-driven, event-driven, or both. The timer setting allows an end user to set the period if remote sensing unit 10 is to be used to report periodically. In alternative configurations in which real time clocks are used, configuring the timer will also allow the ability to switch to a second timer based on an event. This can be used, for example, when monitoring effluent discharge from a sewer system into the river. The event in this case could be the sewer output rising above a certain level after which a real time clock could be used to periodically determine whether the effluent level is still above this level. This could be used for environmental assessment or for penalty costs for discharging higher than allowed levels of effluent into a river.
A further configurable option is to turn on or off the global positioning system 20 on remote sensing unit 10.
A further configurable option is setting when a digital output will be used.
Flexibility in configuration leads to a device that can be used in a wide variety of situations and can be custom configured for the application that the end user desires.

In operation, remote sensing unit 10 sends data either periodically or upon a certain event to satellite 12 which retransmits to a gateway antenna as known in the art.
The gateway antenna communicates with application server 14.
Each remote sensing unit 10 generates a packet to be sent to satellite 12. The packet includes a format header which is proprietary and will allow the application server 14 to know the type of data that is being sent in the packet.
Each packet further contains a unique unit ID. The unique unit ID is read by the gateway antenna which then identifies that the packet should be sent to application server 14.
Application server 14 also includes a database for storing unit identifiers in order to provide messages to the ultimate customer.
The packet further includes the GPS position and has a bit preferably to indicate whether or not the battery voltage is low. In one embodiment of the Applicant's device, this bit is high if the battery voltage is low, and is zero if the battery voltage is above a threshold.
The packet further includes information about each of analog sensors 30. In one embodiment built by the applicant, this packet includes the percentage value, the scaler value, whether there was a low threshold event, and whether there was an upper threshold event.
The packet also preferably includes an 8-bit digital state for the current state of digital inputs 29 along with eight bits for the previous state. Thus, application server 14 can determine which digital input changed state based on this previous state. The packet also contains 16 bits for the edge detection, where two bits are used for each digital input. The two bits are used for identifying a high edge, low edge, or both edges causing the trigger.
The packet can further contain serial data from serial ports 27. The serial data is allowed to fill the packet up to the maximum packet size as determined by the satellite operator.

In the case of the Global StarTM satellite system, the maximum packet size is 144 bytes.
The format header can be used to tell application server 14 what information is coming.
For example, if serial ports 27 were not configured by the configuration wizard as described above, remote sensing unit 10 knows that it will not get any serial inputs and thus the format header could indicate to application server 14 that no serial data is present. The format header could similarly be used to eliminate analog or digital inputs from the packets being sent.
Alternatively, null characters could be used to indicate the lack of any specific type of data in that packet. It is advantageous for remote sensing unit 10 to keep the packet size as small as possible since the cost for transmitting a packet is proportional to the size of the packet being sent.
Application server 14 preferably includes a database of units and each communication with a remote sensing unit 10 includes an identifier which identifies the specific unit sending the data. The data being sent could include an analog reading from a sensor or digital readings indicating certain events have occurred. Application server 14 preferably includes software which converts the raw data input number to a meaningful representation and this information is forwarded to the end customer. For example, in the case of a temperature sensor, application server 14 preferably converts an analog sensor value to the corresponding actual temperature prior to forwarding this information to the customer.
Application server 14 includes an ingress queue in which messages from the satellite gateway are received with a minimal response to the gateway server.
Application server 14 next decodes the messages in the order they arrive, records the messages for billing purposes, and decides how to handle the messages. This decision stage includes looking up how customers prefer to be communicated with and whether application server 14 can convert analog information into meaningful values.

Application server 14 next outputs the message into an egress queue and the message is sent to the end customer. End customers can customize the way they receive messages, including email to one or more destinations, faxes, pages or direct connection to the server using XML. Other means of communication with the customers are known to those skilled in the art.
In one embodiment, end customers can also customize which data they see. Thus the customers can filter out information they are not interested in. For example, a customer may only be interested in serial data, and could ask that analog and digital sensor information be excluded when reports are sent.
The above therefore describes a remote sensing unit that is adaptable to numerous applications and can sense and transmit data, preferably through satellite networks, to an application server which then provides data to the end customer.
The above described embodiments of the present invention are meant to be illustrative of preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Also, various modifications, which would readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. The only limitations to the scope of the present invention are set forth in the following claims depended hereto.

Claims (66)

1. A remote sensing and communications unit comprising:
a micro controller;
a connector for sensors;
a sensor interface communicating with said micro controller, said sensor interface being configurable for various sensors being connected to said connector;
a transmission unit including an antenna for transmitting information from said micro controller to a base station;
a power supply for supplying power to said microprocessor, sensor interface and transmission unit; and a housing for holding said micro controller, connector, sensor interface and transmission unit.

2. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 1, wherein said various sensors include analog sensors.

3. The remote sensing and comminations unit of claims 1 or 2, wherein said various sensors include digital sensors.

4. The remote sensing and communications unit of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein said various sensors include sensors having serial data outputs.

5. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claim 1 to 4, wherein said sensor interface includes a digital output.

6. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein said sensor interface includes an internal control for configuring said micro controller for said various sensors.

7. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claim 1 to 6, further comprising a global positioning system receiver, said global positioning system receiver communicating with said micro controller and having an antenna for receiving global positioning system signals.

8. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 7, wherein said micro controller can turn off said global positioning system receiver when said transmission unit is sending information.

9. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 7 or 8, wherein said micro controller can turn off said transmission unit when said global positioning system receiver is receiving a global positioning system signal.

10. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein said global positioning system antenna and said transmission unit antenna are mounted in a single plane within said remote sensing and communications unit .

11. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 10, wherein said transmission unit antenna and said global positioning system antenna are ceramic antennas.

12. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 11, wherein said transmission unit antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said global positioning unit antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said transmission unit antenna.

13. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 11 or 12, wherein said global positioning system antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said transmission unit antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said global positioning system antenna.

14. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 13 further comprising a power regulation system, said power regulation system including:
at least one primary voltage regulator receiving voltage from said power supply;
secondary voltage regulators receiving voltage from any of said at least one primary voltage regulator, said secondary voltage regulators providing power to systems within said remote sensing and communications unit.

15. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 14, wherein said power regulation system includes two primary voltage regulators.

16. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 15, wherein a first primary voltage regulator has a 5.5 volt output.

17. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 16, wherein a second primary voltage regulator has a 3.6 volt output.

18. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 17, wherein a first secondary voltage regulator is connected to said first primary voltage regulator and has an output of 5 volts.

19. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 18, wherein a second secondary voltage regulator is connected to said second primary voltage regulator and has an output of 3.3 volts.

20. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 19, wherein said first and second secondary voltage regulators include a software enable line to turn off said first and second secondary voltage regulators.

21. The remote sensing and communications unit of claim 14, wherein a plurality of secondary voltage regulators can be connected to said at least one primary voltage regulator.

22. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 21, wherein said transmission unit communicates with a satellite.

23. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 22, wherein said micro controller can be configured to send information upon receipt of a sensor event.

24. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 23, wherein said micro controller can be configured to send information periodically based on a timer.

25. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 24, wherein said micro controller can be configured to scale analog inputs.

26. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 25, wherein said sensor interface can be configured for a clear to sent and request to send for a serial interface.

27. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 1 to 26, wherein said sensor interface can be configured for baud rate, parity, stop bits and number of bits for a sensor interface.

28. A remote sensing system comprising:
at least one remote sensor having:
a micro controller;
a connector for sensors;
a sensor interface communicating with said micro controller, said sensor interface being configurable for various sensors being connected to said connector;
a transmission unit including an antenna for transmitting information from said micro controller;
a power supply for supplying power to said microprocessor, sensor interface and transmission unit; and a housing for holding said micro controller, connector, sensor interface and transmission unit;
at least one base station for receiving and forwarding information from said at least one remote sensor; and an application server for receiving information from said at least one base station, processing said information, and sending a report to a client.

29. The remote sensing system of claim 28, wherein said various sensors include analog sensors.

30. The remote sensing system and comminations unit of claims 28 or 29, wherein said various sensors include digital sensors.

31. The remote sensing system unit of claims 28, 29 or 30, wherein said various sensors include sensors having serial data outputs.

32. The remote sensing system of any of claim 28 to 31, wherein said sensor interface includes a digital output.

33. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claims 28 to 32, wherein said sensor interface includes an internal control for configuring said micro controller for said various sensors.

34. The remote sensing and communications unit of any of claim 28 to 33, wherein said remote sensing unit further includes a global positioning system receiver, said global positioning system receiver communicating with said micro controller and having an antenna for receiving global positioning system signals.

35. The remote sensing system of claim 34, wherein said micro controller can turn off said global positioning system receiver when said transmission unit is sending information.

36. The remote sensing system of claim 34 or 35, wherein said micro controller can turn off said transmission unit when said global positioning system receiver is receiving a global positioning system signal.

37. The remote sensing system of any of claims 34 to 36, wherein said global positioning system antenna and said transmission unit antenna are mounted in a single plane within said remote sensing and communications unit .

38. The remote sensing system of claim 37, wherein said transmission unit antenna and said global positioning system antenna are ceramic antennas.

39. The remote sensing system of claim 38, wherein said transmission unit antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said global positioning unit antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said transmission unit antenna.

40. The remote sensing system of claim 38 or 39, wherein said global positioning system antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said transmission unit antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said global positioning system antenna.

41. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 40 wherein said remote sensing unit further includes a power regulation system, said power regulation system including:
at least one primary voltage regulator receiving voltage from said power supply;
secondary voltage regulators receiving voltage from any of said at least one primary voltage regulator, said secondary voltage regulators providing power to systems within said remote sensing and communications unit.

42. The remote sensing system of claim 41, wherein said power regulation system includes two primary voltage regulators.

43. The remote sensing system of claim 42, wherein a first primary voltage regulator has a 5.5 volt output.

44. The remote sensing system of claim 42, wherein a second primary voltage regulator has a 3.6 volt output.

45. The remote sensing system of claim 44, wherein a first secondary voltage regulator is connected to said first primary voltage regulator and has an output of 5 volts.

46. The remote sensing system of claim 45, wherein a second secondary voltage regulator is connected to said second primary voltage regulator and has an output of 3.3 volts.

47. The remote sensing system of claim 46, wherein said first and second secondary voltage regulators include a software enable line to turn off said first and second secondary voltage regulators.

48. The remote sensing system of claim 41, wherein a plurality of secondary voltage regulators can be connected to said at least one primary voltage regulator.

49. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 48, wherein said micro controller can be configured to send information upon receipt of a sensor event.

50. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 49, wherein said micro controller can be configured to send information periodically based on a timer.

51. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 50, wherein said micro controller can be configured to scale analog inputs.

52. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 51, wherein said sensor interface can be configured for a clear to sent and request to send for a serial interface.

53. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 52, wherein said sensor interface can be configured for baud rate, parity, stop bits and number of bits for a sensor interface.

54. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 53, wherein said base station is a satellite base station and said remote sensing unit communicates with a satellite.

55. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 54, wherein said application server filters information from said base station and produces a report for the client.

56. The remote sensing system of claim 55, wherein a format for said report is configured by the client.

57. The remote sensing system of any of claims 28 to 56, wherein said application server converts said information based on parameters pre-configured by the client.

58. The remote sensing system of any of claim 28 to 57, wherein said application server includes a billing system for billing a client.

59. An antenna system comprising:
a first antenna; and a second antenna mounted in the same plane as the first antenna.

60. The antenna system of claim 59, wherein said first antenna can be turned off when said second antenna is transmitting or receiving, and vice versa.

61. The antenna system of claim 59 or 60, wherein said first antenna and said second antenna are ceramic antennas.

62. The antenna system of claim 61, wherein said first antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said second antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said first antenna.

63. The antenna system of any of claims 60 to 62, wherein said second antenna is angled in the single plane to ensure said first antenna is at least partially in a blind spot of said second antenna.

64. A power regulation system for improved power management, said power regulation system including:

a first and second primary voltage regulator receiving voltage from a power supply;
secondary voltage regulators receiving voltage from said first and second primary voltage regulator, said secondary voltage regulators having a software enable line to turn off said secondary voltage regulators.

65. The power regulation system of claim 64, wherein said first and second primary voltage regulators have different output voltages.

66. The power regulation system of claim 65, wherein secondary voltage regulators can be turned off individually, thereby preventing voltage leaks in unused systems.