# US 10,762,771 B2 · Method for implementing quality alarms in an energy management system remote terminal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,762,771 B2 - Document ID: US10762771B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/139,788 - Filed: 2018-09-24 - Published: 2019-09-26 - Granted: 2020-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15 - Assignees: GridPoint, Inc. - Applicants: GridPoint, Inc. - Inventors: Erin Lehner Mello - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10762771B2 ## CPC - G08B 29/185: {Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system} - G05B 23/0272: {Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user} - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract Methods for creating high quality alarms raise EMS operator awareness to abnormal conditions in monitored assets across multiple sites in a single EMS software platform. An embodiment includes steps for accessing an alarm designer software tool that contains a library of alarm definitions and the ability to create new alarm definitions, clone and edit existing alarm definitions, lock alarm definitions and delete alarm definitions. Applicable data is defined using channel attributes identifying which channel or channels associated with the multiple monitored sites are to be evaluated for alarming conditions. The alarm frequency, trigger conditions, pending open duration, close conditions, and pending close duration are also defined. Alarms can trigger upon one or more channels' behavior over periods of time and conditional relationships between multiple channels. Close conditions for an alarm can be, but are not required to be, the resolution of the trigger conditions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of creating alarms triggered based on conditions of assets at one or more sites, the assets being monitored by an EMS software platform, the EMS software platform including an alarm designer software tool that can create new alarm definitions, the method comprising: defining applicable channel data using one or more channel attributes, wherein the applicable channel data identifies which channels associated with the one or more sites are to be evaluated for alarming conditions; defining alarm definition parameters, including (1) a frequency, (2) a trigger condition, (3) a pending open duration, (4) a close condition, and (5) a pending close duration; applying the alarm definition parameters against test channel data having the same one or more channel attributes as the defined applicable channel data; generating test results, including potential alarm instances created based on the trigger condition and avoided alarms based on the pending close duration; and saving the alarm definition parameters. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the test results include avoided repeat alarms in which the open condition did not last the pending open duration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more channel attributes includes one or more of the following: a channel name, a unit of measure, a measurement type, and a channel category. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the applicable channel data are grouped by site or system, and the potential alarm instances include a potential trigger of a group of channels. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the close condition for an alarm is defined independently from the trigger condition, and wherein the pending open duration is defined independently from the pending close duration. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition includes a conditional relationship between two or more of the applicable channel data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising copying alarm definition parameters to create a new alarm, and editing the copied alarm definition parameters to create the new alarm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the alarm definition parameters, wherein validation includes ensuring the alarm definition parameters do not have errors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the test channel data includes historical data from a site, and the method further includes selecting a date range of the historical data and generating test results for the alarm definition parameters using the selected date range of the historical data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the test results include which potential alarm instances developed into triggered alarms, which potential alarm instances did not develop into triggered alarms but met trigger conditions for a duration less than the pending open duration, which triggered alarms closed, and which triggered alarms met close conditions for a duration less than the pending close duration. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer program product for creating alarms triggered based on conditions of assets at one or more sites, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in the computer usable medium for causing an application program to execute on a computer system, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code for defining applicable channel data using one or more channel attributes, wherein the applicable channel data identifies which channels associated with the one or more sites are to be evaluated for alarming conditions; computer readable program code for defining alarm definition parameters, including (1) a frequency, (2) a trigger condition, (3) a pending open duration, (4) a close condition, and (5) a pending close duration; computer readable program code for applying the alarm definition parameters against test channel data having the same one or more channel attributes as the defined applicable channel data; computer readable program code for generating test results, including potential alarm instances created based on the trigger condition and avoided alarms based on the pending close duration; and computer readable program code for saving the alarm definition parameters. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the test results include avoided repeat alarms in which the open condition did not last the pending open duration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, further comprising energy management system software, wherein the assets are monitored by the energy management system software. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the one or more channel attributes includes one or more of the following: a channel name, a unit of measure, a measurement type, and a channel category. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the applicable channel data are grouped by site or system, and the potential alarm instances include a potential trigger of a group of channels. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the close condition for an alarm is defined independently from the trigger condition, and wherein the pending open duration is defined independently from the pending close duration. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the trigger condition includes a conditional relationship between two or more of the applicable channel data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, further comprising computer readable program code for copying alarm definition parameters to create a new alarm, for editing the copied alarm definition parameters to create the new alarm, and for validating the alarm definition parameters, wherein validation includes ensuring the alarm definition parameters do not have errors. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the test channel data includes historical data from a site, and the product further includes computer readable program code for selecting a date range of the historical data and for generating test results for the alarm definition parameters using the selected date range of the historical data. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein the test results include which potential alarm instances developed into triggered alarms, which potential alarm instances did not develop into triggered alarms but met trigger conditions for a duration less than the pending open duration, which triggered alarms closed, and which triggered alarms met close conditions for a duration less than the pending close duration.