Text-to-voice system for communicating operational information from a protective device for a power system to a human user

• US 20040076273A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Schweitzer, Edmund O. III, Roberts, Jeffrey B., Oman, Paul W.
• Application Number:
  US10/273,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20040076273A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion

Abstract

The communication system provides audio communication with a user over a phone system of messages and other information originated in non-audio form by a protective device such as a protective relay or the like for an electric power system. The communication system includes a text-to-voice conversion processor responsive to the messages provided by the protective device, and an access control system for establishing phone system communication with a user, including answering incoming telephone calls from the user and initiating dialing-out calls with selected users having telephone numbers known to the communications system. Text material from a protective device is converted to audio and provided to a user, such as a technician for the power system.

Claims

1. A communication system for a protective device for an electric power system, in which the protective device produces a text message or other signal information which is the result of its protective operation, the communication system comprising:

a text-to-voice conversion processor responsive to non-audible information produced by a protective device, which is the result of an operational function of the protective device, to produce a corresponding audio message;

a communication link connecting the protective device to the text-to-voice conversion processor;

an access control system for answering incoming telephone calls to the communication system and for initiating outgoing telephone calls from the communication system to at least one user; and

a control processor for controlling the operation of the communication system and for providing the audio message through the access control system to a user telephonically connected to the communication system.

2. A system of claim 1, including means for storing audio messages to be provided to a connected user.

3. A system of claim 1, wherein the telephone communication is by telephone lines.

4. A system of claim 1, wherein the telephone communication is by cellular communication.

5. A system of claim 1, wherein the access control system is capable of connecting the communication system to a dial-in user, wherein the communication system has a telephone number associated therewith, and for processing telephone communications between the user and the communication system.

6. A system of claim 1, wherein the access control system is capable of dialing the telephone number of at least one user and establishing audio communication when a user picks up a telephone receiver associated with the telephone number.

7. A system of claim 6, wherein the dialing of the telephone number is initiated by an unsolicited message received from the protective device.

8. A system of claim 7, wherein the unsolicited message is an alarm message from the protective device.

9. A system of claim 1, wherein the access control system includes a telephone data access arrangement device and a DTMF decoder.

10. A system of claim 1, wherein the control processor provides a connected user with a menu of report information available from the protective device and in response to a request for a selected report from the connected user initiates a request to and receives said selected report from the protective device, which is then converted to audio by the text-to-voice conversion processor and spoken to the connected user over a telephone line.

11. A system of claim 1 wherein the control processor includes a process for parsing and filtering the received report from the protective device.

12. A system of claim 1, wherein the control processor includes the capability of connecting the communication device through a communication processor to a plurality of protective devices, such that the user can be connected to any one of said plurality of protective devices for communication therewith.

13. A system of claim 1, wherein the control processor is capable of configuring custom communication requests for the communications system in response to a request from the user.