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WO2002047369A1 - Appareil de surveillance a distance - Google Patents

Appareil de surveillance a distance Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2002047369A1
WO2002047369A1 PCT/GB2001/005401 GB0105401W WO0247369A1 WO 2002047369 A1 WO2002047369 A1 WO 2002047369A1 GB 0105401 W GB0105401 W GB 0105401W WO 0247369 A1 WO0247369 A1 WO 0247369A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
equipment
dispensing
liquid
monitoring apparatus
remote monitoring
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2001/005401
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Philip Andrew Walton
Andrew Smith
Original Assignee
Ebac Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB0030004A external-priority patent/GB0030004D0/en
Application filed by Ebac Limited filed Critical Ebac Limited
Priority to AU2002222132A priority Critical patent/AU2002222132A1/en
Publication of WO2002047369A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002047369A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
    • G08B21/18—Status alarms
    • G08B21/187—Machine fault alarms
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/01—Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled
    • G08G1/0104—Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Definitions

  • This invention relates to monitoring apparatus for use at a location which is geographically remote (distant) from a place or places where the occurrence of certain events is monitored.
  • vending machines with a diagnostic system which collects data related to the operation of the machine.
  • Such machines may also have an inbuilt telemetry system which allows the data to be periodically transmitted to a distant monitoring position, e.g. via a public telephone system, computer network etc.
  • the data which is collected may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, if a fault condition occurs in an unattended machine an appropriate alarm can be generated.
  • the data can also be used to monitor operation of the machine so that a service call can be arranged before a failure occurs.
  • the usage of the machine could be monitored so that stocks of the products can be replenished before they run out.
  • It is also possible to collect useful statistical data about the operation of the equipment which may be useful in forward planning.
  • the present invention seeks to provide a new and inventive form of remote monitoring system which allows monitored events to be signalled whenever they occur whilst having a significantly lower running cost than conventional systems.
  • the present invention proposes remote monitoring apparatus provided with: - sensing means for monitoring at least one parameter; - information processing means responsive to said sensing means to produce a plurality of outputs in response to the occurrence of specific events; and
  • a communication system capable of communicating via a telecommunication network with a number of remote terminals each of which is dedicated to handling a specific event, the communication system being responsive to the information processing means such as to communicate with the appropriate terminal when a relevant event occurs.
  • the telecommunication network may comprise a fixed and/or mobile (radio) communication system.
  • the remote terminals may be installed at a common monitoring position and are preferably arranged to log incoming communications in a database.
  • the speed and operating costs can be minimised if the telecommunication network is provided with caller-identification whereby the network digitally transmits the identity of the originating system to the receiving terminal.
  • the sensing means may include a plurality of sensors arranged to monitor different aspects of the operation of the apparatus.
  • a single sensor may be used to monitor a single parameter and the processing means is arranged to respond when the monitored parameter passes through specific conditions.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a water cooler provided with a telemetry system in accordance with the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of remote traffic flow monitoring apparatus.
  • the invention is applied to apparatus for dispensing a product.
  • such products may include liquids as in a water cooler or drink dispenser, unwrapped articles such as bubble gum or sweets, or packaged articles such as cans of drink, chocolate bars etc.
  • the product may be dispensed on demand as in an office water cooler or they may only be dispensed upon receipt of an appropriate payment made by cash, tokens, credit card etc.
  • the drawing shows a water cooler 1 in which water is supplied from a bottle 2 to a reservoir 3 which is chilled by a refrigeration system 4. Chilled water is dispensed from a manually-operable discharge valve 5 via a flow sensor 6.
  • the cooler is powered from an AC supply 8 through a power supply unit 9, and includes an electrical control unit 10.
  • the water cooler also includes a stack of cups 7 which users can remove one by one.
  • a diagnostic unit 12 is installed within the cooler to process the incoming sensory information and monitor various aspects of its operation. The diagnostic unit receives signals from a number of sensory inputs throughout the cooler by means of which the following conditions are monitored:
  • the flow sensor 6 allows usage of the cooler to be monitored in terms of the volume of chilled water dispensed.
  • a real time clock 13 allows the diagnostic unit to record usage against time.
  • a sensor 20 detects faults in the water system. For example, a leak may be signalled by detecting the presence of air in the reservoir 3.
  • the diagnostic unit responds to the occurrence of an electrical fault in the main control unit 10.
  • the diagnostic unit receives back-up power from a bank of trickle- charged cells 24.
  • An opto-electronic or electro-mechanical sensor 22 signals when the store of cups 7 is becoming low and needs to be replenished.
  • the diagnostic unit 12 signals an in-built communication system in the form of a cellular telephone transceiver 26 to initiate a call.
  • the number which is called depends on the nature of the fault, each fault condition being assigned its own unique destination number.
  • the call is received by a satellite or terrestrial receiving station 27 which is linked to a public telephone network, indicated at 28.
  • the network preferably has caller-identification capability by which the originating telephone number is digitally signalled to the call destination.
  • the call is routed to one of a number of modem terminals 29 depending on the number which is called.
  • the modems will usually (but not necessarily) be installed at a single monitoring position and all incoming data is logged in a central database 30. On receipt of a call the modem detects the ringing signal and decodes the caller identification data to log the identity of the originating water cooler and the time of the call. Since the telephone transceiver 26 has its own unique number numerous similar water coolers can be connected to the system but the identity of each will be known from the caller-identification information.
  • the telephone unit 26 also has battery backup to maintain operation in the event of a power failure. Usage information can be transferred to the appropriate dedicated modem terminal 29 at regular intervals and/or in response to specific usage conditions.
  • the bank of modems 29 can automatically respond to a call by signalling an appropriate alarm condition, issuing a request for a maintenance call, or generating another appropriate response according to the nature of the condition to which they are set up to respond.
  • the database thus contains up-to-date information on the status of all the coolers connected to the system. Accurate and up-to-date reports and statistics can be generated as required. Moreover, the information is obtained with a substantially lower running costs compared with existing systems.
  • the second embodiment shown in Fig. 2 illustrates how such a telemetric system may be applied to apparatus of the kind which monitors a single parameter, in this case traffic flow.
  • the apparatus includes a speed sensor 51 which is mounted at the roadside in a strategic position to monitor the speed of passing vehicles, e.g. using the doppler shift principle.
  • the sensor generates an output signal representing vehicle speed, which is passed to a processing unit 52.
  • This unit is programmed to assign the incoming speed readings to predetermined speed ranges and analyse the accumulated data to determine the average vehicle speed. Whenever the average speed drops below a specific figure the processor 52 signals a GSM module 53 to make a call via an appropriate data line 54.
  • one line may output a signal when the traffic speed drops below 60 mph, another line may become active when the speed drops below 50 mph, a third line may respond at 40 mph, and so on.
  • the lines may be private terrestrial links, telephone lines via a public terrestrial and/or radio network, satellite links etc.
  • a regional data centre 55 equipped with Caller Line Identifier facilities (CLID) receives the incoming signal lines and logs the vehicle speed as indicated by line on which the call was made and the time of receipt in a database 56.
  • CLID Caller Line Identifier facilities
  • the database thus provides accurate and up-to-date information on the present traffic flow conditions at all strategic points in the region. Again, the call need not be answered, although it may be desirable to return an acknowledgement signal to confirm that the call has been logged. Telemetric data can again be exchanged in either direction if desired, but even so, the running costs are substantially reduced.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention porte sur un appareil de surveillance à distance doté de moyens de détection servant à surveiller au moins un paramètre de fonctionnement d'un équipement tel qu'un rafraîchisseur d'eau. Le dispositif de traitement (12) répond à des signaux émis par les moyens de détection afin d'envoyer une pluralité de puissances de sortie en réponse à des événements spécifiques. Un système de communication (26) est commandé par le dispositif de traitement (12) de manière à communiquer, par un réseau de télécommunication (27, 28) avec un certain nombre de terminaux à distance (29), chacun étant chargé de la gestion d'un événement spécifique. Lorsqu'un événement pertinent se produit, le dispositif de traitement communique avec le terminal approprié de manière à ce que la réalisation de cet événement puisse être répertoriée. De préférence, on fournit au réseau de communication une identification du demandeur, laquelle permet au réseau de transmettre numériquement au terminal cible l'identité du système source.
PCT/GB2001/005401 2000-12-08 2001-12-05 Appareil de surveillance a distance WO2002047369A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2002222132A AU2002222132A1 (en) 2000-12-08 2001-12-05 Remote monitoring apparatus

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0030004A GB0030004D0 (en) 2000-12-08 2000-12-08 Dispensing Apparatus
GB0030004.6 2000-12-08
GB0101293.9 2001-01-18
GB0101293A GB0101293D0 (en) 2000-12-08 2001-01-18 Remote monitoring apparatus

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002047369A1 true WO2002047369A1 (fr) 2002-06-13

Family

ID=26245407

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2001/005401 WO2002047369A1 (fr) 2000-12-08 2001-12-05 Appareil de surveillance a distance

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2002222132A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2002047369A1 (fr)

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004093423A1 (fr) * 2003-04-17 2004-10-28 Andrew Ian Roos Systeme et procede pour transferer des informations
US7095321B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2006-08-22 American Power Conversion Corporation Extensible sensor monitoring, alert processing and notification system and method
US7148796B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2006-12-12 American Power Conversion Corporation Environmental monitoring device
US7159022B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2007-01-02 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and system for a set of network appliances which can be connected to provide enhanced collaboration, scalability, and reliability
US7330886B2 (en) 1999-10-27 2008-02-12 American Power Conversion Corporation Network appliance management
US7392309B2 (en) 1999-10-27 2008-06-24 American Power Conversion Corporation Network appliance management
US7542963B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2009-06-02 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and system for journaling and accessing sensor and configuration data
ITTE20090003A1 (it) * 2009-05-20 2009-08-19 Egidio Gabriele Di Dispositivo per la rilevazione di informazioni, allarmi e dati in codifica binaria da apparati del tipo display lcd, led, lampade ecc., e la successiva e tempestiva trasmissione a distanza, via gsm, per la gestione di macchine automatiche (es.:vendin
ITTE20090008A1 (it) * 2009-07-10 2009-10-09 Egidio Gabriele Di Dispositivo, denominato elettroblock, atto a bloccare il flusso di un liquido o di un gas, nel caso di consumo imprevisto, rispetto di uno standard prefissato.
US7627651B2 (en) 2003-10-27 2009-12-01 American Power Conversion Corporation System and method for network device communication
WO2011045727A1 (fr) * 2001-08-06 2011-04-21 Erez Brand Contenant pour aliments/boissons
US7958170B2 (en) 2002-05-03 2011-06-07 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and apparatus for collecting and displaying data associated with network devices
US8271626B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2012-09-18 American Power Conversion Corporation Methods for displaying physical network topology and environmental status by location, organization, or responsible party
US8990536B2 (en) 2011-06-01 2015-03-24 Schneider Electric It Corporation Systems and methods for journaling and executing device control instructions
US9952103B2 (en) 2011-12-22 2018-04-24 Schneider Electric It Corporation Analysis of effect of transient events on temperature in a data center
US11076507B2 (en) 2007-05-15 2021-07-27 Schneider Electric It Corporation Methods and systems for managing facility power and cooling

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5608643A (en) * 1994-09-01 1997-03-04 General Programming Holdings, Inc. System for managing multiple dispensing units and method of operation
WO1998024078A1 (fr) * 1996-11-26 1998-06-04 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Systeme de communication
US5784441A (en) * 1993-11-03 1998-07-21 Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Systems for power interruption detection
US6061430A (en) * 1997-12-22 2000-05-09 U S West, Inc. Enhanced telephony system for premises monitoring

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5784441A (en) * 1993-11-03 1998-07-21 Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Systems for power interruption detection
US5608643A (en) * 1994-09-01 1997-03-04 General Programming Holdings, Inc. System for managing multiple dispensing units and method of operation
WO1998024078A1 (fr) * 1996-11-26 1998-06-04 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company Systeme de communication
US6061430A (en) * 1997-12-22 2000-05-09 U S West, Inc. Enhanced telephony system for premises monitoring

Cited By (25)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7330886B2 (en) 1999-10-27 2008-02-12 American Power Conversion Corporation Network appliance management
US7392309B2 (en) 1999-10-27 2008-06-24 American Power Conversion Corporation Network appliance management
US8224953B2 (en) 1999-10-27 2012-07-17 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and apparatus for replay of historical data
US8966044B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2015-02-24 Schneider Electric It Corporation Methods for displaying physical network topology and environmental status by location, organization, or responsible party
US7159022B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2007-01-02 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and system for a set of network appliances which can be connected to provide enhanced collaboration, scalability, and reliability
US8271626B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2012-09-18 American Power Conversion Corporation Methods for displaying physical network topology and environmental status by location, organization, or responsible party
US7529838B2 (en) 2001-01-26 2009-05-05 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and system for a set of network appliances which can be connected to provide enhanced collaboration, scalability, and reliability
WO2011045727A1 (fr) * 2001-08-06 2011-04-21 Erez Brand Contenant pour aliments/boissons
US8719319B2 (en) 2002-05-03 2014-05-06 Schneider Electric It Corporation Method and apparatus for collecting and displaying network device information
US8019798B2 (en) 2002-05-03 2011-09-13 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and apparatus for collecting and displaying network device information
US7958170B2 (en) 2002-05-03 2011-06-07 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and apparatus for collecting and displaying data associated with network devices
US7456733B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2008-11-25 American Power Conversion Corporation Environmental monitoring device
US7456736B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2008-11-25 American Power Conversion Corporation Extensible sensor monitoring, alert processing and notification system and method
US7095321B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2006-08-22 American Power Conversion Corporation Extensible sensor monitoring, alert processing and notification system and method
US7148796B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2006-12-12 American Power Conversion Corporation Environmental monitoring device
US7986224B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2011-07-26 American Power Conversion Corporation Environmental monitoring device
US7542963B2 (en) 2003-04-14 2009-06-02 American Power Conversion Corporation Method and system for journaling and accessing sensor and configuration data
WO2004093423A1 (fr) * 2003-04-17 2004-10-28 Andrew Ian Roos Systeme et procede pour transferer des informations
US7627651B2 (en) 2003-10-27 2009-12-01 American Power Conversion Corporation System and method for network device communication
US11076507B2 (en) 2007-05-15 2021-07-27 Schneider Electric It Corporation Methods and systems for managing facility power and cooling
US11503744B2 (en) 2007-05-15 2022-11-15 Schneider Electric It Corporation Methods and systems for managing facility power and cooling
ITTE20090003A1 (it) * 2009-05-20 2009-08-19 Egidio Gabriele Di Dispositivo per la rilevazione di informazioni, allarmi e dati in codifica binaria da apparati del tipo display lcd, led, lampade ecc., e la successiva e tempestiva trasmissione a distanza, via gsm, per la gestione di macchine automatiche (es.:vendin
ITTE20090008A1 (it) * 2009-07-10 2009-10-09 Egidio Gabriele Di Dispositivo, denominato elettroblock, atto a bloccare il flusso di un liquido o di un gas, nel caso di consumo imprevisto, rispetto di uno standard prefissato.
US8990536B2 (en) 2011-06-01 2015-03-24 Schneider Electric It Corporation Systems and methods for journaling and executing device control instructions
US9952103B2 (en) 2011-12-22 2018-04-24 Schneider Electric It Corporation Analysis of effect of transient events on temperature in a data center

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
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