The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 27, 2010
Filed:
Mar. 12, 2008
Shane Morse Rowell, Arlington, WA (US);
Anthony Edward Develice, Mukilteo, WA (US);
Timothy Allen Christensen, Camano Island, WA (US);
Shane Morse Rowell, Arlington, WA (US);
Anthony Edward Develice, Mukilteo, WA (US);
Timothy Allen Christensen, Camano Island, WA (US);
Eaton Corporation, Cleveland, OH (US);
Abstract
A monitoring system for detecting faults in an apparatus, such as a ski lift, employs a communication network onto which a sensor bus controller periodically transmits a safety message and receives a echo of each safety message. Different sensors are coupled to sensor adapter modules that in turn are connected in a series to the communication network. After the last sensor adapter module in the series, each safety message is echoed back along the communication network. Each sensor adapter module, upon receiving a safety message, increments a count in that message and transmits the resultant safety message to another module. When a sensor indicates a fault condition, the associated sensor adapter module blocks propagation of safety messages along the communication network. The sensor bus controller determines, in response to a failure to receive the echo and to the count in the echo, whether a fault occurred.