Patent US4598286A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4598286A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for controlling distributed electrical loads
Assignee: General Electric Co
•
Filing: 1984-05-25
•
Granted: 1986-07-01
•
Expires: 2004-05-25
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for controlling distributed electrical loads including a microprocessor based central controller coupled via a twisted pair bidirectional data line to a plurality of microcomputer based transceiver decoders. Each transceiver decoder is coupled to a plurality of relays, each relay associated with a particular load to be controlled. Override switches and sensors, coupled to transceiver decoders provide override requests and information related to ambient conditions at the site of a load. A user defined data base includes sub-sets of relays called sectors, patterns of relay states, remote switches, a time dependent schedule and condition responses. A communication protocall and arbitration scheme provide for interactive communication between the central controller and each transceiver decoder with interfacing with the operation of any other transceiver decoder. Enhanced data storage capacity is achieved through dynamic allocation of memory space for pattern data.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward B. Miller
- 👤 Charles W. Eichelberger
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 21:50
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02J; H02J13/00; H02J13/10; H02J13/13; H02J13/1321; H02J13/1325; H02J13/18; H02J13/34; H05; H05B; H05B47/00; H05B47/10; H05B47/105; H05B47/11; H05B47/155; H02J13/12; H05B47/115; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B20/00; Y02B20/40; Y02B70/00; Y02B70/30; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y04; Y04S; Y04S10/00; Y04S10/18; Y04S10/40; Y04S20/00; Y04S20/20; Y04S20/242; Y04S20/246
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
188 words
In a programmable system for controlling distributed electrical loads including plural relays, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling selected ones of said distributed electrical loads, a method for controlling said distributed loads by communication between a transceiver decoder and said programmable central controller comprising the steps of: receiving at a transceiver decoder load control signals from said central controller for controlling particular ones of said relays, decoding said load control signals and determining the particular relays to be controlled in respect thereto, pulsing relay drivers associated with said particular relays, indicating which of said relays drivers associated with particular relays have been pulsed, signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating which of said relay drivers associated with particular relays have been actuated, determining an error condition if the interrogated transceiver decoder fails to respond, retransmitting an appropriate control instruction to the interrogated transceiver decoder if it responds with an incorrect status, and self-clearing the error condition if a response is eventually received.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
188 words
In a programmable system for controlling distributed electrical loads including plural relays, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling selected ones of said distributed electrical loads, a method for controlling said distributed loads by communication between a transceiver decoder and said programmable central controller comprising the steps of: receiving at a transceiver decoder load control signals from said central controller for controlling particular ones of said relays, decoding said load control signals and determining the particular relays to be controlled in respect thereto, pulsing relay drivers associated with said particular relays, indicating which of said relays drivers associated with particular relays have been pulsed, signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating which of said relay drivers associated with particular relays have been actuated, determining an error condition if the interrogated transceiver decoder fails to respond, retransmitting an appropriate control instruction to the interrogated transceiver decoder if it responds with an incorrect status, and self-clearing the error condition if a response is eventually received.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 1, further including the steps of: receiving at said transceiver decoder a signal indicative of the status of at least one external switch; and signalling said central controller in response to a changed state of said external switch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method according to claim 1 further including the steps of: receiving at said transceiver decoder a signal indicative of a parameter sensed by at least one external sensor, and signalling said central controller and indicating thereto the status of said sensor in response to said received signal from said central controller.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
171 words
In a programmable system for controlling an electrical load including a relay coupled to control said load, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling said load, and a transceiver decoder coupling said programmable central controller to said relay, an improved transceiver decoder comprising: means for receiving load control signals from said central controller for controlling said relay; means for decoding said load control signals and determining whether a particular relay associated therewith is to be controlled; means for actuating a relay driver associated with said particular relay; means for indicating whether said relay driver has been actuated; means for signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating whether a particular relay driver has been actuated means for determining an error condition if the interrogated transceiver decoder fails to respond; means for retransmitting an appropriate control instruction to the interrogated transceiver decoder if it responds with an incorrect status, and means for self-clearing the error condition if a response is eventually received.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
171 words
In a programmable system for controlling an electrical load including a relay coupled to control said load, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling said load, and a transceiver decoder coupling said programmable central controller to said relay, an improved transceiver decoder comprising: means for receiving load control signals from said central controller for controlling said relay; means for decoding said load control signals and determining whether a particular relay associated therewith is to be controlled; means for actuating a relay driver associated with said particular relay; means for indicating whether said relay driver has been actuated; means for signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating whether a particular relay driver has been actuated means for determining an error condition if the interrogated transceiver decoder fails to respond; means for retransmitting an appropriate control instruction to the interrogated transceiver decoder if it responds with an incorrect status, and means for self-clearing the error condition if a response is eventually received.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3697953A
Cited
US3854122A
Cited
US3919461A
Cited
US4112416A
Cited
US4145735A
Cited
US4185272A
Cited
US4301444A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-30 | 1989-12-30 | 1990-07-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-30 | 1993-12-30 | 1994-07-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-30 | 1997-12-30 | 1998-07-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |