Remote sensing and control system

• US 3,921,168 A
• Filed: 01/18/1974
• Issued: 11/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert A. Dunbar
• Original Assignee: Robert A. Dunbar
• Inventors: Dunbar, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Habecker, Thomas B.
• Application Number:
  US05/434,481
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 340/408,150,151,206,163,164,167,152R 343/6.5R 179/65R
• US Class Current: 340/518
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 26/002 only replying the state of the sensor

Abstract

Remote units are connected in parallel to a monitoring and control center by a monitoring wire, a control wire, and a plurality of signal wave carrying wires each conveying signal waves of progressively doubled wave length. The remote units are each coded and identified by selectively routing one or more signal waves through an inverter at each unit so that the signal waves trigger an AND gate in a given time slot for each remote unit. According to the open/closed status of a switch, the triggering of an AND gate sends a signal through the monitoring wire for each unit in the time slot for that unit. The center sequentially monitors each remote unit in its time slot and indicates its status. Each remote unit may include a relay which is activated from the center through the control wire during the time slot for that unit. At the center a relay operated switch and a connection may be added to enable a status of one remote unit to control another remote unit.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring remote units comprising, in combination, a. a center having signal wires extending therefrom, means generating a wave signal in each of said signal wires, said wave signals being of increasing wave lengths increasing from one of said wires to the next by a whole multiple greater than one, flip flops, an indicator means activated by each flip flop, a monitoring wire connected to each flip flop and extending from said center, and means counting wave signals and having outputs each connected to one of said flip flops, said outputs each sending a signal to a flip flop during a given count which is during a given time interval;

and b. a plurality of remote monitoring units, each remote unit having a sensing switch, gate means, inverters connected to said gate means, means connected to each of said signal wires and being selectively preset to route signals from each of said signal wires directly to said gate means and alternately through one of said inverters to said gate means, said means connected to each of said signal wires routing signals to said gate means to code each remote unit by causing the gate means of each remote unit to emit a signal during a given time interval, and means connected to said monitoring wire responsive to a position of said remote unit sensing switch passing the signal emitted by said gate means through said monitoring wire;

a signal in said monitoring wire and a simultaneous signal from an output of said means counting wave signals activating each of said flip flops to in turn activate one of said indicator means at the center according to a position of each of said remote unit sensing switches.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said means generating a wave signal in each of said signal wires generates wave signals of progressively doubled wave lengths.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wheRein said system is a system for monitoring and controlling remote units;

wherein in (a) said center has multiplexing means connected to said signal wires and having input switches, and a control wire extending from said multiplexing means, said multiplexing means sending a signal through said control wire in a time interval determined by the closing of a given input switch which represents a given count of wave signals in said signal wires; and

wherein in (b) at least some of said remote units each have a relay operated switch, and means responsive to simultaneous signals from said gate means and said control wire activating said relay operated switch, the operation of a given multiplexing means input switch at said center activating the relay operated switch of a given one of said remote units.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein in (a) at least one of said multiplexing means input switches is relay activated, and with the addition of a connection between one of said flip flops and said relay activated multiplexing means input switches so that said flip flop activates the relay activated input switch, a position of the sensing switch of one of said remote units thereby controlling the relay operated switch of another of said remote units.

5. The combination according to claim 2 wherein at least one of said remote units has one of said signal wires connected through said sensing switch of said at least one remote unit, said sensing switch of said at least one remote unit being a single pole, double throw switch, said sensing switch being one of said means in said at least one remote unit selectively routing signals from said signal wire directly to said gate means and through one of said inverters to said gate means, said center having two indicator means each indicating a position of said sensing switch of said at least one remote unit.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein said at least one remote unit is all said remote units, each remote unit having a sensing switch connected to one of said signal wires, said center having two indicator means for each remote unit, each indicator means indicating a position of one of said sensing switches.

7. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said means generating a wave signal in each of said signal wires is a clock, and a binary counter having outputs, said binary counter being connected to said clock, said signal wires each being connected to an output of said binary counter.

8. The combination according to claim 7 wherein said means counting wave signals is a binary to sixteen converter having inputs connected to outputs of said binary counter, said converter having counting outputs each connected to one of said flip flops.

9. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said means generating a wave signal in each of said signal wires is a pulse generating clock, and a binary counter having outputs connected to said clock counting pulses therefrom, said signal wires each being connected to an output of said binary counter;

and wherein said means counting wave signals is a binary to sixteen converter having inputs connected to outputs of said binary counter, said binary to sixteen converter having outputs each connected to one of said flip flops.

10. The combination according to claim 9 with the addition of a dividing element connected to said clock dividing pulses therefrom, said dividing element strobing said binary to sixteen converter during a central part of each wave signal.

11. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said means connected to each of said signal wires selectively routing signals from each of said signal wires directly to said gate means and alternately through one of said inverters to said gate means is a pair of jumpers connected in parallel between each signal wire and said gate means of each remote unit, one of each of said jumpers of each pair being connected in series with one of said inverters, one of said jumpers of each pair being broken to selectivelY route wave signals thereby coding each of said remote units.

12. A system having remote units connected in parallel and a center to which said remote units are connected, said system comprising, in combination, a. a center having signal wires extending therefrom, a clock generating pulses, a binary counter connected to said clock counting pulses therefrom and having outputs, each of said signal wires being connected to an output of said binary counter so that said binary counter transmits square waves through said signal wires of progressively doubled wave length from one wire to the next, an additional wire, and means at said center counting wave signals in said signal wires and being connected to said additional wire;

and b. a plurality of remote units, each of said remote units having gate means, inverters, means connected to each of said signal wires selectively routing wave signals directly to said gate means and alternately through one of said inverters to said gate means, at least some of said means connected to each of said signal wires coding each remote unit by causing the gate means of each unit to emit a signal during a given time interval, and means receiving said signal emitted from said gate means connected to said additional wire;

said means at said center counting wave signals in said signal wires and said means at said remote units receiving signals emitted from said gate means interacting through said additional wire.

13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said system is a system having said center monitor at least some of said remote units;

wherein in (a) said additional wire is a monitoring wire, and said means at said center counting wave signals in said signal wires is a binary to sixteen converter having inputs connected to said outputs of said binary counter, said converter having outputs; and

, wherein in (b) said means receiving said signal emitted from said gate means transmits the signal through said monitoring wire; and

with the addition of in (a) flip flops at said center each connected to an output of said binary to sixteen converter and each connected to said monitoring wire, and an indicator means connected to each flip flop activated by each flip flop; and

with the addition of in (b) a sensing switch at each remote unit controlling the emission of a signal from said gate means so that each of said flip flops activates an indicator means according to a position of a given remote unit sensing switch.

14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein said sensing switch in at least one of said remote units is one of said means selectively routing signals from said signal wires, said sensing switch at said at least one remote unit being a single pole double throw switch, an indicator at said center indicating each position of the sensing switch of said at least one remote unit.

15. The combination according to claim 13 wherein said system is a system having said center monitor and control said remote units;

with the addition of in (a) a multiplexer having input switches, and a control wire, said multiplexer sending a signal through said control wire on the closing of a given input switch during the time interval of a given count of wave signals by said multiplexer; and

with the addition of in (b) relay operated switches in said remote units activated from said center, and means in said remote units responsive to simultaneous signals from said gate means and from said control wire activating said relay switches on the operation of said multiplexer input switches.

16. The combination according to claim 15 wherein in (a) at least one of said multiplexer input switches is relay activated, and with the addition of a connection between one of said flip flops and said relay activated multiplexer input switch so that said flip flop activates said relay activated multiplexer input switch, a position of the sensing switch of one of said remote units thereby controlling the relay operated switch of Another of said remote units.

17. The combination according to claim 12 wherein said system is a system having said center control at least some of said remote units;

wherein in (a) said means at said center counting waves in said signal wires is a multiplexer having input switches, and said additional wire is a control wire, said multiplexer sending a signal through said control wire on the closing of a given input switch during the time interval of a given count of wave signals determined by that input switch; and

, with the addition of in (b) a relay operated switch in each remote unit activated from said center; and

wherein in (b) said means responsive to a signal emitted from said gate means in said remote units controlled from said center responds only during a simultaneous receipt of signals from said control wire and said gate means to activate relay switches of remote units.