Electronic message delivery system utilizable in the monitoring of remote equipment and method of same

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment comprising the steps of:

a) determining respective states of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of remote equipment;

b) communicating information indicative of the respective states from the multiple pieces of remote equipment to a communication substation;

c) communicating messages regarding the respective states from the communication substation to a computer server as incoming messages;

d) enabling a user to remotely configure or modify a user-defined message profile containing outgoing message routing instructions, the user-defined message profile being storable at the computer server,

e) determining whether at least one of the incoming messages is an incoming exception message indicative of improper operation of the piece of remote equipment;

f) if it is determined in step e) that at least one of the incoming messages is an incoming exception message, forwarding at least one outgoing exception message based on the incoming exception message to at least one remote user-defined communication device specifiable in the user-defined message profile,

wherein the user can remotely configure or modify the user-defined message profile by remotely accessing the computer server.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step b) further comprises the step of communicating the information from the multiple pieces of remote equipment to the communication substation via a local radio frequency transmitter.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said step e) further comprises the step of communicating said incoming messages via at least one of a cellular telephone network, radio transmissions, telephone lines, and the Internet.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a portion of the incoming messages with equipment identification information for the respective pieces of remote equipment to which the incoming messages pertain.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein step d) further comprises the step of determining whether at least one of the incoming messages is an incoming exception message or a normal status message indicative of proper operation of the piece of remote equipment to which the message pertains.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the incoming exception message at the computer server; and

sorting stored incoming exception messages by at least one equipment criteria including brand, model, installation date, climate, and weather conditions.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein if at least one of the incoming messages is determined to be a normal status message, the method further comprises the step of h) storing the normal status message in a normal status memory.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

i) providing a main list having information identifying all pieces of the remote equipment being monitored;

j) comparing the contents of the normal status memory with the main list to determine whether a normal status message was not communicated within a predetermined period of time for any pieces of the remote equipment being monitored; and

k) generating an outgoing exception message in accordance with the message profile for each piece of equipment identified in step k) as not having sent a normal status message.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein step i further comprises the step of providing at least one of brand, model, installation date, climate, and weather condition information for each piece of equipment on the main list.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

storing outgoing exception messages generated in step k); and

sorting at least one of the stored outgoing exception messages and the stored normal status messages by at least one equipment criterion including brand, model, installation date, climate, and weather conditions.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein step f) further comprises forwarding multiple outgoing exception messages to multiple user-defined communication devices in response to a single incoming message in accordance with the user-defined message profile.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein step f) further comprises forwarding a single outgoing exception message to a user-defined communication device in response to multiple incoming messages in accordance with the user-defined message profile.

13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing a plurality of user-defined message profiles in a database at the computer server.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the remote equipment includes heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step c) further comprises the step of communicating in the incoming messages respective identification codes of the pieces of remote equipment to which the incoming messages respectively pertain.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said step d) further comprises the step of forwarding the identification codes in the outgoing exception messages to the at least one remote user-defined communication device in accordance with the user-defined message profile.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the identification code includes data regarding at least one of the following equipment criteria: brand, model, installation date, local climate, and local weather conditions of the installation site.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

storing the incoming messages on the computer server; and

sorting the incoming messages by at least one of the equipment criteria.

19. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing each piece of remote equipment with its own local radio frequency transmitter.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of providing the communication substation with an antenna to receive signals from the local radio frequency transmitters.

21. A method of monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment comprising the steps of;

a) determining a state of at least one parameter of at least one piece of the remote equipment;

b) communicating messages indicative of the state of the at least one parameter from the piece of remote equipment to a computer server as incoming messages;

c) determining whether an incoming message is an incoming exception message indicative of improper operation of the piece of remote equipment;

d) if it is determined in step c) that an incoming message is an incoming exception message forwarding at least one outgoing exception message based on the incoming exception messages to at least one user-defined communication device;

e) storing at least one of the incoming messages and outgoing exception messages at the computer server; and

f) creating an information data base about the remote equipment being monitored by enabling the messages stored in step e) to be sortable by at least one equipment criterion.

22. A system for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment, comprising:

multiple sensors each in local communication with a respective one of the multiple pieces of remote equipment, said sensors detecting a state of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of remote equipment;

local transmitters, each connected to a respective one of said sensors, said local transmitters sending status signals indicative of the state of the at least one parameter;

an interface unit having an antenna and receiving said status signals from said local transmitters, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism; and

a computer server in remote communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said computer server having a user interface, a user being capable of remotely accessing said computer server via said user interface to remotely configure a user-defined message profile containing outgoing message routing instructions,

wherein when one of said sensors detects an exception condition in one of the pieces of remote equipment, said transmitter coupled to the one of said sensors sends a corresponding status signal, and when said interface unit receives said status signal, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message indicative of the exception condition and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,

and wherein said server forwards at least one outgoing exception message to at least one predetermined user-defined remote communication device based on said incoming exception message as specified in said user-defined message profile.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said local transmitters are radio frequency transmitters, and said local transmitters and said antenna form a local radio frequency network.

24. A system according to claim 22, wherein said message generating mechanism forwards said incoming exception messages via at least one of a plurality of communication media, said media comprising at least one of a cellular telephone network, radio transmissions, telephone lines, and the Internet.

25. A system according to claim 24, said computer server comprising a normalization module, wherein said computer server receives said incoming exception messages from said interface unit and said normalization module normalizes said incoming exception messages into a uniform format to create normalized messages, wherein said outgoing exception messages are generated based on said normalized messages.

26. A system according to claim 22, wherein the at least one parameter is at least one of an exception condition in which the equipment is operating improperly and a normal status condition in which the equipment is operating properly.

27. A system according to claim 22, wherein the multiple pieces of the remote equipment being monitored each has a respective identification code, said computer server further comprising:

a first memory in which equipment identification codes of all monitored pieces of remote equipment are stored; and

a second memory in which communication device identification codes of all of said remote user-defined communication devices specified by said message profiles are stored.

28. A system according to claim 26, wherein the multiple pieces of the remote equipment being monitored each has a respective identification code, said computer server further comprising:

a first memory in which equipment identification codes of all monitored pieces of remote equipment are stored; and

a second memory in which communication device identification codes of all of said user-defined communication devices specified by said message profiles are stored; and

a third memory in which said incoming exception messages are stored.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein said stored incoming exception messages are sortable by at least one criteria including the following: brand, model, installation date, local climate, and local weather conditions.

30. A system according to claim 27, wherein said interface unit periodically generates a normal status message if its respective pieces of equipment are functioning properly, said normal status message including an interface unit identification code.

31. A system according to claim 30, said server further comprises:

a fourth memory for storing said normal status messages;

a comparator processor in communication with said first and fourth memories adapted to identify which of said pieces of monitored remote equipment having an identification code stored in said first memory did not communicate a normal status message stored in said fourth memory within a predetermined period of time; and

a server message generator in communication with said comparator processor adapted to generate an outgoing exception message for each piece of equipment identified by said comparator processor, said outgoing exception message being forwarded by said server to at least one of said user-defined communication devices specified by said user-defined message profiles.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein each of the normal status messages further includes criteria of the piece of equipment to which the normal status message pertains, and said stored normal status messages are sortable in said fourth memory by at least one of the following criteria: brand, model, installation date, local climate, and local weather conditions.

33. A system according to claim 22, wherein each of said incoming exception messages comprises exception information and identification information for a respective piece of remote equipment to which the incoming exception message pertains.

34. A system according to claim 33, wherein each of said outgoing exception messages comprises exception information and identification information for a respective piece of remote equipment to which the incoming exception message pertains.

35. A system according to claim 30, wherein each of said normal status messages further comprises operational information of a respective piece of the remote equipment to which the normal status message pertains.

36. A system according to claim 31, further comprising a fifth memory in which outgoing exception messages are stored.

37. A system according to claim 36, wherein each of the outgoing exception messages further includes equipment and operating condition criteria for a respective piece of the remote equipment being monitored, and said stored outgoing exception messages arc sortable in said fifth memory by at least one of the following criteria: brand, model, installation date, local climate, and local weather conditions.

38. A system for monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment, comprising:

a sensor in communication with a piece of the remote equipment, said sensor detecting a state of least one parameter of the piece of remote equipment;

an interface unit, connected to said sensor, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism; and

a computer server in communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said server having a memory in which said messages may be stored and a subroutine for enabling sorting of said messages by at least one equipment criterion,

wherein when said sensor detects an exception condition in the piece of remote equipment, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message indicative of the exception condition and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,

and wherein said server forwards at least one outgoing exception message to at least one predetermined user-defined remote communication device based on said incoming exception message.

39. A method for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment comprising the steps of:

a) determining respective states of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;

b) communicating information indicative of the respective states to a communication substation;

c) communicating messages indicative of the respective states from the communication substation to a computer server as incoming messages, the incoming messages having respective incoming formats;

d) normalizing each incoming message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;

e) storing the normalized messages in a normalized message database on the computer server;

f) determining from each incoming message whether at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by a plurality of message profiles stored at the computer server;

g) if it is determined in step f) that at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent, deriving the at least one exception message from a stored normalized message corresponding to the related incoming message and a respective one of the message profiles, the at least one exception message derived thereby having at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent; and h) sending the at least one exception message derived in step g) to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles,

wherein the message profiles may be created or modified at least in part by a user by remote access of the computer server.

40. A method of monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment comprising the steps of:

a) determining a state of at least one parameter of at least one piece of the remote equipment;

b) communicating respective messages indicative of the state of the at least one parameter of the at least one piece of the remote equipment to a computer server as incoming messages, the incoming messages having respective incoming formats;

c) normalizing each incoming message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;

d) storing the normalized messages in a normalized message database at the computer server;

e) determining from each incoming message whether at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by a plurality of message profiles stored at the computer server;

f) if it is determined in step e) that at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent, deriving the at least one exception message from a stored normalized message corresponding to the related incoming message and the message profiles, the at least one exception message derived thereby having at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent;

g) sending the at least one exception message derived in step f) to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;

h) storing at least one of the incoming messages and the exception messages at the computer server; and

i) creating an information database for the remote equipment being monitored to enable the messages stored in step h) to be sortable by at least one equipment criterion;

wherein the message profiles may be created or modified at least in part by a user remote access of the computer server.

41. A system for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment, comprising:

multiple sensors each in communication with a respective one of the pieces of the remote equipment for detecting a state of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;

local transmitters, each coupled to a respective one of said sensors, said local transmitters sending status signals indicative of the state of the at least one operating parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;

an interface unit having an antenna and receiving said status signals from said local transmitters, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism; and

a computer server in communication with said interface, said server comprising:

1) a first message interface for receiving messages generated by said interface unit;

2) a message normalizer for normalizing each one of the messages received from the interface unit to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;

3) a normalized message database for storing the normalized messages;

4) a message profile database for storing a plurality of message profiles;

5) a message processor for determining from each one of the messages received from the interface unit whether at least one exception message related to the received messages is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;

6) an exception message generator for deriving the at least one exception message determined by the message processor to be sent to the at least one remote communication device, the at least one exception message being derived from a normalized message corresponding to the received message and the message profiles so as to have at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;

7) a second message interface for sending the at least one exception message derived by the exception message generator to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles; and

8) a user interface for enabling a user at a remote location to create or modify at least in part the message profiles in the message profile database,

wherein when one of said sensors detects an exception condition in one of the pieces of the remote equipment, said local transmitter coupled to the one of said sensors sends a corresponding status signal, and when said interface unit receives said status signal, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message and forwards the incoming exception message to said computer server.

42. A system for monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment, comprising:

a sensor in communication with a piece of the remote equipment;

an interface unit, coupled to said sensor, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism; and

a computer server in communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said server having a memory in which said messages may be stored and a subroutine for sorting of said messages by at least one equipment criterion,

wherein when said sensor detects an exception condition in the piece of remote equipment, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,

and wherein said server comprises:

1) a message normalizer for normalizing the incoming exception message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;

2) a normalized message database for storing the normalized message;

3) a message profile database for storing the a plurality of message profiles;

4) a message processor for determining from the incoming exception message that at least one exception message related to the incoming exception message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;

5) an exception message generator for deriving the at least one exception message determined by the message processor to be sent to the at least one remote communication device, the at least one exception message being derived from the normalized message corresponding to the incoming exception message and the message profiles so as to have at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent;

6) a message interface for sending the at least one exception message derived by the exception message generator to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles; and

7) a user interface for enabling a user at a remote location to create or modify at least in part the message profiles in the message profile memory.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to monitoring systems, and more specifically to networks for remotely monitoring the condition of devices such as those employed in heating, ventilating, and cooling (HVAC) systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is desirable to be able to monitor remotely equipment that may require periodic preventive maintenance and/or that may require rapid response time should a catastrophic failure occur. For example, the components of a building's HVAC system must be monitored or checked frequently. Preventive maintenance must be performed on a constant basis, particularly with larger systems. Fault or failure conditions may vary in degrees of severity, however the contractor responsible for maintaining the HVAC equipment should be made aware of each failure in due course. Since a contractor, in all likelihood, is responsible for the care and maintenance of the installations of multiple clients, and since fault conditions may occur at any time of day or night, it is not practical for a contractor to remain on-site all the time. Remote detection at a central location (for example, the contractor's office) of fault conditions is desirable and often crucial. It is also desirable to know the approximate failure rate or frequency of failure of each piece of equipment. One can make installation recommendations as to which model or brand of equipment is best suited for a particular site, and one can anticipate the failure of an already-installed piece of equipment and specific components therein based on how long it is running.

Some remote monitoring devices have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,687 to Sutton et al. describes a universal interface for remotely-monitored security or alarm systems. In Sutton et al., a local control unit at a monitored site can, under an event condition, initiate a telephone call to a central control unit to alert a human operator of an event such as an intrusion, fire, or other emergency at the site. The local control unit, via the telephone link, sends a serial number indicative of the specific site and emergency to the monitoring center computer. The monitoring center computer receives the serial number and alerts a human operator as to the emergency. The human operator can then act accordingly, e.g., establish one- or two-way communication with the local site.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,104 to Argyroudis et al. describes a wireless remote telemetry system which provides real-time reading and remote control of devices such as electricity meters. A home base unit communicates with remote metering units via cellular telephone lines. The home base unit also communicates with a central controller operated by the electric utility. When the utility determines that there is too much load on the power grid, for example, the central controller can send messages to an appliance to turn off. A customer could also remotely activate or deactivate an appliance via a cellular phone through the home base unit.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,916 to French et al. describes a system for remotely reporting, in graphical format, alarms or other conditions in a building's automation system. Sensors in a building are hooked up via a telephone line to control module which is, in turn, hooked Up to a central controller. When a sensor detects a fault condition, graphical information is compiled at the central controller and transmitted to one or more remote facsimile machines.

All of the above systems and the prior art are limited in scope because they do not allow for sufficient flexibility in routing fault messages to a variety of different potential recipients of such messages via a variety of different media, depending on the urgency or nature of the fault. Also, the above systems and the prior art do not enable customers and contractors to enter or modify such information easily. As an example, a customer that has an HVAC system with a monitoring network may want to send certain non-emergency condition notifications (e.g., filter needs cleaning) to certain individuals (e.g., contractor/maintenance personnel) via a certain medium (e.g., e-mail) and emergency condition notifications (e.g., low or high refrigerant pressure) to other individuals (building owner, contractor, etc.) via other means (e.g., via beeper or other personal communication device). Such a list of who to contact via what means depending on which fault has occurred may be referred to as a "message profile". The conventional device/contractor interface requires a dedicated land line at both the HVAC device and the contractor; that is, the HVAC system requires its own phone line, and the contractor must have a dedicated modem line as well. Moreover, the conventional system does not allow for easy customer modifications to the message profile. The conventional systems also do not allow the user to determine the failure rate of the equipment or to determine which pieces of equipment are best suited for a specific site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring multiple pieces of electrical and/or mechanical equipment in a cost-effective manner.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment that can deliver messages to different individuals for different fault conditions.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment that can deliver fault notification messages to different individuals for different fault conditions via different electronic media.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment in which a customer may interactively modify its message profile.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment in which a customer may interactively modify its message profile via the Internet.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system for remotely monitoring electrical and/or mechanical equipment which can collect data over time concerning the monitored equipment.

The above and other objects are satisfied by the invention which is a remote equipment monitoring system and method for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment. In the inventive method, a state of at least one parameter of multiple pieces of remote equipment is determined. The state of the parameter of each piece is communicated to one communication substation. The communication substation sends messages regarding the state to a central location as incoming messages. Exception messages are forwarded based on the incoming messages to at least one user-defined end device. Preferably, the step of communicating with the communication substation is performed over a local radio network, and the step of communicating messages to a central location is performed over a cellular network.

The invention also includes a method of monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment. In the inventive method, a state of at least one parameter of at least one piece of remote equipment is determined. Messages are communicated regarding the state to a central location as incoming messages. Outgoing exception messages are forwarded based on the incoming messages to at least one user-defined communication device. At least one of the incoming messages and outgoing exception messages are stored at the central location. An information data base is created about the remote equipment being monitored by enabling the stored messages to be sortable by at least one equipment criterion, such as brand, model, installation date, site climate, site weather conditions, etc.

The inventive system includes sensors each respectively in communication with pieces of remote equipment, local transmitters each respectively connected to the sensors that send respective signals from the sensors, and an interface unit, receiving the signals, the interface unit having a message generating mechanism. A central computer server is in communication with the interface unit and is adapted to receive messages generated by the interface unit. When a sensor detects an exception condition in its piece of remote equipment (i.e., an operating condition that is either out of the ordinary or beyond nominal parameters), the local transmitter sends a signal to the interface unit. The interface unit generates an incoming exception message and for-wards the message to the server. The server forwards at least one outgoing exception message to at least one predetermined user-defined end device based on the incoming exception message. Preferably, the local transmitter is a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and the interface unit communicates to the server via cellular telephone or digital PCS means.

The system can contact a customer or contractor via a number of different media (fax, e-mail, pager, etc.) in case of an equipment failure. The contractor can determine which people to contact and which medium to use for which equipment failure. For example, if the condition is not very serious (e.g., filter needs cleaning), the contractor can set up the system to send a message via e-mail; if, however, it is serious (e.g., low/high refrigerant pressure), then the system can page the contractor and/or send a text message over his personal communication service (PCS). Also, the system includes the capability to send multiple messages to multiple recipients via differing media simultaneously for a given exception condition. Preferably, the system includes a centralized electronic message delivery device or server that routes the various incoming exception messages to the desired individuals via the desired electronic media in accordance with the predetermined message profile. More preferably, the contractor or consumer can access the centralized message server via the Internet and modify the message profile through software on the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a preferred embodiment of a link between the monitored equipment and the system according to the invention.

FIGS. 3a-d are schematics of links between an end-user's machine and the system according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a preferred embodiment of the electronic message delivery server according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting the operation of the system according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of a local RF network linking several pieces of equipment together in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Equipment that needs to be monitored frequently, such as HVAC equipment, preferably operates within certain acceptable parameters. Some of these parameters are more crucial to the operation and/or life span of the equipment than are other parameters. For example, a low battery condition might be a lot less serious than a low coolant level condition. Whenever a piece of equipment operates outside its preferred parameters, an "exception" condition is created or said to exist. An exception condition can also be indicative of a regularly scheduled event occurring too often, too infrequently, or not at all. An exception condition could also be indicative of a measured value being beyond the design specification for the equipment.

When a monitored piece of equipment detects an exception condition, it activates its interface to the cellular phone network. The interface effectively acts as a cell phone in a roaming condition. The interface "attempts" to make a telephone call; because it is not recognized as being a resident of the local cell, the local cell (via the cellular network or mobile switching center) contacts the "home cell" of the interface to insure that the interface is in good standing to complete the "call." There really is no home cell; in actuality, what is taking the place of the home cell of a cellular telephone is a message routing service such as those provided by Aeris or Bell South Cellemetry. When the local cell is contacting the message routing service, it transmits the following information: the serial number of the interface; the multi-digit "phone number" assigned to the interface; and the multi-digit phone number that the interface is "attempting to call." The message routing service tells the local cell that the interface is okay and should not be blacklisted, that the call need not go through, and that the interface should be removed from the "okay to roam" list immediately.

The interface is not really trying to call anyone; the multi-digit phone number it was trying to call represents a multi-digit code of information that is being sent to the message routing service and may represent fault information (e.g., 212-555-1212 means "filter needs cleaning"). The phone number assigned to the interface (which is also sent along with the phone number it is "trying to contact") may not only indicates which unit is doing the transmitting but may also convey fault i