Systems and methods for data acquisition and transmission

摘要

In a system for a field asset site having a plurality of field assets, a first transport module interfaces with a first field asset, the first transport module operable to communicate via a first transport with a communication center outside of the field asset site. A second transport module interfaces with the first field asset. A third transport module interfaces with an associated field asset and is operable to communicate via a second transport to the second transport module. Each of a plurality of audit devices interfaces with an associated field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device. Each of a plurality of routing modules interfaces between an associated field audit device and at least one of the second transport module and the third transport module, with each routing module operable to provide transport-agnostic communication between its associated audit device and at least one of the communication center and another audit device.

主权项

1. A vending machine associated with a group of vending machines, at least one vending machine of the group of vending machines including a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a remote operations center relative to the group of vending machines, the vending machine comprising:
a mesh network wireless transceiver configured to (i) detect mesh network wireless transceivers in other vending machines of the group of vending machines, and (ii) selectively establish wireless communications with one or more of the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines; a hardware connection configured to selectively physically connect to the wireless transceiver; and a communication routing application executing in one of one or more controllers within the vending machine, the communication routing application configured to control wireless communications from the vending machine via both the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and, when present within the vending machine, the wireless transceiver, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to:
control and monitor one or more payment devices and one or more vending devices within the vending machine,collect information regarding one or more of sales by the vending machine, a status of the one or more payment devices and the one or more vending devices, currency accumulated within the one or more payment devices, and inventory remaining within the vending machine,generate reports regarding the collected information for the operations center, andtransmit the reports regarding the collected information to the communication routing application for transmission to the operations center independent of whether the cellular communications wireless transceiver is present within the vending machine or within one of the other vending machines and independent of wireless communication connections established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines, and wherein the communication routing application is configured to forward the reports received from the one or more controllers to the operations center using an available communications path comprising one or more of a wireless communication connection established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceiver in one of the other vending machines and a wireless communication connection between the cellular communications wireless transceiver and the operations center.