US 4,703,325 AGranted

Remote subsystem

AssigneeCarrier Corporation

InventorsFrederick C. Chamberlin, Charles Whynacht, Peter D. Carter, Charles S. Wilson

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Abstract

A Remote Subsystem for monitoring a large number of parameters relating to operating equipment at a remote site is disclosed. A monitoring system having a plurality of local service offices each reporting to a central office and each having a plurality of remote subsystems at remote sites reporting to it is also disclosed. Each remote subsystem reports only a first alarm condition detected for a particular unit of equipment to its local office and reports the unit back in a normal operating condition only after all detected alarm conditions have returned to a non alarm status. In this way, the local and central offices are not inundated with information of little value. Each remote subsystem also monitors conditions that are indicative of impending alarm conditions in order to alert local and central service offices of developing problems in the field. Similarly, each remote system monitors and accumulates miscellaneous data useful for a variety of monitoring purposes. Periodic reports are generated from each remote subsystem to the local ofices and on to the central office.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A remote subsystem for monitoring the status and performance of at least one unit of equipment at a remote site by periodically monitoring the states of a plurality of discrete parameter signals, associated with each unit of equipment, each related parameter signal being indicative of a like plurality of unit status parameters, said remote subsystem transmitting periodic messages indicative of the equipment status and performance to at least one related office, comprising:

signal processor means, responsive to the discrete parameter signals and having memory means for storing signals indicative of a previously monitored state of each periodically monitored discrete parameter signal, wherein selected discrete signals each having normal and abnormal states indicative of normal and abnormal conditions, respectively, are related in alarm groups, each group corresponding to a particular unit of equipment, said signal processor means comparing the presently monitored state of each discrete signal with a previously stored state of that signal for detecting a state change therebetween, said signal processor providing an alarm status signal for only the first discrete signal in an alarm group of related discrete signals to change state from a normal state to an abnormal state, said alarm signal being indicative of an associated abnormal condition in said corresponding unit of equipment, said signal processor providing a return to normal signal upon detecting a change in said first discrete signal from the abnormal state to the normal state only if all said discrete alarm signals in said related alarm group are presently in the normal state;
and
communication element means, responsive to said alarm signal and said return to normal signal for transmission thereof to a related office.

A system for monitoring a plurality of remote subsystems, each remote subsystem monitoring the status and performance of at least one unit of equipment at an associated remote site by periodically monitoring the states of a plurality of discrete parameter signals, associated with each unit of equipment, each related parameter signal being indicative of a like plurality of unit status parameters, said remote subsystem transmitting periodic messages indicative of the equipment status to at least one related office, comprising:

plural remote subsystem signal processor means, each responsive to the associated equipment's discrete parameter signals and having memory means for storing signals indicative of a previously monitored state of each periodically monitored discrete parameter signal, wherein selected discrete signals each having normal and abnormal states indicative of normal and abnormal conditions, respectively, are related in alarm groups, each group corresponding to a particular unit of equipment, each signal processor means comparing the presently monitored state of each discrete signal with a previously stored state of that signal for detecting a state change therebetween, each signal processor providing an alarm status signal for only the first discrete signal in an alarm group of related discrete signals to change state from a normal state to an abnormal state, said alarm signal being indicative of an associated abnormal condition in said corresponding unit of equipment, each signal processor providing a return to normal signal upon detecting a change in said first discrete signal from the abnormal state to the normal state only if all said discrete alarm signals in said related alarm group are presently in the normal state;
and
plural remote subsystem communication element means, each responsive to said alarm signal and said return to normal signal from its associated signal processor for transmission thereof to a related office;
plural service office communication element means, at least one for each service office, responsive to said alarm signal and said return to normal signal transmitted from each of said remote subsystem communication element means for providing each of said alarm signals and said return to normal signals;
and
service office display means, responsive to said alarm signals and said return to normal signals from said service office communication element means, for displaying alarm and return to normal messages corresponding to each alarm and return to normal condition detected for each monitored device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.