System and method for performing user recovery of guided procedures for an uninterruptible power supply

• US 7,509,529 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Neil, Colucci, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman; Scott T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHELL, JOSEPH O
• Application Number:
  US10/622,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 714/14, 714/22, 714/24, 715/705, 715707-709, 715/961, 715/965, 715/966
• US Class Current: 714/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence

Abstract

A processor embedded in a device includes instructions for procedures to be completed by a user. A display provides the instructions as steps for completion to the user. The processor monitors status of the device to determine completion of the steps before proceeding with the next step. Errors in performing steps are identified by the processor and steps to correct the errors are displayed for execution by the user.

Claims

1. A system for guiding a user through performance of a procedure corresponding to an uninterruptible power supply associated with the system, the system comprising:

at least one programmed processor embedded within or connected to the uninterruptible power supply;

at least one sensor embedded within or connected to the uninterruptible power supply providing information regarding the status of the uninterruptible power supply, the programmed processor and the sensor being operatively coupled such that the programmed processor receives at least a portion of status information from the sensor;

the programmed processor being configured to retrieve at least one stored procedure corresponding to the uninterruptible power supply including a plurality of steps to be performed by a user; and

a display operatively coupled to the uninterruptible power supply for displaying the plurality of steps in order;

the programmed processor being further configured to determine whether a currently displayed step has been properly performed based upon at least one of;

(i) the information received from the sensor and (ii) one or more inputs entered by a user into the programmed processor, to determine whether a recovery from an error caused by a step which is not properly performed is possible, and, if recovery is possible, to provide one or more correctional steps, at least one of which is different from the displayed step, to correct the error by displaying the correctional steps to the user on the display;

wherein the at least one stored procedure comprises a method for placing the uninterruptible power supply in a bypass state.

2. method of guiding a user through performance of a procedure corresponding to an uninterruptible power supply, the method comprising:

selecting a procedure from a list of one or more procedures corresponding to an uninterruptible power supply;

determining whether the step of the procedure has been properly performed;

determining whether a recovery step is available in the event the step of the procedure is not properly performed;

if a recovery step is available, displaying one or more correctional steps of the recovery step, at least one of which is different from the step of the procedure, to correct an error caused by a step of the procedure which is not properly performed; and

displaying a next step of the procedure upon determining that the prior step has been properly performed,

wherein the procedure comprises a method for placing the uninterruptible power supply in a bypass state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the step of the procedure has been properly performed is determined by obtaining information of the status of the uninterruptible power supply from at least one sensor embedded within or connected to the uninteruptible power supply.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of terminating the procedure upon determining that a recovery step is not available.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a listing of all steps in the procedure.