BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and the manner in which it can be made and used, can be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a system view of a faulted circuit indicator monitoring system.
FIG. 2 illustrates a system view of a wireless device debugging a number of faulted circuit indicator monitors connected to a number of faulted circuit indicators in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates the data format of peek and poke messages used to read and modify memory locations within a radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing how the present invention may be used to view or modify memory locations within a selected power system device in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 illustrates a faulted circuit indicator monitoring system in accordance with the present invention. A number of overhead faulted circuit indicators 207 each contain a two-way radio that communicates the occurrence of a fault via a short range antenna 203 to a local site 110 having an intelligent module 106 installed near the faulted circuit indicators 207. The intelligent module then uses the existing wired telephone network (not shown) or a long range RF antenna 114b to communicate the fault occurrence to a remote site 112 via another long range RF antenna 114a. The remote site 112 includes a remote module 107, which is connected to another site (not shown) via a wired connection 116. When a fault is detected by a faulted circuit indicator, the occurrence is communicated in the manner described above to the remote site 112, triggering the dispatch of a team to the fault site. The fault team then uses a wireless device 102 or equipment installed in a vehicle 104 to determine precisely which conductor 205 is faulted. Note that the conductors could also be underground 200 and only accessible through an access port (e.g. a manhole) 118. Faulted circuit indicators 206 attached to the underground conductors are wired to a radio interface unit 400 with a separate short range antenna 202 to communicate with the wireless device 102 (e.g., a wireless handheld device). In another embodiment, the wireless device may be installed in a vehicle 104.
Referring to the drawings, and to FIG. 2 in particular, a wireless device communicates with a monitor connected to a number of power system devices. For illustration purposes only, the wireless device is in the form of a handheld device whereas the power system devices are in the form of underground faulted circuit indicators (not shown). The wireless device generally communicates through a radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor 400. The faulted circuit indicator monitor 400 includes a housing 402. A number of probe cavities 304 for connecting faulted circuit indicators (not shown) protrude from the housing 402. The radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor 400 also includes a microprocessor 310 with some amount of randomly accessible memory 312 (e.g., any type of randomly accessible memory, such as SRAM, DRAM, internal registers, FLASH, etc.). Note that the memory need not be integrated within the microprocessor. The microprocessor is coupled to an RF transceiver 322, which is coupled to an antenna 202 directly or via a radio frequency cable 208. The radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor 400 communicates with a wireless device 102. A wide variety of wireless communications protocols could be used, such as 802.11. The particular wireless communications protocol used is not significant to this invention, and as wireless communications protocols are well known in the art, no such protocol is described.
Turning to FIG. 3, possible data formats for messages used to monitor and modify memory locations within the radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor are detailed. The “peek request” message 600 of FIG. 3A is sent by the wireless device to the radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor, and is used to retrieve the contents of a particular memory location or range of memory locations within the radio frequency faulted circuit indicator monitor. In the illustrated embodiment, the peek request message 600 contains a header 602 with data identifying the desired message (i.e.; peek request), and may include information (e.g. an identification number of the faulted circuit indicator monitor) about the sending unit and/or the receiving unit. In addition, the illustrated peek request message 600 contains a field with the start address 604 of the data the user wishes to view as well as the number of bytes 606 starting at the start address 604 that the user wishes to view. To ensure reliability, the peek request message may also contain a cyclical redundancy check (CRC) 608, which is used to validate the contents of the message. Alternatively, the peek request message could use a different means for data validation, such as a checksum or parity bit.
FIG. 3B illustrates a “peek response” message 700, which contains the data requested by the peek request message. In the illustrated embodiment, the peek response message contains a header 702, with information identifying the message as a peek response, as well as information about the sending and/or receiving unit. In addition, the peek response message contains a data payload 704, with the contents of the memory locations requested. To ensure reliability, the peek response message may contain a CRC 706, which is used to validate the contents of the message. Alternatively, the peek response message could use a different means for data validation, such as a checksum or parity bit. The peek response message may also include the status of the faulted circuit indicator monitor, which may include, for example, a result from a self test such as a memory (RAM and/or flash memory) test, the expected useful life expectancy, battery usage, and the like.
FIG. 3C illustrates a “poke request” message 800, which is used to modify memory locations in the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor. In the illustrated embodiment, the poke request message 800 contains a header 802, with information identifying the message as a poke request, as well as information about the sending and/or receiving unit. In addition, the poke request message 800 contains a start address 804, which identifies the address or range of addresses the user wishes to modify. The poke request message also contains a field with the number of bytes 806 to modify, as well as a data field 808 containing the bytes to be put into the address or range of addresses. Note that another scheme to identify the particular memory location or range of memory locations would work just as well. Finally, the poke request message may contain a CRC 810, which is used to validate the contents of the message. Alternatively, the poke request message could use a different means for data validation, such as a checksum or parity bit.
The poke request message could also be used to initiate a control or command in the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor. In this embodiment, the poke request message 800 may include a start address 804 which indicates to the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor that the data 808 includes a command or control. The data may indicate to the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor to undergo any of the available commands or controls on the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor, such as, for example, a Power on Reset (POR) which resets all faulted circuit indicator latches to a closed state. Another example of a command or control is requiring the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor to undergo a complete FLASH and RAM self test. The command or control may require the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor to undergo a system test and write the results to a particular address, which may be later viewed using a peek request. Other commands or controls may require the faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor to undergo an update of Data Flash, extend operating modes, decrease operating modes, or change a state of operation.
FIG. 3D illustrates a “poke response” message 900, which is used to acknowledge the poke request message 800. In the illustrated embodiment, the poke response message 900 contains a header 902, with information identifying the message as a poke response, as well as information about the sending and/or receiving unit. To ensure reliability, the poke response message may also contain a CRC 904, which is used to validate the contents of the message. Alternatively, the poke response message could use a different means for data validation, such as a checksum or parity bit.
FIG. 3E illustrates another “poke response” message 1000, which is used to acknowledge the poke request message 800 and indicate that the poke was successful. In the illustrated embodiment, the poke response message 1000 contains a header 1002, with information identifying the message as a poke response, as well as information about the sending and/or receiving unit. The illustrated poke response message 1000 also includes a status byte 1006, which communicates that the poke was successful, that is, that the requested memory change had taken place. To ensure reliability, the poke response message may also contain a CRC 1004, which is used to validate the contents of the message. Alternatively, the poke response message could use a different means for data validation, such as a checksum or parity bit.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, during operation the user will first identify a particular power system device that the user wishes to troubleshoot. For example, the power system device may be in the form of a faulted circuit indicator or faulted circuit indicator monitor (or other power system device) 400. As shown at 500, the user will then use the wireless device 102 to specify the device and select a particular memory location or locations within the power system device which the user wishes to view. As shown at 502, the wireless device 102 will then transmit a peek request message (e.g. a peek request for the memory location of step 500) to the power system device 400 that the user previously selected. As shown at 504, the targeted power system device 400 will retrieve the selected memory location or locations located therein. Thereafter, as shown at 506, the power system device 400 responds with a peek response message containing the contents of the memory locations the user wished to view. The wireless device 102 receives the message and displays the requested values as shown at 508. Depending on the contents of the memory location or locations that the user viewed, the user may wish to modify the contents of those locations.
To modify the contents of memory in the power system device 400, the user begins by choosing the address or addresses to modify using the wireless device 102 (as shown at 510), along with the values to place into the chosen memory locations (as shown at 512). The wireless device 102 then generates a poke request message (e.g. selected location and values), which is wirelessly transmitted to the targeted device as shown at 514. As discussed herein, the poke request message may include a command or control for the power system device 400 to execute. The power system device 400 recognizes in 520 whether the poke request message includes a command or control. If the poke request message does include a command or control, the power system device 400 executes the command or control in 522. The targeted device may further generate a poke response message in 524 including the success/failure or other status that is wirelessly transmitted to the wireless device 102. The poke response message may indicate the success of the poke. The wireless device 102 then displays the success/failure or other status in 518. If, however, the poke request does not include a command or control, the microprocessor embedded within the targeted device then processes and executes the poke request message as shown at 516. Finally, the targeted device may further generate a poke response message in 524 including the success/failure or other status that is wirelessly transmitted to the wireless device 102. The poke response message may indicate the success of the poke. The wireless device 102 then displays the success/failure or other status in 518.
In one embodiment, the poke may be followed by a peek to verify that the contents of the memory were modified as requested. To accomplish this peek sequence, the user selects a particular memory location or locations within the power system device that the user wishes to view using the wireless device 102. This will likely be the memory location(s) for which the modification was requested in the prior poke. Next, as shown at 502, the wireless device 102 will then transmit a peek request message (e.g. memory location of step 500) to the power system device 400 that the user previously selected. As shown at 504, the targeted power system device 400 will retrieve the memory location or locations located therein. Thereafter, as shown at 506, the power system device 400 responds with a peek response message containing the contents of the memory locations the user wished to view. The wireless device 102 receives the message and displays the contents of the message as shown at 508. The wireless device 102 may compare the contents of the memory locations requested with the requested modification and indicate to the user whether the requested modification did occur.
In yet another embodiment, either the peek or poke message could include any data related to the faulted circuit indicator or the power system associated therewith. For example, the message could contain information relating to the location of the faulted circuit indicator or the location of a condition in the power system. In one embodiment, the message could include data relating to the GPS location of the faulted circuit indicator or the GPS location of a fault on a a transmission line.
The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.
Patent Application
20080010528
