User interface for monitoring a plurality of faulted circuit indicators

• US 7,692,538 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Feight, Laurence Virgl, Anderson, Luther S., Park, Douglas A., Schweitzer, Edmund O. III, Bosold, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/750,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/638, 340/639, 340/651, 324/500, 455/419, 455/553.1, 455/73.1, 455/41.2, 361/63, 361/60, 361/62
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0069 by means of light or heat rays
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/042 combined with means for locating the fault locating faults in cables G01R31/08

Abstract

A user interface for a wireless device used to monitor multiple groups of faulted circuit indicators. Each group of faulted circuit indicators includes a radio interface unit, which is coupled to each of the faulted circuit indicators in the group. The user interface includes an identification indicator, which includes a plurality of radio interface unit status indicators, each of which corresponds to a particular radio interface unit, and which indicates a selected radio interface unit. The user interface also includes a way indicator comprising a plurality of faulted circuit indicator status indicators, each of which corresponds to a particular faulted circuit indicator coupled to the selected radio interface unit. In addition, each radio interface unit status indicator indicates whether a particular radio interface unit coupled to a faulted circuit indicator is asserting a fault condition.

Claims

1. A user interface for a wireless device for monitoring the occurrence of a fault on monitored equipment detected by a faulted circuit indicator, wherein the wireless device is adapted to distinguish among a plurality of faulted circuit indicators situated in groups and each group of faulted circuit indicators being associated with a particular radio interface unit having an identification setting associated therewith, the user interface comprising;

i) a radio address indicator comprising a plurality of radio interface unit status indicators, wherein each radio interface unit status indicator corresponds to a particular radio interface unit, and wherein the radio address indicator is adapted to display status information related to the particular radio interface unit; and

ii) a group indicator comprising a plurality of faulted circuit indicator status indicators, wherein each faulted circuit indicator status indicator corresponds to a particular faulted circuit indicator coupled to the particular radio interface unit,

wherein each radio interface unit status indicator indicates whether the particular radio interface unit is coupled to a faulted circuit indicator.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein each radio interface unit status indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein each faulted circuit indicator status indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein each faulted circuit indicator status indicator indicates whether the corresponding faulted circuit indicator is faulted, not-faulted, or not-connected.

5. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising an increment control adapted to change the selected status indicator in response to input from a user.

6. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a speaker.

7. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the speaker communicates information through Morse Code.

8. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a liquid crystal display.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein each radio address indicator indicates an address interference between two radio interface units.

10. The user interface of claim 9, wherein each radio address indicator indicates an designation for distinguishing between two radio interface units having a same address associated therewith.

11. The user interface of claim 1, wherein each faulted circuit indicator status indicator corresponds to a particular phase associated therewith.

12. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is situated on a single handheld device.

13. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a wireless interface, a laptop computer and a handheld computer with a wireless interface.

14. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the faulted circuit indicator is either an overhead or an underground faulted circuit indicator.

15. The user interface of claim 1, further including a system health indicator for providing the health of either the radio interface unit or the faulted circuit indicator.

16. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising an indicator for providing an indication of an interference between multiple radio interface units or an indication of a collision of signals received from more than one radio interface device.

17. A user interface for a wireless device indicating whether a faulted circuit indicator for monitoring for faults on monitored equipment is connected to a radio interface unit, the user interface comprising:

at least one radio interface unit status indicator corresponding to the radio interface unit, and adapted to indicate whether the faulted circuit indicator is connected to the radio interface unit.

18. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the radio interface unit status indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

19. The user interface of claim 17, further comprising a speaker.

20. The user interface of claim 19, wherein the speaker communicates information through Morse Code.

21. The user interface of claim 19, wherein the speaker communicates information using a communication mechanism selected from the list consisting of prerecorded messages, synthesized messages, chirps, dog barks, and beeps.

22. The user interface of claim 17, further comprising a liquid crystal display.

23. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the user interface is situated on a single handheld device.

24. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer and a handheld computer with a wireless interface.

25. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the faulted circuit indicator is either an underground or overhead faulted circuit indicator.

26. The user interface of claim 17, further comprising an indicator for providing an indication of an interference between multiple radio interface units or a collision of signals received from more than one radio interface device.

27. A user interface for a wireless device for monitoring a plurality of faulted circuit indicators, wherein the faulted circuit indicators are situated in particular groups, each group of faulted circuit indicators being associated with a particular radio interface unit, the user interface comprising:

i) a radio interface unit status indicator corresponding to a particular radio interface unit, and displaying status information corresponding to the particular radio interface unit;

ii) a faulted circuit indicator status indicator corresponding to a particular faulted circuit indicator coupled to a particular radio interface unit, and displaying status information corresponding to the particular faulted circuit indicator; and

iii) wherein the faulted circuit indicator status indicator indicates whether the particular radio interface unit is coupled to the particular faulted circuit indicator.

28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the radio interface unit status indicator is a light-emitting diode.

29. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the faulted circuit indicator status indicator is a light-emitting diode.

30. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the radio interface unit status indicator reports its status on a liquid crystal display.

31. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the faulted circuit indicator status indicator reports its status on a liquid crystal display.

32. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the radio interface unit status indicator reports its status through a speaker.

33. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the faulted circuit indicator status reports its status through a speaker.

34. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the status information displayed by the radio interface unit status indicator is selected from the group consisting of a radio interface unit address, a radio interface unit identification setting, a radio interface unit designation, a radio interface unit serial number, a radio interface unit health indication, a counter information, a radio interface unit GPS position, one or more diagnostic parameters, and firmware revisions.

35. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the status information displayed by the faulted circuit indicator status indicator is selected from the group consisting of a faulted circuit indicator status, a faulted circuit indicator fault location, one or more diagnostic parameters, firmware revisions, a counter information, and a faulted circuit indicator position.

36. The user interface of claim 27, wherein each faulted circuit indicator status indicator displays information regarding a particular phase associated with the faulted circuit indicator.

37. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the user interface is situated on a single handheld device.

38. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer and a handheld computer with a wireless interface.

39. The user interface of claim 27, wherein the faulted circuit indicator is either an underground or overhead faulted circuit indicator.

40. The user interface of claim 27, further including a system health indicator for monitoring the health of either the radio interface unit or the faulted circuit indicator.

41. The user interface unit of claim 40, wherein the system health indicator provides status information relating to the battery life of the radio interface unit.

42. The user interface of claim 27, further comprising an indicator for providing an indication of an interference between multiple radio interface units or collision of signals received from more than one radio interface device.

43. A user interface for a wireless device for monitoring a plurality of sensor probes, wherein the sensor probes are situated in particular groups, each group of sensor probes being associated with a particular radio interface unit, the user interface comprising:

i) a radio interface unit status indicator corresponding to a particular radio interface unit, and displaying selected status information corresponding to the particular radio interface unit;

ii) a sensor probe status indicator corresponding to a particular sensor probe coupled to a particular radio interface unit, and displaying selected status information corresponding to the particular sensor probe; and

iii) wherein the sensor probe status indicator indicates whether the particular radio interface unit is coupled to the particular sensor probe.

44. The user interface of claim 43, wherein the sensor probe is a faulted circuit indicator.

45. The user interface of claim 43, wherein the sensor probe includes one selected from the list consisting of sensors for detecting:

CO, CO₂, SO_x, NO_x, Ammonia, Arsine, Bromine, Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide, volatile organic compounds, Diborane, Ethylene Oxide, Fluorine, Formaldehyde, Germane, Hydrogen, Hydrogen Chloride, Hydrogen Cyanide, Hydrogen Fluoride, Hydrogen Selenide, Hydrogen Sulfide, Oxygen, Ozone, Methane, Phosgene, Phosphine, Silane, pressure, temperature, electromagnetic radiation, atomic radiation, smoke, particulate matter, pH, turbidity, Bf⁻

, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻

, CN⁻

, Cu²⁺, F⁻

, I⁻

, K⁺, Na⁺, NH⁴⁺, NO³⁻

Pb²⁺, S⁻

(AG⁺), conductivity, over voltage, under voltage, over current, under current, frequency, water, high voltage electric field, specific gravity, light, and sound.