HK1094294B - Remote monitoring system for exterminating pest and a method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Remote monitoring system for exterminating pest and method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a remote monitoring system for exterminating or preventing pest by detecting and monitoring invasion and activity thereof at a remote place.

Background

Pests invade houses or buildings, damage buildings and facilities, are unpleasant to residents, and carry germs and pathogenic organisms, thereby causing huge losses. Accordingly, various methods for exterminating and preventing pests and their invasion have been proposed. Herein, the term "pest" represents all harmful insects and animals (e.g., cockroaches, ants, mice, and ferrets), as well as harmful birds.

In a conventional pest control method, a pest control service technician (hereinafter, referred to as "service technician") visits a building (hereinafter, referred to as "pest control subject site"), learns about the situation by personally investigating the environment and interviewing residents, and takes measures regarding pest control accordingly.

Problems with this conventional approach are: it is difficult to obtain detailed information about the ecology of the pest within the pest control subject site (e.g., invasion path, activity location, type of the pest, chemicals to which the pest is resistant), unless the service technician personally visits and closely investigates that site. If information is obtained through site visit in order to establish pest control measures, a great deal of cost of human resources and additional expenditure is incurred. In addition, the quantity and reliability of information on the pest and the efficiency of pest control are very dependent on the skill of the individual service technicians.

In order to solve such problems, various automated systems and methods have been proposed for allowing a service technician to know the pest status without visiting a pest control subject site. However, these conventional systems and methods lack means for effectively performing pest control. In particular, these conventional systems and methods do not consider the characteristics of various areas or segments within a building, depending on the environment of each site, even though the presence and activity of the pests may vary from one area to another within the same pest control subject site. Accordingly, even if information required to perform pest control is obtained, the efficiency of the pest control may not be optimized because the obtained information is not systematically managed for each area within a building. For example, when revisiting the pest control subject site, the service technician must check again each location where the presence of the pest is detected. Otherwise, he must apply the pest control measure to the entire pest control subject site even if only some areas or sections in that building are invaded by the pest, regardless of inefficiency and excessive use of chemicals.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, the object of the invention is: a method and system are provided for systematically obtaining and maintaining information regarding pest ecology and pest control history of a pest control subject site.

Another object of the invention is: providing a remote monitoring system for: by centrally collecting and managing this information in terms of pest ecology and pest control history collected from each pest control subject site at a remote place, pests are exterminated.

Another object of the invention is: a remote monitoring method is provided for: by collecting and managing this information according to the ecological aspects of pests of the area, pests are exterminated, thereby effectively performing pest control on these pest control subject sites.

The present invention provides a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest, comprising: at least one sensor installed at a plurality of zones of a pest control subject building for sensing movement of the pest within each zone and generating and transmitting a sensing signal corresponding to the movement; at least one remote controller installed at the pest control subject building for receiving and processing the sensing signals to transmit pest-related information; and a central control unit for receiving the pest-related information from the at least one remote controller and processing the pest-related information with respect to each zone, wherein the at least one remote controller further comprises: a pest-related information analyzing module for analyzing the pest-related information received from the sensing information processing module; a pest-related information managing module for storing the pest-related information and an analysis result of the pest-related information analyzed by the pest-related information analyzing module in a memory, and updating the stored information, thereby managing the information; and a terminal connection module for: when a mobile communication terminal is connected to the terminal connection module, the analysis result of the pest-related information is transmitted from the memory to the mobile communication terminal.

The present invention also provides a remote monitoring method for exterminating pest, comprising the steps of: dividing a pest control subject building into a plurality of zones; collecting pest-related information by sensing active pests within each of the partitioned areas; transmitting the collected pest-related information to a central control apparatus; analyzing the transmitted pest-related information; updating and storing the analyzed pest-related information by comparing with pre-stored information in a database; and determining a pest control time according to the analyzed pest-related information, wherein the analyzed pest-related information is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal together with information of a shortest route from the pest control service technician to the pest control subject building.

Drawings

The above and other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates the relationship among the sensors, repeaters, remote controllers and central control devices of the remote monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows an example of dividing a pest control subject site according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a remote monitoring apparatus in the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a central control apparatus in the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a table showing the results of analysis on various activities of cockroaches within an area.

Fig. 7a to 7c are alarm tables, which are used to determine pest control times by means of a module for determining pest control times.

FIG. 8 is an application table for determining: which alarm table should be applied according to the zone code.

Fig. 9a and 9b show examples of reports generated by the central control means of the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a main operation of the remote monitoring apparatus of the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a main operation of the central control apparatus of the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a central control apparatus according to this second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a schematic view of a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of a remote monitoring apparatus according to this third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The remote monitoring system for exterminating pest includes: at least one sensor installed at a plurality of zones of a subject site for sensing movement of the pests within the zones and generating and transmitting detection signals corresponding to the sensed movement; at least one remote controller installed at the subject site for receiving the detection signals and processing and transmitting the received detection signals; and a central control device for receiving information from the remote controller, analyzing and managing the information through the areas.

The remote controller preferably includes: a receiving module for receiving the detection signals from the sensor; a detection information processing module for receiving and processing the detection signals and collecting pest-related information; and a transmission module for transmitting the processed pest-related information to the central control apparatus.

The remote controller preferably includes: a transmission time determining module for determining whether to immediately transmit the pest-related information; and a memory for temporarily storing a processing result of the pest-related information for a predetermined period of time until the pest-related information is transmitted, if the transmission time determination module determines that the pest-related information is not transmitted immediately.

The central control device preferably comprises: a pest-related information analyzing module for receiving and analyzing the pest-related information transmitted from the remote controller in each of the regions; a pest-related information management module for storing, updating and managing the pest-related information transmitted from the remote controller in the form of a database; a database managed by the pest-related information management module; a pest control time determining module for determining whether to immediately perform pest control work according to the analysis result from the pest-related information analyzing module; and a communication module for performing wired/wireless communication.

Preferably, the pest-related information analyzing module determines a grade of each sensor according to the population of the detected pest, and the pest control time determining module determines the pest control time of each zone according to the grade of each sensor in each zone.

In addition, the remote monitoring method for exterminating pest includes the steps of: dividing the subject location into a plurality of regions; collecting pest-related information by sensing active pests at each of the partitioned areas; transmitting the collected pest-related information to a central control apparatus; analyzing the transmitted pest-related information; updating and storing the analyzed pest-related information by comparing it with pre-stored information in a database; and determining a pest control time according to the analyzed pest-related information.

The step of "segmenting the subject location" further comprises the step of: the subject site is partitioned into a plurality of physical regions.

Alternatively, the step of "segmenting the object" further comprises the step of: each region within the object is segmented according to its function.

The step of "segmenting the subject location" further comprises the step of: each area within the subject site is divided into a plurality of minimum units on which the pest control is to be performed.

Codes are assigned to the minimum units, and the step of "analyzing the pest-related information" further includes the step of: the pest-related information is arranged by the codes assigned to the minimum units.

Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic view showing a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated, the remote monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a remote monitoring apparatus 100 and a central control apparatus 200. Remote monitoring apparatus 100 is installed at each building 10, 12, 14, i.e., the pest control subject site, monitors various activities of pest, collects information related to the activities, and transmits the collected information through wireless communication network 300 or wired communication network 400, e.g., the internet or a public switched telephone network. Central control apparatus 200 receives the information about pests transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100, analyzes the received information, and manages the analyzed information. Here, the term "subject site" means a building or a predetermined space (including parks, spaces for loading goods, etc.) where pests appear or may appear, and an outer area of the building or the predetermined space.

Remote monitoring apparatus 100 installed at each of buildings 10, 12, and 14 monitors various activities of pest and collects information (hereinafter, referred to as "pest-related information") for each type of pest (e.g., population or number of invaded or captured pest, invasion time, invasion path, activity site, etc.). Preferably, the pest-related information is collected by using predetermined sensors, each of which is adapted to sense a particular type of pest, wherein the sensors are determined according to those types of the pest that are expected or have been reported to invade or exist. These sensors will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4.

The collected pest-related information is transmitted to central control apparatus 200 in real time or periodically through wireless communication network 300 or wired communication network 400. These communication networks may be selected from among a public switched telephone network, a cable for a high-speed internet, and a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) according to various types and conditions of the sites 10, 12, and 14 in which the remote monitoring apparatus 100 has been installed.

Central control apparatus 200 receives and analyzes the pest-related information transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100. Preferably, the pest-related information is analyzed according to a predetermined analysis category classified by buildings, location within each building, time and date, and pest type, to obtain information on, for example, frequency of occurrence and population of appearing or captured pest. The analysis of the pest-related information will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5 and 6. Pest control measures against pests that are active in each site are prepared based on the analyzed information in the central control apparatus 200. Here, for example, pest control measures may be prepared according to various types of active pests. If it is decided that a pest control operation is required, the service technician visits a pest control subject site and performs the appropriate pest control operation based on the analyzed information.

By storing and updating the pest-related information in the database and analyzing it as needed, central control apparatus 200 can generate secondary information, which is used, for example, to appropriately determine pest control in pest control time. The central control apparatus 200 may generate pest control reports periodically or aperiodically as needed. Hereinafter, the place where the central control apparatus 200 is installed is referred to as a "central control center".

Referring to fig. 2, the relationship among sensors 1002, repeaters 1010, remote controller 1004, and central control apparatus 200 is shown. These repeaters 1010 are provided for effecting effective wireless communication between the sensors 1002 and the remote controller 1004. Remote monitoring device 100 has a structure in which a single transponder 1010 is coupled to one or more sensors 1002 and remote controller 1004 is coupled to one or more transponders 1010.

In the present invention, in order to efficiently manage the pest-related information, a subject site at a remote place is divided into a plurality of regions. "split" here means: based on these characteristics of the area, a subject site including a building is divided into a plurality of areas in a hierarchical manner. In one embodiment of the invention, four levels of segmentation are applied to the subject site. In this embodiment, the four-level segmentation divides the subject site (e.g., the large industry center as a whole) into: a large group comprising buildings within the large industrial center and their outside blocks; a group of floors including each floor within the buildings; a middle group that is a subgroup of the group of floors; and a subgroup that is a subgroup of the intermediate group. The small group is the smallest unit of segmentation. However, if additional zones within the large industrial center need to be monitored, the group may be further partitioned. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, production buildings, warehouses, and outside blocks within a factory belong to this large group; the floors of these production buildings (e.g., basement 1, floor 2, floor 3, and roof) belong to the floor group; the production lines 1, 2 and 3 on each floor belong to this intermediate group; and, the production department, the storage department, the aging plant, and the toilet in each of these production lines belong to the group. Those divided groups are basic units regarding pest control and pest control measures (areas divided generally by the small groups, which are the smallest units regarding pest control), and are used for analysis and management of pest-related information. For example, the degree of progress of pest outbreak and the effectiveness of pest control are analyzed for each production line belonging to the middle group to generate pest-related information. By using the pest-related information when a production line is reformed or added, an appropriate pest control measure and control device are prepared for each production line.

A region code is assigned to each region-it is the unit of the subgroup. Each facility at a remote location is classified and a region code is assigned thereto according to the respective function of the region within the facility and/or the tendency of its pests to spread suddenly. If the area codes of different areas are identical to each other, a similar tendency of the vermin to spread suddenly will be expected in such different areas. As for the regions belonging to different subgroups, the same region codes may be assigned because the region codes are classified by the respective functions of the regions. For example, even if a computer room and an office in an office building belong to different groups, they can be assigned the same area code because they have similar characteristics in pest control, and pest control is performed in a similar manner. In addition, even if the areas belong to small groups of the same type, they can be assigned different area codes by considering their middle groups, floor groups, and large groups. For example, although the kitchen in a house and the kitchen in a large-scale restaurant belong to the same group, different area codes may be assigned because the characteristics of the house and the characteristics of the large-scale restaurant are different. By using these area codes, it is possible to easily find and understand various features and functional areas of a subject site and quickly establish an appropriate pest control measure even if the pest control subject site has a complex mat structure.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the subject site is divided according to the physical units (e.g., floors and production lines) of the building, but the division criterion in the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the intermediate group of subject sites may be classified by whether a wired or wireless communication system fits the area. For example, department stores have: a first space including stores where there are many obstacles to wireless communication (e.g., partitions for separating stores from each other); and a second space comprising a swimming pool and exercise equipment where there are no obstacles to communication. Here, the intermediate group of the first and second spaces is determined by the communication type. With reference to the determined intermediate groups, sensors for wired communication may be installed in the first space, and sensors for wireless communication may be installed in the second space. The service technician may systematically install the required sensors for each area of the subject site based on this determined intermediate group of sites.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of the remote monitoring apparatus 100 in the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 4, remote monitoring device 100 includes at least one sensor 1002 and a remote controller 1004. Sensors 1002 installed at predetermined positions of pest control subject sites 10, 20, and 30 detect movements of pests and provide detection signals corresponding to the movements. Remote controller 1004 receives and processes these detection signals and transmits the processed signals through wired or wireless communication. Here, these "detection signals" indicate whether or not pests are detected, and are generated by the sensors 1002 and transmitted to the remote controller 1004. In fig. 4, the solid line between the nth sensor 1002.n and the transponder 1010 represents wired communication, and the luminescent symbol symbolizes wireless communication.

The locations for installing sensors and the number of sensors 1002 are determined by the characteristics of the respective areas within the divided pest control subject sites 10, 20, and 30. More than one type of sensor may be used for each of pest control subject sites 10, 20, and 30. Preferably, various sensors are used to properly monitor several types of pests — for example, a first sensor 1002.1 for insects such as cockroaches, a second sensor 1002.2 for flying insects such as mosquitoes and flies, and an nth sensor 1002.N for harmful animals such as mice. In one embodiment of the present invention, sensors 1002 are installed to measure the amount of pest activity within the subject site. For example, the sensor 1002 may be implemented by additionally mounting a heat detector or a motion detector to a conventional pest control device (e.g., an insect attractant lamp, an automatic chemical orientation dispenser, and an attractant frame for catching rodents). Sensor 1002 and a pest control device with bird glue may also be mounted together. The degree of pest activity can be determined by measuring the population or number of pests attracted or caught using the above apparatus.

The location for installing the sensors and the number of sensors 1002 are determined by the type and population of the pest to be exterminated. These can be determined by pest ecology, as well as the environment and location of a particular building. In addition, the location for installing sensors and the number of sensors 1002 may be determined according to zone codes assigned to respective zones of the pest control subject site.

According to the present invention, by the division of the subject site, the respective positions of the sensors 1002 installed in each area can be easily managed, and the pest-related information generated by the sensors 1002 can be easily analyzed, utilized, and maintained. Without segmentation, the service technician must identify the location of each sensor 1002 on a plot of the subject site, or represent the locations in an absolute or relative coordinate system in a compound manner. In the remote monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the respective locations of the sensors 1002 installed within the subject site can be easily and accurately identified and used because the locations are stored in the central control apparatus 200 together with information about the divided areas. If sensor 1002 is not easily located, a service technician cannot obtain accurate pest-related information. In addition, the caught pest can be retained in the pest control device for a long time so that it can become a new habitat for the pest.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, due to the division, not only the location and number of sensors installed in each zone but also the pest-related information can be managed in combination with the division information, so that the pest-related information can be managed and analyzed per zone. Therefore, useful information effective for pest control in each divided area can be derived from the pest-related information.

Sensor 1002 generates a detection signal in response to sensing of the pest. These detection signals are transmitted to remote controller 1004 along with an identification signal unique to each sensor 1002 and time stamp information by wired or wireless communication.

These detection signals may be transmitted from sensor 1002 to remote controller 1004 via transponder 1010. The repeater 1010 is necessary if these pest control subject sites 10, 12 and 14 occupy a large area or have a complicated structure. The number of repeaters 1010 is determined according to the number of pest control subject sites 10, 12, and 14 and sensors 1002. Generally, if information transmission is accomplished by wireless communication among the sensor 1002, the repeater 1010, and the remote controller 1004, the installation of the system is easy. However, when it is considered that the cost depends on the structure and internal configuration of the pest control subject sites 10, 12 and 14 and the devices and facilities arranged therein, it may be preferable to install a communication line between the repeater 1010 and a sensor (e.g., nth sensor 1002. N).

Remote controller 1004 primarily stores and processes these detection signals and these identification signals from sensors 1002 and transmits them to central control apparatus 200. The remote monitoring apparatus 100 is installed at each selected location within the buildings 10, 12, and 14. These locations should be decided by considering the communication type (i.e., wireless or wired communication), the types and conditions of pest control subject sites 10, 12 and 14, and the distribution of sensors so as to ensure safe communication and that the sensors do not suffer from mechanical damage or malfunction.

As shown in fig. 4, remote controller 1004 includes various functional modules (e.g., detection information processing module 1006, receiving module 1008, transmitting module 1009, transmission time determining module 1011, memory 1012, and data input module 1014). The function of these modules will be briefly explained below.

The receiving module 1008 receives these detection signals and other information from the sensors 1002 or the repeaters 1010 and transmits them to the detection information processing module 1006. Detection information processing module 1006 processes these detection signals to collect pest-related information. The pest-related information includes, for example, the type and population of pest invaded or captured, invasion time, invasion route, and invasion site. Other information may be generated depending on the type and arrangement of sensors 1002. Pest-related information that has been processed is transferred to transmission module 1009, and transmission module 1009 transmits it to central control apparatus 200. The transmission time determination module 1011 determines: whether the pest-related information is transmitted to central control apparatus 200 periodically or in real time. Memory 1012 may be used to store the pest-related information of the subject site. Data input module 1014 is used by the service technician to manually input other pest-related information not detected by sensor 1002. It can also be used to correct errors in the pest-related information, if any.

Remote controller component 1004 will be explained in detail below.

Detection information processing module 1006 of remote controller 1004 processes the detection signals transmitted from the respective sensors 1002.1-1002. n based on the unique identifications of the sensors and the time stamp information. If no detection signal is transmitted for a long time or a signal exceeding a predetermined range is transmitted from the sensor 1002, the detection information processing module 1006 determines that: a particular sensor 1002 has failed and generates a sensor fault signal indicating an abnormal state of that sensor 1002. Detection information processing module 1006 converts the pest-related information into a format suitable for transmission to central control apparatus 200.

Transmission module 1009 of remote controller 1004 transmits the pest-related information or the sensor malfunction signals to central control apparatus 200 through wireless communication 300 or wired communication 400.

Transmission time determination module 1011 of remote controller 1004 determines: whether the pest-related information is transmitted from remote controller 1004 to central control apparatus 200 periodically (e.g., during a certain period of the night), or in real time. Preferably, the determination of whether to transmit on a periodic basis or in real time is made by considering conditions such as the type of pest being monitored, as well as the type and conditions of the communication network and/or power source being used for remote controller component 1004. If a public switched telephone network is used for wired communication 400, the pest-related information may be transmitted to central control apparatus 200 at night to avoid interruption of a daytime call. However, the transmission time determination module 1011 of the remote control unit 1004 may be configured to: the pest-related information is immediately transmitted when a specific pest (e.g., a mouse) appears, or when a pest appears at an abnormal frequency. When the pest-related information is transmitted periodically, it is stored in the memory 1012 for a predetermined period. The pest-related information may be classified by time periods (e.g., a period of 0 to 8 o ' clock, a period of 8 to 16 o ' clock, and a period of 16 to 24 o ' clock) and separately stored in the memory 1012. The pest-related information may also be classified by various other criteria and stored in memory 1012.

Data input module 1014 of remote controller 1004 can be used to provide the service technician or the user of the subject site with input of other pest-related information that cannot be easily collected by sensor 1002. For example, if pest control is performed only based on the pest-related information collected through sensor 1002, information about a place where the sensor is not installed cannot be obtained. In addition, error information generated from accumulation of errors due to small operational failure of the sensor 1002 affects reliability of the information. The data input module 1014 solves the above problems by allowing a service technician or a user of the subject site to input supplemental information. As with pest-related information collected by sensor 1002, the supplemental information is also transmitted to central control apparatus 200 via transmission module 1009.

The above-described functional modules 1006, 1008, 1009, 1012, and 1014 of remote controller 1004 may be implemented using hardware explicitly designed to perform the functions described above, or software modules programmed to perform these functions in general purpose hardware.

Referring to fig. 5, a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the central control apparatus in the remote monitoring system shown in fig. 1 is shown.

As shown, central control apparatus 200 includes pest-related information analyzing module 2002, pest-related information managing module 2006, database 2010, communication module 2012, and pest control time determining module 2014. Pest-related information analyzing module 2002 receives and analyzes the pest-related information transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100 periodically or in real time. Pest-related information managing module 2006 stores, updates, and manages the pest-related information in database 2010. Database 2010 is managed by pest-related information managing module 2006. The communication module 2012 performs wired/wireless communication. Pest control time determining module 2014 determines the time when pest control needs to be performed. Central control apparatus 200 may further include a report generation module 2008 for generating reports periodically or on demand according to the pest-related information (report generation module 2008 is depicted with a dotted line in fig. 5 to indicate that it is an optional component).

Pest-related information analyzing module 2002 receives the pest-related information through communication module 2012 and analyzes it according to various categories. Specifically, pest-related information analyzing module 2002 analyzes the pest-related information by various categories (e.g., the building in which remote monitoring apparatus 100 is located, the location, date and time, pest type, and area code at which sensor 1002 is installed in each area of a divided site, or various other criteria used to perform pest control) to obtain data such as frequency of occurrence or invasion, number of occurrence and invasion, and the like.

For example, the pest-related information classified by the region code may be used to prepare pest control measures as follows with respect to the subject site. If the subject site is a plurality of large-scale supermarkets, each having a similar structure, then these supermarkets will be composed of similar regions. In this case, an appropriate pest control measure can be obtained by comparing the pest-related information of the respective regions having the same region code among the large-scale supermarkets. For example, a service technician uses a relative value of pest occurrence frequency with respect to a specific region code and an absolute value of pest occurrence frequency in each large-scale supermarket to establish a pest control measure. For example, in case the pest-related information of the storage areas in two large-scale supermarkets a and B are similar, but pests appear more frequently in the warehouse area of supermarket a than in the warehouse area of supermarket B, the service technician determines: the pest production factor exists in the warehouse of the large-scale supermarket a, but not in the warehouse of the supermarket B, so that the large-scale supermarket a requires additional pest control measures.

In one embodiment of the present invention, pest-related information analyzing module 2002 determines the grade of each sensor 1002, preferably in real time, based on the number of pests detected by each sensor 1002. For example, when the number of detected pests is 1 to 3, pest-related information analyzing module 2002 decides the ranking of each sensor 1002 as ranking L1; when the number of the detected pests is 4-10, determining the number as a grade L2; when the number of detected vermin is 11 to 20, it is determined as level L3. As the number of detected pests increases, the grade of each sensor 1002 rises; and, after the pest control operation is performed, resetting the level. The rating of each sensor 1002 can be used to monitor the status of pest presence and determine whether emergency pest control measures are required (described in detail below). This analysis information in pest-related information analysis module 2002 may also contain data on pest occurrence history in each region. Referring to the historical data, the service technician determines: whether new pests have developed, whether new routes of entry have developed, and whether pest control chemicals are effective. Preferably, the categories used for analyzing the pest-related information are easily added or deleted as needed.

Pest-related information managing module 2006 stores the pest-related information transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100 periodically or in real time in database 2010. Specifically, pest-related information managing module 2006 receives the pest-related information that is newly transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100, and adds or updates the information stored in database 2010. Preferably, such various categories, which are used by pest-related information analysis module 2002, are stored and managed in database 2010.

Pest control time determining module 2014 determines from the analysis result of pest-related information analyzing module 2002: whether pest control operations are required immediately. In an emergency, pest control time determining module 2014 notifies the service technician of an alarm.

This example is now described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6-8: how pest control time determining module 2014 utilizes the result (hereinafter, referred to as "analysis result") obtained by pest-related information analyzing module 2002.

Fig. 6 shows a table representing the results of analysis on various activities of cockroaches within a selected area of the pest control subject site.

As shown in fig. 6, the analysis result includes the number of cockroaches detected and the grade assigned to each of the ten sensors installed in the area. As can be seen from the table, this selected area contained three L1-rated sensors (1-3 cockroaches tested) and one L2-rated sensor (4-10 cockroaches tested). As shown in fig. 6, pest-related information analyzing module 2002 preferably provides the analysis result of each type of pest in each of the regions in real time.

Pest control time determining module 2014 determines a pest control time using these analysis results as follows.

Fig. 7a to 7c show examples of alarm tables used for determining pest control time by pest control time determining module 2014. These alarm tables are shown in fig. 7a, 7b and 7c for mice, cockroaches and flying insects, respectively.

These alarm tables in fig. 7 a-7 c show: how to determine the alarm type (i.e., one of alarms A, B and C) based on the number of sensors of level L1 or L2 shown in fig. 6. The alarm type indicates the severity of the pest status in each zone. In an embodiment, alert a indicates that: the service technician must carefully perform regular pest control operations; alerts B and C indicate that: the service technician must immediately perform the pest control operation. Alternatively, if alarm C occurs or if alarm B occurs more than a predetermined number of times during a certain period of time, the service technician may immediately perform the pest control operation.

For example, as shown in alarm table 1 in fig. 7a, when a mouse occurs, alarm B is notified when the number of sensors having a level L1 is 1 to 3; and when the number of sensors having a level L1 exceeds 4 or the number of sensors having a level L2 exceeds 1, an alarm C is notified.

The alarm type is determined by considering the pest types and the regions where pests appear, so that the alarm table can be modified according to the respective characteristics of the regions. For example, when cockroaches are present, tables 1-3 shown in FIG. 7b are used to apply three different criteria depending on the area. If the number of sensors 1002 with a level L1 is 1, then alarm A is notified according to Table 1 in FIG. 7B and alarm B is notified according to Table 3. Table 1 in fig. 7b can be applied to areas such as toilets and kitchens where pests may occur at any time; and table 3 can be applied to areas such as hotel rooms or hospital wards where the presence of pests can cause serious problems.

Referring to fig. 8, an application table for determining which alarm table should be applied according to zone codes (i.e., characteristics of zones) is presented. This application form can be updated by considering whether the subject site requires close monitoring, and the particular characteristics of the area. Various alarm tables can be used not only with respect to the cockroaches, but also with respect to the rats and flying insects.

Now, the application table will be described in detail with reference to the analysis result shown in fig. 6. Here, the subject site is limited to room number 1003 and a toilet on floor 10 in hotel a. In this case, hotel a belongs to the large group, 10 th floor belongs to the group of floors, room number 1003 belongs to the middle group, and the guest room and the toilet belong to the small group.

When 14 cockroaches are present in the room No. 1003, four sensors (installed at hotel a/10/1003/room) among the ten sensors 1002 detect the cockroaches, and the pest-related information is transmitted to the central control apparatus 200. Thereafter, the pest-related information is analyzed by pest-related information analyzing module 2002 according to the locations where the cockroaches appear, so that an analysis result as shown in fig. 6 is obtained for each sensor 1002. In this case, pest-related information analysis module 2002 provides level L1 to sensor-1, sensor-3, and sensor-8, which sense 1 to 3 cockroaches; grade L2 was provided to sensor-7, which sensed 4-10 cockroaches. Referring to the application table shown in fig. 8, table 3 in fig. 7b is applied to room number 1003. Since the number of sensors having a level of L2 is 1, alarm C is notified and the service technician performs immediate pest control.

If the cockroaches are present in the bathroom, not in the guest room, then table 1 in fig. 7b is applied to notify alarm a, unlike the case of the guest room. As described above, alarm a represents: the service technician must carefully perform regular pest control operations, rather than performing immediate pest control.

However, if pests are frequently (although not very much) present in the toilet, immediate pest control is required even for the toilet. In this case, pest control time determining module 2014 utilizes the analysis information classified by the frequency of occurrence. For example, if the number of sensors at level L1 exceeds three within a week, pest control time determination module 2014 may be set to notify alarm B. Therefore, the alarm tables of fig. 7a to 7c and various tables of the pest-related information can be applied to prepare for pest activities.

The communication module 2012 in the central control apparatus 200 performs wired/wireless communication with the receiving module 1008 in the remote monitoring apparatus 100. Since various technologies regarding the wired/wireless communication are well known, a description thereof will be omitted herein.

The report generation module 2008 will now be described in detail with reference to fig. 9a and 9 b. Fig. 9a and 9b show examples of reports generated by the report generation module 2008 of the central control apparatus 200.

As shown in fig. 9a, report generation module 2008 generates a pest control report at a predetermined time of day according to the analysis result of pest-related information analysis module 2002. The pest report of this embodiment may contain the population (number) of detected pest in each period (e.g., period 1, period 2, and period 3) and in each building 10, 12, and 14. By classifying the pest-related information by the period and building, and by storing the pest-related information in the remote monitoring apparatus 100 or the central control apparatus 200, the generation of a pest control report can be facilitated. The number of active pests in each building 10, 12, and 14 is further classified by the location where sensor 1002 is installed. The number of captured pests detected by each sensor 1002 is classified by the type of pest and then recorded.

Fig. 9b shows an example of an area report containing information about the area of the split subject site. The area report in fig. 9b is a report on the production building in fig. 3, which is divided into four stages.

The area report is prestored in the central control apparatus 200 so that the service technician can easily perform pest control operation with respect to each area of the subject site according to the prestored area report. After completion of the pest control operation, the zone report can be updated. The zone report in fig. 9b contains a data area (e.g., a name of a zone, a location description field, a zone code field, a device installed in the zone and its number field, and whether the zone is a vulnerable zone). The large, floor, middle and small groups are shown in the second and third rows of the zone report, with a brief description of the location of each zone provided on the location description field. (the location data allows the service technician to easily find each area.) area codes corresponding to these areas are provided in the area code field. In this embodiment, the same area code is assigned to the production section and the storage section, and therefore, the same equipment is provided for both the sections. The name and number of devices installed at each area are provided in the device/number field. In case the frequency of occurrence of pests is higher than a predetermined level, or a region is vulnerable to pests for other reasons, the vulnerable region field is marked. By examining this regional report, the service technician can readily understand the structure of the subject site. In addition, the service technician can easily understand the status of the pest by using the zone report together with the pest-related information. Therefore, by using this type of report, the service technician can easily obtain the necessary information without relying on personal memory and experience. Accordingly, even if the service technicians are exchanged about a particular subject site, pest control can be effectively performed. In addition, even if a person who is not assigned to a particular site is dispatched to the site, pest control can be effectively accomplished as long as that person has basic skills in pest control. The report in this specification includes reports in hard copy format, as well as screen displays, electronic files, and email formats.

Using these reports, the pest-related information (obtained from sensors 1002 installed at each partitioned area) is systematically transmitted to the service technician. Then, the service technician checks the pest-related information of each zone to perform pest control operation.

Preferably, the reports are generated by using the analysis result of pest-related information analyzing module 2002. Such reports may be made periodically or on demand. These reports are also stored for a certain period of time and statistically reanalyzed according to predetermined categories, thereby being used for pest control. Specifically, by storing and examining short-term reports accumulated over a long period of time (e.g., one month, one season, or one year), secondary information related to pest control can be obtained from these examined reports. For example, if pest-related information (having a similar tendency over a long period of time) in a pest control subject site indicates "a somewhat longer tendency of pest occurrence over a long period of time", we can guess that: factors related to the presence of pests are introduced into the site and have not been addressed. In addition, by examining these reports over a long period of time, the effect of structural changes in the subject site or changes in chemicals related to pest control on the pest activity can be observed. Pest-related information (analyzed in the short term) may be sampled or averaged weekly or monthly to be used for determining long-term trends.

These reports may contain location information about where the chemical for exterminating a certain pest should be installed, and the amount of the chemical required. Such data can be determined by analyzing the pest-related information according to a predetermined category. In this case, the service technician can place only the chemical in the pest control subject site according to the report, so that the heavy work of checking the location or amount of the chemical can be reduced. The location and quantity of the chemical can be determined from the pest-related information from sensor 1002 (or secondary information derived from the pest-related information) by using a simple algebraic formula, or by referring to a lookup table.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the reports may contain activity information of the pest to be exterminated at a location where the chemical is used, before and after the chemical for exterminating the pest is installed. These reports may take the form of charts where the trend can be readily understood. These reports are used to observe the effect of chemicals on pests and, in case of no effect, to determine: the pest in the corresponding area has developed resistance to the chemical used.

By using the zone reports, the locations of sensors 1002 and pest control devices installed in each zone can be effectively managed. In the zone report, the type and number of the pest control devices installed in each zone are represented. During pest control, the service technician takes appropriate action to verify equipment within each zone as many as identified in the zone report, eliminate the captured pests, and verify the equipment function.

Now, the operation of the remote monitoring system for exterminating pest according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 10 and 11.

The main operation of the remote monitoring apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the main operation of the remote monitoring apparatus 100.

As shown, electrical power is applied to initiate the operation (step 600) and components such as remote controller 1004 and sensors 1002 are verified (steps 604 and 606). As a result, the statuses of remote controller 1004 and sensor 1002 are transmitted and reported to central control apparatus 200 (step 608). Through this status reporting step, central control apparatus 200 is ready to communicate with remote controller 1004. Preferably, step 608 is periodically performed in order to periodically check the state of the remote monitoring apparatus 100 in the central control apparatus 200 and when the electric power is applied.

Next, remote monitoring apparatus 100 receives the detection signal from sensor 1002 and collects pest-related information (step 610). Then, remote monitoring apparatus 100 transmits the collected pest-related information to central control apparatus 200 (step 612).

The control process of the present invention is returned to one of the steps 604 to 612 (step 614). The above steps need not be performed. Nor do all steps have to be repeated the same number of times from power-on to power-off.

The main operation of the central control apparatus 200 will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart conceptually illustrating the main operation of the central control apparatus 200.

As shown, electrical power is applied to initiate the operation (step 500). Central control apparatus 200 receives a status report, which indicates whether remote controller 1004 and sensor 1002 are in a normal state, from remote monitoring apparatus 100 (step 502), and determines whether remote controller 1004 and sensor 1002 are in an abnormal state (step 503). If remote controller 1004 and sensor 1002 are in a normal state, the control process of the present invention proceeds to the next step. If the status of sensor 1002 or remote controller 1004 of remote monitoring apparatus 100 is determined to be abnormal, then the abnormal status of remote monitoring apparatus 100 is reported to the service technician (step 504). For example, if sensors 1002 installed in a critical area (e.g., a hotel room) are not in good condition, the service technician should immediately repair the malfunctioning sensors. If these malfunctioning sensors are installed in the toilet, the service technician repairs them during the usual pest control operations. To obtain a reliable response, the central control apparatus 200 may report the failure of the sensor 1002 to the service technician after receiving a failure response of the sensor 1002 (for example) three times.

Next, central control apparatus 200 receives the pest-related information transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100 (step 506). In order to reliably receive the pest-related information, it should be checked whether the communication module 2012 operates normally before step 506. This step is well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Then, the central control apparatus 200 performs the database management operation. In other words, central control apparatus 200 compares the received pest-related information with the pest-related information pre-stored in database 2010, and updates and stores the information in database 2010 with the new pest-related information as needed (step 508).

Central control apparatus 200 analyzes the pest-related information stored or updated in database 2010 according to a predetermined analysis category (step 510). Preferably, the pest-related information is analyzed to find information such as frequency of occurrence or invasion, and number of pest occurrences or invasion, based on the categories (e.g., each building in which remote monitoring apparatus 100 is installed, position of sensor 1002 in each building, specific time of day, or kind of pest to be exterminated).

Central control apparatus 200 may optionally generate a report of the analysis result containing the pest-related information (step 512). The details of the report will be omitted because it has been explained with reference to fig. 9A and 9B. The central control apparatus 200 transmits the analysis result or the report to the user or service technician of each site 10, 12 and 14 (step 514). Step 514 is also an optional step.

The control process of the present invention returns to one of steps 502-514 (step 516).

The above steps need not be performed sequentially or repeated the same number of times from power-on to power-off.

Now, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view conceptually showing a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. For ease of reference, components that are identical to those shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numerals.

The difference between this first embodiment of the invention and this second embodiment is that: central control apparatus 200 forwards the analysis result of the pest-related information to a user of each building 10, 12, and 14 and/or the service technician. Specifically, the service technician uses a mobile communication terminal 70, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a mobile phone, to receive the analysis result of the pest-related information and perform pest control operation suitable for each site 10, 12, and 14.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram conceptually showing the central control apparatus 200 according to this second embodiment of the present invention.

In this second embodiment, the central control apparatus 200 includes a receiving module 900 and a transmitting module 910 instead of the communication module 2012 of the first embodiment. The central control apparatus 200 may also optionally include a location search module 920.

In this second embodiment, receiving module 900 receives pest-related information from remote monitoring apparatus 100 and transmits it to pest-related information analyzing module 2002. The analysis result is transmitted from pest-related information analyzing module 2002 to mobile communication terminal 70 of the service technician through transmitting module 910 of central control apparatus 200. The pest-related information is transmitted to the service technician periodically, or in response to a request by the service technician, or according to other predetermined transmission protocols. For example, if the service technician is scheduled to visit a pest control subject site, pest-related information of the pest control subject sites to be visited on a specific day is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 70 of the service technician on the basis of the visit schedule. In this embodiment, if an emergency occurs in a pest control subject site, central control apparatus 200 searches for the location of a service technician who owns mobile communication terminal 70 through location search module 920 and transmits pest-related information to the service technician nearest to the building where the emergency occurs. The location search module 920 may receive location information of the mobile communication terminal 70 using a Global Positioning System (GPS) in connection with a mobile communication provider whenever necessary.

By using the mobile communication terminal 70 and the location search module 920, the movement path of the service technician can be effectively managed. For example, since central control apparatus 200 detects the location of each of these service technicians through mobile communication terminal 70, it is possible to efficiently determine an access sequence with respect to pest control. If the workflow of pest control is determined so that a technician can first take care of the site having the smallest trip distance or trip time, the time required for traveling is reduced according to the trip condition so that the efficiency of pest control operation can be improved.

According to this second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to shorten the interval from the time when an emergency occurs to the time when pest control is performed. Generally, the central control apparatus 200 is connected to a plurality of remote monitoring apparatuses 100 through wired or wireless communication, and thus some of the remote monitoring apparatuses 100 may be located at a remote place from the central control apparatus 200. If the service technician receives the analysis result of pest-related information from central control apparatus 200 and then goes to a remote pest control subject site, much time is required. If rats (which will be repugnant) appear in the subject site, it is important to immediately exterminate them. In this case, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the analysis result is automatically transmitted to the service technician nearest to the place where the mice appear, so that the service technician immediately kills the mice. Since the service technician can check other pest-related information on the way to the subject site, he can perform regular inspections and other pest control operations in conjunction with exterminating the rats.

Fig. 14 shows a schematic view of a remote monitoring system for exterminating pest in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. For ease of reference, components that are identical to those shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numerals.

The difference between this second embodiment of the invention and this third embodiment is that: in this third embodiment, pest-related information may be directly transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100 to mobile communication terminal 70. Although the mobile communication terminal 70 shown in fig. 14 communicates with the remote monitoring apparatus 100 by wireless communication, the mobile communication terminal 70 may be configured to: the communication with the remote monitoring apparatus 100 is performed by wired and wireless communication. In this third embodiment of the present invention, the service technician may receive an instruction to move to a pest control subject site from remote monitoring apparatus 100 installed at that site or central control apparatus 200. He may also receive pest-related information from both.

Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a remote monitoring apparatus 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In comparison with the first embodiment, remote controller 1004 in the third embodiment further includes pest-related information analyzing module 1018, pest-related information managing module 1022, and terminal connecting module 1016. Location search module 1020 may also optionally be incorporated into remote controller 1004.

A location search module 1020 installed at remote controller 1004 searches for the location of mobile communication terminal 70. Detailed analysis of information is performed in pest-related information analyzing module 1018 in remote monitoring apparatus 100. This procedure for analyzing information in pest-related information analyzing module 1018 is equivalent to that of central control apparatus 200. The analysis result is stored in memory 1012 by pest-related information management module 1022. The service technician receives an instruction to go to a pest control subject site through the mobile communication terminal 70, and then goes to the site. Within the site, the service technician then connects the mobile communication terminal 70 to the terminal connection module 1016 of the remote controller 1004 through wired/wireless communication. When mobile communication terminal 70 is connected to terminal connection module 1016, terminal connection module 1016 retrieves the analysis result of the pest-related information stored in memory 1012 to transmit to mobile communication terminal 70. The service technician performs pest control according to the analysis result received through the mobile communication terminal 70. According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the remote controller 1004 may include a report generating module (not shown) and transmit a report generated by the report generating module to the mobile communication terminal 70 through the terminal connection module 1016. For example, after checking a report including information on site division through the display of the mobile communication terminal 70, the service technician performs pest control suitable for the structure of the site.

In this third embodiment of the present invention, most of the information about pests is directly transmitted from the remote monitoring apparatus 100 to the mobile communication terminal 70 without using commercial wireless communication services. As a result, the cost of wireless communication can be reduced.

Similar to this second embodiment, a location search module 1020 for searching for the location of a service technician nearest to a pest control subject site can be used in this third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, when an emergency occurs, an instruction to "move to a pest control subject site" is directly transmitted from remote monitoring apparatus 100 to mobile communication terminal 70 of a service technician nearest to the pest control subject site.

Although in the above-described embodiment, the analysis of pest-related information is performed in remote controller 1004, mobile communication terminal 70 may be configured to analyze pest-related information by adding a program or separate hardware to mobile communication terminal 70. That is, mobile communication terminal 70 may include a pest-related information analyzing module. The program to be executed in the mobile communication terminal 70 is equivalent to that of the central control apparatus 200.

According to the second and third embodiments of the present invention, pest control can be performed by a service technician who is closest to a pest control subject site. Conventionally, each service technician is assigned to a corresponding subject site, so that only that assigned service technician performs pest control within the corresponding subject site. As a result, if the service technicians regarding a particular pest control subject site are suddenly exchanged, effective pest control for that site is difficult because the new service technicians do not have system data regarding the subject site. However, in the second and third embodiments of the present invention, service technicians obtain analyzed pest-related information on a pest control subject site from central control apparatus 200 or remote monitoring apparatus 100 and, at the same time, move to the subject site so that any one of the service technicians can effectively perform pest control.

The present invention has been shown and described with respect to these particular embodiments, but one skilled in the art will recognize that: many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, pest-related information can be obtained and analyzed in various categories.

According to the present invention, the central control center also systematically manages pest-related information collected from each building.

In addition, according to the present invention, pest-related information can be collected and managed, and pest control can be effectively performed according to the pest-related information.

Further, according to the present invention, the activity and invasion of pests can be detected in real time using a sensor. Pest control measures can be prepared by the collection and analysis of the detection information. In addition, by investigating the regional distribution and seasonal distribution of pest appearance, invasion of pests can be prevented. Since the exact path and time of pest invasion, and the number of pests are checked to prepare measures, appropriate locations and chemicals can be selected according to it, thereby preventing abuse of chemicals and economic loss of human resources and time.

According to the present invention, the service technician can also easily obtain information required to perform pest control without depending on his memory and experience. As a result, pest control can be effectively performed even if the service technician is replaced.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to always provide a service technician with necessary pest-related information, and by managing these travel paths of the service technician, it is possible to reduce the time taken to move to a pest control subject site.

Claims (38)

1. A remote monitoring system for exterminating pest, comprising:

at least one sensor installed at a plurality of zones of a pest control subject building for sensing movement of the pest within each zone and generating and transmitting a sensing signal corresponding to the movement;

at least one remote controller installed at the pest control subject building for receiving and processing the sensing signals to transmit pest-related information; and the number of the first and second groups,

a central control device for receiving the pest-related information from the at least one remote controller and processing the pest-related information with respect to each zone,

wherein the at least one remote controller further comprises:

a pest-related information analyzing module for analyzing the pest-related information received from the sensing information processing module;

a pest-related information managing module for storing the pest-related information and an analysis result of the pest-related information analyzed by the pest-related information analyzing module in a memory, and updating the stored information, thereby managing the information; and

a terminal connection module for: when a mobile communication terminal is connected to the terminal connection module, the analysis result of the pest-related information is transmitted from the memory to the mobile communication terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one repeater mounted at the pest control subject building for receiving the sensing signals and repeating them to said at least one remote controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the sensing signals between the at least one sensor and the at least one remote controller is performed by wireless communication.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmission and retransmission of the sensing signals between the at least one sensor, the at least one transponder, and the at least one remote controller is performed by wireless communication.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmission of the sensing signals between the at least one sensor and the at least one repeater is performed by wired communication, and the retransmission of the sensing signals between the at least one repeater and the at least one remote controller is performed by wireless communication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of a first sensor for sensing movement of cockroaches, a second sensor for sensing movement of rats, and a third sensor for sensing movement of flying insects.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is associated with a pest control device for capturing or killing the pest.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is implemented by one selected from the group of an insect attractant light in combination with a thermal or motion detector, an automatic chemical dispenser, and an attractant frame for capturing rodents.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one remote controller further comprises:

a receiving module for receiving the sensing signals from the at least one sensor;

a sensing information processing module for processing the sensing signals received from the receiving module and collecting the pest-related information; and the number of the first and second groups,

a transmission module for transmitting the pest-related information to the central control apparatus.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said at least one remote controller further comprises a data input module for receiving information related to the sudden spread of the pest from either or both of a user of the pest control subject building and a pest control service technician, wherein the information is manually input by either or both of the user and the pest control service technician.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said at least one remote controller further comprises:

a transmission time determining module for determining whether to immediately transmit the pest-related information; and the number of the first and second groups,

a memory capable of temporarily storing the pest-related information prior to the transmission of the pest-related information if the transmission time determination module determines that the pest-related information is not immediately transmitted.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises:

a pest-related information management module for storing and updating the pest-related information received from the at least one remote controller, thereby managing the pest-related information;

a database for storing the pest-related information, the pest-related information being managed by the pest-related information managing module; and the number of the first and second groups,

a communication module for performing wired/wireless communication.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the central control apparatus further comprises a report generation module for generating a report based on the pest-related information.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor generates the sensing signals in response to sensing of the pest, and the sensing signals are transmitted along with an identification of each sensor.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one remote controller transmits the information to the central control unit via a public switched telephone network.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the central control apparatus further comprises a location search module for searching for a location of a mobile communication terminal belonging to a pest control service technician, and a pest-related information analysis block for analyzing the pest-related information,

wherein the communication module transmits the analysis result of the pest-related information to the mobile communication terminal searched by the search module.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile communication terminal is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the pest-related information analyzing module determines a grade of each sensor according to an insect population of the sensed pest, and,

the remote controller further includes a pest control time determination module that determines a pest control time of the zone according to the grade of each sensor.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission time determination module determines to transmit the pest-related information at a predetermined time when the cockroach and/or flying insect is sensed; and, when a mouse is sensed, it is determined that the pest-related information is immediately transmitted.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor and said at least one remote controller periodically verify a condition including a fault and transmit information related to the verified condition to the central control unit.

21. A remote monitoring method for exterminating pest, characterized in that: the method comprises the following steps:

dividing a pest control subject building into a plurality of zones;

collecting pest-related information by sensing active pests within each of the partitioned areas;

transmitting the collected pest-related information to a central control apparatus;

analyzing the transmitted pest-related information;

updating and storing the analyzed pest-related information by comparing with pre-stored information in a database; and the number of the first and second groups,

determining a pest control time based on the analyzed pest-related information,

wherein the analyzed pest-related information is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal together with information of a shortest route from the pest control service technician to the pest control subject building.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein: further comprising the step of: a report is generated by using the analyzed pest-related information.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the segmenting step comprises: the pest control subject building is partitioned into a plurality of physical zones.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the segmenting step comprises: the pest control subject building is divided into zones according to the function of each zone.

25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein the step of segmenting comprises: the pest control subject building is divided into minimum unit areas on which pest control work is to be performed.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the segmenting further comprises the steps of:

dividing the pest control subject building into individual buildings and their exterior areas; and the number of the first and second groups,

these individual buildings are divided into individual floors.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein: further comprising the step of assigning a code to each of the minimum unit areas,

wherein the step of "analyzing the pest-related information" includes:

arranging the pest-related information according to the codes assigned to the regions; and the number of the first and second groups,

searching for pest-related information out of a predetermined range when compared with the other information arranged for the same code.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the pest-related information is transmitted at a predetermined time.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the pest-related information is transmitted at a predetermined time when the cockroach or flying insect is sensed; and, when a mouse is sensed, the pest-related information is immediately transmitted.

30. A method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the predetermined time is nighttime.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein: further comprising the step of: the pest-related information is transmitted to at least one pest control service technician through wireless communication.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein the analysis of the pest-related information includes the steps of: the population of emerging and captured pests is determined based on one or more categories including location within the subject pest control building, time frame, and type of pest.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein: further comprising the step of: the analyzed pest-related information is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal belonging to a pest control service technician.

34. The method of claim 21, wherein: further comprising the steps of:

searching for a location of a pest control service technician; and the number of the first and second groups,

the analyzed pest-related information is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal belonging to the pest control service technician.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein: further comprising the step of: the collected pest-related information is transmitted to a mobile communication terminal belonging to a pest control service technician.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the pest-related information analyzing module includes means for determining the number of present and captured pests based on one or more categories including the locations, time limits, and the pest type within the pest control subject building.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the central control means further comprises: a pest-related information analyzing module for analyzing the pest-related information; and a pest control time determining module for determining whether to immediately perform a pest control work according to the analysis result from the pest-related information analyzing module.

38. The system of claim 20, wherein the remote controller repeatedly transmits the information about the checked state including a failure a predetermined number of times.