Remote supervisory monitoring and control apparatus connected to monitored equipment

Claim 1

A monitoring and control apparatus which monitors conditions of equipment and a power source at a work site, said apparatus comprising: a programmable microprocessor and a microprocessor bus which carries signals to and from said microprocessor; input ports connected to said bus providing status signals representing monitored conditions which are carried on said bus to said microprocessor; output ports connected to said bus providing equipment control signals which are carried on said bus from said microprocessor; memory means associated with said microprocessor; operating means including programs and operating parameters stored in said memory means for causing said microprocessor to process status signals and detect a fault condition by sampling the status signals and comparing with the operating parameters stored in said memory means, to produce an alarm when it is determined that the fault condition qualifies as an alarm condition, and to provide signals which represent the alarm condition; and transmitting/receiving means including a modem and telephone interface for automatically dialing out over a telephone network in response to an alarm, for transmitting information as to the alarm in the form of data signals and/or synthesized voice signals over the telephone network to a remote location in response to an alarm; said transmitting/receiving means also being operable to receive over the network from the remote location incoming signals which represent corrective operation of equipment, and incoming signals which represent modifications to the operating parameters stored in memory; and said operating means causing said microprocessor to decode the incoming signals and produce equipment control signals or signals which modify the operating parameters stored in said memory means in accordance with the contents of the incoming signals.