METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A LOW-POWER RADIO BROADCAST ALERT FOR MONITORING SYSTEMS

• US 20090027190A1
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Power Monitors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power Monitors, Inc.
• Inventors: Curt, Walter
• Application Number:
  US12/178,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20090027190A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00012 using an auxiliary transmission line
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for instrumentation to broadcast an alert or status condition which solves the problems of close proximity or a hard-wired connection are presented. One method uses a low-power radio broadcast transmitter to broadcast a message during an alert or status condition.

Claims

1. An alert system comprising:

at least one monitor configured to detect at least one alert condition of at least one device;

a low-power radio transmitter in communication with the at least one monitor, wherein the at least one monitor is configured to cause the low-power radio transmitter to transmit at least one of a plurality of alert signals upon the detection of the at least one alert condition; and

a commercially available radio receiver configured to receive the at least one transmitted alert signal.

2. The alert system of claim 1, wherein the low-power radio transmitter is physically coupled to the at least one monitor.

3. The alert system of claim 1, wherein the commercially available radio receiver is an FM receiver configured to receive the transmitted alert signal.

4. The alert system of claim 3, wherein the alert signal is an audio message and the FM receiver is capable of playing back the received audio message.

5. The alert system of claim 4, wherein the audio message comprises one of the following:

a human understandable message or a computer message.

6. The alert system of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitted alert signal is based on the detected at least one alert condition.

7. The alert system of claim 1, wherein a status signal is transmitted on a periodic basis without detection of the at least one alert condition.

8. The alert system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor and the low-power FM transmitter are located in a hazardous location.

9. The alert system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitor is connected to a device on a power grid network.

10. A method of operating an alert system comprising:

detecting at least one alert condition with at least one monitor; and

transmitting at least one alert signal upon the detection of the alert condition from a low-power radio transmitter in communication with the at least one monitor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the low-power radio transmitter is an FM transmitter.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the transmitted alert signal on an FM receiver.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the alert signal is an audio message and further comprises playing back the received audio message on the FM receiver.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating the alert signal based on the detected at least one alert condition.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the alert signal at a predetermined time.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing the at least one monitor and the low-power FM transmitter in a hazardous location.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising connecting the at least one monitor to a device on a power grid network.

18. An alert system comprising:

a plurality of monitors, wherein each of the monitors is configured to detect at least one alert condition; and

a plurality of low-power radio transmitters, each in communication with at least one of the plurality of monitors, wherein at least one of the plurality of monitors is configured to cause the radio transmitter to transmit at least one alert signal upon the detection of the alert condition.

19. The alert system of claim 18, wherein at least one of the monitors and at least one of the low-power radio transmitters is located in a hazardous location.

20. The alert system of claim 18, wherein at least one of monitors is connected to a device on a power grid network.