US 12,130,156 B1
Systems and methods for remote proof-of-work
Alberto Daniel Lacaze, Potomac, MD (US); and Kyle Smith, Montgomery Village, MD (US)
Assigned to Robotic Research OpCo, LLC, Clarksburg, MD (US)
Filed by Robotic Research OpCo, LLC, Clarksburg, MD (US)
Filed on Sep. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/948,569.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/289,617, filed on Dec. 14, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/245,965, filed on Sep. 20, 2021.
Int. Cl. G01D 1/12 (2006.01); G01D 9/02 (2006.01)
CPC G01D 1/12 (2013.01) [G01D 9/02 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A remote, self-powered Proof-of-Work (PoW) system, comprising:
a generator operably coupled to a waste fluid flow and configured to generate an amount of electrical power;
a sensor electrically coupled to at least one of the generator and the waste fluid flow and configured to sense a parameter indicative of the amount of electrical power generated by the generator;
a power storage device electrically coupled to the generator and the sensor and having an amount of stored power;
a communication device configured to communicate with a remote server, the communication device comprising a minimum power requirement; and
a computing device electrically coupled to the generator, the power storage device, the sensor, and the communication device, the computing device comprising a minimum power requirement, a maximum power requirement, and a memory device comprising a logic program configured to:
generate a PoW output;
compute a minimum system power requirement and a maximum system power requirement to power the computing device and the communication device based on the minimum and maximum power requirements of the communication device and the computing device;
compute an instantaneous power supplied by the generator based on the parameter indicative of the amount of electrical power supplied sensed by the sensor;
compare the instantaneous power supplied by the generator with the minimum and maximum system power requirements;
route an amount of excess power to the power storage device when the instantaneous power supplied by the generator is greater than the maximum system power requirement; and
pull at least a portion of the amount of stored power from the power storage device to the computing device when the instantaneous power supplied by the generator is less than the minimum system power requirement;
wherein the computing device and the communication device cooperate to communicate the PoW output with the remote server.