Computer-controlled electronic system monitor

• US 4,823,280 A
• Filed: 03/12/1987
• Issued: 04/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allen Telecom Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Decibel Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Hicks, John R., Mailandt, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/025,216
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 364/481, 364/483, 364/514, 364/550, 364/551, 324/103 R, 324/140 R, 324/141, 324/142, 324/58 R, 324/58 A, 324/58.5 R, 324/58.5 A, 324/58 B, 324/58.5 B, 340/514, 340/517, 340/526, 340/635, 340/653, 340/660, 340/661, 340/664, 340/540, 340/541, 340/552
• US Class Current: 340/552
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/08 using a common indicating element for two or more variables
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/327 Received signal code power [RSCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An electric power monitor system for radio communication (trunking and paging repeater base station) systems includes a plurality of input switches, power sensors, a power monitor having a display, keyboard, and microprocessor, a printer port, and communications port. The input switches facilitate alarm inputs, for example, unauthorized entry, flooding, fire, and temperature of the antenna site. The power sensors include bidirectional and unidirectional sensors connected to a communication system having tunable components for producing analog signals indicative of system component performance. The power monitor measures, determines, and reports locally and/or remotely the power output and standing wave ratio of transmitters and antennas, insertion loss of combiners and power to and SWR of antennas and alarms. Specific measurements and computations are: (1) transmitter input power forward to the combiner; (2) reflected transmitter power on the input side of the combiner; (3) reflected power from the antenna side of the combiner; (4) transmitter voltage standing wave ratio; (5) combiner insertion loss (IL) per channel; (6) time and date of most recent channel measurement; (7) antenna voltage standing wave ratio; and (8) combiner power to the antenna. The display shows either single measurements or dual measurements of any selected pair of the foregoing measurements. The measurements are compared to acceptable norms and an alarm system will automatically and remotely signal outside-the-norm measurements of the antenna, combiner, and transmitters as well as the selected environmental conditions.

Claims

1. An electronic communication monitoring apparatus for monitoring a communication system having a transmitter, and a site housing for the transmitter, comprising:

a power sensor means for selective connection to the communication system for producing selected power measurements;

a plurality of environmental sensors connected to the site housing for determining environmental conditions affecting the site housing; and

a programmable controller means located in the site housing and connected to the power sensor means and plurality of environmental sensors, said programmable controller means including a display means, a power monitoring means operatively connected to the power sensor means for continuously monitoring operations of the communication system including power measurements for display by the display means, means for storing maintenance parameters, comparison means connected to power monitoring means for comparing the power measurements with the maintenance parameters, means connected to the comparison means for signaling a need for maintenance operations prior to failure of the communication system, environmental sensor monitoring means connected to the plurality of environmental sensors for detecting environmental signals indicative of adverse environmental conditions associated with the transmitter station housing, and an alarm means connected to the environmental sensor monitoring means for producing alarms indicative of adverse environmental conditions.

2. An electronic monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the programmable controller includes a channel selection means for monitoring a plurality of communication channels of the communication system and means for changing selected channel operating parameters of the programmable controller.

3. An electronic monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the power sensor means includes sensors within the communication system to provide selected power measurements for tunable components of the communication system, and wherein said programmable controller display means is a multiple display for simultaneously displaying power measurements in support of tuning the tunable components.

4. An electronic system monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the programmable controller includes expansion means for connecting a plurality of communication systems for operation monitoring.

5. An electronic monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the programmable controller further includes storage means for storing the communication system'"'"'s operating information and alarm information, and a printer connected to the programmable controller for printing out system operating information and alarm information from the storage means.

6. An electronic monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 further including a computer positioned remotely to the programmable controller, said computer including means connected to the programmable controller for reading communication system operating parameter information into and writing performance information including alarms from the programmable controller.

7. An electronic communication monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of electromagnetic energy transmitting antennas;

a plurality of communication transmitter channels connected to each of the antennas, each communication transmitter channel including a transmitter, a power circulator connected to the transmitter, and a combiner connected to the circulator, said combiner being connected to an antenna of the plurality of antennas;

a plurality of power sensors connected to the communication transmitter channels including an analog signal producing sensor means connected to each communication channel for producing analog signals indicative of transmitter input power to the combiner and reflected transmitter power (IPR) on an input side of the combiner and an analog signal producing sensor means connected to each communication channel for producing analog signals indicative of reflected power (OPR) from an antenna side of the combiner and combiner power (OPF) to the antenna;

a controller station including a programmable controller and a plurality of environmental sensors connected to the controller station for producing signals indicative of controller station environmental conditions taken from a group consisting of flooding, fire, temperature, and unauthorized entry;

said programmable controller having;

means connected to the plurality of power sensors for producing measurements of the IPF, IPR, OPF, OPR, means connected to the power sensors for computing transmitter and antenna voltage standing wave ratios, means connected to the power sensors for determining combiner insertion loss per channel, clock means including means for obtaining time and date of measurements, and means connected to the means for obtaining time and date of measurements for recording the time and date of the most recent channel measurement, means connected to the environmental sensors for automatically producing alarm signals indicative of abnormal environmental conditions, means containing preselected acceptable normal measurements, comparator means connected to the measurement producing means and means containing the preselected acceptable normal measurements for comparing operational measurements to preselected acceptable normal measurements and means connected to the comparator means for producing alarm signals indicative of outside the normal measurements, means for displaying locally the measurements made either singly or in combination, means for reading operating parameters into and writing measurement information from the programmable controller, and communication port means for connecting either a printer or a remotely located computer or both; and

a remotely located station including a computer operatively connected to the programmable controller for reading operating parameters into and writing data including measurement data and alarm data from the programmable computer.

8. An electronic communication monitoring system comprising:

an antenna means including an antenna and a plurality of antenna systems, each antenna system including a plurality of communication transmitter channels, each communication transmitter channel including a transmitter, a power circulator connected to the transmitter, and a combiner of a combiner bank;

a plurality of power sensors connected to the communication transmitter channels including an analog signal producing sensor means connected to each communication channel for producing analog signals indicative of transmitter input power (IPF) to the combiner and reflected transmitter power (IPR) on an input side of the combiner, and an analog signal producing sensor means connected to each communication channel for producing analog signals indicative of reflected power (OPR) from an antenna side of the combiner and combiner power (OPF) to the antenna;

a controller station including a programmable controller and a plurality of environmental sensors connected to the controller station for producing signals indicative of controller station environmental conditions taken from a group consisting of multiple digital and/or analog signals;

said programmable controller having;

means connected to the plurality of power sensors for producing measurements of the IPF, IPR, OPF, and OPR, means connected to the power sensors for computing transmitter and antenna voltage standing wave ratios, means connected to the power sensors for determining combiner insertion loss per channel, clock means including means for obtaining time and date of measurements, and means connected to the means for obtaining time and date of measurements for recording the time and date of the most recent channel measurement, means connected to the environmental sensors for automatically producing alarm signals indicative of abnormal environmental conditions, means containing preselected acceptable normal measurements, comparator means connected to the measurement producing means and means containing the preselected acceptable normal measurements for comparing operational measurements to preselected acceptable normal measurements, means connected to the comparator means for producing alarm signals indicative of outside the normal measurements, means for displaying locally the measurements made either singly or in combination, means for reading operating parameters into and writing measurement information from the programmable controller, and communication port means for connecting either a printer or a remotely located computer or both.