Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SENSING OF WATER QUALITY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application 62/099,604, filed January
5, 2015, and is a continuation-in-part of PCT Patent
Application PCT/IB2015/053081, filed April 28, 2015, which
claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
61/992,236, filed May 13, 2014. All of
these related
applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to sensing and
monitoring of fluid properties, and particularly to
sensors, systems and methods for monitoring water in a
tank.
BACKGROUND
Aquarium hobbyists invest large amounts of money, time
and effort in installing and maintaining their tanks and
populating them with fish, coral, plants and decor. Such
tanks generally contain a heater or chiller to keep the
temperature constant, pumps and filters to preserve water
quality, and lights for illumination and plant growth.
Conscientious aquarium operators regularly check water
quality parameters, such as temperature, pH and ammonia
concentration, to ensure that they are in the optimal
range, and take corrective action when they are not. All
too frequently, however, equipment failures or brief
inattention by the operator lead to sudden deterioration
in water quality, with catastrophic impact on the fish and
other life in the aquarium.
In response to such problems, a number of vendors
offer automated aquarium monitoring solutions. For
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example, Seneye Ltd. (Norwich, Norfolk, UK) offers an
electronic device for fish tanks and ponds that monitors
temperature, water level, pH, ammonia and other parameters.
The device can also be connected via the Internet to a
server, which allows the user to view the results using a
mobile phone application and provides SMS and e-mail
alerts.
As another example, Chinese Utility Model CN
203101372U describes a water quality monitoring system for
a fish tank. The system
comprises a dissolved oxygen
detecting module, a pH value detecting module, a chloride
ion detecting module, a temperature detecting module, an
AD (Analog/Digital) sampling module, a power supply module,
a display module and an alarm module, all connected to a
controller module. The system is
mainly used for
monitoring changes in water quality in a fish tank in real
time.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present invention that are
described hereinbelow provide novel devices, methods and
systems for collecting, processing and providing
information with regard to water held in a tank, such as
an aquarium.
There is therefore provided, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, sensing apparatus, including
one or more sensors, configured to sense properties of
water in which the sensing apparatus floats. A wireless
communication interface is coupled to transmit signals
indicative of an output of the one or more sensors. An
energy storage device is coupled to provide electrical
energy to the one or more sensors and to the wireless
communication interface. A sealed case contains the one
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or more sensors, the wireless communication interface, and
the energy storage device and has sufficient buoyancy to
float in the water.
In a disclosed embodiment, the one or more sensors
include an image sensor. Additionally or alternatively,
the output of at least one of the sensors is indicative of
a quality of the water. Further
additionally or
alternatively, at least one of the sensors includes an
accelerometer and/or an acoustic sensor.
In some embodiments, the wireless communication
interface is configured to transmit the signals over the
air to a receiver using a short-range radio-frequency (RF)
communication protocol. In one
embodiment, the signals
transmitted by the wireless communication interface include
data packets, and the receiver is included in a wireless
network access point, which transmits the data packets over
a network to a server for analysis of the output.
Typically, the apparatus is configured to float freely
in a tank of the water without tethering the case to the
tank.
There is also provided, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, a method for monitoring water
in a tank. The method includes deploying in the tank a
buoyant sensing device, which is configured to sense
properties of water in which the sensing device floats and
to transmit over the air, to a wireless receiver, data that
are indicative of the sensed properties. The data
are
received from the wireless receiver via a public
communication network and are processed in order to analyze
a property of the water. An alert is
issued when the
property deviates from a predefined normal range.
v
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In some embodiments, the tank includes an aquarium,
and issuing the alert includes notifying an operator of the
aquarium of a water condition detrimental to fish in the
aquarium. In a
disclosed embodiment, receiving the data
includes receiving one or more images captured by the
sensing device.
Alternatively, the tank contains drinking water, and
issuing the alert includes notifying an operator of the
tank of a water condition detrimental to potability of the
water.
In some embodiments, receiving the data includes
receiving inputs from multiple sensing devices deployed in
tanks in different, respective locations distributed over
a geographical area, and the method includes analyzing the
received inputs in order to detect macroscopic phenomena
extending over the geographical area. In a
disclosed
embodiment, the sensing devices are configured to sense
waves in the water, and analyzing the received inputs
includes detecting seismic phenomena responsively to the
sensed waves. Additionally or alternatively, analyzing the
received inputs includes detecting meteorological
phenomena responsively to the received inputs.
There is additionally provided, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, a monitoring system, including
a network interface, which is configured to receive, via a
public communication network, data output by multiple
buoyant sensing devices, which are deployed in water tanks
in different, respective locations distributed over a
geographical area and are configured to sense properties
of water in which the sensing devices float. A processor
is configured to process the received data in order to
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detect macroscopic phenomena extending over the
geographical area.
The present invention will be more fully understood
from the following detailed description of the embodiments
5 thereof, taken together with the drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a schematic, pictorial illustration of a
system for monitoring water quality in an aquarium, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram that schematically
illustrates functional components of a water quality
sensing device, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention; and
Fig. 3 is a schematic, pictorial illustration of a
system for electronic data collection and processing, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The above-mentioned PCT Patent Application
PCT/I32015/053081 describes immersible sensing devices
that can be attached to the distal end of a fishing line
and transmit signals with respect to the presence or
absence of fish in the vicinity, as well as other water
quality factors. (The sensing devices are "immersible" in
the sense that they operate while partially immersed in a
body of water.) These signals
can be processed, for
example, in order to enhance the angler's fishing
experience, as well as sharing information over a network
of anglers.
Embodiments of the present invention that are
described herein extend the principles of the sorts of
sensing devices and systems described in the above-
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mentioned PCT patent application to monitoring closed tanks
of water, such as aquariums and tanks for drinking water.
The disclosed embodiments make use of sensing devices,
comprising one or more sensors, which are contained in a
sealed case having sufficient buoyancy to float in the
water. The sensors sense properties of water in which the
sensing devices floats, and a wireless communication
interface, likewise contained in the sealed case, transmits
signals that are indicative of the sensor outputs. The
case also contains an energy storage device, such as a
primary or rechargeable battery, which provides electrical
energy to the sensors and communication interface.
The wireless communication interface transmits the
signals over the air to a wireless receiver, typically
(although not necessarily) in the form of data packets
transmitted to a wireless network access point. The access
point or other receiver transmits the data via a public
communication network to a server, which processes the
received data in order to analyze a property of the water,
and issues an alert when the property deviates from a
predefined normal range. In embodiments in which the tank
comprises an aquarium, for example, the alert can notify
an operator of a water condition detrimental to fish in the
aquarium. Alternatively, when the tank contains drinking
water, the alert can notify an operator of the tank of a
deterioration of potability of the water.
Some embodiments of the present invention take
advantage of the deployment of multiple sensing devices by
different users in water tanks at different, respective
locations, distributed over a geographical area, in order
to build a data collection and sensing network. The server
collects the data from the sensing devices via a wide-area
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network, such as the Internet. By collating the inputs
received from sensing devices at multiple locations, the
server can detect macroscopic phenomena extending over the
geographical area, for application in environmental
monitoring, research and protection, as well as weather
monitoring and forecasting, for example. Such monitoring
can be conducted in real time or offline.
Additionally or alternatively, when the sensing
devices are configured to sense waves in the water (by
inertial or acoustic sensing, for example), the server can
analyze the inputs received from the distributed sensing
devices in order to detect seismic phenomena, and possibly
provide early warnings of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Fig. 1 is a schematic, pictorial illustration of a
system 20 for monitoring water quality in an aquarium 22,
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. (As
noted earlier, similar systems may be used in monitoring
water tanks of other sorts, such as tanks for drinking
water that serve residences or other buildings.)
System 20 is built around a floating sensing device
24, having a sealed case 25 with sufficient buoyancy to
float in the water in aquarium 22. The case
typically
comprises a suitable molded plastic material, but may
alternatively comprise an inert metal or any other suitable
sort of waterproof shell. An outer covering or "skin" (not
shown) may be fitted over case 25 for aesthetic purposes,
for example to give device 24 the appearance of a floating
water plant or other decorative object. Although case 25
in Fig. 1 has a certain geometrical shape, the case may
have any other suitable shape, as will be apparent to those
skilled in the art. Typically, device 24 is configured to
float freely in aquarium 22 and does not require that case
=
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25 be tethered to the aquarium tank or have any external
mechanical or electrical connections.
Case 25 contains one or more sensors 26, 28, as well
as a wireless communication interface and energy storage
device (shown in Fig. 2). Sensors 26, 28
sense properties
of the water in which device 24 floats and provide outputs
that are indicative of the quality of the water.
In the
pictured embodiment, sensor 26 is an image sensor with
suitable optics (not shown), which captures images below
the surface of the water, while sensors 28 comprise other
types of water quality sensors.
Additionally or
alternatively, device 24 may contain acoustic and/or
inertial sensors within case 25, as well as other suitable
types of sensors depending upon application requirements.
Although image sensor 26 is useful in detecting activity
(or inactivity) of fish in aquarium 22 and can also be used
in measuring properties of the water, such as turbidity,
in an alternative embodiment (not shown) device 24 does not
include an image sensor.
Device 24 contains a wireless communication interface
(shown in the figures that follow), which transmits signals
over the air to a wireless receiver 30, such as a wireless
network access point. These signals are indicative of the
outputs of sensors 26, 28, etc., and typically include a
digital still or video output from image sensor 26 and/or
telemetric readings from sensors 28. The wireless link may
also carry control inputs, configurations and instructions
from receiver 30 to device 24. Device 24 and receiver 30
typically communicate over the wireless link using a short-
range radio-frequency (RF) communication protocol, such as
a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) or Bluetooth protocol. The signals
transmitted by the wireless communication interface in
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device 24 may thus comprise data packets, which receiver
30 forwards over a public wide-area network 32, such as the
Internet.
A server 36 receives the data relayed by wireless
receiver 30 via network 32 and processes the received data
in order to analyze properties of the water in aquarium 22.
Server 36 issues reports of water quality, based on this
analysis, to client devices 34, such as a fixed or mobile
computing device (for example, a smart phone) used by an
operator of aquarium 22. These reports typically include
alerts that are issued by server 36 when a property of the
water in aquarium, such as temperature or a chemical
property, or possibly an image-based property, such as
movement of the fish, deviates from a predefined normal
range and is thus indicative of a water condition
detrimental to fish in the aquarium. Upon receiving the
alert on client device 34, the operator of aquarium 22 can
immediately make any necessary adjustments to the aquarium
equipment or replace the water in the aquarium if
necessary.
Additionally or alternatively, server 36 collates data
received from sensing devices in multiple different
aquariums or other water tanks, as described hereinbelow
with reference to Fig. 3.
Further additionally or alternatively, client device
34 may receive data from receiver 30 without intervention
of server 36. In this
case, an application running on
client device 34 analyzes the data and provides the desired
reports and alerts to the operator.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram that schematically
illustrates functional components of sensing device 24, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As
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explained earlier, sensors 28 in device 24 sense parameters
used in telemetric monitoring of water quality. The term
"water quality" should be broadly understood in this
context and in the claims to include any and all
5 characteristics of the water, as well as nearby objects in
the water. Thus, sensors 28 may sense, for example, water
temperature; pH, salinity, oxygen, and/or other chemical
parameters; nearby motion and/or vibration; and/or
turbidity. Alternatively or additionally, images captured
10 by image sensor 26 may be analyzed to derive turbidity and
other optical qualities of the water, as well as to detect
the presence (or absence) of fish and specifically the
motion or inactivity of fish that are present. For these
purposes, image sensor 26 may receive and sense visible or
infrared light, or both.
To detect waves, vibrations or other movement of the
water in aquarium 22, device 24 typically comprises an
acoustic transducer 46, which is configured as a microphone
to sense sonic and/or ultrasonic waves in the water.
Additionally or alternatively, device 24 comprises a motion
sensor 48, such as an accelerometer or other inertial
sensor (commonly referred to as a "gyro"), which generates
an output indicative of the motion of the device, and hence
of the water in which the device is floating.
Additionally, sensors 28 may comprise air quality,
temperature, and barometric sensors (not shown in the
figures). Such sensors are typically mounted on the upper
side of the device, rather than the lower side as shown in
Fig. 1. These sensors are useful both in providing local
information to the operator of the water tank and in
gathering weather-related information from multiple
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locations over a wide area for transmission over network
32.
The functions of sensing device 24 are controlled and
coordinated by a controller 40, which is typically a
single-chip component with suitable interfaces for
connection to the other components of device 24.
Controller 40 and at least some of the other components
shown in Fig. 2 are typically mounted on a rigid or flexible
printed circuit board (not shown) inside case 25.
Controller 40 communicates with receiver 30 via a
wireless communication interface 42, such as a Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth interface, for example, which is connected to an
antenna 44 located either inside or on the surface of case
25. A memory 52, comprising non-volatile memory (such as
ROM and/or flash memory), and possibly volatile memory
(such as RAM), as well, stores program code 54 to be run
by controller 40 and data 56 collected by the controller
from sensors 26, 28, 46, 48, .... Typically,
controller 40
digitizes, pre-processes and may even process the outputs
of the sensors before transmitting digital signals carrying
the data (with or without processing by the controller) to
receiver 30 via wireless interface 42. The digital signals
make take the form of data packets, and device 24 may have
its own Internet Protocol (IP) and/or other network
address, which enables receiver 30 to forward the packets
directly between device 24 and server 36. Alternatively,
communication interface 42 may be configured to transmit
the sensor outputs in analog form.
In some embodiments, device 24 comprises one or more
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 50 or other light sources.
For example, device 22 may comprise multiple LEDs 50 of
different colors, which are used to cast light into the
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water for purposes of imaging by image sensor 26, as well
as water quality sensing. Additionally or alternatively,
acoustic transducer 46 may be configured as a speaker to
emit sounds or other vibrations for stimulating movement
by fish.
Further additionally or alternatively, device 24 may
comprise a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver (not
shown in the figures). The output of the location sensor
can be used to track the current location of device 24 for
purposes of large-scale monitoring over a geographical
area, as described below.
Controller 40 and the other components of sensing
device 24 are powered by a battery 58, which typically
holds sufficient charge for at least several days of
continuous operation. Battery 58 may be rechargeable via
a charging circuit 60, such as a wireless inductive
charging circuit. Alternatively or additionally, battery
58 may be a primary battery, storing sufficient energy to
run device 24 for months or even years (particularly if
image sensing is not required). When the battery runs out,
it may be replaced by opening device 24; or the entire
device may be replaced. To extend the life of battery 58,
the components of device 24 may switch on only when sensors
28 detect that the device is in the water and only
periodically thereafter, upon activation either by an
internal clock or by a trigger from server 36.
Fig. 3 is a schematic, pictorial illustration of a
system 70 for electronic data collection and processing,
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. System
70 collects and processes information transmitted by
sensing devices 24 that are deployed in water tanks
distributed at different locations over a wide geographical
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area and are configured to sense properties of water in
which the sensing devices float. Sensing
devices 24 in
this example are deployed in both aquariums 22 and in other
sorts of tanks, such as a tank 72 of drinking water
belonging to a residential or commercial building.
A server 74 receives and processes information
transmitted by sensing devices 24 via receivers 30. Server
74 typically comprises a general-purpose computer, which
comprises a processor 78 with a suitable interface 76 to
network 32, for communicating with devices 24, and a memory
80. Processor 78 carries out the functions that are
described herein under the control of software, which is
typically stored in tangible, non-transitory computer-
readable media, such as optical, magnetic, or electronic
memory media. Server 74 performs the functions of server
36 that were described above, such as analyzing sensor
outputs and issuing alerts to the respective operators of
aquariums 22 and/or drinking water tank 72, as well as
analyzing and detecting macroscopic phenomena, extending
over a wide geographical area, as described below.
Server 74 uses various different kinds of data from
sensing devices 24 in system 70 for purposes of macroscopic
monitoring. For
example, server 74 may use vibration
and/or other motion-related data transmitted by sensing
devices 24, as well as weather-related data, such as
temperature and barometric readings. Server 74 may also
receive other sorts of data from devices 24, such as GPS-
based or other location data. Server 74
correlates the
sensor outputs with location data in order to map
macroscopic phenomena, such as seismic vibrations and/or
changes in weather conditions that correlate over a large
number of sensing devices 24 in different locations. On
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this basis, server 74 can provide alerts when a property
associated with the macroscopic phenomena of interest
deviates from its predefined normal range, for example,
when an increase in wave activity in the water tanks
indicates that an earthquake may be imminent, or a drop in
barometric pressure indicates that a storm is brewing.
Additionally or alternatively, server 74 may provide
collated reports of sensing results for purposes of weather
forecast or seismological research.
It will be appreciated that the embodiments described
above are cited by way of example, and that the present
invention is not limited to what has been particularly
shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scope of the
present invention includes both combinations and
subcombinations of the various features described
hereinabove, as well as variations and modifications
thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art
upon reading the foregoing description and which are not
disclosed in the prior art.
