Apparatus for monitoring cable television system remote equipment performance and status using a cell modem
First Claim
1. An apparatus for sensing and transmitting information from remote equipment in a cable television plant, comprising:
- a) a plurality of sensors for receiving status signals from the remote equipment;
b) a processor being coupled to the sensors and formatting a data signal indicative of the status signals;
c) a Cellemetry modem being coupled to the processor, having a plurality of mobile identification numbers to which it will respond, and transmitting the data signal as an electronic serial number via a cellular telephone network, wherein said processor performs different functions depending upon which one of the plurality of mobile identification numbers was received by the Cellemetry modem.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless remote data sensor for use in the cable television industry. It senses the status of equipment in the field, such as battery backup power equipment, amplifiers, pilot and signal level monitors, and voltage level for powering active equipment, and transmits the status information using a low data rate cellular data service known as Cellemetry. It also allows the cable system operator to switch each power supply to a backup power source and back remotely for conditioning and battery capacity measurement. Cellemetry uses the forward and reverse control channels of the AMPS cellular network to communicate 32 bit data packets. Included in the sensor are a DC-to-DC converter, external power transformer or other power source, analog-to-digital converter(s), digital on-off sense input(s); a control microprocessor, a bi-directional connector for external programming, a bi-directional connection to a Cellemetry modem, a Cellemetry modem, and a cellular antenna, all of which are enclosed in an environmentally appropriate case. In addition, the present invention minimizes the number of MINs required by cycling through a series of formats of the data signal so that more than 32 bits of data can be sent, although at different times.
115 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for sensing and transmitting information from remote equipment in a cable television plant, comprising:
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a) a plurality of sensors for receiving status signals from the remote equipment; b) a processor being coupled to the sensors and formatting a data signal indicative of the status signals; c) a Cellemetry modem being coupled to the processor, having a plurality of mobile identification numbers to which it will respond, and transmitting the data signal as an electronic serial number via a cellular telephone network, wherein said processor performs different functions depending upon which one of the plurality of mobile identification numbers was received by the Cellemetry modem. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for sensing and transmitting information from remote equipment in a cable television plant with a remote sensing apparatus, comprising the steps of:
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a) sensing status signals from the remote equipment; b) formatting a data signal indicative of the status signals in a 32 bit format; c) transmitting the data signal as an electronic serial number via a cellular telephone network; and d) controlling operation of the remote sensing apparatus by using different mobile identification numbers to query the remote sensing apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A device for monitoring remote equipment comprising:
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a) means for sensing status signals from the remote equipment; b) means for formatting the sensed status signals into a 32 bit digital signal; c) means for transmitting the 32 bit digital signal as an electronic serial number via a cellular telephone network; d) means for commanding the device by using a plurality of mobile identification numbers; and e) means for changing the format of the 32 bit digital signal according to which of the plurality of mobile identification numbers the device is responding. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification