Machine operating condition monitoring system
First Claim
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1. A system for monitoring a plurality of machines having widely spaced locations comprising:
- a plurality of .[.binary.]. sensors connected to each machine;
a plurality of local data storage and processing units, each corresponding to a separate group of machines and connected to every machine in that group;
means to sequentially feed .[.binary.]. information from sensors in each machine of a group to said local data storage and processing unit corresponding to that group;
comparison means in said local data storage and processing unit for comparing received sensor information with previous information received from the same sensor and determining and indicating the existence of a change;
a central processing unit;
scanning means for scanning said local data storage and processing units and .Iadd.selectively .Iaddend.retrieving from them .[.only.]. changed information; and
transmission means for transmitting said changed information to said central processing unit.
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Abstract
This invention relates to a system for monitoring the condition and operation of remotely located machines, such as coin-operated vending machines. In one embodiment, switches in each machine convert operating conditions into a binary digital word for that machine, which is stored temporarily. Such words for a plurality of machines are then transferred to a memory, whence they are retrieved, coded as to machine number and transmitted via telephone line to a control processing unit where the various machine conditions are recorded and displayed.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring a plurality of machines having widely spaced locations comprising:
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a plurality of .[.binary.]. sensors connected to each machine; a plurality of local data storage and processing units, each corresponding to a separate group of machines and connected to every machine in that group; means to sequentially feed .[.binary.]. information from sensors in each machine of a group to said local data storage and processing unit corresponding to that group; comparison means in said local data storage and processing unit for comparing received sensor information with previous information received from the same sensor and determining and indicating the existence of a change; a central processing unit; scanning means for scanning said local data storage and processing units and .Iadd.selectively .Iaddend.retrieving from them .[.only.]. changed information; and transmission means for transmitting said changed information to said central processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification