FAULTED CIRCUIT INDICATOR MONITORING DEVICE WITH WIRELESS MEMORY MONITOR

• US 20080010528A1
• Filed: 05/18/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Teller, Witold R., McMahon, Steven A., Anderson, Luther S., Park, Douglas A., Hicks, Donald C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes

Abstract

A wireless communications system for viewing and modifying memory locations within a power system device is provided including a wireless device and a power system device. The wireless device includes an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user indicating a memory location the user wishes to view; a first radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a first signal including the memory location within the power system device the user wishes to view; and a first radio frequency receiver for receiving a second signal. The power system device includes at least one randomly accessible memory location and a processor coupled to at least one randomly accessible memory location; a second radio frequency receiver coupled to the processor and a second radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor for receiving the first signal. The processor retrieves the value of the memory location included within the first signal and activates the second radio frequency transmitter to transmit a second signal including the value of the memory location. The value of the memory location may be a command or control that is executed by the power system device.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly viewing memory locations within a power system device comprising:

i) a wireless device including;

(1) an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user indicating a memory location the user wishes to view;

(2) a first radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a first signal including the memory location within the power system device the user wishes to view;

(3) a first radio frequency receiver for receiving a second signal; and

ii) a power system device including;

(1) at least one randomly accessible memory location;

(2) a processor coupled to the randomly accessible memory location for retrieving the value of the memory location included within the first signal from the randomly accessible memory location and for activating a second radio frequency transmitter;

(3) a second radio frequency receiver coupled to the processor for receiving the first signal and communicating the first signal to the processor;

(4) a second radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor for transmitting a second signal including the value of the memory location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power system device is a faulted circuit indicator monitoring device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal includes data selected from the group consisting of a header, a start address field, a number of bytes field, and a cyclical redundancy check field.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal includes an identification number of the power system device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless device further includes a display for viewing the value of the memory location transmitted from the second radio frequency transmitter.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the second signal includes data selected from the group consisting of a header, a data field, and a cyclical redundancy check field.

7. A system for wirelessly modifying memory locations within a power system device comprising:

i) a wireless device including;

(1) an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user indicating a memory location the user wishes to modify and a value the user wishes the memory location to contain;

(2) a first radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a first signal indicating the memory location within the power system device the user wishes to modify and the value the user wishes the memory location to contain; and

ii) a power system device including;

(1) a processor;

(2) at least one randomly accessible memory location coupled to the processor,

(3) a first radio frequency receiver coupled to the processor for receiving the first signal and communicating the first signal to the processor for placing the value the user wishes the memory location to contain into the memory location.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the power system device is a faulted circuit indicator monitoring device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first signal includes data selected from the group consisting of a header, a start address field, a number of bytes field, a data field, and a cyclical redundancy check field.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the first signal includes an identification number of the power system device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the power system device further comprises a second radio frequency transmitter, and wherein the wireless device further comprises a second radio frequency receiver, and wherein the processor generates a second signal containing a header and a CRC field, and causes the second radio frequency transmitter to transmit the second signal to the second radio frequency receiver.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second signal comprises a value placed by the processor to the memory location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the wireless device further comprises a display for displaying the value placed by the processor to the memory location.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the value comprises a command or control, and the processor causes the command or control to be executed.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second signal comprises a value corresponding to execution of the command or control.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless device further comprises a display for displaying the value corresponding to the execution of the command or control.

17. A method for wirelessly viewing memory locations within a power system device comprising the steps of:

i) selecting a memory location within the power system device to view using a wireless device;

ii) transmitting the selected memory location from the wireless device to the power system device;

iii) retrieving a value of the selected memory location within the power system device;

iv) transmitting the value of the selected memory location to the wireless device; and

v) displaying an indication of the value of the selected memory location on a display on the wireless device.

18. A method for wirelessly modifying memory locations within a power system device comprising the steps of:

i) selecting a memory location within the power system device to modify using a wireless device;

ii) inputting into the wireless device a new value to replace the present value within the selected memory location;

iii) transmitting the selected memory location and the new value to the power system device; and

iv) replacing the present value within the selected memory location of the power system device with the new value.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of transmitting a response from the power system device to the wireless device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the response includes an indication that the new value replaced the present value.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of wirelessly viewing memory locations within the power system protective device by

i) transmitting the selected memory location from the wireless device to the power system protective device;

ii) retrieving a value of the selected memory location within the power system device;

iii) transmitting the value of the selected memory location to the wireless device; and

iv) displaying an indication that the new value replaced the present value.

22. A wireless apparatus for wirelessly viewing memory locations within a power system device including at least one randomly accessible memory location and a processor coupled to the randomly accessible memory location, the power system device also including a first radio frequency receiver coupled to the processor, and a first radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor, the wireless apparatus comprising:

i) a display;

ii) an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user allowing the user to select at least one memory location to view;

iii) a second radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a first message including the selected memory location; and

iv) a second radio frequency receiver;

wherein, the first radio frequency receiver receives the first message, and the processor retrieves the value of the selected memory location included within the first message and activates the first radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a second message including the value of the selected memory location which is received by the second radio frequency receiver and displayed on the display.

23. A wireless apparatus system for wirelessly modifying memory locations within a power system device including at least one randomly accessible memory location and a processor coupled to the randomly accessible memory location, the power system device also including a radio frequency receiver coupled to the processor, the wireless device comprising:

i) an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user selecting at least one memory location the user wishes to modify and also adapted to accept user input indicting at least one new value corresponding to the selected memory location; and

ii) a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a message including the selected memory location and the new value, wherein the radio frequency receiver receives the message and the processor places the new value into the memory location.

24. A system for wirelessly modifying memory locations within a power system device comprising:

i) a wireless device including;

(1) an input mechanism adapted to accept input from a user indicating an address and further adapted to accept input from a user indicating a value the user wishes the address to contain;

(2) a first radio frequency transmitter for transmitting a first signal indicating the address within the power system device the user wishes to modify and the value the user wishes the address to contain, the value corresponding to a command or control the user wishes the power system device to perform; and

ii) a power system device including;

(1) a first radio frequency receiver for receiving the first signal;

(2) a processor coupled to the first radio frequency receiver which communicates the first signal to the processor, wherein the processor performs the command the user wishes the power system device to perform.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the power system device only performs the command if the address is a predetermined address.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the address does not correspond to a physical memory location.