Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – Plural transmitters
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-24
2001-10-30
Edward, Jr., Timothy (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
Plural transmitters
C340S870070, C340S003320, C340S003710, C361S093200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310560
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a communication device comprising a central unit and at least one station, and also to a communication process between said central unit and said station.
Known communication devices comprise a central unit and stations connected via a communication network. Information exchanges between the stations and the central unit generally take place according to a master-slave communication mode or continuously on events.
In the master-slave exchange mode, the central unit requests information from a station which replies to it by transmitting the requested information back to it. This exchange mode has the advantage of being simple. However, the information flow across the network becomes high and there is a risk of saturation due to the double information flow. Indeed, before each item of information which a station has to transmit to the central unit, there is a request from the central unit to said station.
Transmission of information on events does not require a request from the central unit at each information exchange. In this exchange mode, a station transmits information to the central unit of its own accord when an event is detected by said station. This exchange mode is also simple but the information flow is also liable to be high. If the quantity of data liable to be transmitted by the stations is high, the central unit is in fact liable to receive a large quantity of useless information which congests the communication network and consequently reduces its performances.
The exchange on event mode is well suited to communication devices in which the stations have a small quantity of information to transmit. But when the stations are associated in particular to complex apparatuses such as circuit breakers comprising electronic trip devices or measuring devices or devices for computing several electrical quantities, the master-slave or on-event exchange modes do not allow optimum use of the communication network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to achieve a communication device and process enabling optimum use of a communication network connecting a central unit to stations.
This object is achieved by the fact that at least one station comprises means for storing data representative of type of information to be transmitted and means for storing parameters representative of conditions for transmission of information from the station to the central unit, associated to the data representative of type of information to be transmitted.
Said at least one station comprises, in particular, checking means to transmit information defined by type of information to be transmitted data according to the parameters representative of transmission conditions.
Preferably, at least one of the parameters representative of transmission conditions is representative of transmission of information on a request from the central unit.
According to a first alternative embodiment, at least one of the parameters representative of transmission conditions is representative of transmission of information according to a preset variation of an item of information.
According to a second alternative embodiment, at least one of the parameters representative of transmission conditions is representative of transmission of information at preset time intervals.
According to a third alternative embodiment, at least one of the parameters representative of transmission conditions is representative of transmission of information on an event.
In a first particular embodiment, the checking means are connected to a device for measuring electrical quantities.
In a second particular embodiment, the checking means are connected to an electronic trip device supplying information representative of electrical quantities and status information.
Advantageously, at least one station comprises storage means for storing information temporarily.
According to the invention, a communication process between a central unit and at least one station comprises an operating phase comprising:
a stage for checking information transmission conditions according to transmission condition parameters, and
a stage for information transmission according to checking of transmission conditions.
Preferably at least one transmission condition parameter is representative of transmission of information on a request from the central unit.
According to a first alternative embodiment, at least one transmission condition parameter is representative of transmission of information according to a variation of the value of an item of information.
According to a second alternative embodiment, at least one transmission condition parameter is representative of transmission of information at preset time intervals.
In a preferred embodiment, the communication process comprises a parameter setting phase comprising:
a transmission stage by the central unit to at least one station of data representative of type of information to be transmitted, and
a storage stage in at least one station of data representative of type of information to be transmitted.
Advantageously, the communication process comprises a parameter setting phase comprising:
a transmission stage by the central unit to at least one station of the parameters representative of information transmission conditions, and
a storage stage in at least one station of the parameters representative of transmission conditions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4972290 (1990-11-01), Sun et al.
patent: 5025470 (1991-06-01), Thornborough et al.
patent: 5031209 (1991-07-01), Thornborough et al.
patent: 5426421 (1995-06-01), Gray
patent: 5553094 (1996-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5617286 (1997-04-01), Jenkins
patent: 5739760 (1998-04-01), Hatakeyama
patent: 5748104 (1998-05-01), Argyroudis et al.
Edward, Jr. Timothy
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
Scheider Electric SA
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