Retrofit vehicle sensor
AssigneeIps Group Inc.
InventorsDavid William KING, Alexander SCHWARZ, Stephen John HUNTER, Chad P. RANDALL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Devices and meters comprising: a housing configured to mount to a pole supporting an existing meter, the housing defining an interior; a sensor within the interior of the housing, the sensor configured to collect environmental information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter; a wireless radio within the interior of the housing, the wireless radio configured to transmit the environmental information to the existing meter or to a remote server in communication with the existing meter; a power unit within the interior of the housing, the power unit supplying power to the sensor and the wireless radio.
Claims22
A device for upgrading an existing meter by retrofit, the device comprising:
- a) a first sensor configured to collect first information pertaining to a local external environment of the existing meter;
- b) a second sensor configured to collect second information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
- c) a wireless radio configured to perform at least the following:
- i) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to an identifier from the existing meter or the device, the identifier associated with a unique physical location;
- ii) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to device configuration information;
- and
- iii) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to the first information, the second information, or both the first information and the second information;
- and
- d) a power system configured to controllably supply power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio;
- wherein the device is configured to retrofit the existing meter by physically mounting to a structure associated with the existing meter to upgrade the existing meter without mechanically altering or replacing the existing meter.
A system comprising:
- a) a physical structure;
- b) an existing meter associated with the physical structure;
- and
- c) a device for upgrading the existing meter by retrofit, the device configured to physically mount to the physical structure to upgrade the existing meter without mechanically altering or replacing the existing meter, the device comprising:
- i) a first sensor configured to collect first information pertaining to a local external environment of the existing meter;
- ii) a second sensor configured to collect second information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
- iii) a wireless radio configured to perform at least the following:
- send, receive, or both send and receive data related to an identifier from the existing meter or the device, the identifier associated with a unique physical location;
- send, receive, or both send and receive data related to device configuration information;
- and send, receive, or both send and receive data related to the first information, the second information, or both the first information and the second information;
- and
- iv) a power system configured to supply power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio.
A method of upgrading a meter comprising:
- a) physically affixing a device for upgrading an existing meter by retrofit to a physical structure associated with the existing meter;
- and
- b) positioning the device to with respect to a local external environment of the existing meter;
- wherein the device comprises:
- a) a first sensor configured to collect first information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
- b) a second sensor configured to collect second information pertaining to the local external environment of the existing meter;
- c) a wireless radio configured to perform at least the following:
- i) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to an identifier associated with a unique physical location;
- ii) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to device configuration information;
- and
- iii) send, receive, or both send and receive data related to the first information, the second information, or both the first information and the second information;
- and
- d) a power system configured to supply power to the first sensor, the second sensor, and the wireless radio;
- wherein the existing meter is not mechanically altered or replaced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.