Automatic testing system electrical transmitters

• US 4,575,710 A
• Filed: 05/09/1983
• Issued: 03/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Duke Power Co. (Duke Energy Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Duke Power Co. (Duke Energy Corporation)
• Inventors: Best, Martin F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US06/493,050
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 340/514, 340/518, 340/505, 340/524, 340/525, 340/531, 340/538, 340/310 R, 340/533, 340/534, 340/516, 340/825.17, 340/825.06-825.14, 340/825.54, 455/14-16, 375/3, 375/4, 375/36, 179/170 J, 178/70 R, 178/70 TS
• US Class Current: 340/514
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/14 checking the detection circuits

Abstract

An automatic testing system for testing the operability of transmission line carrier units using timers that periodically activate a signal for energizing local carrier unit transmitters with a delayed energization of local carrier unit receivers, and a signal stepping circuit that connects the transmitter and receiver signal sequentially to the carrier units in a series of transmission lines. The absence of a signal being received by the local carrier unit receiver indicating a fault that is detected in latches that provide an indication of the carrier in which the fault has occurred and an indication at a remote computer when there has been at least one failure in the testing sequence, which failure indication remains activated at the end of a testing sequence to assure attention by the operator. The sequencing occurs automatically with a capacitor-delayed spike signal that provides sufficient time for the indication of the absence of a signal without requiring separate circuitry.

Claims

1. A system for automatically testing the operability of a series of remote, normally quiescent, electrically operable carriers located at diverse remote locations, with each of said remote carriers having an associated local carrier which is adapted to transmit an operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier to cause its associated remote carrier, if it is operable, to transmit, for a predetermined period of time, an operability-indicating electrical signal to its associated local carrier, and with the local carriers being located in general proximity to one another at a single local location, said system comprising:

testing means located at said local location and including;

actuating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each of said actuating means being adapted to selectively actuate its associated local carrier to transmit said operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier;

indicating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each indicating means being adapted to indicate non-receipt by its associated local carrier of said operability-indicating electrical signal from its associated remote carrier within said predetermined peiod of time after the selective actuation of its local carrier by its associated actuating means;

stepping means for enabling all of said actuating means sequentially to cause said actuating means to sequentially actuate all of said local carriers;

de-energizing means for de-energizing said system upon completion of said sequential actuation of all of said local carriers; and

de-energizing prevention means responsive to all of said indicating means and being adapted to prevent operation of said de-energizing means in response to an indication by at least one of said indicating means of non-receipt of said operability-indicating electrical signal by at least one of the local carriers from its associated remote carrier.

2. A system for automatically testing the operability of a series of remote, normally quiescent, electrically operable carriers located at diverse remote locations, with each of said remote carriers having an associated local carrier which is adapted to transmit an operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier to cause its associated remote carrier, if it is operable, to transmit, for a predetermined period of time, an operability-indicating electrical signal to its associated local carrier, and with the local carriers being located in general proximity to one another at a single local location, said system comprising:

testing means located at said local location and including;

actuating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each of said actuating means being adapted to selectively actuate its associated local carrier to transmit said operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier;

indicating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each indicating means being adapted to indicate non-receipt by its associated local carrier of said operability-indicating electrical signal from its associated remote carrier within said predetermined period of time after the selective actuation of its local carrier by its associated actuating means;

stepping means for enabling all of said actuating means sequentially to cause said actuating means to sequentially actuate all of said local carriers;

each of said indicating means being adapted to maintain its indication of non-receipt by its associated local carrier of said operability-indicating electrical signal from its associated remote carrier throughout the sequential actuation of all of said local carriers and until the system is de-energized or the sequential actuation is repeated;

de-energizing means for de-energizing said system upon completion of said sequential actuation of all of said local carriers; and

de-energizing prevention means responsive to all of said indicating means and being adapted to prevent operation of said de-energizing means in response to an indication by at least one of said indicating means of non-receipt of said operability-indicating electrical signal by at least one of the local carriers from its associated remote carrier.

3. A system for automatically testing the operability of a series of remote, normally quiescent, electrically operable carriers located at diverse remote locations, with each of said remote carriers having an associated local carrier which is adapted to transmit an operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier to cause its associated remote carrier, if it is operable, to transmit, for a predetermined period of time, an operability-indicating electrical signal to its associated local carrier, and with the local carriers being located in general proximity to one another at a single local location, said system comprising:

testing means located at said local location and including;

actuating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each of said actuating means being adapted to selectively actuate its associated local carrier to transmit said operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier;

indicating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each indicating means being adapted to indicate non-receipt by its associated local carrier of said operability-indicating electrical signal from its associated remote carrier within said predetermined period of time after the selective actuation of its local carrier by its associated actuating means;

stepping means for enabling all of said actuating means sequentially to cause said actuating means to sequentially actuate all of said local carriers;

said stepping means being adapted to selectively disable each of said actuation means prior to termination of said predetermined period of time and to selectively sequentially enable all of said indicating means with each of said indicating means being enabled during said predetermined period of time;

delaying means for delaying said enabling of each of said indicating means until after termination of said operability-inquiring electrical signal by the associated local carrier.

4. A system for automatically testing the operability of a series of remote, normally quiescent, electrically operable carriers located at diverse remote locations, with each of said remote carriers having an associated local carrier which is adapted to transmit an operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier to cause its associated remote carrier, if it is operable, to transmit, for a predetermined period of time, an operability-indicating electrical signal to its associated local carrier, and with the local carriers being located in general proximity to one another at a single local location, said system comprising:

testing means located at said local location and including;

actuating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each of said actuating means being adapted to selectively actuate its associated local carrier to transmit said operability-inquiring electrical signal to its associated remote carrier;

indicating means associated with each of said local carriers, with each indicating means being adapted to indicate non-receipt by its associated local carrier of said operability-indicating electrical signal from its associated remote carrier within said predetermined period of time after the selective actuation of its local carrier by its associated actuating means;

stepping means for enabling all of said actuation means sequentially to cause said actuating means to sequentially actuate all of said local carriers;

means for sequentially applying a de-actuating signal to all of said indicating means to prevent enabling of said indicating means during application of said sequentially applied deactuating signals with each of said deactuating signals being applied during the sequential actuation of each of said local carriers and for a period of time extending thereafter to prevent enabling of said indicating means during transmission of said operability-inquiring electrical signal by said local transmitter.