Use of a transponder for servicing work on an installation component

• US 8,451,100 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steag Energy Services GmbH (KSBG Kommunale Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Steag Energy Services GmbH (KSBG Kommunale Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Offermann, Wolfgang, Stephan, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LITTLEJOHN JR, MANCIL H
• Application Number:
  US12/578,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 106, 340/870.17, 340/870.18, 340/870.19, 340/825.54, 340/573, 340/572.1, 340/540, 340/539.22, 340/539.2, 376/217, 376/259
• US Class Current: 340/10.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

Described is the use of a transponder in a commercial installation, particularly a power plant, which allows problems and dangerous situations existing in this context to be avoided and the attainable occupational safety in a commercial installation, particularly a power plant, to be increased. The transponder includes a reception element, a transmission element, a visual display unit and a memory element and also a control element which is operatively connected to these, in a commercial installation, particularly a power plant, in an arrangement or positioning on or in proximity to a component or at a switching or measuring point associated with the component for the purpose of visually displaying an operating state for the component or the switching or measuring point associated therewith using the visual display unit of the transponder.

Claims

1. Use of a transponder (2) during a disconnection process which is performed in the course of maintenance, serving and/or repair work on a component and/or a commercial installation, wherein the disconnection process comprises the steps of creating a disconnection plan, of performing the disconnection and of reconnection or normalization, and wherein the transponder (2) has a reception element (7), a transmission element (8), a visual display unit (6) and a memory unit (10) for storing at least one state/operational information unit and also a control element (9) which is operatively connected to these, in a commercial installation in an arrangement or positioning on or in proximity to the component or at a switching or measuring point associated with said component for the purpose of visually displaying an operating state for the component or the switching or measuring point associated therewith using the visual display unit (6) of the transponder (2), wherein the visual display unit (6) visually displays the number of stored state/operational information units and a warning signal is shown on the visual display unit (6) by means of the control element (9) when the number of stored state/operational information units is greater than zero.

2. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1 for producing a communication system comprising a read/write unit (3).

3. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1 for producing an information system comprising an electronic data processing (EDP) system.

4. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1, characterized by a fixed arrangement for the transponder (2) on the component.

5. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the memory element (10) permanently stores a transponder identification information unit and is used to store at least one state/operational information unit which relates to a component associated with the transponder (2), wherein the transponder identification information unit and the at least one state/operational information unit are read from the memory element (10) via the transmission element (8), and the at least one state/operational information unit is supplied to the memory element (10) via the reception element (7), and wherein the transponder (2) is designed such that at least one portion of the information contained in the state/operational information units is displayed on the visual display unit (6).

6. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the visual display unit (6) not visually displays the state/operational information unit itself.

7. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the state/operational information units which can be stored in the memory element (10) each comprise a piece of information regarding a connection or disconnection state of the component and/or recently performed servicing on the component and/or a recently performed official examination of the component and/or recently performed measured value recording for the component.

8. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the visual display unit (6) is a display based on electronic ink with bistable display elements and/or the transponder (2) is an RFID transponder.

9. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the read/write unit (3) stores at least one state/operational information unit and at least one identification information unit, wherein each identification information unit has at least one associated state/operational information unit, the read/write unit (3) can read a transponder identification information unit from the memory element (10) of the transponder (2), and the read/write unit (3) takes the read transponder identification information unit as a basis for transmitting at least one state/operational information unit from the read/write unit (3) to the transponder (2).

10. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 9, characterized in that the content of at the least one state/operational information unit which is stored in the read/write unit (3) can be altered by a user of the read/write unit (3) prior to the transmission to the transponder (2) and/or in that the read/write unit (3) is designed to compare the transponder identification information unit read from the transponder (2) with the at least one identification information unit stored in the read/write unit (3).

11. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 9, characterized in that if the content of the transponder identification information unit and of an identification information unit matches then the read/write unit (3) reads state/operational information units stored in the transponder (2) and/or transmits a state/operational information unit which is associated with at least the identification information unit and which is stored in the read/write unit (3) from the read/write unit (3) to the transponder (2) and/or in that if the content of the transponder identification information unit and of an identification information unit matches then the read/write unit (3) sends a control signal to the transponder (2), which control signal prompts the control element (9) to erase a state/operational information unit stored in the memory element (10).

12. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one of the state/operational information units stored in a read/write unit (3) is read from the read/write unit (3) by the central EDP system (4), and state/operational information units which are to be stored in the read/write unit (3) are transmitted from the central EDP system (4) to the read/write unit (3).

13. Use of a transponder (2) according to claim 12, characterized in that the central EDP system (4) is designed to process state/operational information units read by the read/write unit (3), particularly to compare them with state/operational information units stored in the EDP system (4).

16. Commercial installation characterized in that it is equipped with a transponder (2) used in accordance with claim 1.

17. Use of a transponder according to claim 1, wherein the commercial installation is a power plant.

19. Commercial installation according to claim 16, wherein the commercial installation is a power plant.

14. Method for performing maintenance, servicing and/or repair work on a component and/or on a switching or measuring point associated with said component in a commercial installation wherein a transponder (2), which has a reception element (7), a transmission element (8), a visual display unit (6) and a memory element (10) for storing at least one state/operational information unit and also a control element (9) which is operatively connected to these, is arranged on or in proximity to the component or at the switching or measuring point associated with said component during a disconnection process which is performed in the course of the maintenance, serving and/or repair work on the component and/or the commercial installation, wherein the disconnection process comprises the steps of creating a disconnection plan, of performing the disconnection and of reconnection or normalization, and wherein the visual display unit (6) of the transponder (2) is used to visually display an operating state for the component or the switching or measuring point associated therewith on said visual display unit, wherein the visual display unit (6) visually display the number of stored state/operation information units and a warning signal is shown on the visual display unit (6) by means of the control element (9) when the number of stored state/operational information units is greater than zero.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that use of the transponder (2) according to claim 2 is performed.

18. Method according to claim 14, wherein the commercial installation is a power plant.