Utility pole maintenance system

Abstract

The disclosed technology is generally directed to a system for utility pole maintenance. In one example of the technology, the system may include multiple sensor devices in communication with each other, and multiple satellites in communication with at least one of the sensor devices via non-line-of-sight communication. The sensor devices are deployed on utility poles. Each of the sensor devices may include at least one sensor to measure a physical parameter; a processor to detect, based on the measured physical parameter, a condition indicative of one of a failure of the utility pole or a likelihood of failure of the utility pole and generate a signal when the condition is detected; an indicator to indicate that the condition is detected; and a communication interface and an antenna to communicate the signal. The signal is modulated with data indicating that the condition indicative of the failure of utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole.

Description

UTILITY POLE MAINTENANCE SYSTEMCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial Number 63 / 615,519, filed on December 28, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure is directed to utility pole maintenance systems, and more particularly, to utility pole maintenance systems for detecting likelihood of failure that utilize one or more satellites that is (or are) in communication with one or more terrestrial sensor devices via non-line-of-sight communications.BACKGROUND

[0003] Utility poles are important components of infrastructure networks and play a significant role in supporting overhead power lines, telecommunication cables, and other critical utilities. Ensuring the structural integrity and regular maintenance of the utility poles can help prevent service disruptions, enhance safety, and prolong their operational lifespan. Traditional methods of utility pole inspection and maintenance can be timeconsuming, labor-intensive, and prone to oversights. Utility pole maintenance encompasses a multifaceted approach that employs systems to enhance the ability to detect, monitor, and respond to potential failures.SUMMARY

[0004] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a system may include a plurality of sensor devices in communication with each other, anda plurality of satellites in communication with at least one of the plurality of sensor devices via non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication. Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, a method or process, or a non-transitory, a computer readable medium, etc. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods. The system may include one or more computers that can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of including instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

[0006] The sensor devices may be deployed on utility poles in a geographic area. Each of the sensor devices may include at least one sensor configured to measure a physical parameter to generate a measured physical parameter; a processor configured to detect, based on the measured physical parameter, either a condition indicative of a failure of the utility pole or that a likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds a threshold, and generate a signal, when either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole is detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold; an indicator configured to indicate that either the condition indicative of the failure is detected or that the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold; and a communication interface and at least one antenna configured to communicate the signal. The signal is modulated with data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole is detected or that the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold. Each of the plurality of sensor devices is configured to establish communication with at least one of the plurality of satellites to transmit the signal.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of sensor devices includes: a set of sensors including the at least one sensor and in some implementations a plurality of sensors. Depending on the implementation, each of the plurality of sensor devices includes may include one or more of: a vibration sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature detector, a snow sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, etc. Depending on the implementation, the physical parameter(s) measured by each sensor of the set of sensors can include one or more of: a vibration level, a type and a direction of motion, location coordinates, a temperature level, snow information, a rain speed and level, and a wind speed and direction.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of sensor devices includes: one or more antennas configured to facilitate communication with other ones of plurality of sensor devices and the plurality of satellites; at least one battery; and solar cells configured to receive light and charge the at least one battery.

[0009] In addition, each of the satellites may include a phased array antenna system that is configured to receive, from at least one of the sensor devices, the signal modulated with data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each antenna of each of the plurality of sensor devices is configured to communicate directly with at least one phased array antenna system of at least one of the plurality of satellites.

[0010] To help achieve non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication capability on the downlink, each phased array antenna system may be configured to generate a satellite beam of radio waves at, for example, a frequency less than or equal to 300 Mega Hertz (MHz), and at a wavelength greater than or equal to 1 meter such that the satellite beam of radio waves has a power flux density of at least -100 Decibels Milliwatt per Square Meter (dBm / m2).

[0011] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system comprises a data center configured to receive, from each sensor device, the data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold, and store the data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of sensor devices are configured to communicate with each other and exchange data to configure a mesh network such that the plurality of sensor devices are configured to communicate information with each other.

[0013] The data center may be configured to determine, based on the signal received from at least one of the plurality of sensor devices, at least one of: an indication of one of the failure of the utility pole and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole, an area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected, a warning level of the likelihood of failure, and a reason for either the failure of the utility pole or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole.

[0014] For example, based on locations of the sensor devices which detected the condition indicative of the failure or the likelihood of failure, each of the plurality of satellites may be configured to determine at least a location of the area in which the failure of the utility pole or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole is detected.

[0015] The warning level of the likelihood of failure may be determined based on a level of vibration and a level of motion of the utility pole. For example, when the warning level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the indicator indicates the failure of the utility pole or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indicator is a visual indicator configured to emit a visible indication that either the condition indicative of thefailure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold.

[0017] Further aspects, features, applications and advantages of the disclosed technology, as well as the structure and operation of various examples, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the disclosed technology is not limited to the specific examples described herein. Such examples are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Additional examples will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, non-limiting and non- exhaustive examples of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1A is a simplified diagram illustrating a non-terrestrial network communication system in which aspects of the technology may be employed;

[0020] FIG. 1 B is a block diagram of an example of a base station in which aspects of the technology may be employed;

[0021] FIG. 1 C is a block diagram of an example of a phased array antenna system in which aspects of the technology may be employed;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a sensor device in which aspects of the technology may be employed;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method for processing information received from sensor devices according to aspects of the disclosed technology; and

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one example of computing device in which aspects of the technology may be practiced.

[0025] In the drawings, similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings unless otherwise specified. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specification and accompanying drawings disclose one or more embodiments that incorporate the features of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments merely exemplify the present disclosure, and modified versions of the disclosed embodiments are also encompassed by the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure are defined by the claims appended hereto.

[0027] It is noted that any section / subsection headings provided herein are not intended to be limiting. Any embodiments described throughout this specification, and disclosed in any section / subsection may be combined with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or a different section / subsection in any manner.

[0028] Implementations of the techniques described herein may include hardware, a method or process, or a non-transitory computer readable medium, etc. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods. The system may include one or more computers that can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue ofincluding instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

[0029] The integration of satellite and sensor technologies hinges upon robust data communication infrastructure. In one approach, remote sensor nodes are interconnected through gateways that relay data to centralized command centers via satellite links or terrestrial networks. This seamless connectivity empowers real-time data analysis, facilitating the generation of comprehensive situational awareness reports and informed decision-making.

[0030] However, one of the challenges in implementing systems with approaches like those described above relates to maintaining connectivity between terrestrial sensors, satellites of satellite systems and other networks. Implementation of large-scale utility pole maintenance is impeded by the inadequate establishment of seamless communication networks. While sensors are identified as adept tools for detecting pivotal indicators of failure or likelihood of failure of a utility pole, the effectiveness of these sensors is hampered when the sensors are unable to send their information to other systems, like satellites or computer networks, for alerts and warnings.

[0031] The aforementioned challenge of connectivity is aggravated by the intricacies of deploying sensors within regions having densely packed construction of buildings and other elements, dense forests, or regions with limited network connectivity. While the sensors boast detection ranges spanning from a few meters to several tens of meters, their operational efficacy remains highly dependent on the presence of gateways that facilitate connections to satellite or IP networks. These gateways introduce a layer of complexity that is difficult to overcome, limiting the seamless flow of data from the sensors to the broader communication networks that are imperative for timely maintenance of utility poles.

[0032] Moreover, the role of satellites in utility pole maintenance also includes limitations, primarily concerning obstructions within the densely constructed regions or regions having poor network connectivity. The innate challenge of signal propagation in dense building cover necessitates the installation of satellite terminals approximately every 100 meters to ensure uninterrupted communication which, may be theoretically sound, but is difficult to be practically implemented. The need for consistent terminal maintenance to counteract signal disruptions from foliage interference gives rise to substantial management costs, thereby rendering large-scale deployments economically infeasible.

[0033] The objective of the disclosed utility pole maintenance systems is to effectively address the connectivity challenge in large-scale utility pole maintenance to enable seamless communication between sensors and satellite networks and to enable cost-effective, expansive, and robust utility pole maintenance systems. The proposed system includes deployment sensors on each utility pole. The sensors may be designed to be lightweight and compact, making them easy to transport and deploy.

[0034] In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, sensor devices possess the capability of communicating directly with satellites via NLOS communications, even when obstructed by various buildings or construction elements which causes interference. The sensor devices may send their data to satellites for analysis and alerts, regardless of whether the sensors have a clear view of the sky. To ensure sustained power supply, the sensors are equipped with one or more solar cell arrays, and in some implementations, solar cell arrays on all surfaces (e.g., on both sides of the sensor device). The aforementioned design enables the sensors to recharge over time.

[0035] The sensors may form a network that communicates not only with satellites but also with each other. On the ground, these sensor devices can establish, for example, a mesh network of sensor devices that can connect with each other to share and exchange various types of information. This dynamic mesh network may be establishedas needed, allowing the sensor devices to adapt to changing conditions and efficiently relay important data amongst each other.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the sensors could be fabricated using thin film electronics, making them as compact and lightweight as possible. The sensors can also include integrated components alike antennas, solar panels, and batteries that may be implemented using thin film technologies. This integrated design streamlines their functionality and ensures they can operate effectively in their environment.

[0037] By seamlessly combining the capabilities of a satellite communication system that operates even in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) mode and a cost-effective sensor deployment strategy, this present disclosure provides the potential for comprehensive utility pole maintenance coverage on a large scale. The present disclosure presents a technical solution to overcome the connectivity challenge and revolutionizes the effectiveness of utility pole maintenance systems.

[0038] Having given this description of utility pole maintenance systems that can be applied within the context of the present disclosure, technologies will now be described for detecting failures or likelihood of failure of utility poles by utilizing satellite constellations and sensor networks will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a non-terrestrial network communication system 100 in which aspects of the technology may be employed. The system 100 includes multiple sensor devices 110 that are in communication with each other, and a constellation of satellites 120 that are in communication with one or more of the sensor devices 110. Each of the sensor device 110 is disposed on a utility pole 112, for example, the sensor device 110A is disposed on or attached to the utility pole 112A. Similarly, sensor devices 110B-110L are disposed on the utility poles 112B-112L, respectively. The constellation of satellites 120 includes a group of artificial satellites that are positioned in a number of different orbits around the Earth 140 to provide specific services or coverage. For instance, the satellites 120 may work together to offercommunication, navigation, or remote sensing services to a wide geographic area on Earth. The constellation of satellites 120 may include any number of satellites to ensure global coverage and to provide redundancy in case of failure. In one embodiment, the satellites 120 may make up a 5G Non-Terrestrial Network, such as a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation, and each satellite 120 includes a base station 150 that acts or serves as a network node. In some cases, the system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices. It should be appreciated that such satellite constellations can be arranged in different configurations, including low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary orbit (GEO), depending on the intended application and the desired level of coverage and service.

[0040] Each of the satellites 120 is an artificial object placed in orbit around a celestial body, often referring to Earth 140. Each satellite typically includes various components such as a communication or scientific payload, power systems (such as solar panels), propulsion for orbit adjustments, and communication equipment to transmit and receive data to and from Earth 140. Each satellite, e.g., the satellite 120A, may include a base station, e.g., the base station 150A, that may wirelessly communicate with sensor devices 110 via one or more antennas. The base stations 150 of the satellites 120 may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation Node B or giga-nodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The base stations 150 of the satellites 120 may be of different types (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). The sensor devices 110 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

[0041] Each base station, such as the base station 150A of satellite 120A, may be associated with a particular geographic coverage area, for example, geographic coverage area 130A in which communications with various sensor devices, such as the sensor devices 110A and 110B is supported. For sake of simplicity, FIG. 1A shows a simplified representation that includes three geographic coverage areas 130, which may be referred to herein as a first geographic coverage area 130A, a second geographic coverage area 130B, and a third geographic coverage area 130C; however, it should be appreciated that each base station 150 includes an associated geographic coverage area. Each base station may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area via communication links 115, and communication links 115 between a base station 150 of satellite 120 and a sensor device 110 may utilize one or more carriers. The communication links may include upstream transmissions from the sensor device 110 to the base station 150 of satellite 120, or downstream transmissions from the base station 150 of satellite 120 to the sensor device 110. Downstream transmissions may also be called downlink or forward link transmissions while upstream transmissions may also be called uplink or reverse link transmissions.

[0042] Although not shown in FIG. 1A, each geographic coverage area 130 of a base station 150 may be divided into sectors (not shown) each making up a portion of the geographic coverage area 130, and each sector may be associated with a cell. For example, each base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or various combinations thereof. In some examples, the base stations may be non-stationary and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving geographic coverage area 130. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 130 associated with different technologies may overlap, and the overlapping geographic coverage areas 130 associated with different technologies may be supported by the same base station or by different base stations. The system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous 5G network in which different types of base stations provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 130.

[0043] The term “cell” refers to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over a carrier) or a satellite beam, and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) operating via the same or a different carrier. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-loT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of devices. In some cases, the term “cell” may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area 130 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical entity operates.

[0044] The sensor devices 110 may be deployed on utility poles 112 in different locations in a geographic area 130 that includes, for example, a city, a town, a forest, an agricultural land, or the like. In one embodiment, for example, at least one sensor device 110 is positioned on or affixed to each utility pole 112, where the utility poles are distributed throughout different locations in certain geographic area 130. The sensor devices 110 may also be referred to as a user equipment, a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a tag, a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client. The sensor device 110 may also be a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the sensor device 110 may also refer to a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (loT) device, an Internet of Everything (loE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, or the like, which may be implemented in various articles such as appliances, vehicles, meters, or the like.

[0045] In an embodiment, some or all of the sensor devices 110 may be implemented as MTC or loT devices, which may be low cost or low complexity devices, and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a base station of a satellite without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay that information to a central server or application program that can make use of the information or present the information to humans interacting with the program or application. The sensor devices 110 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

[0046] The sensor devices 110 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception simultaneously). In some examples half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power conservation techniques for the sensor devices 110 include entering a power saving “deep sleep” mode when not engaging in active communications, or operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications). In some cases, the sensor devices 110 may be designed to support a number of functions (e.g., mission critical functions), and the system 100 may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communications to support these functions.

[0047] In some embodiments, a sensor device, such as the sensor device 110A may also be able to communicate directly with other sensor devices, such as the sensor device 110B (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocol). One or more of a group of sensor devices 110 utilizing D2D communications may be within the geographic coverage area 130 of a base station, such as the geographic coverage area 130A of base station 150 of satellite 120A. Other sensor devices 110 in such a groupmay be outside the geographic coverage area 130A of the base station 150 of satellite 120A or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 150 of satellite 120A. In some cases, groups of sensor devices 110 communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many (1 :M) system in which each sensor device 110 transmits to every other sensor device 110 in the group. In some cases, a base station facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications are carried out between sensor devices 110 without the involvement of a base station.

[0048] Notably, the sensor devices 110 and the satellites 120 that make up the constellation are designed so that they are capable of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communications with one another. When communication devices, such as the sensor devices 110 and based stations implemented at satellites 120, are capable of NLOS communication, the device can establish communication links 115 even when there are obstacles or obstructions between the transmitter and the receiver. In traditional line-of- sight communication, a clear and unobstructed path is required between the transmitting and receiving antennas for reliable signal transmission. By contrast, NLOS communication allows signals to propagate and reach the receiver even if there are buildings, trees, terrain features, or other obstacles in the way. NLOS communication is particularly important in urban environments, dense foliage, indoor settings, and situations where direct line-of-sight paths are blocked.

[0049] The system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band, since the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features. However, the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to sensor devices 110 located indoors or under some obstruction or blockage. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter range (e.g., less than 100 km) comparedto transmission using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0050] The system 100 may further operate in a super high frequency (SHF) region using frequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band. The SHF region includes bands such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands, which may be used opportunistically by devices that can tolerate interference from other users.

[0051] The system 100 may further operate in an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also known as the millimeter band. In some examples, the system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between sensor devices 110 and base stations of satellites 120, and EHF antennas of the respective devices may be even smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate use of antenna arrays within a sensor device 110. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. Techniques disclosed may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body.

[0052] In some cases, the system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz ISM band. When operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, wireless devices such as base stations 150 of satellites 120 and sensor devices 110 may employ listen-before-talk (LBT) procedures to ensure a frequency channel is clear before transmitting data. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a CA configuration in conjunction with CCs operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in unlicensed spectrum may include downstream transmissions, upstream transmissions, peer-to-peer transmissions,or a combination of these. Duplexing in unlicensed spectrum may be based on frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

[0053] In some examples, the base stations 150 and / or sensor devices 110 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. For example, the system 100 may utilize a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., a base station 150 or a sensor device 110) and a receiving device (e.g., a sensor device 110 or a base station 150), where the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving devices are equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communications may employ multipath signal propagation to increase the spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams. Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0054] The system 100 further includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 135 that is in communication with one or more of the sensor devices 110. In one embodiment, the GNSS are satellite-based navigation systems that provide the sensor devices 110 with positioning, navigation, and timing information anywhere on Earth. Examples of GNSS include, but are not limited to, the Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and NavIC. The sensor devices 110 are configured toreceive signals from multiple satellites of the GNSS 135, determine a time required for the signals to reach the sensor devices 110, and determine a location of the sensor devices 110 on the earth’s surface based on the determined time.

[0055] Sensor Devices

[0056] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the sensor devices 110, for example, a first sensor device 110A, may include one or more sensors 210, a processor 220, one or more communication interfaces 230, and one or more antennas 240. The one or more sensors 210 are configured to measure a physical parameter. The processor 220 is configured to detect a condition indicative of one of a failure and a likelihood of failure of a utility pole 112 based on the measured physical parameter, and generate a signal when the condition indicative of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 is detected. The one or more communication interfaces 230 are coupled to one or more antennas 240. As will be described below, the communication interfaces 230 in conjunction with the antennas 240 are configured to communicate the signal when the condition indicative of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 is detected. The signal is modulated with data indicating that the condition indicative of the one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 has been detected. Each of the sensor devices 110 is configured to establish communication with at least one of the satellites 120 to transmit the signal.

[0057] The sensor devices 110 may include one or more antennas 240A configured to facilitate communication with other ones of sensor devices 110, and one or more antennas 240B configured to facilitate communication with the satellites 120. In one embodiment, the one or more antennas 240A are coupled with a wireless personal area network (WPAN) radio 230A (7.e. , a first communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces 230) that is configured to facilitate wireless connectivity with the other ones of the sensor devices 110 by way of the one or more antennas 240A. In one example, the WPAN radio 230A is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Radio configured to communicate with the other ones of the sensor devices 110 via Bluetooth. The one ormore antennas 240B are coupled with a mobile network radio 230B, for example, 5thGeneration (5G) radio, ( / .e., a second communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces 230) that is configured to facilitate wireless connectivity between the sensor devices 110 and the satellites 120 by way of the one or more antennas 240B.

[0058] The sensor devices 110 may further include one or more antennas 240C configured to facilitate communication with global navigation satellite system (GNSS). In one embodiment, the one or more antennas 240C are coupled with a GNSS radio 230C ( / .e., a third communication interface of the one or more communication interfaces 230) that is configured to provide wireless connectivity with the GNSS the sensor devices 110 by way of the one or more antennas 240A. The GNSS radio 230C is configured to receive the signals from the satellites of the GNSS 135 via the one or more antennas 240C to determine the location of the sensor devices 110.

[0059] The sensor devices 110 may include at least one battery 250, and solar cells 260 configured to receive light and charge the at least one battery 250. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the sensor devices 110 may include multiple sensors 210 (or a “set” or “plurality” of sensors) that measure a physical parameter or variable that can be used to detect of the failure of the utility pole 112. Various types of sensors 210 can be used detect the failure-related parameters such as vibration, motion, location, temperature, snow, rain, and wind.

[0060] Depending on the implementation, the physical parameter(s) measured by each sensor of the set of sensors can include one or more of: a vibration level, a type and a direction of motion, location coordinates, a temperature level, snow information, a rain speed and level, and a wind speed and direction, etc. For example, depending on the implementation, each of the sensor devices 110 includes may include one or more of: a vibration sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature detector, a snow sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, etc.

[0061] Types of Sensors

[0062] Vibration Sensors: A vibration sensor, also known as an accelerometer, is a device designed to measure and detect oscillations or vibrations in an object, such as the utility pole 112. The vibration sensor converts mechanical motion into an electrical signal, allowing for the monitoring and analysis of vibrations. Vibration sensors may be utilized in various industries, including structural health monitoring, where detecting and analyzing vibrations is important for ensuring safety and preventing failures.

[0063] Motion Sensors: A motion sensor, often referred to as a motion detector or motion sensor switch, is a device that detects movement within its field of view. Common types of motion sensors include passive infrared (PIR) sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and microwave sensors. The motion sensors trigger an action, such as sending an alert, turning on lights or sounding an alarm, in response to detected motion.

[0064] Location Sensors: A location sensor, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or a GNSS receiver, determines the geographic coordinates of a device or object. GPS or GNSS technology enables accurate positioning by triangulating signals from satellites. Location sensors have widespread applications in navigation systems, fleet management, asset tracking, and location-based services. The location sensors play an important role in providing real-time location or position data.

[0065] Temperature Detector: A temperature detector is a sensor designed to measure the temperature of its surroundings. Various types of temperature detectors exist, including but not limited to, thermocouples, thermistors, and infrared sensors. Monitoring temperature can be important for ensuring the proper functioning of electronic devices and equipment that are implemented in conjunction with the utility poles.

[0066] Snow Sensors: A snow sensor is a device that detects the presence and accumulation of snow. The snow sensors use various technologies, including weightbased measurements, temperature sensing, or optical methods. Snow sensors maytrigger the activation of heaters or de-icing equipment to prevent the buildup of snow and ice on surfaces such as utility poles, driveways, sidewalks, and roads.

[0067] Rain Sensors: A rain sensor, also known as a rain gauge or pluviometer, measures the amount of precipitation that falls over a specific period. These sensors can use tipping buckets, optical principles, or acoustic methods to detect raindrops.

[0068] Wind sensors: A wind sensor measures the speed and direction of wind. Different types of wind sensors include cup anemometers, vane anemometers, and ultrasonic anemometers. Wind sensors can play an important role in environmental monitoring. Monitoring wind conditions provides information for weather forecasting, assessing wind energy potential, and ensuring safety in windy environments (e.g., ensuring the safety of structures and structural elements (e.g., utility poles) and the safe operation of equipment used in conjunction with such structures and structural elements).

[0069] Wireless Sensor Networks: Networks of interconnected sensors can be deployed across an area to monitor temperature, humidity, smoke, and other environmental parameters. Data from multiple sensors are collected and analyzed to monitor weather conditions.

[0070] Machine Learning and Data Fusion: Sensor data can be combined using machine learning and data fusion techniques to improve the accuracy of utility pole maintenance. Integration of data from several types of multiple sensors that provide complementary information about a maintenance and weather characteristics can be particularly effective.

[0071] Satellites

[0072] The satellites 120 are part of the satellite communication system. Each of the satellites 120 may be a communications satellite that includes at least one base station 150. The base station 150 of each satellite 120 may serve as an access point for two-way data transmission between Earth-based sensor devices 110 and the satellites120 as well as between two or more of the satellites 120. The base station 150 may be housed within (or as part of) the satellite's payload and may include transceivers and antennas designed to facilitate seamless communication across vast distances. The base station 150 plays a role in relaying, amplifying, and routing signals between terrestrial devices, such as the sensor devices 110, and the satellites 120, ensuring robust and efficient data transfer. The base stations 150 are often equipped with advanced signal processing capabilities, enabling functions like modulation, demodulation, encoding, and decoding to optimize the quality and reliability of communication links 115.

[0073] In one implementation, each satellite 120 may be a 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite, in which case the base station 150 may be referred to as a “gNodeB.” In this context, a gNodeB may refer to a 3GPP-compliant implementation of the 5G base station. The gNodeB includes independent network functions, which implement 3GPP-compliant new radio (NR) radio access network (RAN) protocols namely. One non-limiting example of a base station will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 B.

[0074] FIG. 1 B is a block diagram of an exemplary base station 150 in which aspects of the technology may be employed, where “exemplary” means one non-limiting example. In some embodiments, such as that illustrated, the base station 150 may be equipped with multiple antennas 155.

[0075] At the base station 150, a transmit processor 152 may receive data from a data source 151 for one or more sensor devices 110, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each sensor device based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the sensor devices 110, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each sensor device based at least in part on the MCS(s) selected for the sensor device 110, and provide data symbols for sensor device 110. The transmit processor 152 may further process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and / or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and / or the like) and provide overhead symbols and controlsymbols. The transmit processor 152 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 153 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 154. Each modulator 154 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM and / or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 154 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 154 may be transmitted via the antennas 155. According to various aspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals may be generated with location encoding to convey additional information.

[0076] At sensor device 110, antennas may receive the downlink signals from base station 150 and / or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 154. Each demodulator 154 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 154 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM and / or the like) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 156 may obtain received symbols from the demodulators 154, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 157 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the sensor device 110 to a data sink 158, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 159. A channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), and / or the like.

[0077] On the uplink, at sensor device 110, the sensor device 110 may receive and process data from a data source (not shown) and control information (e.g., for reportscomprising RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, and / or the like). The sensor device 110 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols generated may be precoded if applicable, further processed by modulators (not shown) of the sensor device 110 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, and / or the like), and transmitted to base station 150. At base station 150, the uplink signals from sensor device 110 and other sensor devices may be received by antennas 155, processed by demodulators 154, detected by a MIMO detector 156 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 157 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by sensor device 110. The receive processor 157 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 158 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 159. The base station 150 may include a communication unit 161 and communicate to the sensor devices 110.

[0078] The controller / processor 159 of base station 150 and / or any other component(s) of FIG. 1 B may perform one or more techniques associated with random access procedures, as described in more detail elsewhere. For example, the controller / processor 159 of base station 150 and / or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, the method 300 of FIG. 3 and / or other processes as described. The memory 160 may store data and program codes for base station 150. For example, the memory 160 may store the RACH timing manager (not shown). A scheduler 162 may schedule sensor devices for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0079] In some aspects, the sensor device 110 may include means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for starting, and means for entering a sleep state, means for skipping one RACH occasion. The base station 150 can include means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for scheduling, and means for grouping. Such means may include one or more components of the sensor device 110 or base station 150 described in connection with FIG. 1 B.

[0080] As described above, each base station 150 may include an antenna system that is capable of communicating with sensor devices 110. In some embodiments, eachantenna system may be implemented as an array antenna system. Antenna arrays, including phased array antenna systems, can dynamically adjust their radiation patterns to focus energy in a desired direction, enhancing the chances of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication.

[0081] Phased array antenna systems are known for their adaptability, as they can dynamically adjust their beam patterns without mechanical movement. This flexibility is especially valuable for satellites in NTN configurations, where efficient communication with multiple ground-based stations and user equipment may be important as the satellite orbits the Earth. Additionally, lower-frequency signals tend to diffract and penetrate obstacles more effectively than higher-frequency signals. Further, when the wavelength of the signal is comparable to the size of the obstacle signals can bend or diffract around obstacles.

[0082] In some embodiments, each antenna system may be implemented as a phased array antenna system. One non-limiting example of a phased array antenna system will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 C, which is a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna system in which aspects of the technology may be employed. The phased array antenna system 170 may also be referred to as electronically steerable or scanned array, which may be used in any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0083] A phased array refers to an array of radiators forming a main beam, wherein the direction of the main beam is electronically steerable by changing the phase / time delay of the RF energy arriving at each of the radiators. For simplicity, the illustration shows a linear array, but for the disclosed embodiments it is more beneficial to utilize a two-dimensional array, such that the beam can be steered in two dimensions. The array comprises radiating elements 175, each connected to a phase shifter 180. Each of the phase shifters 180 may be in the form of a delay line. The phase shifters 180 are controlled by a computer C to introduce a certain amount of delay in the corresponding transmission lines and thereby steer the beam from boresight by an angle 0.

[0084] The transmitter TX generates the signal, which is applied to a corporate feed 185, which splits the signal to be delivered to each of the radiating elements 175. Prior to reaching the radiating element, the signal from the feed passes through the corresponding phase shifter 180 such that the phase of the signal in each delay line is changed by an individual amount to cause the beam to steer. The phase shifters 180 can also be controlled by an on-chip processor or baseband processor. The range of each phase shifter can be quantized into a look-up table (LUT). The beam can be steered by quickly retrieving a phase value from the memory. The reverse happens for reception.

[0085] The example illustrated in FIG. 1 C is a passive phased array or passive electronically scanned array (PESA), which is a phased array in which the antenna elements are connected to a single transmitter and / or receiver. However, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to PESA, but rather encompass any electronically steerable antenna. For example, an active phased array or active electronically scanned array (AESA) may also be used. AESA is a phased array in which each antenna element has an analog transmitter / receiver (T / R) module which creates the phase shifting to electronically steer the antenna beam. Any of the disclosed embodiments may also be implemented using a digital beam forming (DBF) phased array, which has a digital receiver / exciter at each element in the array. The signal at each element is digitized by the receiver / exciter, so that antenna beams can be formed digitally in a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or the array computer. This approach allows for multiple simultaneous antenna beams to be formed, e.g., by grouping the radiating elements into sub-groups.

[0086] In general, it should be appreciated that each antenna may be any electronically steerable antenna having plurality of radiators, such as the phased array antenna similar to the example illustrated in FIG. 1 C. For simplicity, the disclosure provided herein uses the term “phased array antenna”, but it should be appreciated that the term encompasses any electronically steerable antenna having plurality of radiators forming a radiation pattern the direction of which can be steered electronically.

[0087] Referring again to FIG. 1A, when the antenna system of each base station 150 is implemented as a phased array antenna system, each phased array antenna system may dynamically steer beams and provide coverage to different locations as the satellite 120 moves across the sky. Stated differently, each phased array antenna system can dynamically steer and shape the radiation pattern of the antenna, allowing it to establish efficient and reliable communication links between satellites 120 and ground- based stations and user devices, such as the sensor devices 110.

[0088] Each phased array antenna system may be capable of both transmitting and receiving signals, and may be designed to provide directional control over the transmitted and received electromagnetic signals. For example, when transmitting, each phased array antenna system may be configured to generate a beam of radio waves. In this context, a beam refers to a focused or directed signal that is transmitted from the satellite's antenna to a specific area on the Earth's surface. The satellite's antenna system is designed to concentrate the signal's energy into a narrow region, effectively creating a "beam" of communication that covers a targeted geographic area. In other words, a beam may refer to the directed path of radio waves that target specific areas on the Earth's surface to provide communication services, where a radio wave can refer to a specific type of electromagnetic wave that carries a communication signal with a particular frequency and wavelength. The radio wave includes both the carrier frequency and the modulated information, such as voice, data, or video.

[0089] Each phased array antenna system adjusts the phase and amplitude of individual antenna elements to create a focused and directed beam of electromagnetic waves. By carefully controlling the phase relationships of the signals emitted from each element, the antenna can steer the beam's direction without physically moving the entire antenna structure. This directed beam allows the satellite to target specific areas on the Earth's surface for communication.

[0090] By contrast, when the phased array antenna system is in receiving mode, it utilizes the same principles of phase and amplitude control to selectively receive signalsfrom a particular direction. The received signals are then combined coherently to enhance the sensitivity of the antenna in that specific direction. This directional receiving capability is useful for efficiently capturing signals from the desired sources while reducing or minimizing interference from other directions.

[0091] The system 100 can use lower frequencies and longer wavelengths to improve NLOS performance. In one non-limiting example, to help achieve NLOS communication capability on the downlink, each phased array antenna system 170 of each base station 150 may be configured to generate a satellite beam of radio waves at, for example, a frequency less than or equal to 300 Mega Hertz (MHz), and at a wavelength greater than or equal to 1 meter such that the satellite beam of radio waves has a power flux density of at least -100 Decibels Milliwatt per Square Meter (dBm / m2).

[0092] Each phased array antenna system 170 of each base station 150 may be configured to receive, from at least one of the sensor devices 110, the signal modulated with data indicating that the condition indicative of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 has been detected.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each antenna 240 of each of the sensor devices 110 is configured to communicate directly with at least one phased array antenna system 170of at least one of the plurality of satellites 120.

[0094] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 1 A, the sensor devices 110 are configured to communicate with each other and exchange data when in range of each other. This allows for the sensor devices 110 to be configured as a mesh network so that the sensor devices 110 can communicate information with each other.

[0095] The capability to exchange information between sensor devices 110 can be useful for a number of reasons. For example, in a scenario where a sensor device detects the failure of the utility pole 112, but is unable to connect with a satellite and send an alert due to damage by failure of the utility pole 112 does not necessarily render it useless. Inthis case, a signal or alert from the unconnected sensor device 110 can be sent to another sensor device 110 that has the ability to establish a communication link with a satellite. For example, in an embodiment of the system 100, the sensor devices 110 may include: a sensor device 110A on a utility pole 112A and a sensor device 11 OB on the utility pole 112B that is in communication with the sensor device 110A and aware of its status. The sensor device 110A may be configured to generate a first signal when a condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole 112A is detected and communicate the first signal so that it may be received by at least one of the plurality of satellites. However, when the first signal communicated by first sensor device 110A is not acknowledged by at least one of the plurality of satellites, the sensor device 110B may be configured to retransmit a second signal that is modulated with data indicating that the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole 112A has been detected by the sensor device 110A.

[0096] The sensor device 110 may be configured to detect the vibration level and the type of motion and the motion level using the vibration and motion sensors. Optionally, the sensor device 110 may be configured to detect the location of the utility pole 112 to which they are attached to by way of the location sensor. In one non limiting embodiment, the sensor device 110 may detect a condition indicating the failure or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 based on the information received from various sensors. For example, based on the analysis of the data generated by the motion sensor and / or the vibration sensor, one or more conditions of failure or likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112, such as any immediate short term strike of the utility pole 112, a substantial leaning of the utility pole 112, or any continuous vibrations due to line movement, wind movement or other movement such as tree limbs pressing against the utility pole 112, or the like may be determined. The analysis shall in another embodiment incorporate local weather conditions such as temperature, snow ice prevalence, rain, and wind.

[0097] In one non limiting embodiment, the sensor device 110, such as the sensor device 110A, may communicate with a data center 165 to provide the vibration level, the type and level of motion activities to the data center 165 which is configured to analyzethat information to determine the likelihood of failure or a failure of the utility pole 112. The data center 165 may analyze the information provided by the various sensors. The data center 165 may be implemented via one or more computing devices that may be ground- based and / or space-based. In one non limiting embodiment, the data center 165 may be, but is not limited to, an integral component of the satellite 120, a component of a ground server (not shown) or a cloud server (not shown) in communication with the satellite 120.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor device 110 further includes an indicator 270 that may be configured to indicate that the condition indicative of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole has been detected. In one embodiment, the indicator 270 may be a visual indicator, such as a light emitting diode (LED), configured to emit a visible indication that the condition indicative of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole has been detected. For example, the indicator 270 may blink the LED to indicate likelihood of failure and may be on continuously to indicate failure of the utility pole 112.

[0099] The satellites 120 may be configured to determine, based on the signal received from at least one of the sensor devices 110, at least one of: an indication of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112, an area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected, a warning level of the likelihood of failure, and a reason for one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112. In one embodiment, at least the location of the area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected is determined based on locations of the sensor devices 110 which detected the condition indicative of the failure or the likelihood of failure. Further, the warning level of the likelihood of failure is determined based on a level of vibration and a level of motion of the utility pole 112. When the warning level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the indicator 270 indicates the failure or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112.

[0100] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one example of a method 300 for processing information received from sensor devices 110 according to aspects of the disclosed technology. As shown in FIG. 3, at 310, the data center 165 may receive signals fromone or more of the sensor devices 110. The data center 165 may receive a vibration level, a type and a direction of motion, location coordinates, a temperature level, snow information, a rain speed and level, a wind speed and direction, and the like from a vibration sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature detector, a snow sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, and the like. At 320, the data center 165 may process the received signals to determine various information such as: an indication of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 (at 330), an area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected (at 340), a warning level of the likelihood of failure (350), and a reason for one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 (360), etc.

[0101] At 330, based on the vibration level and the motion level, the data center 165 may determine an indication of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112. Based on locations of the sensor devices 110 which detected the condition indicative of the failure, at 340, the data center 165 may determine the area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected.

[0102] At 350, based on the number of the sensor devices 110 that detected the condition indicative of the failure or the likelihood of failure, each of the satellites 120 may determine a warning level of the likelihood of failure. The warning level of the likelihood of failure may be proportional to the number of the sensor devices 110 that detected the condition. For example, the warning level can be greater when a larger number of sensor devices 110 have detected the condition and can be lower when a smaller number of sensor devices 110 have detected the condition.

[0103] At 360, the data center 165 may determine a reason for one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112. At 370, the indicator 270 may indicate that the condition for indicating the failure or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole 112 is detected.

[0104] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one example of computing device 400 in which aspects of the technology may be practiced. Computing device 400 may be virtually any type of general-purpose or specific-purpose computing device. For example, computing device 400 may be an example of the processor 220, a computing system or device associated with either sensor devices 110 or satellites 120 as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

[0105] As illustrated in FIG. 4, computing device 400 includes processing circuit 410, operating memory 420, memory controller 430, data storage memory 450, input interface 460, output interface 470, and network adapter 480. Each of these afore-listed components of computing device 400 includes at least one hardware element.

[0106] Computing device 400 includes at least one processing circuit 410 configured to execute instructions, such as instructions for implementing the herein- described workloads, processes, or technology. Processing circuit 410 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a graphics processor, a coprocessor, a field- programmable gate array, a programmable logic device, a signal processor, or any other circuit suitable for processing data. The aforementioned instructions, along with other data (e.g., datasets, metadata, operating system instructions, etc.), may be stored in operating memory 420 during run-time of computing device 400. Operating memory 420 may also include any of a variety of data storage devices / components, such as volatile memories, semi-volatile memories, random access memories, static memories, caches, buffers, or other media used to store run-time information. In one example, operating memory 420 does not retain information when computing device 400 is powered off. Rather, computing device 400 may be configured to transfer instructions from a nonvolatile data storage component (e.g., data storage memory 450) to operating memory 420 as part of a booting or other loading process. In some examples, other forms of execution may be employed, such as execution directly from data storage memory 450.

[0107] Operating memory 420 may include 4th generation double data rate (DDR4) memory, 3rd generation double data rate (DDR3) memory, other dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), Hybrid Memory Cube memory, 3D- staked memory, static random access memory (SRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), pseudorandom random access memory (PSRAM), or other memory, and such memory may comprise one or more memory circuits integrated onto a DIMM, SIMM, SODIMM, Known Good Die (KGD), or other packaging. Such operating memory modules or devices may be organized according to channels, ranks, and banks. For example, operating memory devices may be coupled to processing circuit 410 via memory controller 430 in channels. One example of computing device 400 may include one or two DIMMs per channel, with one or two ranks per channel. Operating memory within a rank may operate with a shared clock, and shared address and command bus. Also, an operating memory device may be organized into several banks where a bank can be thought of as an array addressed by row and column. Based on such an organization of operating memory, physical addresses within the operating memory may be referred to by a tuple of channel, rank, bank, row, and column.

[0108] Despite the above-discussion, operating memory 420 specifically does not include or encompass communications media, any communications medium, or any signals per se.

[0109] Memory controller 430 is configured to interface the processing circuit 410 to operating memory 420. For example, memory controller 430 may be configured to interface commands, addresses, and data between operating memory 420 and processing circuit 410. Memory controller 430 may also be configured to abstract or otherwise manage certain aspects of memory management from or for processing circuit 410. Although memory controller 430 is illustrated as single memory controller separate from processing circuit 410, in other examples, multiple memory controllers may be employed, memory controller(s) may be integrated with operating memory 420, or the like. Further, memory controller(s) may be integrated into processing circuit 410. These and other variations are possible.

[0110] In computing device 400, data storage memory 450, input interface 460, output interface 470, and network adapter 480 are interfaced to processing circuit 410 by bus 440. Although, FIG. 4 illustrates bus 440 as a single passive bus, other configurations, such as a collection of buses, a collection of point-to-point links, an input / output controller, a bridge, other interface circuitry, or any collection thereof may also be suitably employed for interfacing data storage memory 450, input interface 460, output interface 470, or network adapter 480 to processing circuit 410.

[0111] In computing device 400, data storage memory 450 is employed for longterm non-volatile data storage. Data storage memory 450 may include any of a variety of non-volatile data storage devices / components, such as non-volatile memories, disks, disk drives, hard drives, solid-state drives, or any other media that can be used for the nonvolatile storage of information. However, data storage memory 450 specifically does not include or encompass communications media, any communications medium, or any signals per se. In contrast to operating memory 420, data storage memory 450 is employed by computing device 400 for non-volatile long-term data storage, instead of fer run-time data storage.

[0112] Also, computing device 400 may include or be coupled to any type of processor-readable media such as processor-readable storage media (e.g., operating memory 420 and data storage memory 450) and communication media (e.g., communication signals and radio waves). While the term processor-readable storage media includes operating memory 420 and data storage memory 450, the term “processor-readable storage media,” throughout the specification and the claims whether used in the singular or the plural, is defined herein so that the term “processor-readable storage media” specifically excludes and does not encompass communications media, any communications medium, or any signals per se. However, the term “processor- readable storage media” does encompass processor cache, Random Access Memory (RAM), register memory, and / or the like.

[0113] Computing device 400 also includes input interface 460, which may be configured to enable computing device 400 to receive input from users or from other devices. In addition, computing device 400 includes output interface 470, which may be configured to provide output from computing device 400.

[0114] In the illustrated example, computing device 400 is configured to communicate with other computing devices or entities via network adapter 480. Network adapter 480 may include a wired network adapter, e.g., an Ethernet adapter, a Token Ring adapter, or a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) adapter. Network adapter 480 may also include a wireless network adapter, for example, a Wi-Fi adapter, a Bluetooth adapter, a ZigBee adapter, a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) adapter, SigFox, LoRa, Powerline, or a 5G adapter.

[0115] Although computing device 400 is illustrated with certain components configured in a particular arrangement, these components and arrangement are merely one example of a computing device in which the technology may be employed. In other examples, data storage memory 450, input interface 460, output interface 470, or network adapter 480 may be directly coupled to processing circuit 410, or be coupled to processing circuit 410 via an input / output controller, a bridge, or other interface circuitry. Other variations of the technology are possible.

[0116] Some examples of computing device 400 include at least one memory (e.g., operating memory 420) adapted to store run-time data and at least one processor (e.g., processing circuit 410) that is adapted to execute processor-executable code that, in response to execution, enables computing device 400 to perform actions, where the actions may include, in some examples, actions for one or more methodologies or processes described herein, such as, method 300 of FIG. 3, as described above.

[0117] The device or system of the present disclosure may additionally include one or more sensor to sense or gather data pertaining to the surrounding environment or operation of the device or system. Some exemplary sensors capable of beingelectronically coupled with the device or system of the present disclosure (either directly connected to the device or system of the present disclosure or remotely connected thereto) may include but are not limited to: accelerometers sensing accelerations experienced during rotation, translation, velocity / speed, location traveled, elevation gained; gyroscopes sensing movements during angular orientation and / or rotation, and rotation; altimeters sensing barometric pressure, altitude change, terrain climbed, local pressure changes, submersion in liquid; impellers measuring the amount of fluid passing thereby; Global Positioning sensors sensing location, elevation, distance traveled, velocity / speed; audio sensors sensing local environmental sound levels, or voice detection; Photo / Light sensors sensing ambient light intensity, ambient, Day / night, UV exposure; TV / IR sensors sensing light wavelength; Temperature sensors sensing machine or motor temperature, ambient air temperature, and environmental temperature; and Moisture Sensors sensing surrounding moisture levels.

[0118] The device or system of the present disclosure may include wireless communication logic coupled to sensors on the device or system. The sensors gather data and provide the data to the wireless communication logic. Then, the wireless communication logic may transmit the data gathered from the sensors to a remote device. Thus, the wireless communication logic may be part of a broader communication system, in which one or several devices or systems of the present disclosure may be networked together to report alerts and, more generally, to be accessed and controlled remotely. Depending on the types of transceivers installed in the device or system of the present disclosure, the system may use a variety of protocols (e.g., Wifi, ZigBee, MiWi, Bluetooth) for communication. In one example, each of the devices or systems of the present disclosure may have its own IP address and may communicate directly with a router or gateway. This would typically be the case if the communication protocol is WiFi.

[0119] In another example, a point-to-point communication protocol like MiWi or ZigBee is used. One or more of the device or system of the present disclosure may serveas a repeater, or the devices or systems of the present disclosure may be connected together in a mesh network to relay signals from one device or system to the next. However, the individual device or system in this scheme typically would not have IP addresses of their own. Instead, one or more of the devices or system of the present disclosure communicates with a repeater that does have an IP address, or another type of address, identifier, or credential needed to communicate with an outside network. The repeater communicates with the router or gateway.

[0120] In either communication scheme, the router or gateway communicates with a communication network, such as the Internet, although in some embodiments, the communication network may be a private network that uses transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP) and other common Internet protocols but does not interface with the broader Internet, or does so only selectively through a firewall.

[0121] The system also allows individuals to access the device or system of the present disclosure for configuration and diagnostic purposes. In that case, the individual processors or microcontrollers of the device or system of the present disclosure may be configured to act as Web servers that use a protocol like hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to provide an online interface that can be used to configure the device or system. In some embodiments, the systems may be used to configure several devices or systems of the present disclosure at once. For example, if several devices or systems are of the same model and are in similar locations in the same location, it may not be necessary to configure the devices or systems individually. Instead, an individual may provide configuration information, including baseline operational parameters, for several devices or systems at once.

[0122] As described herein, aspects of the present disclosure may include one or more electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other similar secondary components and / or systems therein. The present disclosure is therefore contemplated and will be understood to include any necessary operational components thereof. For example, electricalcomponents will be understood to include any suitable and necessary wiring, fuses, or the like for normal operation thereof. Similarly, any pneumatic systems provided may include any secondary or peripheral components such as air hoses, compressors, valves, meters, or the like. It will be further understood that any connections between various components not explicitly described herein may be made through any suitable means including mechanical fasteners, or more permanent attachment means, such as welding or the like. Alternatively, where feasible and / or desirable, various components of the present disclosure may be integrally formed as a single unit.

[0123] Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0124] While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures for performing the function and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and / or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is / are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to eachindividual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

[0125] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, embodiments of technology disclosed herein may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code or instructions can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers. Furthermore, the instructions or software code can be stored in at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

[0126] Also, a computer or smartphone may be utilized to execute the software code or instructions via its processors may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

[0127] Such computers or smartphones may be interconnected by one or more networks in any suitable form, including a local area network or a wide area network, such as an enterprise network, and intelligent network (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.

[0128] The various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as software / instructions that is executable on one or more processors that employ any oneof a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and / or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.

[0129] In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, USB flash drives, SD cards, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory medium or tangible computer storage medium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the disclosure discussed above. The computer readable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.

[0130] The terms “program” or “software” or “instructions” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present disclosure need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0131] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

[0132] Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fields that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium that convey relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

[0133] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0134] “Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and / or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and / or system. For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software-controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like a processor (e.g., microprocessor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, an electric device having a memory, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logic between multiple physical logics.

[0135] Furthermore, the logic(s) presented herein for accomplishing various methods of this system may be directed towards improvements in existing computercentric or internet-centric technology that may not have previous analog versions. The logic(s) may provide specific functionality directly related to structure that addresses and resolves some problems identified herein. The logic(s) may also provide significantlymore advantages to solve these problems by providing an exemplary inventive concept as specific logic structure and concordant functionality of the method and system. Furthermore, the logic(s) may also provide specific computer implemented rules that improve on existing technological processes. The logic(s) provided herein extends beyond merely gathering data, analyzing the information, and displaying the results. Further, portions or all of the present disclosure may rely on underlying equations that are derived from the specific arrangement of the equipment or components as recited herein. Thus, portions of the present disclosure as it relates to the specific arrangement of the components are not directed to abstract ideas. Furthermore, the present disclosure and the appended claims present teachings that involve more than performance of well- understood, routine, and conventional activities previously known to the industry. In some of the method or process of the present disclosure, which may incorporate some aspects of natural phenomenon, the process or method steps are additional features that are new and useful.

[0136] The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and / or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and / or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and / or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in alist, “or” or “and / or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

[0137] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and / or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

[0138] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the term “effecting” or a phrase or claim element beginning with the term “effecting” should be understood to mean to cause something to happen or to bring something about. For example, effecting an event to occur may be caused by actions of a first party even though a second partyactually performed the event or had the event occur to the second party. Stated otherwise, effecting refers to one party giving another party the tools, objects, or resources to cause an event to occur. Thus, in this example a claim element of “effecting an event to occur” would mean that a first party is giving a second party the tools or resources needed for the second party to perform the event, however the affirmative single action is the responsibility of the first party to provide the tools or resources to cause said event to occur.

[0139] When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and / or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

[0140] Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then beoriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0141] Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features / elements, these features / elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature / element from another feature / element. Thus, a first feature / element discussed herein could be termed a second feature / element, and similarly, a second feature / element discussed herein could be termed a first feature / element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

[0142] An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. References in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0143] If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

[0144] In the discussion, unless otherwise stated, adjectives such as “substantially” and “about” modifying a condition or relationship characteristic of a feature or features of an embodiment of the disclosure, are understood to mean that the condition or characteristic is defined to within tolerances that are acceptable for operation of the embodiment for an application for which it is intended. As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and / or position to indicate that the value and / or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and / or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +1-0.1 % of the stated value (or range of values), + / -1 % of the stated value (or range of values), + / -2% of the stated value (or range of values), + / -5% of the stated value (or range of values), + / — 10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all subranges subsumed therein.

[0145] Additionally, the method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable thatperforming some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.

[0146] In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e. , to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

[0147] In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

[0148] The description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described. While various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the disclosed subject matter should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed:1 . A system for utility pole maintenance, the system comprising: a plurality of sensor devices in communication with each other, wherein each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is deployed on a utility pole of a plurality of utility poles in a geographic area, wherein each sensor device comprises: at least one sensor configured to: measure a physical parameter to generate a measured physical parameter; a processor configured to: detect, based on the measured physical parameter, either a condition indicative of a failure of the utility pole or that a likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds a threshold; and generate a signal, when either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole is detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold, wherein the signal is modulated with data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold; an indicator configured to indicate that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or that the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold; and at least one communication interface and at least one antenna configured to communicate the signal; and a plurality of satellites in communication with at least one of the plurality of sensor devices via non-line-of-sight communication, wherein each of the plurality of satellites comprises: a phased array antenna system that is configured to receive, from at least one of the sensor devices, the signal that is modulated with data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of sensor devices includes: one or more antennas configured to facilitate communication with other ones of plurality of sensor devices and the plurality of satellites; at least one battery; and solar cells configured to receive light and charge the at least one battery.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a data center configured to: receive, from each sensor device, the data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold; and store the data indicating that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the indicator is a visual indicator configured to emit a visible indication that either the condition indicative of the failure of the utility pole has been detected or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole exceeds the threshold.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each antenna of each of the plurality of sensor devices is configured to communicate directly with at least one phased array antenna system of at least one of the plurality of satellites.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each sensor device further comprises: a set of sensors including the at least one sensor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each sensor of the set of sensors is at least one of:a vibration sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature detector, a snow sensor, a rain sensor, and a wind sensor.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the physical parameter measured by each sensor of the set of sensors is at least one of: a vibration level, a type and a direction of motion, location coordinates, a temperature level, snow information, a rain speed and level, and a wind speed and direction.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the data center is configured to determine, based on the signal received from at least one of the plurality of sensor devices, at least one of: an indication of one of the failure and the likelihood of failure of the utility pole, an area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected, a warning level of the likelihood of failure, and a reason for either the failure of the utility pole or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least a location of the area in which the failure or the likelihood of failure is detected is determined based on locations of the sensor devices which detected the condition indicative of the failure or the likelihood of failure.11 . The system of claim 9, wherein the warning level of the likelihood of failure is determined based on a level of vibration and a level of motion of the utility pole.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein when the warning level exceeds a predetermined threshold, the indicator indicates the failure or the likelihood of failure of the utility pole.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein each phased array antenna system is configured to generate a satellite beam of radio waves at a frequency less than or equal to 300 Mega Hertz (MHz).

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein each phased array antenna system is configured to generate a satellite beam of radio waves at a wavelength greater than or equal to 1 meter.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein each phased array antenna system is configured to generate a satellite beam of radio waves having a power flux density of at least -100 Decibels Milliwatt per Square Meter (dBm / m2).

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor of each sensor device is printed on a thin film.

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