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  System for monitoring and controlling an aquatic environmentRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Generic Control Systems Or Specific Applications, Generic Control System, Apparatus Or Process, Having Operator Control Interface (e.g., Control/display Console)The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070219652. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/014,279, filed Dec. 16, 2004 and issued, on May 22, 2007, as U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,047, and, like that application, also claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/531,316 filed Dec. 19, 2003. Both prior applications are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to apparatus and systems for monitoring and controlling aquatic environments including analyzing and predicting an anomaly in an aquatic environment. BACKGROUND [0003] Aquariums or aqua systems have been maintained since antiquity. These aqua systems range from the professional and industrial types used in places like the New England Aquarium to mid-size ones in professional buildings, restaurants, pet shops or homes, to the small bookshelf ones in most children's rooms. Generally, most aqua systems have two components: an enclosure housing the organism (s) or inhabitants of the aqua system and the machinery maintaining the enclosure environment. The enclosure can be simple or sophisticated with other built-in enclosures for coral beds and/or other flora and fauna. The machinery maintaining the enclosure environment, generally, includes components such as, a pump, a filter, a light source, and a timer to regulate the light. The machinery of sophisticated and automated aqua systems generally has more components such as chillers, heaters, secondary and internal pumps, fish feeders and water replenishment devices, to maintain the aquatic environment. [0004] Some monitoring systems for aqua systems are known in the art. Traditionally, such monitoring systems evaluate end parameters such as the water temperature and pH of the aqua system. When in operation, such monitoring systems typically sound an alert when a stated end parameter exceeds a programmed threshold. Generally, in response to the alert, service personnel must quickly remedy the situation to prevent further deviation from the appropriate parameter threshold value. While such traditional monitoring systems are adequate for certain aqua system applications, monitoring, control and system analysis of intermediate control devices, coupled with prompt alert and response to the alert, can be difficult due to factors such as cost of sensors for intermediate control devices, location of the service personnel, response of the service personnel and the nature of the reported problem. [0005] Another shortcoming of such traditional systems is that it is often difficult to use real-time monitoring and dynamic control of the intermediate control devices because, outside a limited range of operating conditions, the intermediate device itself may contribute to deviation in end parameters. For example, the traditional aqua systems usually use unmonitored or uncontrolled intermediate control devices. Because these control devices are integrated to other control devices, and thus contribute to the monitored end parameters, there is a need to monitor these intermediate control devices to better detect impending deviations of the end parameter. Furthermore, since the intermediate control devices are usually integrated, there is the need to monitor and control them, thus an isolated failure of an individual intermediate control device should not be allowed to cascade throughout the aquatic environment with probable consequences to the overall aquatic ecosystem. Monitoring the intermediate control devices may produces outputs that may be used in other system-wide applications and analysis. [0006] Lastly, many traditional monitoring systems, such as those described above, are constrained to simple aqua systems maintenance tasks such as monitoring the water temperature and pH. Such traditional systems are not well suited for monitoring and controlling sophisticated and automated systems that require extensive system analysis, system anomaly analysis, and predictive failure diagnostics. Examples of extensive system anomaly analysis include but may not be limited to complex tasks such as automatic water replenishment, water circulation, and detection of opacity in reduction of the viewing glass or plastic. Examples of predictive failure diagnostics include monitoring and controlling early warning detection systems, measuring flow rates from system drain valves, alerting the owners to possible failures before such failures are detrimental to the aqua system and sending real-time recorded acoustic profile of the aquatic environment to a remote monitoring terminal to diagnose a potential problem. [0007] While the traditional monitoring and controlling systems for aqua systems represent, in some instances, useful tools in this field, there remains a need in the art to: (1) provide cost effective, improved extensive system monitoring and controlling capabilities; (2) provide improved system monitoring and alert systems by monitoring the intermediate control devices for likely failures; (3) provide for continuously adjusting system parameters to compensate for the dynamic aquatic environment conditions based on the system analysis; (4) provide predictive failure diagnostics to alert users of possible failures before such failures occur; and (5) provide for continuously adjusting system parameters to compensate for the dynamic aquatic environment conditions based on the predictive failure diagnostics. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a real-time dynamic monitoring and control system for aquatic environments to substantially obviate one or more problems due to shortcomings of the traditional systems. Certain embodiments of this invention provide improved and extensive system anomaly analysis and predictive failure diagnostics coupled with remote monitoring and improved alert capabilities to regulate the aquatic environment and thus maximize the ecosystem stability. [0009] The system and/or predictive failure analysis incorporated in certain embodiments uses data and/or sensor fusion technologies or algorithms to perform many functions including but not limited to monitoring, diagnosis, validation, verification, correction and adjustment of individual or collective control devices or parameters, to regulate the aquatic environment and thus maximize the ecosystem stability. [0010] The system includes a plurality of sensors. Each of the sensors may measure a respective parameter of the aquatic environment or an associated control device, and produce a sensor output related to its measured parameter. The system also includes a processor (controller) that receives the sensor outputs and processes the data. When processing the data, the processor may use data or sensor fusion algorithms, to determine the status of the control device and/or the overall state of the aquatic environment, based on the sets of relationship between the measured parameters and the reference parameters. [0011] Certain embodiments of the system may use the sensor data or output to perform real-time system analysis. In addition, the system may use the data to perform system anomaly analysis and predictive failure diagnostics. [0012] Other embodiments of the invention include the system with associated sensors for system anomaly analysis and predictive failure diagnostics (i.e., controller) and the necessary control box for the requisite plumbing connections packaged together in a platform setting. This platform can be operably linked to any aqua system enclosure to form an aqua system. In other words, a user can connect the platform to an aqua system enclosure to attain the advantages of the present invention. Analogous to a personal computer platform, a user with the platform embodiment of this invention can connect other peripherals to the aqua system package. The platform embodiment of the invention may have additional modular spaces in the controller where the user can connect the sensor for the desired peripheral. Once connected to the platform, the peripheral can be monitored and controlled by the present invention, and thus attain the advantages of the invention Examples of peripherals that can be connected to the platform embodiment include a fish feeder, and/or a water replenishment package. [0013] Other embodiments of the invention include improved and extensive, precise measurement and recordation of all relevant sensor data, real-time system anomaly analysis of recorded data, efficient adjustments of system parameters to compensate for any likely environment anomaly and predictive failure diagnostics based on the system anomaly analysis. Other embodiments of the invention also include efficient adjustment of the environment parameters to compensate for the dynamic aquatic environment conditions, presentation of system status and performance information at a local or a remote location, enabling remote monitoring of the aquatic environment for efficient service and maintenance and improved alert capabilities. [0014] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention the system provides improved and extensive, precise measurements and recordation of all relevant sensor output for real-time system anomaly analysis. The system analysis may include individual or collective performance of the component parts or machinery, such as the pumps, filters, using parameters such as current, vibration or acoustic data. Based on this real-time analysis of the integrated aqua system components, the system can evaluate the data for likely environment anomaly. [0015] In yet another embodiment of the invention, the system provides predictive failure diagnostics based on the system anomaly analysis. The predictive failure diagnostics capability of the system may use the information from the real-time system anomaly analysis to predict what components might fail and prepare to adjust the aquatic environment component(s) accordingly to compensate for the impending failure. [0016] In accordance with further embodiments of the invention, the system provides efficient adjustment of environment parameters to compensate for the dynamic conditions of the aquatic environment. Based on the improved and extensive measurements of the sensor data for the system analysis, the invention may adjust the individual aqua system components to maintain an energy efficient environment. [0017] In yet another embodiment of the invention, the system may efficiently adjust the aqua system parameters to compensate for any likely system anomaly based on the real-time system anomaly analysis and the predictive failure diagnostics. Such novel preventive measures enable the system to be ready to adjust and quickly adjust, in the event of a likely failure of the potential control device, to maintain an efficient and cost effective aquatic environment. [0018] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the monitoring and control system presents information on the aquatic environment's status and performance at a local or a remote location. This information may be presented in user-friendly format. In a specific embodiment, the capability to present information status and performance information graphically enables users or service personnel to create and manage schedules for routine maintenance. Such novel presentation of status or performance information, coupled with the user's experience, may also enable the users to predict unusual events or problems that may occur in the aquatic environment. [0019] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the monitoring and control system may provide system analysis, predictive failure diagnostics and deliver predictive information on what mechanical components in the aquatic environment are likely to fail. Additionally, the invention may predict when the mechanical component is likely to fail. This predictive capability enables service personnel to be on notice for which component is likely to fail and to take corrective steps to prevent a detrimental result. Furthermore, because these aqua systems are on service contracts with routine maintenance schedules, the system's predictive ability to forecast unusual system events, such as events not covered by the scheduled maintenance, can be beneficial to the service contractors. [0020] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one of skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. Continue reading... Full patent description for System for monitoring and controlling an aquatic environment Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this System for monitoring and controlling an aquatic environment patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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