Wireless Low-Power Collapse Meter and Its Usage Method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of alarms for responding to disaster events, and specifically to a wireless low-power collapse meter and its usage method. A wireless low-power collapse meter includes a casing (1), and is characterized in that: it further includes a collapse monitor (2), the collapse monitor (2) is arranged inside the casing (1), and the collapse monitor (2) includes an acceleration sensor (201), a low-power configurable comparator (202), an analog-to-digital converter (203), a micro-control unit (204), a real-time clock (205), a low-power Bluetooth component (206), a LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207), a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (208), a power management system (209), a battery (210) and a switch (211). A usage method of a wireless low-power collapse meter is characterized in that: it includes the following steps: installation, standby, monitoring, and alarm. The present invention has low power consumption, strong adaptability, and reliable monitoring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of alarms for responding to disaster events, and in particular to a wireless low-power collapse meter and a method for using the same. Background Art

[0002] Geological disasters on rocky slopes are often accompanied by rockfalls. Falling rocks often cause damage to buildings and personal injuries. Therefore, real-time monitoring of rock mass conditions and the issuance of early warning information about collapses are crucial for disaster prevention and mitigation. Existing methods for early warning of collapses primarily fall into two categories: manual on-site surveys and automated monitoring. Manual monitoring methods lack real-time performance and their accuracy is significantly limited by human experience. A common automated monitoring method involves installing accelerometers on the rock mass to monitor micro-movements. To achieve real-time monitoring, these sensors must operate continuously, necessitating a solar power system for long-term operation. However, geological disasters are often preceded by prolonged rainfall, making solar systems susceptible to power failure. Another approach is to use large-capacity non-rechargeable batteries. Chinese utility model patent publication number 204332058U, issued on May 13, 2015, discloses an intelligent collapse warning and monitoring device, comprising multiple monitoring terminals and a wireless network coordinator. Each monitoring terminal is connected to the wireless network coordinator. However, the patent does not explicitly specify a specific collapse monitoring method or low-power design, thereby resolving the conflict between high-frequency monitoring and low power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a monitoring device with low power consumption, strong adaptability and reliable monitoring, the present invention discloses a wireless low-power collapse meter and a method for using the same.

[0004] The present invention achieves the purpose of the invention through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A wireless low-power collapse meter includes a housing, which is fixed to the rock to be measured through mounting holes on both sides. The characteristics of the housing include: a collapse monitor, which is arranged in the housing.

[0006] The collapse monitor includes an accelerometer, a low-power configurable comparator, an analog-to-digital converter, a microcontroller unit, a real-time clock, a low-power Bluetooth component, a LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, a power management system, a battery, and a switch.

[0007] The analog signal output terminal of the acceleration sensor is respectively connected to the signal input terminal of the low-power configurable comparator and the analog signal input terminal of the analog-to-digital converter through signal lines. The digital signal output terminal of the analog-to-digital converter is connected to the microcontroller unit through a signal line. The microcontroller unit is also respectively connected to the low-power configurable comparator, the real-time clock, the low-power Bluetooth component, and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module through signal lines. A metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor is connected to the analog-to-digital converter through a signal line, and another metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor is connected to the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module through a signal line. The power management system is respectively connected to the acceleration sensor, the low-power configurable comparator, the microcontroller unit, and the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor through signal lines. The battery is connected to the power management system through a wire in series with a switch.

[0008] The wireless low-power collapse meter described above is characterized in that: the casing includes a cavity and an upper cover. The bottom outside the cavity is a groove with an open end downward. Mounting holes are provided at the bottoms on both sides of the cavity. A transparent observation window is provided on one side of the cavity. The switch is provided on the cavity; the upper cover covers the open end of the cavity, and a sealing ring is lined between the upper cover and the cavity. The upper cover is selected from a cover plate or a housing; the battery is selected as a lithium-thionyl chloride battery.

[0009] The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter described above is characterized in that: it is implemented in sequence according to the following steps:

[0010] i. Find a relatively flat mounting surface on the rock to be measured, and the size of the mounting surface is not less than 120mm×55mm;

[0011] ii. Place the casing on the mounting surface, make the bottom outside the casing fit on the mounting surface, and use a marker pen to pass through the mounting holes on both sides of the casing to make a mark on the rock to be measured;

[0012] iii. Use an 8mm drill bit to drill holes in the rock to be measured, and the depth is not less than 40mm;

[0013] iv. Use two M5 expansion screws to first fix the casing (1) on the rock to be measured;

[0014] v. Open the casing and close the switch. At this time, the indicator light of the power management system lights up for 10 seconds and then goes out, and the collapse monitor enters the standby state;

[0015] vi. Use an intelligent mobile terminal configured with a dedicated APP and Bluetooth communication to wake up the collapse monitor through the low-power Bluetooth component. At this time, the indicator light of the power management system is always on, and it enters the waiting configuration state;

[0016] vii. Use the intelligent mobile terminal to read the acceleration data in three directions of the collapse monitor and observe the data stability;

[0017] viii. After the data stabilizes, record the initial value. The microcontroller automatically judges the stability of the accelerations in three directions. If the fluctuation within 1 minute is less than the preset threshold, it passes the self-check. The microcontroller automatically records the average value of the accelerations in three directions within 1 minute as the initial value a0. The initial value and threshold of the acceleration in each direction can be the same or different;

[0018] ix. The user sets the acceleration fluctuation alarm threshold at, the reference number or the server address, the normal upload time interval and the encrypted upload time interval through the intelligent mobile terminal;

[0019] x. The microcontroller converts the set threshold into an absolute voltage value and configures a low-power configurable comparator; at the same time, it configures the interrupt setting of the real-time clock according to the periodic upload time;

[0020] xi. After the mobile intelligent terminal completes the operation, the indicator light of the power management system goes out, and the collapse monitor (2) enters the standby mode;

[0021] xii. When the acceleration of the measured rock does not exceed the threshold, the microcontroller is in the standby mode, and the power supply of the analog-to-digital converter and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module is turned off. At this time, only the acceleration sensor, the low-power configurable comparator and the real-time clock of the collapse monitor are in the working mode, and the overall power consumption of the collapse monitor is less than 50 μA;

[0022] xiii. When it reaches the periodic upload time, the real-time clock generates an interrupt signal to wake up the microcontroller. After receiving the interrupt signal, the microcontroller controls the power management system to power on the analog-to-digital converter to collect an acceleration value once, and then controls the power management system to power on the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module, sends the acceleration value data to the base station and finally aggregates it to the monitoring cloud platform;

[0023] xiv. When the collapse monitor is in standby, if the acceleration value a meets one of the following two conditions: a > a0 + at or a < a0 – at, the low-power configurable comparator sends out an interrupt signal, the microcontroller is woken up, and the collapse monitor turns on the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module to continuously report the monitored acceleration data at the period of the encrypted upload time interval;

[0024] xv. After the monitoring cloud platform receives the encrypted acceleration data, it issues the corresponding warning information.

[0025] The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter is characterized in that:

[0026] In step viii, the preset threshold is set to 50 μg, where g refers to the acceleration due to gravity;

[0027] At step ix, the acceleration fluctuation alarm threshold at is set to 1 mg, where g refers to the acceleration due to gravity;

[0028] The default value of the normal upload interval is set to once per hour, and the default value of the encrypted upload time interval is set to once per minute. These two default values can be modified by the user.

[0029] The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter is characterized in that:

[0030] At step ix, the user remotely resets the initial value or modifies the threshold with the current value as the initial value, or after the user manually cancels the alarm on the platform, the system remotely resets the initial value.

[0031] The present invention adopts a unique appearance and structure. The casing is of an expandable design. The bottom cavity remains unchanged, and replacing the upper cover can support two modes: single-battery and dual-battery. Various interfaces are provided on the casing, including an antenna, mounting holes, a panel (made of plastic, transmitting Bluetooth signals, and having a transparent hole at the center position, an indicator light observation point), and a switch (closed during transportation and storage).

[0032] The parameters and performance of the present invention are as follows:

[0033] 1. The static power consumption is less than 50 μA;

[0034] 2. All configuration parameters in the above process can be quickly configured through on-site Bluetooth; they can also be remotely modified through the cloud afterwards;

[0035] 3. The battery power data will also be reported to the cloud monitoring system at the normal upload interval together with the acceleration data, facilitating the user to understand the battery status;

[0036] 4. Under normal circumstances, reporting once per hour, the instrument can work continuously for more than 5 years. If a higher data sampling rate or a longer monitoring period is required, it can be achieved by expanding the battery and increasing the capacity;

[0037] 5. The mounting holes are integrally designed with the casing, enabling two-way installation in the X and Y directions;

[0038] 6. The installation surface is designed with an inward concavity, reducing the requirement for the flatness of the rock installation surface;

[0039] 7. With the sealing ring and the upper and lower cavity design of the upper cover, the lower cavity of the circuit can be caulked, achieving an IP68-level sealing protection;

[0040] 8. An acrylic transparent observation window is provided, and a Bluetooth PCB antenna (built-in) and a power status light are arranged on the back, realizing the functions of configuration communication and status indication;

[0041] 9. The antenna for narrowband communication (such as LoRa or NB-IoT) is external (an SMA socket is installed on the housing and internal glue treatment is carried out), and fiberglass or sucker antennas with different gains can be selected according to the on-site environment;

[0042] 10. A low-power acceleration sensor, comparator, MCU, and BLE Bluetooth are selected (the Bluetooth module can be of the type built into the MCU, such as the STM32W series single-chip microcomputer of STMicroelectronics), and the standby power consumption is less than 50 μA;

[0043] 11. Through a configurable comparator and using the threshold trigger mode, real-time monitoring is achieved when the MCU is in the standby state;

[0044] 12. A lithium thionyl chloride battery is selected, and the annual leakage rate is less than 1%;

[0045] 13. The power management circuit has the functions of battery power management and output switch

[0046] The present invention proposes a method for monitoring rock mass collapse and a corresponding hardware device, which realizes extremely low power consumption while ensuring the real-time nature of collapse monitoring, thereby ensuring the long-term reliability of the monitoring device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 is the circuit schematic diagram of the collapse monitor in the present invention;

[0048] Figure 2 is the structural schematic diagram of the housing in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments.

[0050] Embodiment 1

[0051] A wireless low-power collapse meter includes a housing 1 and a collapse monitor 2. The collapse monitor 2 is arranged inside the housing 1, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown. The specific structure is as follows:

[0052] The housing 1 is fixed on the measured rock through the mounting holes on both sides;

[0053] The collapse monitor 2 includes an acceleration sensor 201, a low-power configurable comparator 202, an analog-to-digital converter 203, a microcontrol unit 204, a real-time clock 205, a low-power Bluetooth component 206, a LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor 208, a power management system 209, a battery 210, and a switch 211.

[0054] The analog signal output terminal of the acceleration sensor 201 is respectively connected to the signal input terminal of the low-power configurable comparator 202 and the analog signal input terminal of the analog-to-digital converter 203 through signal lines. The digital signal output terminal of the analog-to-digital converter 203 is connected to the micro control unit 204 through a signal line. The micro control unit 204 is also respectively connected to the low-power configurable comparator 202, the real-time clock 205, the low-power Bluetooth component 206, and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207 through signal lines. A metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor 208 is connected to the analog-to-digital converter 203 through a signal line, and another metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor 208 is connected to the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207 through a signal line. The power management system 209 is respectively connected to the acceleration sensor 201, the low-power configurable comparator 202, the micro control unit 204, and the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor 208 through signal lines. The battery 210 is connected to the power management system 209 through a wire in series with a switch 211.

[0055] In this embodiment: The housing 1 includes a cavity 11 and an upper cover 12. The bottom outside the cavity 11 is a groove with an open bottom. Mounting holes are provided at the bottoms on both sides of the cavity 11. A transparent observation window is provided on one side of the cavity 11. The switch 211 is provided on the cavity 11.

[0056] The upper cover 12 covers the open mouth of the cavity 11. A sealing ring is lined between the upper cover 12 and the cavity 11. The upper cover 12 is selected from a cover plate or a housing. When the battery 210 is a single cell, the upper cover 12 can be selected as a cover plate. When the battery 210 is two cells or more, the upper cover 12 can be selected as a housing to increase the internal space.

[0057] The battery 210 is selected as a lithium-thionyl chloride battery.

[0058] When this embodiment is used, it is implemented in the following steps in sequence:

[0059] i. Find a relatively flat mounting surface on the rock to be measured, and the size of the mounting surface is not less than 120 mm × 55 mm.

[0060] ii. Place the housing 1 on the mounting surface, so that the bottom outside the housing 1 fits on the mounting surface, and use a marker pen to pass through the mounting holes on both sides of the housing 1 to make a mark on the rock to be measured.

[0061] iii. Use an 8-mm drill bit to drill holes in the rock to be measured, and the depth is not less than 40 mm.

[0062] iv. Use two M5 expansion screws to first fix the housing 1 on the rock to be measured.

[0063] v. Open the housing 1 and close the switch 211. At this time, the indicator light of the power management system 209 lights up and then goes out after 10 seconds, and the collapse monitor 2 enters the standby state;

[0064] vi. Use an intelligent mobile terminal configured with a dedicated APP and Bluetooth communication to wake up the collapse monitor 2 through the low-power Bluetooth component 206. At this time, the indicator light of the power management system 209 is always on, and it enters the waiting configuration state;

[0065] vii. Use the intelligent mobile terminal to read the acceleration data in three directions of the collapse monitor 2 and observe the data stability;

[0066] viii. After the data is stable, record the initial value. The micro-control unit 204 automatically judges the stability of the acceleration in three directions. If the fluctuation within 1 minute is less than the preset threshold (default 50μg, where g refers to the acceleration of gravity), it passes the self-check. The micro-control unit 204 automatically records the average value of the acceleration in three directions within 1 minute as the initial value a0. The initial value and threshold of the acceleration in each direction can be the same or different;

[0067] ix. The user sets the acceleration fluctuation alarm threshold at (default 1mg, where g refers to the acceleration of gravity), the reference number or server address, the normal upload time interval (default value once an hour), and the encrypted upload time interval (default value once a minute) through the intelligent mobile terminal. The two default values can be modified by the user;

[0068] The user can also remotely reset the initial value or modify the threshold with the current value as the initial value, or after the user manually cancels the alarm on the platform, the system remotely resets the initial value;

[0069] x. The micro-control unit 204 converts the set threshold into an absolute voltage value and configures the low-power configurable comparator 202; at the same time, configures the interrupt setting of the real-time clock 205 according to the periodic upload time;

[0070] xi. After the mobile intelligent terminal completes the operation, the indicator light of the power management system 209 goes out, and the collapse monitor 2 enters the standby mode;

[0071] xii. When the acceleration of the measured rock does not exceed the threshold, the micro-control unit 204 is in the standby mode, and the power supply of the analog-to-digital converter 203 and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207 is turned off. At this time, only the acceleration sensor 201, the low-power configurable comparator 202, and the real-time clock 205 of the collapse monitor 2 are in the working mode, and the overall power consumption of the collapse monitor 2 is less than 50μA;

[0072] xiii. When it reaches the periodic upload time, the real-time clock 205 generates an interrupt signal to wake up the microcontroller unit 204. After receiving the interrupt signal, the microcontroller unit 204 controls the power management system 209 to power on the analog-to-digital converter 203 to collect an acceleration value once, and then controls the power management system 209 to power on the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207, sends the acceleration value data to the base station and finally aggregates it to the monitoring cloud platform;

[0073] xiv. When the collapse monitor 2 is in standby, if the acceleration value a meets one of the following two conditions: a > a0 + at or a < a0 – at, the low-power configurable comparator 202 sends out an interrupt signal, the microcontroller unit 204 is woken up, and the collapse monitor 2 enables the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module 207 to continuously report the monitored acceleration data at the encrypted upload time interval;

[0074] xv. After receiving the encrypted acceleration data, the monitoring cloud platform issues corresponding warning information.

Claims

1. A wireless low-power collapse meter, comprising a housing (1), and the housing (1) is fixed on the rock to be measured through the mounting holes on both sides, and is characterized in that: It further comprises a collapse monitor (2), and the collapse monitor (2) is arranged inside the housing (1). The collapse monitor (2) includes an acceleration sensor (201), a low-power configurable comparator (202), an analog-to-digital converter (203), a micro-control unit (204), a real-time clock (205), a low-power Bluetooth component (206), a LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207), a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (208), a power management system (209), a battery (210) and a switch (211). The analog signal output terminal of the acceleration sensor (201) is respectively connected to the signal input terminal of the low-power configurable comparator (202) and the analog signal input terminal of the analog-to-digital converter (203) through signal lines. The digital signal output terminal of the analog-to-digital converter (203) is connected to the micro-control unit (204) through a signal line. The micro-control unit (204) is also respectively connected to the low-power configurable comparator (202), the real-time clock (205), the low-power Bluetooth component (206) and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207) through signal lines. A metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (208) is connected to the analog-to-digital converter (203) through a signal line, and another metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (208) is connected to the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207) through a signal line. The power management system (209) is respectively connected to the acceleration sensor (201), the low-power configurable comparator (202), the micro-control unit (204) and the metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (208) through signal lines. The battery (210) is connected to the power management system (209) through a wire in series with the switch (211).

2. The wireless low-power collapse meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing (1) includes a cavity (11) and an upper cover (12). The bottom of the outside of the cavity (11) is an open-downward groove. Mounting holes are provided at the bottoms on both sides of the cavity (11). A transparent observation window is provided on one side of the cavity (11). The switch (211) is arranged on the cavity (11). The upper cover (12) covers the open mouth of the cavity (11). A sealing ring is lined between the upper cover (12) and the cavity (11). The upper cover (12) is selected from a cover plate or a cover shell. The battery (210) is selected as a lithium thionyl chloride battery.

3. The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: It is implemented in sequence according to the following steps: i. Find a relatively flat mounting surface on the rock to be measured, and the size of the mounting surface is not less than 120mm×55mm. ii. Place the housing (1) on the mounting surface, so that the bottom of the outside of the housing (1) fits on the mounting surface. Use a marker pen to pass through the mounting holes on both sides of the housing (1) and make a mark on the rock to be measured. iii. Use an 8mm drill bit to drill holes in the rock to be measured, and the depth is not less than 40mm. iv. Use two M5 expansion screws to first fix the machine shell (1) on the rock to be measured; v. Open the machine shell (1) and close the switch (211). At this time, the indicator light of the power management system (209) lights up and then goes out after 10 seconds, and the collapse monitor (2) enters the standby state; vi. Use an intelligent mobile terminal to wake up the collapse monitor (2) through the low-power Bluetooth component (206). At this time, the indicator light of the power management system (209) is always on, and it enters the configuration waiting state; vii. Use the intelligent mobile terminal to read the acceleration data in three directions of the collapse monitor (2) and observe the data stability; viii. After the data is stable, record the initial value. The micro-control unit (204) automatically judges the stability of the acceleration in three directions. If the fluctuation within 1 minute is less than the preset threshold, it passes the self-check. The micro-control unit (204) automatically records the average value of the acceleration in three directions within 1 minute as the initial value a0; ix. The user sets the acceleration fluctuation alarm threshold at, LoRa gateway number or server address, normal upload time interval and encrypted upload time interval through the intelligent mobile terminal; x. The micro-control unit (204) converts the set threshold into an absolute voltage value and configures the low-power configurable comparator (202); at the same time, configures the interrupt setting of the real-time clock (205) according to the periodic upload time; xi. After the intelligent mobile terminal completes the operation, the indicator light of the power management system (209) goes out, and the collapse monitor (2) enters the standby mode; xii. When the acceleration of the rock to be measured does not exceed the threshold, the micro-control unit (204) is in the standby mode, and the power supply of the analog-to-digital converter (203) and the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207) is turned off. At this time, only the acceleration sensor (201), the low-power configurable comparator (202) and the real-time clock (205) of the collapse monitor (2) are in the working mode, and the overall power consumption of the collapse monitor (2) is less than 50 μA; xiii. When it reaches the periodic upload time, the real-time clock (205) generates an interrupt signal to wake up the micro-control unit (204). After receiving the interrupt signal, the micro-control unit (204) controls the power management system (209) to power on the analog-to-digital converter (203) to collect an acceleration value, and then controls the power management system (209) to power on the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207), and sends the acceleration value data to the base station and finally aggregates it to the monitoring cloud platform; xiv. If when the collapse monitor (2) is in standby, the acceleration value a has one of the following two situations: a > a0 + at or a < a0 – at, the low-power configurable comparator (202) issues an interrupt signal, the micro-control unit (204) is awakened, and the collapse monitor (2) turns on the LoRa / NB-IoT remote communication module (207) to continuously report the monitored acceleration data at the encrypted upload time interval; xv. After the monitoring cloud platform receives the encrypted acceleration data, it issues the corresponding early warning information.

4. The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step viii, the preset threshold is set to 50 μg, where g refers to the acceleration due to gravity; In step ix, the acceleration fluctuation alarm threshold at is set to 1 mg, where g refers to the acceleration due to gravity; The normal upload interval is set to once per hour, and the encrypted upload time interval is set to once per minute.

5. The usage method of the wireless low-power collapse meter according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step ix, the user remotely resets the initial value or modifies the threshold with the current value as the initial value, or after the user manually cancels the alarm on the platform, the system remotely resets the initial value.

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