Wireless Multi-Scan Wire Identifier

• US 20130110433A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David T. Hodierne, Marty Steinberg, Troy W. Gotschall
• Original Assignee: SSE Tech LLC
• Inventors: Hodierne, David T., Gotschall, Troy W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/60 Identification of wires in a multicore cable

Abstract

An apparatus for identifying the location of the terminal end of one or more wire pairs in a structure having a first end at a common origin, a microprocessor sequentially scans voltage applied on the first ends of each of the plurality of wire pairs, storing in memory a value relative to the voltage reading of the selected wire pair and identifying which wire pair has a change in value to a previously stored value when a user changes the status of the second end of each wire pair at the remote location. The microprocessor sends a wireless signal to a hand held device identifying the selected wire pair with the changed status and the user located at the remote location records the physical location of the second end of the wire pair relative to the identity of the first end of the wire pair.

Claims

1. A wireless multi-scan wire identifying apparatus for the identification of the locations of a plurality of wire pairs that originate from a common location and that terminate at individual remote locations comprising:

a base unit having a power supply, a plurality of wire pair connectors, a wireless transceiver, a microprocessor and memory storage, said power supply adapted to supply voltage to said plurality of wire pair connectors, each of said plurality of wire pair connectors having a unique identifier,

said microprocessor for controlling the sequential scanning of a voltage across a selected one of said plurality of wire pairs, for measuring each said voltage on said selected wire pair, for storing a value corresponding to said measured voltage in memory at a unique location corresponding to each of said wire pairs, and for comparing the value of each voltage reading with a prior stored value to determine whether a change in a voltage reading has occurred,

a wireless remote unit having a wireless transceiver for receiving a signal from said base unit wireless transceiver indicating when said one of said plurality of wire pairs has had a change in status, and said wireless remote displaying said unique identifier of said wire pair which has had a change of state on a screen located on said wireless remote.

2. A wireless multi-scan wire identifying apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each of said wire pairs has two or more internal wires, a first end of each of said two internal wires for each of said wire pairs electrically connected to said wire pair connector, said wire pair connector electrically connected to said base unit and said wire pairs include wires from a pair of wires, coaxial cabling, data cables, etc.

3. A wireless multi-scan wire identifying apparatus as in claim 1, including a read button located on said wireless remote unit, whereby when said read button is depressed, said microprocessor engages in a global scan including all said wire pairs, updating all said stored values in said memory.

4. A wireless multi-scan wire identifying apparatus as in claim 1 where said LCD display includes an icon adapted to blink if communication is satisfactory between said base unit and said wireless remote unit.

5. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs that originate from a common location and that terminate at remote locations comprising the steps of:

a) connecting first ends of a plurality of wire pairs to a wire connector terminal strip;

b) applying a voltage across each of said wire pairs through said terminal strip;

c) measuring the voltage of each said wire pairs and storing a value corresponding to said voltage in memory;

d) continuing to apply and measure the voltage across said wire pairs;

e) cyclically comparing the most recent status value to the earlier stored status value in memory for each of said wire pairs; and

f) communicating whether there has been a change in state on a given wire pair.

6. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 5, further including the step of causing a change to occur in a second end of one of said wire pairs.

7. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 6, wherein the identity of said given wire pair is communicated from said common location to one of said remote locations.

9. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs that originate from a common location and that terminate at remote locations comprising the steps of:

a) connecting first ends of a plurality of wire pairs to a terminal strip connected to a base unit;

b) powering up a wireless remote unit;

c) powering up a base unit to communicate with said wireless remote unit;

d) scanning all said wire pairs to determine the status of the remote location of said wire pairs to be open or closed and displaying on a screen located on said wireless remote unit the resulting status for each one of said wire pairs,

e) changing an endpoint status of said one of said wire pairs; and

f) observing said screen which is adapted to display which of said one of said wire pairs said end point status changes, and recording data representing a unique said one of said wire pairs on a recording device.

8. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 9, recording the identity of said wire pair at one of said remote locations.

10. A method for identification of a plurality of wire pairs as set forth in claim 9 wherein said method is carried out by one person.

11. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs that originate, at a first end, from a common location and which terminate, at a second end, at remote locations, the apparatus comprising:

a wire pair connector terminal including a plurality of wire connectors, each wire connector for connection to the first end of one wire pair, each of said wire connectors having an associated unique identifier;

a base unit electrically connected to said wire pair connector terminal, said base unit including a transceiver, a processor, and a voltage sensor, for applying a voltage to and measuring a voltage across the first ends of each of said wire pairs connected to a said wire pair connector terminal;

said base unit further including a memory device for storing a voltage status measured across each of said wire pairs;

a remote unit having a transceiver for communicating with said base unit transceiver and an output device, for communicating an output indication;

said processor configured to compare a current voltage status for each of said wire pairs to a prior voltage status stored in said memory device for each of said wire pairs and to communicate to said remote unit, via said base unit transceiver, said unique identifier associated with said wire connector exhibiting a voltage change.

12. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11 wherein said base unit transceiver is only a transmitter and said remote unit transceiver is only a receiver.

13. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein said output device displays information about said output indication.

14. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein said wire pairs are cables having two or more wires, said wire pairs being arranged in a star wired topology such that said common location is located within a structure and said remote locations are generally throughout said structure.

15. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein the second ends of said wire pairs are attached or intended to be attached to an electrical device at said remote location.

16. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein said common location includes a panel and said base unit releasably attaches to said panel.

17. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein communication between said base unit and said remote unit is by RF signal or WI-FI or cellular signal.

18. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein said remote unit is a smart phone or an electronic tablet device.

19. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein said voltage is applied across the first ends of all of said wire pairs connected to said wire pair connector terminal and said microprocessor measures said voltage across each of said wire pairs one at a time.

20. An apparatus for identifying a plurality of wire pairs as in claim 11, wherein a read control in said remote unit communicates an instruction to said microprocessor in said base unit initiating sequential measurements of a new voltage status across the first ends of each of said wire pairs connected to said wire pair connector terminal and storing said new measured voltage status measured across each of said wire pairs in the same memory location of the said prior voltage status stored in said memory device for each of said wire pairs until a new voltage status is stored in memory for each of said wire pairs;

and thereafter continuing to compare a current voltage status for each of said wire pairs to said prior voltage status stored in the memory device for each said wire pair.