Apparatus and method for transmitting information using an IRIG-B waveform generated by an intelligent electronic device

• US 7,899,619 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Petras, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US11/583,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 324/72, 324/512, 324/522, 701/213
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 7/00 Synchronisation radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43

Abstract

An intelligent electronic device broadcasts its own location information over an IRIG-B or similar network, avoiding the need for maintenance personnel to manually record the location of the installed device, and avoiding errors in tracking its location. The intelligent electronic device either is equipped with a GPS module, or receives location information from another device installed at the same site.

Claims

1. An intelligent electronic device comprising:

i) an antenna;

ii) a GPS module coupled to the antenna and receiving signals from the antenna and further capable of processing the signals and outputting a time reference and a location corresponding to the physical location of the GPS module;

iii) a processor coupled to the GPS module and executing instructions for processing the time reference and location and outputting a processed time referenced and a processed location;

iv) a serial stream generator coupled to the processor and receiving the processed time reference and the processed location and further outputting a serial stream containing both the processed time reference and the processed location to another intelligent electronic device, the serial stream generator further configured to output an IRIG-B serial stream having a plurality of user definable bits; and

wherein the serial stream generator is further configured to output, using at least one of the user definable bits of the IRIG-B stream, the processed location over a series of IRIG-B frames.

2. The intelligent electronic device of claim 1, wherein the serial stream generator is implemented within the processor.

3. The intelligent electronic device of claim 1, wherein the serial stream is an IRIG serial stream.

4. The intelligent electronic device of claim 1, wherein the stream generator is configured to output is an IRIG-B stream constrained by IEEE1344 or IEEEC37.118 having a plurality of unused bits, and the intelligent electronic device inserts at least a portion of the processed location information into at least one of the unused bits of said IRIG-B stream to transmit the processed location over a series of IRIG-B frames.

5. The intelligent electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is implemented within a gate array.

6. The intelligent electronic device of claim 5, wherein the serial stream generator is implemented within the gate array.