Abstract:
The present invention is an intelligent gateway which can receive multiple sensor data using sub-1G Hz frequency, analyze data, and transmit processed data to a database server. The intelligent gateway can receive data from up to 100 sensors using sub-1G Hz (433, 868 or 915 MHz) wireless frequency. The received data can be analyzed and the gateway can determine when to transmit data, and which packaged data to transmit to the database server. The intelligent gateway can also receive feedback and instructions from the database server. The process data can be transmitted to the database server with different protocols like WIFI, Ethernet and RS485. The intelligent gateway can also include multiple sensors including temperature and humidity sensors, pressure sensors, air speed sensors and a particulate matter sensor for detecting particulates of less than 2.5 micro meters (PM2.5). These sensors are collect additional indoor environmental quality parameters.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/269,908, filed on Dec. 18, 2015, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a gateway for the internet of things (IoT) and, more particularly, to the intelligent gateway for IoT in mission critical facilities. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Most of the routers in the market today only receive and transmit data using a pre-defined protocol, such as WIFI, ZigBee, Bluetooth, etc. These routers do not analyze data and or determine which data to transmit. In mission critical facilities like data centers there are many metal boxes such as racks of servers that tend to block the signal transmission. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an intelligent gateway which can receive multiple sensors&#39; data using sub-1G Hz frequency, analyze data, and transmit processed data to a database server. The intelligent gateway can receive data from up to 100 sensors using sub-1G Hz (433, 868 or 915 MHz) wireless frequency. The received data can be analyzed to determine which data packages to transmit and when to transmit the packages to a database server. The intelligent gateway can also receive feedback and instructions from the database server. The processed data can be transmitted to the database server with different protocols like WIFI, Ethernet and RS485. The intelligent gateway may also be integrated with multiple sensors like a temperature and humidity sensor, pressure sensor, air speed sensor and particulate matter less than 2.5 micro meters (PM2.5) sensor. These sensors are for collecting additional indoor environmental quality parameters. The gateway may work with sensors as described in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/269,902, entitled “Battery-Powered Wireless Long Life Temperature and Humidity Sensor Module.” The intelligent gateway can use an adaptive algorithm to receive data from these wireless sensors, and accept event based sensor data transmissions. 
         [0005]    In some embodiments, a data acquisition gateway for receiving data from multiple wireless sensors, analyzing the data, and transmitting it to a server, includes a memory, one or more processors, one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: receiving data from a plurality of sensors, analyzing the data at the gateway to determine whether the data is new data, adding the data to a data package if it is determined that the data is new data. The gateway can also include one or more sensors for measuring air temperature, relative humidity, absolute air pressure, or particulate matter, one or more communication modules for providing data communication through RS485 protocol, Ethernet protocol, or WIFI protocol, and a sub-1G Hz receiver. 
         [0006]    In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway further comprises a vent to dissipate heat from the gateway. In some embodiments, the one or more programs are configured to store sensor data in the memory for at least 1 day. In some embodiments, the one or more programs are configured to store sensor data in the memory for at least 10 days. In some embodiments, the one or more programs are configured to store sensor data in the memory for at least 30 days. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises sensors for measuring air temperature, relative humidity, absolute air pressure, and particulate matter. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises an air speed sensor configured to measure airspeeds of less than 10 m/s. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway of claim  1  comprises a particulate matter sensor configured to measure particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micro meters. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises one or more communication modules for providing data communication through RS485 protocol, Ethernet protocol, and WIFI protocol. 
         [0007]    In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises a I2C data communication, high sensitivity temperature and humidity sensor. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises an absolute air pressure. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises an air speed sensor comprising a hot wire based sensor. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises a PM2.5 particulate matte sensor. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway comprises an EEPROM memory. In some embodiments, the EEPROM is configured to save data for at least 30 days. In some embodiments, the data acquisition further comprises determining whether the data comprises warning information. In some embodiments, the data acquisition gateway further comprises immediately sending the data to the server if it is determined that the data comprises warning information. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an intelligent multi-channel wireless data acquisition gateway; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a detail view of a print circuit board; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a detail view of a data receiving interruption work flow; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a detail view of a data analyzing loop work flow. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    For purposes of clarity and brevity, like elements and components will bear the same designations and numbering throughout the Figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    Described is an intelligent gateway which can receive data from a plurality of sensors using a sub-1G Hz frequency. A sub-1G Hz frequency data transmission system is preferred to receive data from many (more than 10, more than 20, more than 50) and up to 100 wireless sensors. The described intelligent gateway can receive multiple sensor data using sub-1G Hz frequency, analyze the data, and transmit processed data to a database server. The gateway can support several different types of sensors and may use a low power wireless receiver that has a sub-1G Hz frequency. The gateway can use known protocols to transmit the data to a database server through a network router such as WIFI/Ethernet/RS485. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an intelligent multi-channel wireless data acquisition gateway  100 .  FIG. 2  shows a circuit board of the multi-channel wireless data acquisition gateway. The intelligent multi-channel wireless data acquisition gateway  100  is designed to receive data from multiple wireless sensors, analyze the data, and transmitting it to a database server. According to some embodiments, the gateway  100  includes an enclosure  110 , two air vent grills  112 , a power indicator  202 , power and communication connectors  204 . The enclosure  110  can be formed from a rigid plastic and can include one or more pieces. The enclosure includes one or more air vent grills  112 , for creating an air path to dissipate the heat generated by the print circuit board  200 . The air vent grills can be formed as part of the enclosure or can be rigidly connected to said enclosure  110 . The power indicator  202  can include one or more LED indicators, for showing whether the intelligent gateway  100  is working properly. The power and communication connectors  204  can be standard connectors for connecting external wires, connecting power to the print circuit board  200 , connecting external sensor, and sending data out to the Ethernet and RS485 routers. 
         [0016]    The circuit board  200  of the gateway  100  shown in  FIG. 2  includes a power supply  206 . The power supply  206  can be a power supply and management circuit, for providing adequate power (3V and 5V) to various components of the print circuit board  200 , rigidly connected to said power and communication connectors  204 , and rigidly linked to said power indicator  202 . The circuit board also includes a data storage  208  such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory device. In some embodiments, the data storage  208  is an EEPROM, for saving data for at least 30 days in case of network failure. 
         [0017]    The circuit board also includes a processor  210 . The processor  210  is a microcontroller, for processing received data, implementing calculations and sending control signals, an example of such a processor includes STMicroelectronics STM32. The circuit board  200  can also include a variety of sensors such as temperature and humidity sensor  212 , a pressure sensor  214 , an air speed sensor  216 , a PM2.5 sensor  218 . The temperature and humidity sensor  212  can be a high accuracy sensor, I2C data communication, high sensitivity, for measuring air temperature and relative humidity. An example of such a sensor  212  is SENSIRION AG SHT21. The pressure sensor  214  is of high accuracy, small form factor, for measuring air absolute pressure. An example of such a sensor  214  is STMicroelectronics LPS25. The air speed sensor  216  is a hot wire based sensor, high accuracy, high sensitivity, for measuring air speed in low airflow speed range (0-10 m/s), rigidly wired to said power and communication connectors  204 . An example of such a sensor  216  is Maxthermo MFTS07-1061. The PM2.5 sensor  218  is rigid, with fan, high sensitivity, for measuring particulate matter with diameter of less than 2.5 micro meters. An example of such a sensor  218  is Plantower PMS5003. 
         [0018]    The circuit board  200  can also have one or more communication modules, preferably, the circuit board  200  incudes a plurality of communication modules including a RS485 module, an Ethernet module  222 , a WIFI module  224  and a sub-1G Hz wireless receiver  226 . The RS485 module  220  is rigid, small form factor, for providing data communication through RS485 protocol. An example of such a module  220  is a TI SN65HVD. The Ethernet module  222  is a high speed module, for providing data communication through the Ethernet protocol. An example of such a module  222  is a USR K1. The WIFI module  224  can be a module with an external antenna for providing data communication through WIFI protocol. An example of such a module  224  is a Hanfeng HF-LPT100. The sub-1G Hz wireless receiver  226  can be a module with an external antenna that has high sensitivity, for receiving data from a sub-1G Hz transmitter. Examples of such a module  224  are Anaren Integrated Radio (AIR) A1101R04C with Antenna 66089-0406 and AIR A110LR09C with Antenna 66089-8906. 
         [0019]    A detail view of a data receiving interruption process  300  according to some embodiments is shown in  FIG. 3 , and a detail view of the data analyzing loop work process  400  according to some embodiments is shown in  FIG. 4 . Programming to implement these workflows can be stored on system memory, for example data storage  208  and can be implemented using processor  210 . 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , a data receiving interruption process  300  can begin at with receiving a data package from a wireless sensor, such as one of a plurality of temperature and humidity sensors at  302 . The gateway then determines if the package passes security verification at  304 . Security verification  304  can include sensor ID and data cyclic redundancy check (CRC) verifications. If the package passes the security verification the gateway next determines if the package includes warning information at  306 . This warning information may include, for example, a low sensor battery warning and/or sensor failure information. If the package includes warning information, the package is immediately sent to the server at  310 , the process then returns to step  302 . If the package does not include warning information, the data package is added to the data array and the data time is updated at  308 . The process  300  then returns to step  302 . The data array is a memory block used to store data and data time for a plurality (up to 100) of wireless temperature and humidity sensors and a variety of embedded sensors such as temperature and humidity sensor  212 , a pressure sensor  214 , an air speed sensor  216 , a PM2.5 sensor  218 . The data time, for example, can be a time stamp for received data. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  shows a process  400  for analyzing data in the gateway according to some embodiments. The process starts at  402 , where the number of sensors is set to the number of sensors connected to the gateway (here  100 ), the time interval TI is set to 120 seconds, the lasting hours LH is to 0 and the maximum hours MH is set to 10 hours. TI is the time interval between each transmission of data to the database server. The TI should be adjustable. The LH is the lasting hours that a sensor&#39;s data is not updated. The MH is the maximum allowed hours that a sensor&#39;s data is not updated. The MH is preferably adjustable. Next at  404  the gateway loops through the data array forNsensors every TI seconds. At  406  it is determined whether the sensor data is new. If the sensor data is new, the new data is added to the data package for the sensor. The data package can be a memory block to store all sensors&#39; data that will be sent to the database server. The data package with the N sensors data is then sent to the server every TI seconds at  416 . At  406  if the second data is not new data the process proceeds to step  408  where it is determined whether LH&lt;MH. If LH&lt;MH the previous data of the sensor is added to the data package at  414  before proceeding to  416 . At  408  if LH is not &lt;MH sensor failure information is added to the data package at  410  before proceeding to  416 . Sensor failure information indicates that a sensor is not working or missed for MH hours. 
         [0022]    The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the techniques and their practical applications. Others skilled in the art are thereby enabled to best utilize the techniques and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
         [0023]    Although the disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying figures, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the disclosure and examples as defined by the claims.