Sensor-Enabled Systems and Methods for Monitoring the Integrity, Condition, and / or Situation of Infrastructure

Abstract

Sensor-enabled geogrid systems and methods for monitoring the health, condition, and / or status of infrastructure are disclosed. In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid, where the sensor-enabled geogrid further includes a geogrid carrying an array of one or more sensors. The sensor-enabled geogrid system further includes a communication means or network for collecting information and / or data from the sensor-enabled geogrid regarding the health, condition, and / or status of the infrastructure. Additionally, methods of using the sensor-enabled geogrid systems of the present disclosure for monitoring the health, condition, and / or status of infrastructure are provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 967,733, filed on January 30, 2020, entitled "SENSOR-ENABLED GEOGRID SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF MONITORING THE HEALTH, CONDITION, AND / OR STATUS OF INFRASTRUCTURE", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 967,736, filed on January 30, 2020, entitled "SENSOR-ENABLED GEOGRID SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF MONITORING THE HEALTH, CONDITION, AND / OR STATUS OF RAIL TRACK INFRASTRUCTURE"; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 030,485, filed on May 27, 2020, entitled "SENSOR-ENABLED SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF MONITORING THE HEALTH, CONDITION, AND / OR STATUS OF PAVEMENT AND VEHICULAR INFRASTRUCTURE".

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to structural health monitoring, and more particularly to sensor-enabled geogrids and / or platforms for monitoring the health, condition, and / or status of infrastructure.

Background Art

[0003] Sensing technologies that provide data for assessing the state or health of infrastructure are commonly used in applications such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings. These applications are collectively referred to as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Other infrastructure such as roads, rails, parking lots, excavation sites, buildings, walls, and slopes, as well as marine applications, can benefit from using sensors that provide data for evaluating their condition. However, adding sensors to these applications has traditionally been difficult due to the need to remove existing materials and ensure the accurate placement of sensors to provide meaningful data. These problems are further exacerbated by the location and scale of the installed infrastructure, as well as the often unforgiving surrounding environment.

[0004] Therefore, various infrastructure applications can benefit from SHM when accurate sensor data is available to assess the conditions affecting the structure. For example, in rail applications, moisture building under the track bed is a known problem that can weaken the track bed structure and the soil beneath it, leading to degradation and movement of the rail track and ultimately the need for repair. In some cases, the track can be weakened, which may require reducing the train speed or, in extreme cases, derailment can occur. In road and pavement applications, as traffic count and / or load increases, or when erosion (e.g., due to washout) causes supporting soils shifting, rutting and other movement of the pavement can occur under the geogrid and aggregate, causing cracks to appear on the road surface and ultimately (in extreme conditions) leading to road collapse. Additionally, in buildings and other infrastructure, weakening of the underlying soil can cause significant damage to the structure and may require costly extensive repairs.

[0005] Currently, the soundness and / or state and condition of infrastructure are generally assessed by visual inspection. Visual inspection has the problem that only what is above the ground can be seen. Additionally, visual inspection is time-consuming, requires personnel to be on-site to conduct the inspection, and is subject to subjectivity in determining the severity of the condition. In many cases, when a problem is discovered by visual inspection, the damage has already occurred down to the substructure (soil, aggregate, ballast, sub-ballast, roadbed, etc.), and extensive repair work may be required (often in an emergency manner and at increased cost). There has long been a need to improve the conditions, soundness, and state of infrastructure maintenance through systematic monitoring. The disclosure herein attempts to eliminate human error and remove the labor-intensive task of visual inspection. The disclosure seeks to provide teams and organizations with meaningful feedback and understanding of infrastructure soundness and state. In doing so, the systems and methods herein provide a proactive maintenance program, often replacing reactive measures.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0007] Aspects of sensor-enabled systems and methods for monitoring the structural soundness, integrity, and condition of infrastructure are disclosed. Infrastructure is herein referred to as various examples, such as pavement infrastructure, rail infrastructure, building infrastructure, work platforms, and other civil and geotechnical engineering-related infrastructure where geogrids, geofabrics, or other geosynthetics are used.

[0008] In one aspect, a system for infrastructure monitoring is disclosed. The infrastructure monitoring system comprises a sensor-enabled geogrid. The sensor-enabled geogrid is equipped with one or more sensors or configured with one or more sensors. The sensor-enabled geogrid is further configured with a microcontroller. The microcontroller communicates with a computing network, where the received data is analyzed and monitored. The data being monitored is used to determine the soundness and / or condition of the infrastructure when being analyzed.

[0009] In another aspect, an apparatus for infrastructure monitoring is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a sensor pod. The sensor pod comprises a microcontroller, a power source, and a communication adapter. The sensor pod and the microcontroller are further configured with a strain gauge, a flex sensor, a moisture sensor, and a temperature sensor.

[0010] In one aspect, a plurality of sensors are equipped with and configured with a geogrid to form a sensor-enabled geogrid. The sensor-enabled geogrid provides intelligence and understanding of the infrastructure, including the status and soundness and / or condition of the infrastructure. Such intelligence is transmitted along a series of communication and computing networks, and this type of system is often referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. In an IoT platform, physical objects are embedded with sensors, software, and technologies that enable them to connect to the system via the Internet and exchange data.

[0011] In one embodiment, a method for monitoring the status and / or soundness of an infrastructure is disclosed. The method includes installing a sensor-enabled geogrid in a substrate material. Next, providing a communication link from the sensor-enabled geogrid to a computing network. Then, monitoring information transmitted from the sensor-enabled geogrid. In the monitoring, the information is analyzed and processed using an infrastructure processing engine, where the engine identifies changes in the soundness and / or condition of the infrastructure in the information.

[0012] In some embodiments, the subject matter of the present disclosure provides a sensor-enabled geogrid system and method for monitoring the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure. The sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid and a communication means or network for collecting information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of the infrastructure. Further, in this embodiment, the computing network includes a platform and a user facing application that reports the situation and provides real-time updates regarding the information received from the sensors.

[0013] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure includes a geogrid as a sensor “carrier” that can be used to monitor the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure. In similar embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid can be a multi-axis geogrid in the configuration, such as, by way of example, single-axis, biaxial, triaxial, and hexagonal. In other embodiments, the sensor carrier can be a geofabric or other subsoil that holds materials such as geosynthetics, geonet, geomesh, or geocomposite.

[0014] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure provide a sensor-enabled geogrid that is easy to install and provides an easy mechanism for monitoring the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure. The system is capable of a plug-and-play mode and can be integrated into a new infrastructure project or installed in a repair-based manner on existing infrastructure. The ease of installation includes the ability to run across adjacent sections of the sensor-enabled geogrid to form a blanket of coverage, where multiple sensors on multiple sensor-enabled geogrids operate in harmony and transmit real-time feedback regarding the situation of the entire installed area.

[0015] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure provide information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure that may be useful in many applications, including but not limited to condition-based maintenance, life cycle cost optimization, remaining life estimation, and capital planning. Further, the systems and methods disclosed herein may comprise aspects of other IoT platforms, be combined with other systems, and be integrated to form a more complete package of infrastructure, for example, construction projects and construction management software may include the disclosure herein as a programmatic aspect when installing or updating infrastructure.

[0016] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure use a sensor-enabled geogrid to provide "under the surface" information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure, where the "under the surface" information may not be achievable by conventional means such as visual inspection otherwise.

[0017] The above embodiments are merely some examples of the configurations of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed in this specification. A further understanding and detailed scope of the example embodiments will be described below.

[0018] Many aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and, instead, are emphasized to clearly illustrate the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views. It should be recognized that these implementations and examples are merely illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

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[0020] Next, the subject matter of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The subject matter of the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure described herein will come to mind to those skilled in the art to which the subject matter of the present disclosure pertains, having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the related drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the subject matter of the present disclosure should not be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

[0021] Most of the present disclosure relies on an understanding of several basic metrics utilized in infrastructure supports, including supports for road and rail track infrastructure. One such metric or formula is the Giroud-Han (G-H) design method, where **[Number]** Here, h is the compacted aggregate required (such as gravel or other aggregate materials) with a thickness of m. CF is the calibration factor for geosynthetics / geotextiles / geogrids used in the design. Re is the limited coefficient ratio between the compacted aggregate and the subgrade soil (maximum value = 5.0). r is the radius of the equivalent tire contact area. The s value, which is important for the disclosed algorithm in this specification, is the maximum allowable rut depth. Fs is the reference rut depth. Nc is the bearing coefficient (for an unstabilized road, Nc = 3.14; for a geotextile-stabilized road, Nc = 5.14; for a geogrid-stabilized road, Nc = 5.71).

[0022] Another equation is the definition of strain using a strain gauge. Strain can be positive (tensile strain) or negative (compressive strain). Strain is dimensionless unless it is configured in a manner to detect dimensions. In practical terms, the magnitude of strain is small and is often measured in microstrain (μ∈) units. Therefore, strain is the amount of deformation of the body due to the applied force. More specifically, strain (∈) is defined as the fractional change in length using the following equation, namely,

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[0023] In the case of a bend sensor composed of a phenolic substrate resin, a conductive ink, and a segmented conductor, they require an understanding of the resistance generated when bent. In one example, a flat bend sensor measures 25 KΩ, when bent at 45 degrees, the bend sensor measures 62.5 KΩ, and when bent at 90 degrees, the bend sensor measures 100 KΩ. Depending on the bend sensor and its specifications, the resistance generated will be different, and thus, variability is expected across the device when described or configured as herein.

[0024] Additional concepts require an understanding of the materials utilized in infrastructure support and management. The table provided below highlights the differences in geosynthetics materials. It is important to note that the examples herein are not limited to any one type of geosynthetics material and, as disclosed, the examples can be configured for, attached to, or adapted to a number of materials, including the substrate and / or the underlying soil itself. Moreover, combinations of materials can be utilized to complete the disclosure herein, including examples of layering a sensor-enabled geogrid with a sensor-enabled fabric.

Table 1

[0025] Geotextiles, also known as geofabrics, are one of the concepts highlighted in the above table that the disclosure of this specification can be configured with. There are three ways in which geotextiles can be manufactured, which are either woven, knitted, non-woven, or any combination thereof. The distinction between woven and non-woven is that a woven geotextile is produced by the interlacing of warp and weft threads. These threads can be any of spun, multifilament, fibrillated, or slit-film. Non-woven geotextiles are manufactured by mechanically bonding or thermally joining fibers / filaments. Mechanical bonding is achieved through needle punching.

[0026] Regarding the functions of geotextiles, they operate with several distinct functions and have similarities with geogrids and geosynthetics. The first is separation, where the geotextile provides particle separation and prevents mixing of the substrate and / or subsoil. Two such problems are the entry of particulate soil into the voids of the aggregate base and the punching of aggregates into the particulate soil. The first problem is a concern as it avoids sufficient drainage, significantly reduces the strength of the aggregate layer, which accelerates infrastructure damage / erosion. The second problem is a concern as it reduces the effective thickness of the aggregate layer, which also accelerates road damage and / or increases infrastructure maintenance. The second prominent function of geotextiles is stabilization. The effectiveness of geotextile stabilization results from two factors. First, the aggregates are compacted on the geotextile and individual stones are formed, which imprints into the roadbed and geotextile. When formed, the aggregates are fixed in place, which stabilizes the aggregate base layer. The stabilization of the roadbed soil by the geotextile can change the soil failure mode from local shear to general shear. This change in shear allows additional load to be tolerated before the soil strength is exceeded, which enables a reduced aggregate base layer. The third benefit of geofabrics is reinforcement. The benefit of reinforcement depends on the degree of acceptable deformation in a given system. Filtration is an additional function, where defined openings in the geotextile that hold soil particles also allow and permit fluid movement and flow. Filtration in this aspect holds the soil in place while allowing the soil to be removed by the filter and the fluid to flow out.

[0027] A geogrid is a geosynthetic formed using open apertures of orthogonal or non-orthogonal ribs and a grid-like configuration. A geogrid is often defined as a geosynthetic material consisting of a connected parallel set of tensile ribs having apertures of a size sufficient to allow strike-through of the surrounding soil, stone, or other geotechnical material. There are several methods for manufacturing geogrids. For example, extruding and pulling out sheets of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) plastic in one or two or even three or more directions, or weaving and knitting polyester (PET) ribs. Geogrids are mainly designed to fulfill the reinforcement function for various infrastructures including roads, rails, buildings, soil erosion, etc., but auxiliary benefits such as material cost reduction are applicable.

[0028] Regarding the structure of a geogrid, the ribs of the geogrid are defined as either in the longitudinal direction or the transverse direction. The direction parallel to the direction in which the geogrid is made on a mechanical loom is known as the roll length direction, the machine direction (MD), or the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the direction perpendicular to the mechanical loom and the MD in the plane of the geogrid is known as the transverse direction (TD) or the machine transverse direction. In other words, the longitudinal ribs are parallel to the direction of manufacture (also known as the machine direction), and the transverse ribs are perpendicular to the machine direction. Some mechanical properties of the geogrid, such as the tensile coefficient and tensile strength, depend on the direction in which the geogrid is tested. In a geogrid, the intersection of the longitudinal ribs and the transverse ribs is known as the joint. The joint can be created in several ways including weaving or knitting.

[0029] Regarding the production of geogrids, the geogrids are produced either by welding the materials together, extruding, and / or weaving. The extruded geogrids are produced from the drawn polymer plates and are punched in one or more ways. Various aperture types are shaped based on the way the polymer sheet is drawn. Drawing in one, two, three or more directions results in the production of uniaxial, biaxial, triaxial, and various other multi-axial geogrids. Polypropylene (PP) or polyester (PET) fibers are generally used to produce woven geogrids. In most cases, these fibers are coated to increase the abrasion resistance of the produced geogrids. The manufacturing process of welded geogrids is by welding the joints of the extruded polymer woven pieces. Geogrids are also categorized into two main groups based on their rigidity. Geogrids made from polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) fibers are usually hard and stiff, and they have a flexural strength exceeding 1,000 g-cm. Flexible geogrids are often made from polyester (PET) fibers by using the textile weaving process. They usually have a flexural strength of less than 1,000 g-cm.

[0030] Geotextiles can be used for separation, drainage and filtration, or reinforcement, while geogrids are mainly used for reinforcement and / or stabilization applications. Geogrids can also provide confinement and partial separation. Confinement is manifested through the connection mechanism between the base aggregate particles and the geogrid openings. The connection efficiency depends on the base aggregate particle distribution and the geogrid opening size and aperture. To achieve the best connection interaction, the ratio of the minimum aperture size exceeding D50 should be greater than 3. The effectiveness of the connection depends on the in-plane stiffness of the geogrid and the stability of the geogrid ribs and joints. The reinforcement mechanism in a geogrid base reinforced infrastructure section includes lateral restraint (confinement), increased bearing capacity and tension membrane effect. Aggregate matrix layer lateral restraint is a fundamental mechanism for geogrid-reinforced infrastructure. For example, a vertical load applied on the surface of the infrastructure causes a lateral spreading motion of the aggregate base material. When the load is applied on the surface of the infrastructure, tensile lateral strains are generated in the base layer, causing the aggregates to move out in the direction away from the load. Geogrid reinforcement of the infrastructure section restrains these lateral movements, which is known as lateral restraint. In doing so, geogrid reinforcement changes the "failure location" from the weaker subgrade soil to the stronger aggregate layer.

[0031] Next, consider a series of embodiments. In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure provide "under-the-surface" information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of rail track infrastructure, where the "under-the-surface" information may not be achievable by conventional means such as visual inspection. Further, below the surface investigative equipment, such as ground penetrating radar, and other instruments require the equipment to be transported to, applied to, and adapted and designed to operate with varying rail track installations on an as-needed basis.

[0032] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure for monitoring the integrity and / or condition of infrastructure are equipped with a sensor-enabled geogrid, where the sensors are mounted or otherwise installed on a geogrid mesh, geotextile, or other geogrid structure. In other embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure provide a sensor-enabled geogrid, where the sensors are directly embedded within the structural members forming the geogrid. The sensors and / or the assemblies or structures of the sensors may be extruded with the geogrid or, in the case of a fabric, woven or otherwise integrated with the structure such that the geogrid itself becomes one large sensor. In further embodiments, the sensors are dispersed within the infrastructure itself and are not configured with the geogrid but may be configured with rigid members within the structure, such as rebar, aggregates, etc. In yet further embodiments, the sensors may be strategically placed within the infrastructure; for example, moisture sensors may be placed in areas where moisture readings may be better understood or obtained.

[0033] In another aspect, a sensor-enabled geogrid system is disclosed, wherein the interconnection and network between edge devices and remote computing in an IoT network helps provide information on the situation, condition, and / or health of infrastructure, including buildings, roadways, and rail tracks. Such beneficial features include, but are not limited to, (1) providing direct sensing elements in a substructure using one or more sensors of the sensor-enabled geogrid, (2) providing the ability to measure and use flex and / or strain on the geogrid and translate parameters regarding grid performance (e.g., stress and / or strain on a geogrid rib) into information regarding the substructure condition (e.g., rutting), and (3) providing the ability to detect subsurface conditions such as temperature, moisture, rutting, etc.

[0034] In additional aspects, a plurality of sensors are installed in a substrate and / or subsoil beneath or surrounding an infrastructure. In other aspects, a plurality of sensors are installed relative to a geofabric. The plurality of sensors are connected to a sensor pod in one embodiment. In one aspect, the sensor pod is a protective housing that provides element protection to a microcontroller that reads data generated from the plurality of sensors. In another embodiment, only one sensor is read by a microcontroller, and in other embodiments, any combination of the plurality of sensors can be interfaced and equipped to send signals to a microcontroller near the sensor site.

[0035] In some embodiments, a typical microcontroller may be utilized, or in other cases, general-purpose or special-purpose computing devices may be utilized. In one embodiment, the microcontroller is configured with a processing unit, cache memory, RAM, a volatile or non-volatile storage system, and is equipped with a network adapter and an I / O interface. In other examples, the microcontroller may have an array of features such as built-in sensors, and / or timers, accelerometers, etc. Microcontrollers possess several distinct advantages. First, they generally have low power requirements. Second, they are easy to use, durable, and have a wide range of applications. Third, the overall cost and composition are low. Fourth, they have high interoperability, and the standard feature set of data RAM, non-volatile ROM, and I / O ports enables access to multiple input devices. Additional benefits of microcontrollers and their adaptation of such controllers to the disclosure herein will be known to those skilled in the art.

[0036] In one aspect, the sensor pod is configured to communicate with the gateway via a data cable. The gateway, in a previous aspect, is a general-purpose computer or microcontroller configured to receive data from the sensor pod, where the gateway performs computational acts on the data and / or is equipped to forward the collated or aggregated data through a communication network to a computing network. In a previous aspect, the telecommunications network can be any communication path, including but not limited to cellular and advanced communication standards such as edge, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, satellite transmission, radio frequency (RF), microwave transmission, and millimeter-wave transmission. Further, the telecommunications network can consist of wireless modes such as WiFi, wide area network, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), and various associated standards such as WiFi5, WiFi6, WiFi6e, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and other such standards that may change or arise from advancements in the art. Further, network communication can also include wired connections such as twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optics, or other such network infrastructure and / or spectrum provided herein. In one aspect, the gateway is equipped with Bluetooth and NFC as well as WiFi and cellular CDMA / GSM standards. The communication network often proceeds through a series of steps or interfaces before reaching a computing network equipped to process and / or provide an interface for interaction with the data, as is common in other IoT platforms.

[0037] In one aspect, the gateway sends programmable instructions to the sensor pod. In another aspect, the gateway receives programmable instructions from a computing network through a telecommunications network, where the instructions provide updates and / or configuration to the gateway. In one aspect, the communication paths from the sensor pod to the gateway and to the computer network are bidirectional. In another aspect, it is unidirectional from the sensor pod to the computing network. In yet another aspect, only portions of the network are bidirectional, for example, the gateway and the computer network can be in bidirectional communication, and the gateway and the sensor pod can be in a unidirectional configuration. Some aspects of the sensor pod can benefit from hardware unidirectionality and simplification. In other aspects, the gateway can be incorporated within the sensor pod, where the sensor pod serves the roles of both the gateway and the sensor pod.

[0038] In one aspect, signals from one or more of a plurality of sensors are received by the sensor pod, where the sensor pod transmits it to the gateway, and the gateway sends an alert to a user interface generated by a computing network and / or a cloud server or application. For example, a strain gauge can indicate that the strain level has increased beyond a threshold parameter at a particular geogrid location. The signal is processed at the gateway to identify the problem, where the gateway transmits data regarding the location of the affected sensor along with a plurality of characteristics such as ambient temperature, humidity, any movement or acceleration in the surrounding vicinity (if the given sensor is equipped), all of which assist the system's principle investigator, user, or operator in identifying issues or problems regarding the integrity, state, and / or situation of a given infrastructure.

[0039] In additional embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure utilize a sensor-enabled geogrid to provide "under-the-surface" information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of rail track infrastructure, where the "under-the-surface" information may not otherwise be achievable by conventional means such as visual inspection. Further, subsurface survey equipment such as ground penetrating radar, and other instruments, require that the equipment be transported to, applied to, and adapted and designed to operate with varying rail track installations on an occasion-by-occasion basis.

[0040] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure for monitoring the integrity and / or condition of infrastructure comprises a sensor-enabled geogrid, where the sensors are mounted or otherwise disposed on a geogrid mesh, geotextile, or other geogrid structure. In other embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure provides a sensor-enabled geogrid, where the sensors are directly embedded within the structural members forming the geogrid. The sensors and / or sensor assemblies or structures may be extruded with the geogrid or, in the case of a fabric, woven or otherwise integrated with the structure such that the geogrid itself becomes one large sensor.

[0041] In additional aspects, the plurality of sensors are equipped in a substrate and / or subsoil under or surrounding one infrastructure. In other aspects, the plurality of sensors are equipped to a geofabric. The plurality of sensors are connected to a sensor pod in one embodiment. In one aspect, the sensor pod is a protective housing that provides element protection to a microcontroller reading data generated from the plurality of sensors. In another embodiment, only one sensor is read by the microcontroller, and in other embodiments, any combination of the plurality of sensors can be interfaced and equipped to send signals to a microcontroller near the sensor site.

[0042] Typical microcontrollers can be utilized, or in other cases, general-purpose or dedicated computing devices can be utilized. In one aspect, the microcontroller is configured with a processing unit, cache memory, RAM, volatile or non-volatile storage systems, and equipped with a network adapter and I / O interface. In other embodiments, the microcontroller can have an array of features such as built-in sensors, and / or timers, accelerometers. Microcontrollers possess several distinct advantages. First, they generally have low power requirements. Second, they are easy to use, durable, and have a wide range of applications. Third, the overall cost and composition are low. Fourth, they have high interoperability, and the standard feature set of data RAM, non-volatile ROM, and I / O ports enables access to multiple input devices. Additional benefits of microcontrollers and their adaptation of such controllers to the disclosure herein will be known to those skilled in the art.

[0043] In one aspect, the sensor pod is configured to communicate with the gateway via a data cable. The gateway, in a previous aspect, is a general-purpose computer or microcontroller configured to receive data from the sensor pod, where the gateway performs computational acts on the data and / or is equipped to forward the collated or aggregated data through a communication network to a computing network. In a previous aspect, the telecommunications network can be any communication path, including but not limited to cellular and advanced communication standards such as Edge, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, satellite transmission, radio frequency (RF), microwave transmission, and millimeter-wave transmission. Further, the telecommunications network can consist of wireless modalities such as WiFi, wide area network, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), and various associated standards such as WiFi5, WiFi6, WiFi6e, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and other such standards that may change or arise from advancements in the art. Further, network communication can also include wired connections such as twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optics, or other such network infrastructure and / or spectrum provided herein. In one aspect, the gateway is equipped with Bluetooth and NFC as well as WiFi and cellular CDMA / GSM standards. The communication network often proceeds through a series of steps or interfaces before reaching a computing network equipped to process and / or provide an interface for interaction with the data, as is common in other IoT platforms.

[0044] In one aspect, the gateway sends programmable instructions to the sensor pod. In another aspect, the gateway receives programmable instructions from a computing network through a telecommunications network, where the instructions provide updates and / or configuration to the gateway. In one aspect, the communication paths from the sensor pod to the gateway and to the computer network are bidirectional. In another aspect, it is unidirectional from the sensor pod to the computing network. In yet another aspect, only a portion of the network is bidirectional; for example, the gateway and the computer network can be in bidirectional communication, and the gateway and the sensor pod can be in a unidirectional configuration. Some aspects of the sensor pod can benefit from a unidirectional communication path along with hardware simplification. In other aspects, the gateway can be incorporated within the sensor pod, where the sensor pod serves the roles of both the gateway and the sensor pod. Or, in other aspects, the sensor pod is included within the gateway.

[0045] In one aspect, signals from one or more of a plurality of sensors are received by the sensor pod, where the sensor pod transmits it to the gateway, and the gateway sends an alert to a user interface generated by a computing network and / or a cloud server or application. For example, a strain gauge can indicate that the strain level has increased beyond a threshold parameter at a particular geogrid location. The signal is processed at the gateway to identify the problem, where the gateway transmits data regarding the location of the affected sensor along with multiple characteristics such as ambient temperature, humidity, any movement or acceleration in the surrounding vicinity (if a given sensor is equipped), all of which assist a system diagnostician, user, or operator in identifying issues or problems regarding the integrity, state, and / or situation of a given infrastructure.

[0046] In some embodiments, the subject matter of the present disclosure provides a sensor-enabled geogrid system and method for monitoring the integrity, condition, and / or situation of rail track infrastructure. The sensor-enabled geogrid system includes a sensor-enabled geogrid and a communication means or network for collecting information and / or data regarding the integrity, condition, and / or situation of the rail track infrastructure. In additional embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid is a sensor-enabled geofabric or other composite utilized in a configuration of mounting forms commonly used in a substrate and / or subsoil layer. The sensor-enabled layer communicates with a sensor pod, where the sensor pod is configured with a microcontroller capable of converting an analog signal from a sensor and / or compiling the digital signal from the sensor into transmissible data. In such embodiments, the sensor pod may communicate with a gateway device, where the gateway device is equipped to process the signal and transmit the signal through a communication network to a computing environment where a user may access a portal or web application for inspection of the sensor data.

[0047] In other embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure includes a geogrid as a sensor “carrier” that may be used to monitor the integrity, condition, and / or situation of rail track infrastructure. In similar embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid may be a multi-axis geogrid in a configuration such as, by way of example, biaxial, triaxial, or hexagonal. In other embodiments, the sensor carrier may be a geofabric or other substrate and / or subsoil holding material.

[0048] In some embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method of the present disclosure can be useful in many applications, such as, but not limited to, condition-based maintenance, life cycle cost optimization, remaining useful life estimation, and financial planning, to provide information and / or data regarding the health, condition, and / or situation of rail infrastructure. Further, in such embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid system and method provide a prediction algorithm via inputs derived from sensors and parameters applied at the sensor pods, gateways, and / or in a computer network. In an example, the prediction algorithm can be used to create an early warning system or a system that identifies potential problems regarding the health, condition, and / or situation of rail infrastructure.

[0049] Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an example of a sensor-enabled geogrid system (100) of the present disclosure for monitoring the health, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure. In this example, the sensor-enabled geogrid system (100) is constructed using, for example, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that provides connectivity and analytics tools. The IoT platform is a multi-layer technology that enables easy provisioning, management, and automation of connected devices within the IoT universe. The IoT platform can be used to connect hardware devices / systems to the cloud by using flexible connectivity options, enterprise-grade security mechanisms, and broad data processing capabilities.

[0050] For example, a sensor-enabled geogrid system (100) may include, for example, at least one sensor-enabled geogrid (120) installed in a substrate layer. The substrate layer is also known as the underlying soil layer. Depending on the application, the infrastructure substrate layer consists of different terms and layers. For example, in a pavement infrastructure, the substrate or layer can consist of any of the following components in downward order from the one closest to the surface, namely, the surface layer, the bonding layer, the base layer, the subbase layer, the compacted subgrade, and the natural subgrade. In this example, the sensor-enabled geogrid (120) is installed underground with respect to the pavement or road infrastructure. That is, the sensor-enabled geogrid (120) is installed underground below the ground surface (110) (e.g., the road surface) and below any type of sublayer (112) (e.g., soil, aggregate, surface layer, base layer, subbase layer, ballast, auxiliary ballast, subgrade).

[0051] The sensor-enabled geogrid (120) includes a geogrid (122) that holds an array of one or more sensors (124). The geogrid (122) is, in the example of this embodiment, a geogrid or geofabric that serves as a sensor "carrier" that can be used to monitor the integrity, condition, and / or situation of the infrastructure. In one example, the geogrid (122) is the TriAx® geogrid, which is available from Tensar International Corporation (Alpharetta, GA) and is described with reference to U.S. Patent No. 7,001,112, entitled "Geogrid or mesh structure," issued on February 21, 2006. In another example, a biaxial geogrid is utilized as the sensor carrier. In other aspects, a hexagonal geogrid is utilized as the sensor carrier. In still other aspects, a geofabric has sensors embedded therein to form the sensor carrier.

[0052] In the example of FIG. 1, the various sensors (124) mounted on the geogrid (122) essentially turn the geogrid (122) into a "sensor fusion point". The number, location, and / or type of sensors (124) can vary based on the application of use. Examples of types of sensors (124) include, but are not limited to, temperature sensors, moisture sensors, humidity sensors, force sensors, bend sensors, strain gauges, accelerometers, inclinometers, inertial measurement units (IMUs), sonar devices, image capture devices, audio capture devices, and other sensor types for specific applications.

[0053] To collect information and / or data from one or more sensors (124) of the sensor-enabled geogrid (120), the sensor-enabled geogrid system (100) may include one or more receiving nodes (130), also known as gateways or gateway nodes. The gateway receives information from the sensor-enabled geogrid (120) either through a data line or from a wireless communication assembly configured for the sensors (124). In an example embodiment, the sensor pod (105) is configured to house a microcontroller, where the microcontroller is configured to receive signals from the sensor-enabled geogrid (120).

[0054] In some aspects, the sensor pod (105) forms an integral part of the IoT platform by providing computing power at the edge of the system, protecting the computing device, providing environmental protection, providing power, and providing a communication assembly, and more features are described herein. In other aspects, the sensor pod (105) is fully incorporated into a gateway (130), also known as a gateway receiving node. In such an example, the gateway is connected either physically through a data cable or through a communication adapter attached to the sensor-enabled geogrid (120) to receive signals and information from the geogrid (122).

[0055] In the example of FIG. 1, the gateway (130) processes signals and information from the sensors (124) and transmits that signal and information to the user through one or more front-end interfaces (136) along one or more computing network systems (134) across one or more communication nodes (132). The gateway (130) can generally be attached to infrastructure such as poles, telecommunication poles, utility poles, towers, buildings, electrical boxes, or other infrastructure capable of holding a gateway equipped with wireless or wired receivers and telecommunications adapters and configured for multiple sensor-enabled geogrids, and is deployed along a sensor-enabled geogrid (120).

[0056] The gateway (130) can receive communications from the sensor (124), from the sensor pod (105), or from the sensor-enabled geogrid (120). The distinguishing structure can be bundled together such that the sensor (124) is configured with respect to the sensor-enabled geogrid (120) and directly wired to the sensor pod (105), where the sensor pod (105) is wired to the gateway (130). In other embodiments, they can be unbundled and each form a separate integral part. For example, the sensor can be wired to the gateway, where the gateway (130) performs the function of the sensor pod (105). In other examples, the gateway (130) can be, for example, a local subnetwork node that communicates directly with one or more sensors (124) of the sensor-enabled geogrid (120).

[0057] The communication node, also known as the communication network (132), can be an intermediate link, for example, between a local subnetwork (such as the gateway 130) and the core network, which is then connected to the computing system (134). The front-end interface (136) or user interface can be, for example, any user interface of any user device. The user device can be, for example, any computing device (such as a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet device, smartphone, smartwatch, cloud computing device, etc.). Further, the user devices herein are enabled to view and / or display a software platform capable of depicting the state and / or health of the infrastructure.

[0058] Communication in the Sensor-Enabled GeoGrid System (100) can be by any wired and / or wireless communication means for forming a network through which information can be exchanged with other devices connected to the network. The information and / or data collected and / or exchanged through the Sensor-Enabled GeoGrid System (100) can be any information and / or data from one or more sensors (124) that can be useful for monitoring and / or determining the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure, such as the substructure (112) under the roads or pavements shown in FIG. 1.

[0059] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a sensor-enabled GeoGrid infrastructure for monitoring the integrity, condition, and / or situation of infrastructure. In this example, information and / or data from one or more sensors (202) of the sensor-enabled GeoGrid (210) supply edge data collection and connectivity (205), which in turn supplies a communication network (240), which in turn supplies a computing network (250) configured for a user interface and data API. The computing network (250) then supplies analytics and insights, as well as some specific applications of infrastructure (e.g., rails, pavements, wharves).

[0060] In an example, the sensor pod (220) is an edge data collection and connectivity (205) device that can be placed beside the sensor-enabled geogrid (210) or configured on top of the sensor-enabled geogrid (210). The sensor pod is configured with a microcontroller (224), where the microcontroller is equipped with an input / output (I / O) interface for configuring with a plurality of sensors including, but not limited to, strain gauges, bend sensors, moisture sensors, accelerometers, and temperature sensors. Depending on the application example of the disclosure herein, specific sensors are utilized, which would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art for the appropriate application of a given sensor. For example, a temperature sensor may not be present in an application example with a controlled climate, such as under a building infrastructure in a relatively temperate climate. Additionally, a bend gauge may not be used when a strain gauge is sufficient for material cost and efficiency of scale. Whether a particular sensing device is installed is highly relevant to a given application example, and some such examples are described in more detail, but any combination of the sensors disclosed herein can be used to accomplish the task of obtaining information from the geogrid.

[0061] The microcontroller (224) housed inside the sensor pod (220) is further configured with a power and communication adapter (222). In an example, the power source is a battery, and in other embodiments, the battery can be connected to a solar infrastructure or otherwise to a power grid to provide a charging source. The communication adapter (222) can be part of the microcontroller or an interfaced module, and further, various communication adapters can be configured to suit the needs of the system as the system scales and grows. The communication adapter (222) in the sensor pod (220) can be wired to the communication adapter (232) in the gateway node or gateway receiver (230).

[0062] In another aspect, a microcontroller (224) on a sensor pod (220) is configured with a communication adapter (222) to transmit signals received from a plurality of sensors (202) on a sensor-enabled geogrid (210). The sensor pod microcontroller (224) transmits the received signals to a gateway (230), where a gateway communication adapter (232) receives the signals and begins a processing routine on a gateway microcontroller (234) using an infrastructure processing engine. One aspect of the infrastructure processing engine utilizes a set of parameters. For example, the processing engine obtains base strain gauge measurements and constructs a maximum strain amount equal to the amount of tensile strength of a particular geogrid. In this regard, the strain gauge processing engine can send an alert through a communication network (240) to a computing network (250) such that a user at an end-user interface can be presented with statistics and alerted to the crew about sensor locations for repair. In other aspects, the infrastructure processing engine may execute on a microcontroller, where a feedback loop is created to filter incoming signals. The feedback loop can cancel signals by taking previous signals and canceling signals such that registered anomalies are logged and sent to the computing network for further processing or notification. Often, the user interface is presented through an application running on a computing network such as, by way of several examples, Amazon Web Services (TM), Google Cloud Services (TM), or Microsoft Azure Cloud Services (TM).In an example of a computing network with Microsoft Azure services (registered trademark), the server receives information from the gateway (230) or, in some cases, from the sensor pod (220) through the communication network (240), where the web service runs application modules and may also run an infrastructure engine or other engines such as an alarm engine or a health and / or status engine. In another example, the gateway receives a signal regarding the water content, where the infrastructure processing engine is configured with a multi-parameter algorithm and can be used in conjunction with temperature and strain, for example, to indicate an area where the average water content over a seasonally adjusted period should be investigated for erosion or loss of the substrate layer. These examples are just some of the algorithms that can assess the state and / or health of the infrastructure through the use of sensor-enabled geogrids.

[0063] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a sensor-enabled geogrid (300) that includes a geogrid (310) holding an array of moisture sensors (340), strain gauges (342), and temperature sensors (344). In this example, the sensors are mounted or otherwise installed on the mesh or surface structure of the geogrid (310). The geogrid (310) is a three-axis geogrid, but in other embodiments, a two-axis geogrid, or a hexagonal geogrid, or a geocomposite, or a geofabric may be used to hold the sensors on the surface. In the case of a geofabric, a rigid member to which a strain gauge or bend sensor can be attached may be added to give a more accurate indication.

[0064] In the example of FIG. 3, the sensor pod (320) is directly wired to one or more sensors, and the sensor pod (320) provides power to the one or more sensors. Further, power and data communication often travel in the same cable or line up to one or more sensors, and often one or more sensors are operated by detecting a change in voltage across the sensor. For example, in a strain gauge (342), the strain gauge is composed of electrical leads, solder pads, resistive foils, and gauge backing. Here, the strain gauge measures a often minute change in resistance associated with the strain of the gauge. In an example, multiple strain gauges can be used in a divided bridge circuit to measure a change in electrical resistance. This is often referred to as a Wheatstone bridge configuration, in which an excitation voltage is applied across the circuit and the output voltage is measured across two points in the center of the bridge. When there is no load acting on the bridge, it can be said to be in balance and the output voltage is zero. A small change in the material under the strain gauge (342) causes a change in resistance because the gauge material is deformed. The change in resistance is often small, so an amplifier can be added to enhance the signal change. However, such amplification can introduce increased noise, where the microcontroller mounted on the sensor pod (320) can be configured to remove it with a filter, or where the computing network can adopt an algorithm for properly handling the signal noise.

[0065] In another example (not shown), one or more sensors that are installed are directly embedded into the structural members that form the geogrid (310). In this example, the geogrid itself of the fully integrated sensors is extruded together with the required sensors. In other examples or embodiments, the sensors are attached to the surface through physical adhesion such as clamps, or chemical adhesion such as epoxy or glue adhesives. Further, power is supplied to the sensor-enabled geogrid (300) by various methods including, but not limited to: (1) wiring from a power source positioned away from the grid (e.g., in an edge device), (2) a battery system that may be embedded or disposed within the sensor pod (320), or configured beside the sensor-enabled geogrid (300) (for limited life applications (i.e., several years)), or (3) a method for generating power from mechanical vibrations (e.g., a piezoelectric type system), or (4) a power source such as a solar power array that is directly powered to a battery housed inside the sensor pod (320) or beside the sensor-enabled geogrid (300).

[0066] The sensor-enabled geogrid (300) is not limited to using the geogrid (310) to hold the sensors. In other embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid (300) may include any type of geosynthetics and / or geofabrics to hold the sensors. Further, in other embodiments, the sensor-enabled geogrid (300) may act as a support as various sensors are placed within the infrastructure layer.

[0067] Figure 4A illustrates an example of a sensor pod constructed on top of a geogrid, where the upper casing of the sensor pod has been removed to show the internal microcontroller. Additional images of the internal components of the sensor pod can be seen in Figure 6. In the example of Figure 4A, the sensor pod includes a microcontroller and a plurality of leads for receiving connections from and communicating with one or more sensors. Further, in this aspect, it can be seen that the sensor pod is fully integrated with the geogrid as it is fastened in place and attached to the surface of the geogrid. In other aspects, the sensor pod can be positioned beside the geogrid or, in yet further aspects, the sensor pod can be positioned within an outer housing that runs alongside the geogrid. In such a remote aspect, the sensor pod can also take on the disclosed attributes of a gateway node or gateway receiver, where the sensor pod is enabled to transmit information and / or signals from one or more sensors using cellular or network communication.

[0068] Figure 4B illustrates an example of a sensor pod constructed on top of a geogrid, where the sensor pod is fully enclosed within an outer shell. The outer shell is generally made of a metal or composite that is low cost and durable enough to withstand environmental factors. In this example embodiment, the sensor pod is fully integrated into the geogrid in such a way that the sensor pod can be assembled off-site and placed into the infrastructure in a typical manner by rolling the geogrid to a predetermined location. In other embodiments, the sensor pod is installed in the field when the geogrid is placed into the infrastructure. In this aspect, the sensor pod is configured with fasteners for holding on top of the outer surface of the geogrid. In other aspects, the sensor pod may be placed beside the geogrid or not fastened to a predetermined position. In this aspect, the lead wires can be made of a material that allows for slightly longer or coiled or settling or separation from the sensor pod without movement.

[0069] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a sensor-enabled geofabric (500). Here, a plurality of sensors (510) are configured with the geofabric. As previously discussed, the geofabric can be either woven or knitted or a combination of both. In this example, the sensors are integrated into the fabric by attaching the sensors to the fabric using an adhesive. In other embodiments, the sensors can be integrated into the fabric by knitting or weaving the sensors. In still further embodiments, the fabric itself can be a sensor with means for sensing embedded within the geofabric. In this example of Figure 5, the sensor-enabled geofabric (510) can be configured with ribs or other means for mounting a strain gauge or bend sensor thereon. In other embodiments, the thickness of the geofabric can be increased to allow for measurements using various sensors and gauges.

[0070] Next, refer to FIG. 6. An example of a sensor pod (600) is shown with the upper protective cover removed. A printed circuit board (PCB) (610) can be seen together with various microcontrollers (620) that act as signal collection microcontrollers for various sensors. In an example embodiment, a temperature sensor input lead (612) is positioned in the upper left of the figure and serves as an input to the temperature sensor. A moisture lead (614), a bend sensor lead (616), and a strain gauge lead (618) are also visible in the example embodiment. In other examples, only one sensor may be available, in others, one or more sensors may be available, and in further examples, the sensors are configured in a special configuration for the application example. For example, moisture and strain gauges may be available in one aspect, and moisture and temperature sensors may be available in another aspect.

[0071] As previously discussed, the various sensors and gauges operate to provide information or perceptual data, where the microcontroller (620) processes and transmits through a communication adapter either wired or wireless protocol to a gateway node or receiver, where the information is then transmitted through a communication network to a computing network having access to a user interface for the end user to view the information from the sensors in real time. Often, the computing network consists of the web service platform disclosed previously. Along various steps, in this example embodiment, different algorithms may be applied to structure, filter, sort, alarm, prepare, package, or otherwise convert the information received from multiple signals into instructions for computational processing.

[0072] In an alternative embodiment of FIG. 6, the sensor pod (600) may also have the characteristics of a gateway node or a gateway receiver. Here, the sensor pod is generally configured with a wired or wireless connection, which is a cellular connection for transmitting information or signals received from one or more sensors. Further, the microcontroller may be equipped to calculate the state and / or health of the infrastructure, and may send signals or alerts through the communication network to a computing network, where the end user may receive the signals and send crews or personnel to investigate and / or repair the location where the sensor has detected a change in the state and / or health of the infrastructure.

[0073] FIG. 7 is a component diagram of an example embodiment of a microcontroller for a sensor-enabled geogrid. It is important to note that the embedded systems described herein, such as various microcontrollers, may be configured with general-purpose computing, and vice versa. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the importance of microcontrollers for various aspects, as well as the substitution of microcontrollers for other aspects with general-purpose computers.

[0074] In an embodiment of the example of FIG. 7, a microcontroller (700) is composed of several standard components along with several unique I / O features. A microcontroller in other embodiments can be a general-purpose computing device, or a dedicated computing device, or any computing device capable of implementing the disclosure herein. The microcontroller is equipped with a timer (712) that plays an important role in an embedded system by maintaining operating cycles synchronized with a system clock or an external networked clock. Further, the timer can be used in applications such as generating a time delay for battery savings or controlling a sampling rate. The microcontroller (700) includes a memory (710) that includes a storage system (702) which may be composed of solid-state drive technology or equipped with other hard drive technologies including volatile and non-volatile memory for storing computing information. For example, an infrastructure processing engine can host data tables or information in a relational database or in an unstructured database within long-term storage (702). The memory (710) of an embodiment of the example of the microcontroller (700) also includes a random access memory (RAM) (706) that holds program instructions, along with a cache (708) for buffering the flow of instructions to the processing unit (750). In some aspects, other engines such as an infrastructure processing engine or an engine for signal acquisition from multiple sensors are in the RAM (706) as instructions are executed by the processing unit (750). Thus, the data RAM is a data space that is temporarily used to store constant and variable values used by the microcontroller (700) during normal program execution by the processing unit (750). Similar to the data RAM, special function registers can exist on the microcontroller (700), and such special function registers operate similar to RAM registers that allow both reading and writing.The difference with the special function registers is that they can be dedicated to controlling on-chip hardware outside the processing unit (750).

[0075] As further depicted in the example of FIG. 7, the application module (704) is shown as being loaded into the memory (710) of the microcontroller (700). Examples of typical application modules can be found in many consumer electronics, including toys, cameras, appliances, etc. In this example, the application module (704) loads a sensing engine or a detection engine into the sensor pod to obtain signals from a sensor system (722) configured for one or more sensors attached to the geogrid. Further, the sensor pod microcontroller (700) can load an engine for compiling sensor information into a database, such as a relational database or an unstructured database. Similarly, the microcontroller (700) disclosed within this example can be positioned as a gateway node or a node receiver and can perform similar or additional functions. Still further, the sensor pod configuration can also include a hardware gateway configuration, such as a cellular data service and an additional processing engine, or vice versa.

[0076] In the example of FIG. 7, the processing unit (750) is configured with respect to a system bus (716) that provides a path for digital signals to rapidly move data within the system and to the processing unit. A typical system bus (716) maintains control via three internal buses or paths, namely, a data bus, an address bus, and a control bus. The I / O interface module (718) can be any number of generic I / Os, including programmed I / O, direct memory access, and channel I / O. Further, within programmed I / O, it can be either port-mapped I / O, or memory-mapped I / O, or any other protocol that can efficiently handle incoming information or signals from one or more sensors. An external device (720) is configured with respect to the I / O interface module (718), where such a device can be a plug-and-play input device (744) using a microcontroller for diagnostic and information input, such as a PDA, a tablet computer, a smartphone, or a laptop, which can be for firmware, BIOS, or software updates. Further, the sensor system (722) in this example includes a bend sensor (724), an accelerometer (726), a strain gauge (728), a temperature sensor (730), and a moisture sensor (736). In other embodiments, only one of the sensors may be present, and in still further embodiments, one or more of the sensors may be present. Additionally, the I / O interface can interface with other types of I / O interfaces, such as a universal serial bus (USB), or a controller area network (which may be part of a network adapter).

[0077] The microcontroller (700) in the embodiment of this example is configured together with a network adapter (714), where the network adapter can support a wired or wireless connection. The networking adapter supports various transmission rates and some of the core functionality provided by Ethernet or wireless connections. The network adapter in this specification includes both a wired Ethernet and a wireless or WiFi module. Further, in other aspects, only the Ethernet module is part of the network adapter (714). In yet further aspects, the network adapter (714) may include only a WiFi module. The network adapter (714) is configured to communicate with a communication network (734) that begins at a gateway node or gateway receiver and may continue along several communication paths until it reaches a computing network due to programs and user interfaces, where the end user can view or otherwise visualize the current status, condition, and / or health of the infrastructure. Some use cases include, but are not limited to, building infrastructure, urban infrastructure, road and sidewalk infrastructure, and rail and track infrastructure.

[0078] Next, referring to FIG. 8, an illustration of an example of an IoT infrastructure system (800) of a sensor-enabled geogrid is disclosed herein. The IoT infrastructure system (800) in this example is designed to obtain information from a sensor-enabled geogrid and transmit that information along a series of communication paths in a communication network to a computing network, where an end user can access, manipulate, encode, and utilize data transmitted from the sensor-enabled geogrid. Beginning this discussion of FIG. 8 at the edge (825), where the edge (825) is an edge network that includes a sensor pod (810) and a gateway (820). The sensor pod (810) is configured with respect to a sensor-enabled geogrid (not shown) and communicates with the gateway (820), also known as a gateway node or gateway receiver. The gateway (820) is configured to communicate through wired or wireless means to a communication network (830). Typical communication network (830) equipment is illustrated, such as a cell tower site (832), also known as a cell site or cellular base station. The cell tower site (832) is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where an antenna and electronic communication equipment are generally disposed on items such as a wireless mast, tower, or other raised structure. The raised structure of the cell tower site (832) generally includes one or more sets of a transmitter / receiver, digital signal processor, control electronics, microcontroller, GPS receiver, and backup power, along with cladding to protect the safety and equipment. In the example of FIG. 8, the gateway (820) transmits a cellular signal to the cell tower site (832), where the cell tower site (832) further transmits the signal to a computing network (840) and ultimately to an end user or user interface.An application may run on a computer network to display the soundness and / or status from a received signal, or there may be a local general-purpose computing device that receives information from a computing network and displays or processes the information for an end user.

[0079] Continuing with the example of FIG. 8, the communication network (830) may also include a small cell (834), where the small cell is a low powered cellular radio access node that operates on both authorized and unauthorized spectrum and can have a range from 10 meters to several kilometers. The small cell is important for some edge (825) applications that may be far from the cell tower (832). Further, as the signal density increases, the small cell becomes particularly important for cellular bandwidth, and the unlicensed spectrum can reduce the load and provide efficiency within the networked area. Additionally, in an embodiment of this example, a distributed antenna system (DAS) (836) may be a part of the communication network (830). In a DAS, a network of spatially separated antenna nodes is connected to a common source to transmit wireless services within a sample geographic area or structure. The DAS may be utilized in embodiments of the present disclosure, where building infrastructure or urban infrastructure is involved. FIG. 8 is not an exhaustive diagram of the IoT platform or communication network (840), and many other technologies such as wired, coaxial, or optical fiber transmission may be utilized. Additionally, embodiments such as satellite and microwave transmission may be included in any aspect of the present disclosure, as is known to those skilled in the art, along with standard RF.

[0080] Next, referring to FIG. 9, examples of a plurality of sensors applicable to the present disclosure are highlighted herein. In addition to the example sensors of this specification, other sensors such as pressure sensors, humidity sensors, UV radiation sensors, and lightning detectors are also applicable. In FIG. 9A, an example of a bend sensor is illustrated. A bend sensor or a flex sensor is designed to measure the amount of deflection or bending. A typical bend sensor resembles a variable resistor that varies the amount of resistance when bent. The configuration of a bend sensor often includes a phenolic resin substrate on which conductive ink is disposed and segmented semiconductors are arranged along the conductive ink path. There are additional embodiments of bend sensors, and the principle remains the same. In FIG. 9B, an example of an accelerometer is disclosed. An accelerometer is a tool that measures the rate of change of the body's velocity in its own instantaneous rest frame. This type of acceleration is different from the directional acceleration in a fixed coordinate system. The present disclosure includes the use of multiple accelerometers for cooperation with each other and for measuring differences between each other. For example, one accelerometer can be placed on one rail track, and an additional accelerometer can be placed on the opposite rail track. Similarly, within an IoT system, accelerometers can be coordinated across a sensor-enabled geogrid to form a “map” or profile of the entire system and even help track movement along the system. In FIG. 9C, an example of a temperature sensor is disclosed. In the example, a resistance thermometer is disclosed, where a length of thin wire is wound around a ceramic core or glass, and the wire measures the resistance / temperature relationship. Other temperature sensors including infrared, mercury, digital, etc. are applicable. In FIG. 9D, an example of a moisture sensor is illustrated. In the illustrated example, two exposed pads act as probes and act as a variable resistor. The more water there is in the substrate, layer, or soil, the better the conductivity between the two pads, thereby reducing the resistance. Additional embodiments of moisture sensors are available, and the present disclosure is only an example of one of the very many commercially available moisture sensors.In FIG. 9E, an example of a strain gauge is illustrated. As previously discussed, a strain gauge measures stress or strain on a material. When a force is applied to the body of the strain gauge, the body deforms, and this deformation is called strain. More specifically, strain (∈) is defined as the fractional change in length using the following formula, i.e.,

Number

Number

[0081] Next, referring to FIG. 10, there is provided a flow diagram of an example of a method for monitoring the state and / or health of an infrastructure. In the example method, generally, it begins by dispersing sensors (1000) in a sensor-enabled geogrid, a geofabric (or other geocomposite), although additional examples are disclosed such as dispersing sensors within an infrastructure layer that is not attached to the geogrid. Further, the type and number of sensors depend on the particular use case. In one example, one or more sensors, even of the same type (e.g., multiple strain gauges), are utilized in an array that provides the most accurate readings possible for a given infrastructure. Subsequently, in this example, generally, a sensor pod or gateway, which is at the edge of the IoT network and serves as a collection and storage device for signals or information before transmitting them along a communication path, receives signals from the dispersed sensors (1002). Next, in one embodiment, signals or information from the sensors are processed (1004). In one embodiment, this is done at the sensor pod, in another embodiment, this is done at a gateway node or gateway receiver, and in another embodiment, this is done at a computing network or general-purpose computer near the end user. The operation of processing the signals (1004) can be performed in any computing aspect within the system or at multiple points within the system, as described. In one aspect, the sensor pod can process the signals (1004) and apply a filter (1006), where the filter removes noise or irrelevant information received from one or more sensors. In another aspect, the sensor pod can process the signals (1004) and forward the signals to a gateway node or computing network to apply a filter (1006). In other embodiments, independent component analysis can be performed to isolate the signals, and in other embodiments, principle components analysis can be performed to further refine the signals.Many algorithms are used to filter signals and / or clean up data received from sensors. In this example, some well-known methods are considered, but it is important to note that other methods that enable the sensor to produce understandable readings and information are applicable. Next, along with processing the signal (1004), a sensor pod, gateway, or computing network may apply an infrastructure processing engine (1008) to data received from one or more sensors. The infrastructure processing engine, in this example, processes data received from the sensor and produces information that an end user can act upon. This can be in the form of an alert, message, notification, or alternatively, data that indicates whether one or more sensors have exceeded a particular threshold. For example, if a moisture sensor indicates higher than the average conductivity and a strain gauge indicates an increasing strain or electrical resistance that exceeds the moving day average of the strain gauge. Further, other sensors, such as accelerometers, may be used to verify the accuracy of the data. For example, a train passing on a track or a vehicle on a paved road may cause a strain gauge to temporarily increase before returning to normal resistance, and an accelerometer mounted on the track may detect and filter the passing train or assist the processing engine in interpreting the data.

[0082] Continue the discussion with the steps of the infrastructure processing engine (1008) and the presentation of the method of the example of FIG. 10. Here, the infrastructure processing engine (1008) determines (1010) whether there is excessive movement in the roadbed or auxiliary roadbed through one or more sensors. Next, a second parameter is obtained by the infrastructure processing engine (1008), where it determines (1012) whether there is excessive moisture in the roadbed and / or auxiliary roadbed of the infrastructure. Finally, the infrastructure processing engine (1008) determines the magnitude of the roadbed deformation (1014) and uses the first two parameters to determine (1020) whether the state and / or soundness of the infrastructure should be investigated. Next, following the signal processing (1004), the processed signal is transmitted (1016) through an electrical communication network to a computing network, where the computing network receives the signal (1018) and may perform additional processing or apply the infrastructure processing engine (1008) or other similar engines to the information received from the sensors. In other aspects, filtering the signal and applying infrastructure processing are performed in a computing network away from the edge of the IoT platform. In other aspects, filtering and processing are performed at the gateway node or within the sensor pod itself. Throughout various examples, the result is information regarding the soundness and / or state of the infrastructure or various infrastructure situations that do not require a field agent or a physical inspection of the infrastructure. The disclosure herein provides intelligence throughout the system, enabling the sensor-enabled grid to communicate actionable information to end users who can act on specific parts of the infrastructure based on the actionable information.

[0083] Next, referring to FIG. 11, a flowchart of an example of a method for monitoring the state and / or health of an infrastructure. In this example, first, a sensor-enabled geogrid is installed (1100) in the substructure of the infrastructure. The substructure can be any structure of the infrastructure that is below the main surface structure, such as the surface layer. Examples of substructures include, but are not limited to, ballast, sub-ballast, binder, base course, subgrade layer, compacted roadbed, and natural roadbed. Following the installation, network communication is established (1110) to link the sensor-enabled geogrid to a computing network. This can be done through a sensor pod attached to or configured for the sensor-enabled geogrid, or through a gateway or gateway node / receiver attached to the geogrid and further configured through wired or wireless means to the communication network. Next, information or data from the sensor-enabled grid is monitored (1120) by the computing network. The monitoring includes analyzing (1130) the information and / or data from the sensor-enabled geogrid to determine the health, state, and / or situation in a particular area of the infrastructure and also of the substructure. Finally, preventive and / or corrective measures or actions are applied (1140) to each substructure based on the information collected from the sensor-enabled geogrid.

[0084] In FIG. 12, a sequence diagram (1200) of an example of a method for monitoring the state and / or health of an infrastructure is illustrated. The sensor generates a signal (1202), often in a time series data format (1214), by sampling in a linear manner, and in other embodiments, the data may be sampled randomly or by algorithmic means. Next, the sensor pod may receive the signal and convert / interpret the signal (1204) if analog-to-digital conversion is required. Next, the sensor pod transmits the signal information or data to the gateway, where the gateway transmits the information along a communication network (1206). The communication network (1206) transmits information and / or data from the sensor and from the gateway to a computing network (1208). Here, the computing network analyzes the information or data (1210) and displays the information or data on a user interface. In an example embodiment, a disclosure is provided for transmitting programmable instructions from an input device on a user computer or from a user interface connected to the computing network to the gateway or the sensor pod (1216). In such an embodiment, the user may provide an update to the software or application, and the example includes firmware or sensor updates, or updates to the processing engine via the communication network to various edge hardware devices (sensors, sensor pods, gateways).

[0085] Continuing with FIG. 12, if a signal is not received from the sensor (1212), the sensor pod continues to attempt to capture the signal (1220). Similarly, if the gateway does not receive a signal (1222), the gateway may alert the computing network so that the sensor pod and / or sensor can be investigated. Additionally, if the gateway is not receiving communication from either the sensor pod or the communication network, it may cache or otherwise store data until communication resumes (1224). Similarly, the sensor pod may go through the same procedure if it loses its connection to the gateway, and it may cache or otherwise store signal information from one or more sensors. In an exemplary embodiment, a team or crew may be dispatched (1230) to investigate the gateway, or the sensor pod (1232), or the sensor (1234) based on built-in procedures and protocols within the system that provide alerts in critical areas where loss of communication can result in loss of service or information.

[0086] Shift the focus to rail tracks and infrastructure embodiments. In FIG. 13A, an embodiment of an example of rail track infrastructure is illustrated. The various layers or substrates defined herein are for example purposes, and in practice, the layers may be differently defined or may be difficult to determine. Additional elements of the rail track infrastructure may include ballast shoulders, sleepers, blankets, and other layers and / or elements. Further, many of the layers may be repeated and / or may have various additional elements, and the focus remains on monitoring the substrate through the sensor-enabled geogrid, where the examples herein are but some of the configurations encompassed by the present disclosure. The rail track infrastructure (1300) illustrates a rail track (1310) and a ballast layer (1320), a sub-ballast layer (1330), and a subgrade layer (1340). Together, the layers form an embodiment of a rail track infrastructure (1300) that depicts a rail track infrastructure in good soundness and condition. In FIG. 13B, an example of a washout condition or erosion or damage (1350) in the rail track infrastructure is illustrated (1302). More particularly, the washout condition or erosion or damage to the rail track infrastructure is occurring in the subgrade (1340). Erosion or washout generally occurs when soft soil or other layers are washed away by water or mechanical forces, often during heavy rainfall, gushing water, or a flooding body of water. Mountainous regions and areas without vegetation to solidify sediments may be subject to additional washout or erosion conditions. Washout conditions in the rails and track infrastructure can be difficult to locate and can even leave the rails suspended above the ground, increasing the potential for accidents. Therefore, the sensor-enabled geogrid is equipped to detect even minor changes in the rail track infrastructure, changes that may not be known by visual inspection, as disclosed herein, and to analyze those changes for life cycle maintenance, repair, and / or mediation.

[0087] Examples of rail track infrastructure with sensor-enabled geogrids are illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14B (1400, 1402). In FIG. 14A, the sensor-enabled geogrid (1440) is disposed above the roadbed level (1450). In FIG. 14B, the sensor-enabled geogrid (1440) is disposed above the secondary ballast level (1430). The placement of the sensor-enabled geogrid (1440) within the infrastructure depends on the structure of the rails and track infrastructure as well as specific application examples. In other embodiments, several sensor-enabled geogrids, or sensor-enabled geogrids and sensor-enabled geofabrics, or in other cases normal geogrids and sensor-enabled geofabrics, where one or more sensors on the geogrid or geofabric receive information regarding the rail track infrastructure and transmit that information to a computing network remote from the IoT edge for further processing and monitoring, are combined to form a "detection layer". Similar to the previous figures, the rail track (1410) is disposed on the ballast material (1420). The ballast material (1420) holds the track in place and generally consists of crushed stone, although other less suitable materials such as burnt clay can be used. The appropriate thickness of the rail track ballast depends on the size and spacing of the ties (not shown), the amount of traffic, and various other factors such as the geogrid supported infrastructure or sublayer. The secondary ballast (1430) is generally smaller crushed stone than that of the ballast (1420), supports the ballast (1420), and is designed to reduce the ingress of water from the underlying support structure. The sensor-enabled geogrid (1440) in this example, equipped with moisture sensors and strain gauges and / or bend gauges, can anticipate fouling from water ingress in the substructure.The moisture sensor can be equipped to detect on a time series basis, where computing networks and application modules have a seasonal average or swing and can use previous information to build or develop models for specific regions and / or locations of the rail track infrastructure.

[0088] In FIGS. 15A-15B, a sensor-enabled geogrid rail track infrastructure in a deteriorated state is illustrated. In FIG. 15A, deterioration or erosion or damage is occurring within the roadbed layer (1550). The roadbed (1550) is generally a native material upon which the infrastructure is disposed. The roadbed (1550) may be compacted or mixed with other aggregates to make it firm if the native material is not capable of supporting the application. In FIG. 15B, erosion or deterioration or damage is occurring in the ballast layer (1530). The location where erosion occurs is an example of how a sensor-enabled geogrid may implement using one or more sensors. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 15A, the sensor-enabled geogrid (1540) may receive strain from the missing roadbed layer (1560), where a strain gauge sensor highlights the added resistance, and further, if equipped with bend sensors, the bend sensors may also verify the increased bend on the geogrid due to the deteriorated state. The deterioration in FIG. 15A in one example may cause a concave bend in the geogrid due to the loss of the roadbed, which increases the reading on the bend sensor and generates a signal alerting of a change in the integrity and / or state of the rail track infrastructure. In other embodiments, the concave bend in FIG. 15A may create resistance in the strain gauge and generate a signal depicting the strain on the sensor-enabled geogrid. Those skilled in the art will immediately recognize the need for applications as disclosed herein to endow the rail track infrastructure with intelligence, and further, the benefits of cost reduction and casualty avoidance. In FIG. 15B, the deteriorated state or erosion or damage (1560) may relieve the pressure or force on top of the geogrid, which may even cause a convex bend, where the strain gauge and bend sensors may alert of such forces on the sensor-enabled geogrid (1540). Additionally, moisture sensors may indicate an increase in moisture due to deterioration and further indicate the integrity and / or state of the rail track infrastructure.

[0089] Similarly, in FIGS. 16A-16B, additional washout or erosion or damage (1660) to the sensor-enabled rail track (1630) is illustrated. The rail track (1610) is held in place by the ballast bed (1620), such that in the example of FIG. 16A, the sensor-enabled geogrid (1630) is disposed. In this embodiment, the sensor-enabled geogrid (1630) is disposed on top of the secondary ballast bed and depicts the use of a "sensing layer" which is a sensor-enabled geogrid at multiple locations in the rail and track infrastructure. Similar to FIGS. 15A-15B, washout conditions or erosion or damage can occur at various points across the rail track infrastructure. The geogrid semi-rigid structure allows forces and changes to be sensed throughout in a "web"-like manner such that even though the sensors are not placed directly at the point of erosion, they are still able to detect or sense changes in the infrastructure. In FIG. 16A, the washout (1660) occurs in the secondary ballast bed layer and causes a concavity in the forces exerted on the sensor-enabled geogrid. These forces can be detected by one or more sensors and transmitted from the edge hardware to a computing network where an end user (via a software application or platform) can take preventive or corrective measures or issue an alert regarding the integrity and state changes of the rail track infrastructure.

[0090] In FIG. 17A, a plurality of sensor-enabled geogrids (1730) are disposed within a rail track infrastructure. The rail track rails (1710) are held by a roadbed (1720), where a first sensor-enabled geogrid (1730) is disposed, followed by a secondary roadbed (1740) and a second sensor-enabled geogrid (1730) disposed on the subgrade. In this example, the plurality of sensor-enabled geogrids increase the sensitivity of the readings and allow for additional data and redundancy. Further, such an arrangement can be beneficial for very important areas, such as at a rail track station where increased and repetitive stress can fatigue the infrastructure more rapidly.

[0091] In FIG. 17B, an example of an edge infrastructure for a sensor-enabled geogrid in a rail and track infrastructure (1702) is illustrated. The rail track rail (1710) is disposed on top of a roadbed (1720), where an example embodiment depicts a plurality of locations of sensor pods (1760). The sensor pods (1760) may rest on railroad ties or upper infrastructure for ease of access and communication. Further, as seen in other embodiments and disclosures herein (FIG. 4), the sensor pods (1760) may be configured with respect to the sensor-enabled geogrid (1740) itself. The locations of the sensor pods (1760) vary with the rail track installation, but in additional examples, the sensor-enabled geogrid is fabricated with sensors and sensor pods for enabling rapid installation. The gateway node (1770) or gateway receiver is configured with a direct connection such as an Ethernet or data cable or coaxial cable to the sensor pod. The gateway node (1770) or gateway receiver is equipped to transmit both wired and wirelessly to a communication network (1780), where sensor information is forwarded to a computing network for further monitoring and analysis.

[0092] In FIG. 18A, the sensor pod (1850) is depicted as being replaced by the gateway node (1860), where the gateway node (1860) provides protection of the leads and configuration for receiving information from the inputs as well as the sensors. In this example, the gateway and the sensor pod can be combined, where the sensor pod can have the attributes of the gateway, whereby the sensor pod can be equipped to communicate via cellular transmission to the communication network. The edge system can also be broken down into further constituents. In an additional example, the gateway receiver can have one wired receiver from the sensor pod and a wireless receiver from the wired receiver. In the previous example, a daisy chain of gateway receivers can be created to provide transmission of information from the sensors to the communication network.

[0093] In FIG. 18B, an elevation view of a sensor-enabled rail track infrastructure is illustrated. The sensor (1830) may include an accelerometer on a rail track tie that enables detection of vibrations on the track, where detection of the vibrations enables filtering when a train passes, and thus may filter out false strains or bends. In this embodiment, the systems may cross-reference each other, and portions of the infrastructure processing engine may use one sensor to clean up or filter the data of another sensor. The sensor pod (1820) is depicted on top of the roadbed and facilitates access to the housing for upgrades and equipment verification. Further, in this embodiment, the top of the sensor pod may be equipped with solar infrastructure to power a rechargeable battery that powers the sensors and microcontrollers installed in the sensor pod (1820). In additional embodiments, mechanical forces or vibrations in the rail track may provide piezoelectric charges that charge a battery that powers the sensor pod microcontroller and sensors. In an additional aspect, for example on an electric drive train and rail, the sensor pod may tap directly into the grid to receive power. In a further aspect, the battery is equipped to sustain the life of the sensor pod unit, where upon replacement, the entire unit is replaced. Further, in FIG. 18B, the sensor pod (1820) is equipped with cellular communications that enable transmission to a communication network (1830), where data from the sensors is sent to a computing network.

[0094] In FIG. 19, the flowchart illustrates an example of a method for monitoring the state and / or soundness of a rail track infrastructure. In one aspect, the installation of a sensor-enabled geogrid is disposed within the rail track infrastructure (1900). The sensor-enabled geogrid, as part of the rail track infrastructure, is endowed with intelligence in the form of one or more sensors and a sensor pod or gateway for receiving signals originating from the one or more sensors. Next, a communication link is provided between the sensor-enabled geogrid in the rail track infrastructure and a backend computing network (1910). Next, the user and the system herein monitor the information received from the sensor-enabled geogrid (1920). In monitoring, a program or the user analyzes the information and / or data from the sensor-enabled geogrid to determine the soundness, state, and / or situation of the rail track infrastructure (1930). Sometimes, further discoveries are needed and the analysis process may proceed towards additional information gathering. Finally, if there is a legitimate reason, preventive and / or corrective actions, including repairing a washout or erosion condition, may be performed on the rail track infrastructure (1940). Further, in additional embodiments, the life cycle maintenance of the rail track infrastructure may be guided or directed by information from the sensor-enabled geogrid.

[0095] Shift the focus to those for sidewalks and road infrastructure. FIG. 20 is an illustration of an example force applied to a sidewalk or road infrastructure. The distribution of forces as well as directional forces is a constant consumption on sidewalks and road infrastructure. Many installations are critical to the modern economy and there has long been a need for reliable detection and maintenance of sidewalks and road infrastructure. Sensor-enabled geogrids within sidewalk infrastructure enable monitoring of the situation, soundness, and / or condition of sidewalk infrastructure without the need for special equipment and / or measures that could cause further deterioration, such as piercing or entering holes in the surface by multiple sensors.

[0096] Figures 21 to 23 disclose embodiments of a sensor-enabled geogrid system and method in a pavement and road infrastructure. In Figure 21A, a sample of a pavement infrastructure is illustrated. The surface layer (2110) is the topmost layer in contact with traffic loads and forces. The characteristics of the surface layer (2110) include friction, smoothness, noise control, rut resistance, and drainage. Further, the surface layer (2110) is generally designed to prevent drainage to the lower layers in order to control erosion and runoff. The surface layer most often comprises an aggregate mixed with a binder, such as asphalt or a mineral aggregate mixed with an asphalt material. The base layer (2120) is the layer immediately below the surface layer (2110), which generally provides force distribution and supports drainage. The base layer (2120) generally includes crushed stone, crushed slag, crushed or recycled gravel, and sand, or combinations of these materials. Often, a transition layer, such as a binder layer, may exist between the surface layer (2110) and the base layer (2120). The subgrade layer (2130) mainly functions as a structural support and often includes the lowest quality materials. The subgrade layer (2130) is often made from native soil or in-situ soil and environment. The examples in this specification are not exhaustive, and many different layers and coatings for road and pavement infrastructure are possible and would be known to those skilled in the art.

[0097] Figure 21B is an illustration of the forces from a tire (2140) on a pavement infrastructure (2102). In an example, the forces from the tire impart an impact to the layer, indicating degradation (2150) resulting from stress and strain. Ultimately, settlement can lead to erosion, or other damage such as rutting, and channels that increase the risk and damage to vehicles when it occurs due to loss of the subgrade layer (2130), or through inappropriate drainage of the surface layer (2110) or base layer (2120). Additionally, traffic volume and / or load may increase erosion due to supporting soil shifting from repetitive stress and forces. This often causes cracks, sometimes increasing subsurface moisture (a detectable aspect of the present disclosure), as well as increasing strain and / or bending on a sensor-enabled geogrid. Even further, the temperature, freezing, and thawing cycles of water within the pavement infrastructure can further increase erosion and the forces on a sensor-enabled geogrid.

[0098] In FIGS. 22A-22B, illustrations of examples of sensor-enabled pavement and vehicle infrastructure embodiments are disclosed. In FIG. 22A, a sensor-enabled geogrid (2220) is configured within a subgrade layer (2240). In additional examples, the sensor-enabled geogrid (2220) may be within the base layer (2120). In additional examples, the sensor-enabled geogrid (2220) may be within a mixture of layers that may not be clearly defined by aggregates or materials. In one aspect, the sensor-enabled geogrid (2220) is configured with a rigid member within which strain gauges and bend sensors may be configured to provide an input. In other aspects, the pavement condition and integrity and / or state are configured relative to parameters of the sensor-enabled geogrid, thereby providing real-time data regarding information obtained from sensors within the pavement infrastructure.

[0099] In FIG. 22B, an example of a tire (2250) applying force to a pavement infrastructure, where continuous force causes other deformations resulting in loss, or weakening and crumbling of the pavement, and forces acting on a sensor-enabled geogrid (2220). In the example, the force causes concave bending, where the sensor-enabled geogrid can detect such force and report strain or deflection on the pavement infrastructure. Monitoring and analysis in this example can be done to prevent further damage to the pavement infrastructure or can be completed as part of routine maintenance of the pavement infrastructure. These illustrations are just a few examples and are typical of how force can deform a sensor-enabled geogrid and enable detection of changes in the integrity and / or condition of pavement and road infrastructure.

[0100] FIG. 23 is a flow diagram of an example of a method for monitoring the state and / or integrity of a pavement infrastructure. First, in the example of FIG. 23, a sensor-enabled geosynthetics layer is installed (2300) within the pavement infrastructure. This geosynthetics layer can be a geogrid, a geotextile, or other geocomposite / geopolymer. Further, the geogrid can be multi-axial, and rigid members can be used for the placement of various sensors such as strain gauges and bend sensors. Continuing with this example, a communication link is provided (2310) between the sensor-enabled geogrid within the pavement infrastructure and a computing network, where the computing network can be in a cloud computing environment or a local computing environment. Further, the computing network can host an application, a web application, a dynamic server applet, or any other application when rendering information from a relational or unstructured database. Information from the sensor-enabled geogrid within the pavement infrastructure is monitored (2320) and analyzed (2330) to determine the integrity, state, and / or condition of the pavement infrastructure. Finally, if there is a valid reason, preventive measures and / or corrective actions can be taken with respect to the pavement infrastructure. Corrective actions can include repairing and replacing sections of the pavement infrastructure, as well as remediating and restoring the infrastructure. Further, in additional examples, life cycle monitoring and analysis are used to perform additional monitoring on the installed pavement, including collecting, creating things such as value indexes, determining preferential grade and wear, and grading different areas with respect to the strength of the roadbed and other attributes and characteristics.

[0101] Next, refer to FIG. 24. Illustrated in FIG. 24 is an example of a user interface from a computing network. The user interface is generally populated with sensor information, schematics, diagrams, alerts, messages, and other information related to the status, condition, and / or health of the sensor-enabled grid and infrastructure equipped with the disclosure of this specification. The user interface is where preventive and / or corrective actions can be taken with respect to the underlying structure of interest. For example, based on the results of an analysis performed by the computing network and the end user, some preventive maintenance, some repair, and / or some replacement of the underlying structure can be performed. It is also contemplated that other analysis parameters, such as life cycle analysis (i.e., how much life is left in the structure based on the design life assumption), can be monitored. These types of analysis can be useful in financial planning, and thus, the system is not only envisioned as a maintenance tool but can generally also be used as a financial and operations planning tool.

[0102] In accordance with long-standing patent law convention, the terms "a," "an," and "the" are used in this application, including in the claims, to refer to "one or more" when the context clearly does not dictate otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "subject" includes a plurality of subjects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and so on.

[0103] Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms "comprise," "comprises," and "comprising" are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. Similarly, the term "include" and its grammatical variations are non-limiting, such that the recitation of items in a list does not exclude other similar items that may be substituted or added to the listed items.

[0104] For the purposes of this specification and the appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, sizes, dimensions, proportions, shapes, formulations, parameters, ratios, amounts, properties, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about" even though the term "about" may not explicitly appear with a value, quantity, or range. Therefore, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are not and need not be exact, and may be approximate and / or larger or smaller as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement error, and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art in light of the desired properties to be obtained by the subject matter of this disclosure. For example, the term "about" when referring to a value may mean, in some embodiments, a variation of ±100%, in some embodiments ±50%, in some embodiments ±20%, in some embodiments ±10%, in some embodiments ±5%, in some embodiments ±1%, in some embodiments ±0.5%, and in some embodiments ±0.1% from the specified amount, such variations being inclusive as they are appropriate for carrying out the disclosed methods or adopting the disclosed compositions.

[0105] Furthermore, the term "about" when used in connection with one or more numbers or numerical ranges should be understood to refer to all such numbers, including all numbers within the range, and to modify the range by extending the boundaries above and below the recited numerical values. The recitation of a numerical range by endpoints includes all numbers within that range, including whole integers and their fractions (e.g., the recitation of 1 to 5 includes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and their fractions, e.g., 1.5, 2.25, 3.75, 4.1, etc.), and any range within that range.

[0106] While the above subject matter has been described in some detail through illustrations and examples for clarity of understanding, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that some changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A geogrid system for infrastructure monitoring, a sensor-enabled geogrid, a geogrid comprising at least a strain gauge and an accelerometer, the strain gauge and the accelerometer being operably configured with respect to the structural members of the geogrid, the sensor-enabled geogrid comprising the geogrid, a sensor pod having a protective housing, a microcontroller configured within the sensor pod, the microcontroller being configured to receive signals from the strain gauge and the accelerometer via wired or wireless communication and transmit the signals to a gateway device, the gateway device being in communication with the microcontroller within the sensor pod, either wired or wirelessly, a computing network that receives data from the microcontroller and is equipped to process the signals including at least parameters of base strain gauge measurements from the strain gauge and parameters of acceleration measurements from the accelerometer, the parameters of the acceleration measurements being used to filter out false strain from the strain gauge comprising a geogrid system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the geogrid is a multi-axis geogrid.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the geogrid is made of a polymeric material.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor-enabled geogrid is configured with a plurality of sensor pods.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a bend sensor operably configured with respect to the structural members of the geogrid.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a moisture sensor operably configured with respect to the structural members of the geogrid.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor operably configured with respect to the structural members of the geogrid.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured for the computing network to enable viewing of signals obtained from the sensor-enabled geogrid.

9. A protective housing, a microcontroller, a power supply, and a communication adapter configured for wired or wireless communication comprising a sensor pod, a strain gauge attached to the geogrid and configured for wired or wireless connection to the sensor pod, an accelerometer attached to the geogrid and configured for wired or wireless connection to the sensor pod, an infrastructure processing engine executed on a computer network and including at least parameters of base strain gauge measurements and parameters of accelerometer measurements, wherein the parameters of the accelerometer measurements are used to filter out false strains from the strain gauge, comprising a device for geogrid infrastructure monitoring.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the sensor pod is further configured for a bend sensor.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the strain gauge is attached to a multi-axis geogrid.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the sensor pod is attached to a multi-axis geogrid.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the communication adapter is configured for a gateway device.

14. A method for monitoring the status of a geogrid support infrastructure, comprising: distributing sensor-enabled geogrids within the infrastructure; receiving signals from the sensor-enabled geogrids within the infrastructure by a microcontroller within a sensor pod having a protective housing; To be processed by the microcontroller, the processing generating time series data from the signals from the sensor-enabled geogrid within the infrastructure, the time series data including at least parameters of base strain gauge measurements, parameters of accelerometer measurements, and a maximum strain amount based on the tensile strength of the sensor-enabled geogrid, and to be processed by the microcontroller, To transmit the time series data to a computing network by a communication adapter configured for the microcontroller A method comprising.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein dispersing the sensor-enabled geogrid within the infrastructure comprises arranging the sensor-enabled grid under the track bed substrate.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the processing by the microcontroller further comprises generating a situation notification based on a change in a signal from the sensor-enabled geogrid within the infrastructure.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein transmitting the time series data further comprises transmitting coordinates of the location of the signal received by the microcontroller.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising filtering the signal by the microcontroller, wherein the filtering provides sampling of the signal within a set of parameters.

19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising processing by the microcontroller having a feedback loop, the feedback loop processing previous time series data.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving by the microcontroller comprises receiving a signal from a strain gauge.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving by the microcontroller comprises receiving a signal from a bend sensor.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving by the microcontroller comprises receiving a signal from a moisture sensor.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving by the microcontroller comprises receiving a signal from a temperature sensor.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving by the microcontroller is receiving a signal from an accelerometer. **Claim 25** A method for monitoring the status of an infrastructure that supports a geogrid, comprising: installing a sensor-enabled geogrid in the infrastructure; providing a communication link from the sensor-enabled geogrid to a computing network via sensor pods and gateway devices; monitoring information transmitted from the sensor-enabled geogrid, the information including at least parameters of base strain gauge measurements, parameters of accelerometer measurements, and parameters of a maximum strain amount based on the tensile strength of the sensor-enabled geogrid; analyzing the information from the sensor-enabled geogrid, wherein analyzing comprises processing the information using an infrastructure processing engine; identifying, by the computing network, the parameters of the base strain gauge measurements and when the parameters of the maximum strain amount are exceeded; A method comprising the above. **Claim 26** The method according to claim 25, wherein installing the sensor-enabled geogrid comprises placing a strain gauge on the surface of the sensor-enabled geogrid to detect strain on the sensor-enabled geogrid. **Claim 27** The method according to claim 25, wherein installing the sensor-enabled geogrid comprises placing a bend sensor on the surface of the sensor-enabled geogrid to detect bends on the sensor-enabled geogrid. **Claim 28** The method according to claim 25, wherein monitoring the information is performed by detecting information that exceeds the parameters of the maximum strain amount.

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