System, method, and computer readable medium for emulating a sensor
AssigneeioBridge, Inc.
InventorsPeter Hans Scharler, Robert Stanley Mawrey, Jason Thomas Winters
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method, and computer readable medium for employing data obtained from an electronic network, such as the Internet, as an emulation of sensor data. A virtual sensor bridge mechanism may be interfaced to a data source, such as the Internet, to receive Web data or remote sensor data. The virtual sensor bridge may convert the received data into a format usable by a logic controller, thereby emulating sensor data and enabling the logic controller to treat the networked data source as a sensor. Furthermore, the virtual sensor bridge may interface directly with one or more sensors and may serve as an adapter or data relay between a sensor and the logic controller.
Claims23
A method for enabling emulation of a signal produced by a sensor, the method comprising:
- receiving Web data via an Internet, wherein the Web data is digital data that is measureable data published to the Internet and received from a Web service interfaced with the Internet;
- converting the Web data into an analog signal, wherein the analog signal emulates a signal produced by a sensor;
- communicating the analog signal to a logic controller via a sensor interface, thereby enabling the logic controller to utilize the analog signal and initiate an actuator;
- wherein the Web service is comprising one or more of a weather service, a social networking service, and a search engine;
- and
- wherein the logic controller is one or more of a thermostat system, an irrigation control system, and a data storage system.
A method for emulating a signal produced by a sensor, the method comprising:
- receiving, via an Internet, Web data, wherein the Web data is digital data that is measureable data published to the Internet and received from a Web service;
- determining a signal format into which to convert the Web data, wherein the signal format is an analog signal format usable by a logic controller;
- converting the Web data into an analog signal based upon the signal format, wherein the analog signal emulates a signal produced by a sensor;
- communicating the analog signal to a logic controller via a sensor interface, thereby enabling the logic controller to utilize the analog signal and initiate an actuator;
- and
- wherein the Web service is comprising one or more of a weather service, a social networking service, and a search engine.
A method for emulating a signal produced by a sensor, the method comprising:
- receiving one or more configuration settings, wherein the one or more configuration settings include an instruction for converting Web data that is digital data that is measureable data published to an Internet and received via the Internet from a Web service into a signal that emulates a signal produced by a sensor;
- receiving the Web data that is digital data;
- converting the Web data into an analog signal per the one or more configuration settings;
- and
- communicating the analog signal to a logic controller via a sensor interface, thereby enabling the logic controller to use the analog signal and further enabling the logic controller to initiate an actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.