Advanced Seismic Controller Cloud Redistribution Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack an efficient and scalable solution for automatically collecting earthquake early warning system messages and triggering alarms or control actions in industrial and automation systems, especially in regions prone to significant seismic activity.
Innovation Solution
The Advanced Seismic Controller (ASC) system, which automatically collects ShakeAlert messages from the USGS and redistributes them to user locations, triggering alarms or control actions based on calculated seismic wave intensity and arrival time, utilizing a cloud-based software system and advanced seismic controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If existing technologies are used for seismic warning, then manual monitoring and response is possible, but automated collection and distribution of earthquake early warning messages is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based message redistribution engine as an intermediary between the USGS seismic warning system and end-user devices. This intermediary automatically collects, processes, and redistributes ShakeAlert messages to multiple user locations simultaneously, achieving high automation without requiring complex local infrastructure at each endpoint.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the cloud-based engine to automatically manage message collection, processing, and distribution without human intervention. The advanced seismic controllers at user locations autonomously receive and process warnings, triggering local alarms and control actions independently.
2Area of stationary object
If seismic warnings are distributed to multiple user locations, then coverage area increases, but message distribution speed and reliability may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the warning distribution system into multiple independent advanced seismic controllers deployed at different user locations. Each controller independently receives and processes warnings from the cloud-based engine, ensuring that failures at one location do not affect others. This segmentation maintains high reliability across expanded geographic coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-positioning advanced seismic controllers at user locations and pre-establishing communication channels with the cloud-based engine. When a seismic event occurs, the already-deployed infrastructure immediately activates, ensuring rapid and reliable message delivery across all covered areas without delay.
3Ease of operation
If advanced seismic controllers are deployed at user locations, then local response capability improves, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs advanced seismic controllers with multi-functionality, enabling them to perform multiple tasks: receiving warnings from the cloud engine, processing seismic data, triggering local alarms, and initiating control actions. This universality reduces the need for separate specialized devices, simplifying deployment while maintaining comprehensive local response capability.
4Loss of time
If real-time seismic message processing is implemented, then response time improves, but computational requirements and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts computationally intensive processing tasks from local devices and relocates them to the cloud-based message redistribution engine. Local advanced seismic controllers only perform lightweight tasks such as receiving pre-processed warnings and triggering alarms, significantly reducing their energy consumption while maintaining real-time response capability through the cloud's powerful processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving over a network from one or more seismic sensors a data set characterizing a seismic event generating a seismic wave. Based on the data set, a time of arrival and intensity of the seismic wave at a predetermined location is calculated. The predetermined location has one or more mitigation devices. Whether the intensity of the seismic wave exceeds a predetermined seismic intensity threshold is determined. If the intensity of the seismic wave exceeds the predetermined seismic intensity threshold, the one or more mitigation devices are activated.