Distributed systems for stormwater monitoring and reporting

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards devices, systems, and methods for remotely acquiring stormwater data. A sensor device includes sensors and a transceiver. The sensors generate stormwater data in response to a fluid communication with (or exposure to) stormwater flowing through a stormwater drainage (such as a pipe). The transceiver provides the stormwater data to another sensor device included within a self-healing mesh network including similar sensor devices. The transceiver receives other stormwater data from still other sensor devices included in the mesh network. The sensor device additionally include a processor device, a memory device, a rechargeable battery, and a global positioning device. The components may be integrated on an inner surface of a compression ring that is positionable within the stormwater pipe. The mesh network includes a controller node for receiving the stormwater data from the sensor devices and relaying the stormwater to a remote computing device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensor device for acquiring fluid data, comprising:
 one or more sensors that are each configured and arranged for generating the fluid data in response to exposure to a first portion of fluid that is flowing; and   a transceiver device that is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured and arranged for providing at least a portion of the fluid data to a second sensor device and receiving other fluid data from a third sensor device, wherein each of the second and third sensor devices is exposed other portions of the flowing fluid.   
     
     
         2 . The sensor device of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a compression ring that includes an inner surface that is coupled to the transceiver device and each of the one or more sensors and an outer surface that is configured and arranged for positioning adjacent to an inner surface of a cavity that forms at least a portion of a flow-path for the fluid that is flowing. 
 
     
     
         3 . The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a depth sensor that generates a portion of the fluid data that encodes a depth of the fluid that is flowing within a flow-path cavity based on the generation and detection of mechanical-energy waves. 
     
     
         4 . The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a velocity sensor that generates a portion of the fluid data that encodes a velocity of the fluid that is flowing within a flow-path cavity based on a detection of a frequency-shift of mechanical-energy waves. 
     
     
         5 . The sensor device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor device is configured and arranged for positioning within a cavity that forms at least a portion of a flow-path for the fluid that is flowing such that when positioned within the cavity, the transceiver device is positioned vertically-above a level of the fluid that is flowing and at least a portion of the one or more sensors is positioned vertically-below the level of the fluid that is flowing. 
     
     
         6 . The sensor device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a memory device that is configured and arranged for storing the fluid data;   a processor device that is configured and arranged for operating the one or more sensors, the transceiver device, and the memory device; and   a power device that is configured and arranged for providing power to each of the one or more sensors, the transceiver device, the memory device, and the processor device.   
     
     
         7 . The sensor device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a housing that houses at least the one or more sensors and the transceiver device; and   a flow channel through a least a portion of the housing, wherein the flow channel is configured and arranged to receive the fluid that is flowing.   
     
     
         8 . A sensor device for acquiring fluid data, comprising:
 a sensor array, wherein an operation of the sensor array includes generating fluid data in response to an exposure to stormwater a first portion of fluid that is flowing;   a memory device that is communicatively coupled to the sensor array, wherein an operation of the memory device includes storing the fluid data generated by the operation of the sensor array;   a transceiver device that is communicatively coupled to the memory device, wherein an operation of the transceiver device includes providing at least a portion of the fluid data, stored at the memory device, to another device;   a processor device that is communicatively coupled to the sensor array, the memory device, and the sensor device, wherein an operation of the processor device includes an initiation of the operation of the sensor array, an initiation of the operation of the memory device, and an initiation of the operation of the transceiver device; and   a power source that is configured and arranged to provide electrical power for each of the operation of the sensor array, the operation of the memory device, the operation of the transceiver device, and the operation of the processor device   
     
     
         9 . The sensor device of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a global positioning device, wherein an operation of the global positioning device includes at least generating additional data that encodes at least an approximate geo-location of the sensor device.   
     
     
         10 . The sensor device of  claim 8 , wherein the sensor array includes a pH-level sensor that generates at least a portion of the fluid data that encodes at least an approximate pH-level of the fluid that is flowing. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor device of  claim 8 , wherein the sensor array includes a temperature sensor that generates at least a portion of the fluid data that encodes at least an approximate temperature of the fluid that is flowing. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor device of  claim 8 , wherein the power source includes a rechargeable battery that is configured and arranged for employing at least a portion of kinetic energy of a flow of the fluid that is flowing to recharge the rechargeable battery. 
     
     
         13 . The sensor device of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a compression ring that enables the coupling of the sensor device to an interior surface of a cavity of a fluid channel.   
     
     
         14 . A system for acquiring fluid data, the system comprising:
 a first sensor node that includes:
 a first plurality of sensors that generate the fluid data; and 
 a first local-data transceiver device; and 
   a controller node that includes:
 a second local data-transceiver device that receives the fluid data from the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node; and 
 a remote-data transceiver device that provides the received fluid data to a remote computing device. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a second sensor node that includes:
 a second plurality of sensors that generate other fluid data; and 
 a third local-data transceiver device that provides the other fluid data to the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node, wherein 
   the first local-data transceiver device of the first node provides the other fluid data to the remote-data transmitter of the controller node, and the remote-data transmitter of the controller node provides the other fluid to the remote computing device.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein in response to a detection of a non-operation of the first sensor node, the third local-data transmitter of the second sensor node provides the other fluid data to the local-data transmitter of the controller node. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the controller node further includes a first memory device that stores a sensor node configuration and a controller node configuration, wherein each of the sensor node configuration and the controller node configuration is received, at the controller node, from the remote computing device via the remote-data transceiver device of the controller node. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the first sensor node further includes a second memory device that stores the sensor node configuration, wherein the sensor node configuration is received, at the first sensor node, from the second local-data transceiver device of the controller node via the first local-data transceiver device of the first sensor node. 
     
     
         19 . The computing system of  claim 14 , wherein the first sensor node further includes a compression ring that enables the coupling of the first sensor node to an interior surface of a cavity of a fluid channel. 
     
     
         20 . The computing system of  claim 14 , wherein the controller node aggregates and buffers additional fluid data generated and received from a plurality of other sensor nodes.