Wireless network of environmental sensor units

Abstract

Environmental monitoring systems that include base stations and environmental sensor units (ESUs) that communicate in a wireless sensor network. A base station may include environmental sensors and may communicate with a remote server using a wide-area wireless network. The base station may also communicate with an environmental sensor unit using a wireless personal area network. The ESU may include environmental sensors and may communicate with the remote server via the base station. The base station and ESU may be adapted to automatically pair with one another to enable the ESU to communicate via the base station. An ESU may also be adapted to process data regarding environmental conditions by automatically determining a type of environmental sensor from which the data was received and processing the data based on the type. An ESU may also include physical ports by which new sensors can be connected to the ESU.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of communicating in an environmental monitoring system, the environmental monitoring system comprising an environmental sensor unit to produce data regarding at least one environmental condition and a server to analyze and store the data regarding the at least one environmental condition, the environmental monitoring system further comprising a device, the method comprising operating the device to carry out acts of:
 receiving a communication from the environmental sensor unit according to a first wireless communication protocol and a data communication protocol, the data communication protocol being a stateless protocol, the communication comprising data regarding the at least one environmental condition and an identifier for the device;   transmitting the communication to the server according to a second communication protocol and the data communication protocol; and   in response to receiving a response communication from the server according to the second communication protocol and the data communication protocol, transmitting the response communication to the environmental sensor unit via the first wireless communication protocol and the data communication protocol.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 transmitting the communication to the server comprises refraining from transmitting further communications to the server until a response to the communication is received from the server, and   receiving the response communication from the server comprises receiving a response communication that does not include an identifier for the environmental sensor unit.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 following receiving the communication from the environmental sensor unit, transmitting an acknowledgement of receipt of the communication to the environmental sensor unit, the acknowledgement being communicated according to the data communication protocol that is a stateless protocol; and   receiving a second communication from the environmental sensor unit according to the first wireless communication protocol and the data communication protocol, the data communication protocol being a stateless protocol, the communication comprising data regarding the at least one environmental condition and an identifier for the device;   wherein transmitting the response communication from the server in response to receiving the response communication comprises transmitting the response communication server in response to receiving the response communication and receiving the second communication from the environmental sensor unit.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting the communication according to the second communication protocol comprises transmitting according to a wireless communication protocol that is a higher-power wireless protocol with a larger communication range than the first wireless communication protocol. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the communication from the environmental sensor unit comprises receiving a broadcast communication that does not identify the device as a recipient of the broadcast communication, the broadcast communication comprising an identifier for the device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the response communication comprises receiving a response communication comprising an identification of an update to executable instructions stored on the environmental sensor unit that should be applied to the environmental sensor unit. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving a second communication from the environmental sensor unit according to the first wireless communication protocol and the data communication protocol, the second communication comprising second data regarding the at least one environmental condition, the identifier for the device, and a request for the update to the executable instructions stored on the environmental sensor unit.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 in response to the second communication, retrieving the update to the executable instructions and storing the update to the executable instructions on the device;   receiving a third communication from the environmental sensor unit request that the update to the executable instructions be provided to the environmental sensor unit; and   in response to the third communication, transmitting the update to the executable instructions to the environmental sensor unit.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 when no response is received from the server, retransmitting the communication to the server according to the second communication protocol and the data communication protocol and including with the communication an indication of a time the communication was received from the environmental sensor unit.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the communication from the environmental sensor unit comprises receiving the communication from a second environmental sensor unit relaying the communication from the environmental sensor unit. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises an environmental sensor, and
 wherein the method further comprises:
 producing, with the environmental sensor, second data regarding at least one second environmental condition, and 
 transmitting the second data to the server according to the second communication protocol and the data communication protocol. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the communication from the environmental sensor unit comprises receiving the communication via at least one wireless transceiver comprising a signal booster. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to receiving the communication:
 receiving, at the device, a request for a response from the device, the request being received from the environmental sensor unit and being communicated according to the first wireless communication protocol; and   transmitting a response to the request, the response comprising an identifier for the device and being communicated according to the first wireless communication protocol.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving at least one first communication from the one or more environmental sensor units of the system;   determining, for each first communication of the at least one first communication, whether the first communication comprises an identifier for the device; and   when it is determined that a first communication of the at least one first communication does not comprise the identifier for the device, discarding the first communication.   
     
     
         15 . A wireless gateway apparatus for use with a system comprising at least one sensor device and at least one computing device that is remote from the at least one computing device and remote from the wireless gateway apparatus, each of the at least one sensor device comprising an environmental sensor and a transceiver to communicate wirelessly according to a first communication protocol, the wireless gateway apparatus comprising:
 a first wireless transceiver to communicate wirelessly according to the first communication protocol;   a second wireless transceiver to communicate wirelessly according to a second communication protocol, wherein the first and second communication protocols are different; and   at least one control circuit to, in response to receiving from one of the at least one sensor device, via the first wireless transceiver, a first message formatted according to the first communication protocol and comprising first data, transmit via the second wireless transceiver and to the at least one computing device a second message formatted according to the second communication protocol and comprising the first data.   
     
     
         16 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one control circuit is further adapted to, in response to receiving from the at least one computing device, via the second wireless transceiver, a third message formatted according to the second communication protocol and comprising second data, transmit via the first wireless transceiver to the at least one sensor device a fourth message formatted according to the first communication protocol and comprising the second data. 
     
     
         17 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first data comprises a sensor reading of an environmental parameter sensed by one of the at least one sensor; and   the second data comprises configuration settings for the at least one sensor device.   
     
     
         18 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one control circuit comprises:
 at least one processor; and   at least one storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:
 transmitting the second message via the second wireless transceiver in response to receiving the first message; and 
 transmitting the fourth message via the first wireless transceiver in response to receiving the third message. 
   
     
     
         19 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein:
 receiving the third message comprises receiving a third message comprising the second data and an identifier for one of the at least one sensor device; and   transmitting the fourth message to the at least one sensor device comprises transmitting the fourth message to the one of the at least one sensor device.   
     
     
         20 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the second wireless transceiver is a cellular transceiver to communicate via a cellular network. 
     
     
         21 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one control circuit further:
 in response to receiving, via the second wireless transceiver and from the at least one computing device that is remote from the wireless gateway apparatus and remote from the at least one sensor device, a fifth message formatted according to the second communication protocol and comprising second data, the fifth message comprising an indication of whether the at least one computing device has determined that the value of the environmental parameter has satisfied a condition:
 transmitting, via the first wireless transceiver and to a first device controlling a second device, a sixth message formatted according to the first communication protocol and comprising the indication. 
   
     
     
         22 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein transmitting the sixth message to the first device controlling the second device comprises transmitting a message to the first device to cause the first device to perform a control of the second device based on whether the value of the environmental parameter has satisfied the condition. 
     
     
         23 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein transmitting the message to the first device to cause the first device to perform a control of the second device comprises transmitting a message to the first device to cause the first device to selectively supply power to the second device based on whether the value of the environmental parameter has satisfied the condition. 
     
     
         24 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein receiving the first message from the at least one sensor device comprises receiving a message formatted as a broadcast message. 
     
     
         25 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein receiving the first message from one of the at least one sensor device comprises receiving a message that does not identify a specific recipient of the message. 
     
     
         26 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the second wireless transceiver is configured to transmit communications at higher power than the first wireless transceiver. 
     
     
         27 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the second communication protocol is a higher-power protocol than the first communication protocol. 
     
     
         28 . The wireless gateway apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein receiving the first message from one of the at least one sensor device comprises directly receiving, with the first wireless transceiver, a wireless transmission emitted by the one of the at least one sensor device.