METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DATA COLLECTION IN AN INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT WITH HAPTIC FEEDBACK AND CONTROL OF DATA STORAGE AND BANDWIDTH

1 . A monitoring system for data collection in an industrial environment, the system comprising:

a data collector communicatively coupled to a network infrastructure and a plurality of input channels, wherein the data collector collects data from a subset of the plurality of input channels based on a selected data collection routine;

a data storage structured to store a plurality of collector routes and collected data that corresponds to the subset of the plurality of input channels, wherein the plurality of collector routes each comprise a different data collection routine;

a data acquisition circuit structured to interpret a plurality of detection values from the collected data and determine an occurrence of an anomalous condition in the industrial environment, wherein each of the plurality of detection values corresponds to at least one of the subset of the plurality of input channels;

a data analysis circuit structured to analyze the collected data by evaluating a data storage constraint of the monitoring system and adjusting a volume of collected data stored by the data storage in response to the evaluation, wherein the data analysis circuit determines an aggregate rate of data being collected from the subset of the plurality of input channels, wherein if the aggregate rate exceeds a current bandwidth allocation rate associated with the network infrastructure, then the data analysis circuit requests an increase to the current bandwidth allocation rate from the network infrastructure; and

a haptic user device for generating a haptic stimulation in response to receipt of a signal from the data acquisition circuit indicating an occurrence of a specified anomalous condition in the industrial environment.

2 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the haptic user device comprises a wearable device, wherein the wearable device is selected from a group consisting of: a glove, a ring, a wrist band, a watch, an arm band, a belt, a necklace, and a device attached to or incorporated in footwear, headwear, clothing, or eyewear.

3 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the haptic user device generates a stimulation from a list consisting of tactile, bending, vibration, heat, sound, force, odor, and motion stimulation.

4 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the specified anomalous condition requires a user to be alerted and the haptic stimulation is repeated until an acceptable response is detected.

5 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the haptic user device further includes an industrial machine operator haptic user interface that is adapted to provide a machine operator with a haptic stimulation responsive to the machine operator's control of, or a sensed condition of, a corresponding machine.

6 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a type, a strength, a duration, and a frequency of the haptic stimulation is indicative of a risk of injury to the user.

7 . The monitoring system of claim 6 , wherein the haptic stimulation is selected from a list consisting of pressure, heat, impact, sound, and electrical stimulation

8 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the data acquisition circuit is further structured to broadcast a location of the haptic user device and to wirelessly transmit the signal indicating the occurrence of the specified anomalous condition in the industrial environment to the haptic user device .

9 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of detection values from the collected data comprises at least one of frequency information or vibration information.

10 . The monitoring system of claim 9 , wherein the data analysis circuit further comprises a pattern recognition circuit structured to analyze a subset of the plurality of detection values with at least one of a neural net or an expert system for controlling data collection routines.

11 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the data storage comprises a distributed data storage.

12 . The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the data analysis circuit selectively eliminates a subset of the collected data until the current bandwidth allocation rate is increased to meet the determined aggregate rate of data.

13 . The monitoring system of claim 12 , wherein the subset of the collected data is selectively eliminated to reduce a number of monitoring points co-located on an industrial machine.

14 . The monitoring system of claim 13 , wherein the data analysis circuit eliminates the monitoring points by deactivating at least one of the monitoring points.

15 . The monitoring system of claim 13 , wherein the data analysis circuit selectively eliminates the subset of the collected data based on a hierarchical template that establishes a hierarchy for the collected data.

16 . A computer-implemented method for data collection in an industrial environment, the method comprising:

collecting data from a plurality of input channels communicatively coupled to a data collector, wherein the data collector is also communicatively coupled to a network infrastructure and collects data based on a data collection routine;

storing a plurality of collector routes and collected data in a distributed data storage for the plurality of input channels, wherein the plurality of collector routes each comprise a different data collection routine;

interpreting a plurality of detection values from the collected data to determine an occurrence of an anomalous condition in the industrial environment, wherein each of the plurality of detection values corresponds to at least one of the plurality of input channels;

analyzing the collected data by evaluating a data storage constraint of the distributed data storage, wherein a volume of collected data stored by the distributed data storage is adjusted in response to evaluation of the data storage constraint;

analyzing the collected data by determining an aggregate rate of data being collected from the plurality of input channels, wherein if the aggregate rate exceeds a current bandwidth allocation rate associated with the network infrastructure, then requesting an increase in a current bandwidth allocation rate from the network infrastructure; and

generating a haptic stimulation in response to receipt of a signal indicating an occurrence of a specified anomalous condition in the industrial environment.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the plurality of input channels comprises a high data rate source.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the high data rate source comprises at least one of frequency information or vibration information.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising increasing a data capacity allocation for a data storage for the collected data until the current bandwidth allocation rate exceeds the determined aggregate rate of data.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein a subset of the collected data is selectively eliminated until the current bandwidth allocation rate exceeds the determined aggregate rate of data.

21 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining whether one of: a wearable haptic device or a mobile device, associated with a person located at the industrial environment, comprises one of: one of the plurality of input channels, or a portion of the network infrastructure; and

generating a second haptic stimulation in response to the determining that the wearable haptic device or the mobile comprises the one of: one of the plurality of input channels, or a portion of the network infrastructure.