Abstract:
A method and system for connecting monitoring equipment is provided. A user is provided with instant voice feedback as they are connecting monitoring equipment. Such feedback can reduce or eliminate confusing hookup instructions and enable the user to use both hands to safely connect the equipment without the distraction of looking at hard-to-read probe markings or connection labels. The use of a voice output reduces or avoids problems of poor visibility and reduced hearing in typical industrial environments, using arc flash safety gear.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/033,576 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A VOICE-PROMPTED ELECTRICAL HOOKUP” and filed on Mar. 4, 2008, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The increasing importance of power quality and reliability has produced an increasing need for electrical utilities to monitor their infrastructure with test equipment. In addition, end users who are interested in controlling energy consumption and improving efficiency also have a need to monitor their systems with electrical test equipment. Although the recommended practice in the past has been to disconnect all live voltage before connecting monitoring equipment, the trend today is towards maximum reliability and minimum outage time. For at least this reasons, it is desirable for the installer to connect any measurement equipment to voltage and current monitoring points with full voltage and current, to avoid interrupting power delivery. 
     Connecting electrical monitoring equipment to live voltage is hazardous, and adherence to multiple sets of safety regulations, including the NEC, OSHA, NFPA, and/or any other suitable safety regulations, is desirable. In particular, arc-flash equipment, including flame retardant clothing, full helmet, and insulating gloves, is useful for gaining access to many areas. Operating electronic equipment while wearing full protective clothing is very difficult due to limited visibility and manual dexterity. 
     In addition, connecting electrical monitoring equipment is very error-prone. Each voltage phase must be matched with the appropriate voltage input on the monitor, and each current channel to the corresponding current input. Further, the polarity of both the voltage and current inputs is also important for power and phase angle measurements. It can be difficult to determine the correct phase and polarity relationships by sight at many electrical monitoring points. Another complication is that specialized monitoring equipment is often only used infrequently, resulting in users who are unfamiliar with the correct instrument hookup. 
     For at least these reasons, it is desirable for the user to carefully read all hookup instructions for the instrument, pay attention to probe channel number and phasing, and correctly identify all monitoring points. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, a user is provided with instant voice feedback as they are connecting monitoring equipment. Such feedback can reduce or eliminate confusing hookup instructions and enable the user to use both hands to safely connect the equipment without the distraction of looking at hard-to-read probe markings or connection labels. The use of a voice output, via a headset in various embodiments, reduces or avoids problems of poor visibility and reduced hearing in typical industrial environments, using arc flash safety gear. 
     In one embodiment, a method of connecting a monitoring device to an electrical system includes determining a connection configuration having a plurality of connections between the monitoring device and the electrical system. The method also includes prompting a user to make one of the plurality of connections between the monitoring device and the electrical system and providing feedback to the user if the one of the plurality of connections is incorrectly made. 
     In one embodiment, a system for connecting a monitoring device to an electrical system includes at least one monitoring device and at least one controller. The monitoring device is operable to couple with a portion of at least one electrical system. The at least one controller stores at least one set of connection configuration instructions for properly coupling the at least one monitoring device with the portion of the at least one electrical system. In this system, the controller is in communication with the monitoring device to receive at least one connection detection signal from the monitoring device based on at least one connection between the monitoring device and the portion of the at least one electrical system. 
     In another embodiment, a device for providing instructions on how to properly connect a monitoring device to at least one electrical system includes a monitoring device, a controller, and a connection notification unit. The monitoring device is operable to couple with a portion of at least one electrical system. The controller is coupled to the monitoring device, wherein the controller stores at least one set of configuration instructions for properly coupling the monitoring device with the portion of the at least one electrical system. The controller also detects at least one connection between the monitoring device and the portion of the at least one electrical system. The connection notification unit is coupled to the controller, wherein the connection notification unit receives at least one connection instruction from the controller and provides the at least connection instruction to a user. 
     Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a network diagram of a system for connecting a monitor to an electrical system in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of the process of connecting a monitor in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of the process of connecting a monitor to an electrical system and detecting when live customer assistance is desirable in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of the process of connecting a monitor to an electrical system and reconfiguring the connection if necessary during the connection process in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a voice-prompted electrical hookup system  150  that includes a monitor  160 , a controller  170 , and a voice output unit  180  for connecting to at least one portion of at least one electrical system  190 . In one embodiment, the monitor  160  is a power quality monitor, data logger, or any other suitable monitoring device, but can be any device connected to live voltage or current monitoring points. The controller  170  preferably determines or senses the connection of voltage and current probes by the user in real time, and determines the correct voice feedback to be generated and played to the user, based on the actual circuit type (wye, delta, etc.), and the actual connections the user has made in one embodiment; however, the controller  170  can determine or sense any suitable condition in any suitable manner and perform any suitable action. In one embodiment, the controller  170  is integrated into the monitor  160 ; however, in other embodiments, the controller  170  is part of a separate PDA or PC system. In one embodiment, the voice output unit  180  includes an audible transducer that plays the voice or other audible feedback to the user. The voice output unit  180  can be an integral speaker in the monitor  160  or controller  170 , or a separate device, such as a Bluetooth headset, a frequency modulation (FM) receiver, a cell phone, or any other suitable device. 
     In one embodiment, the controller  170  generates appropriate voice messages or feedback to the user via the voice output unit  180 ; however, any type of message can be presented to the user via any suitable unit (e.g., the messages can include visual messages/notifications like text displays, flashing lights, or alternative audible messages/notifications). In another embodiment, the controller  170  provides messages/feedback through tactile sensations to the user such as vibrations. In one embodiment, a setup “wizard” starts automatically when the controller  170  determines or senses that the user has begun the connection process (connecting the monitor  160  to an electrical system) or when the setup wizard is initiated manually by the user. The controller  170  prompts (e.g., with audible instructions or commands) the user to make one connection at a time, in the correct sequence. As the user makes the connections between the monitor  160  and the electrical system  190 , the controller  170  in communication with the monitor  160  senses the established connections, and provides appropriate voice or audible feedback about the connections (e.g., “Connection established” or “Connection incorrect”). When the user has made all the connections, the controller  170  informs the user (e.g., audibly) that the monitor  160  is ready for use. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the process of connecting a monitor in accordance with one embodiment. At block  100 , a controller prompts a user to make a connection. At block  102 , the user makes a connection. At block  104 , it is determined whether the connection is properly made. If the connection is properly made, at block  106 , it is determined whether there are additional connections to be made remaining. If there are no additional connections remaining, at block  108 , the controller informs the user that the monitor is correctly connected. If there are additional connections remaining, the process repeats at block  100 . If the connection is not properly made, at block  110 , the controller informs the user of the incorrect connection, prompts the user to disconnect the incorrect connection and make the correct connection and the process repeats at block  104 . 
     In one embodiment in which the three components (e.g., the monitor  160 , the controller  170 , and the voice output unit  180 ) are separate devices, a communication connection exists between them. Preferably, communications connection is a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth or FM broadcasts; however, the communications connection can be wired, if desired. 
     In one embodiment the monitor  160 , controller  170 , and voice output unit  180  are separate devices. In one embodiment, the monitor  160  is a PMI Eagle™ or any other suitable monitoring device. This power quality monitor has at least four voltage and four current inputs, and is suitable for many different electrical connections. The Eagle includes an integral Bluetooth module for wireless communications. It should be understood that other suitable monitors having other characteristics are used in other embodiments. 
     In one embodiment, the controller  170  can be a handheld PDA, such as a Pocket PC or PalmOS device; however, the controller  170  can be any suitable device, such as a cell phone, or a cell phone with PDA capability. The controller  170  interfaces with the monitor  160 , in one embodiment, using Bluetooth. In another embodiment, controller  170  interfaces with the monitor  160  using FM broadcasts; however, it should be appreciated that any other suitable interface protocol can be used. Preferably, software loaded onto a PDA runs the controller code; however, the controller code can be implemented in special purpose hardware, if desired. 
     In one embodiment, the voice output unit  180  includes a Bluetooth headset. In an alternative embodiment, the voice output unit  180  includes an FM headset receiver. Such headsets can be worn under an arc-flash head covering, and doesn&#39;t require any wires to the controller  170 . Use of a headset reduces or eliminates problems that may exist with hearing a voice output through the arc-flash gear and/or in a noisy industrial setting. In various embodiments, noise cancellation headphones or earphones are used in an environment in which hearing protection is desirable. In various other embodiments, other wireless or wired headphones or headsets could also be used for the voice output unit  180 . 
     In other embodiments, any of the above components may be combined. For example, the controller may be integrated into the monitor. In this case, the monitor/controller could connect directly to the voice output device. The controller and voice device could be combined. In one embodiment, the controller is a handheld PDA, and a speaker integrated into the PDA is the voice output unit. A headset with sufficient computing power could also perform the controller tasks. In one embodiment, all three components are integrated into a single device (e.g., the voice prompted electrical hookup system  150  is a device that includes monitor  160 , controller  170 , and on-board audio output unit such as voice output unit  180 ). 
     In various embodiments, the components can be located in different locations. In particular, the controller  170  can be located in a remote location, such as a computer server at another location remote from monitor  160 . In one embodiment in which the monitor  160  is networked (e.g. with Bluetooth or other wireless or wired connection to a LAN) and the Bluetooth headset also has a network connection, the controller  170  can be located remotely and connects to other components via the LAN. The controller  170  or headset  180  may also be connected via a cell phone or other consumer electronic device with suitable capability. 
     In another embodiment, at least some of the controller  170  functions are performed by an actual person rather than an electronic or computer system. For example, in the networked case above, the controller  170  in the remote location could be assisted with a technical support person on a phone line or other communications connection to a field user (e.g., via cell phone and headset), or other networked voice connection (e.g. VOIP). The support person could walk the user through the proper connection process, offering feedback and corrections as needed. In one embodiment, the support person could receive the connection measurements and data from the monitor/recorder  160  in real-time or in any other suitable manner, similar to the way in which the automated controller  170  of other embodiments receives data. In another embodiment, the remote controller  170  is at least partly automated, having a provision to escalate the process to a human tech support person upon a condition being satisfied. For example, this escalation could be automatic if the controller  170  determines that human intervention is desirable (due to at least one or repeated mistakes by the field user, for example or any other suitable condition), or it could be manual if requested by the field user. A provision for the field user to signal a desire to escalate could be some manipulation of the monitor/recorder  160  leads (e.g., repeated tapping of a voltage channel to live voltage or connection and disconnection of the current probes or any other suitable signal). 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the process of connecting a monitor and detecting when live customer assistance is desirable in accordance with one embodiment. At block  200 , it is determined whether the user requests live help. If the user requests live help, at block  202 , the user is connected with a human technician who helps the user to connect the monitor. If the user does not request live help, at block  204 , a controller prompts a user to make a connection. At block  206 , the user makes a connection. At block  208 , it is determined whether the connection is properly made. If the connection is properly made, at block  210 , it is determined whether there are additional connections to be made. If there are no additional connections remaining, at block  212 , the controller informs the user that the monitor is correctly connected. If there are additional connections remaining, the process repeats at block  200 . If the connection is not properly made, at block  214 , it is determined whether user&#39;s erroneous connections history for the connection process meets a threshold condition. If the user&#39;s erroneous connections history meets the threshold condition, the process continues at block  202 . If the user&#39;s erroneous connections history does not meet the threshold condition, at block  216 , the controller informs the user of the incorrect connection, prompts the user to disconnect the incorrect connection and make the correct connection and the process repeats at block  200 . 
     In one embodiment, the controller  170  includes a plurality of connection configuration instructions (e.g., hookup configurations) that guide a user to properly connect a monitoring device  160  to different electrical systems. It should also be appreciated that the controller  170  can download or receive new and updated connection configuration instructions. In one embodiment, the controller  170  determines the correct monitor  160  hookup configuration from user input (e.g. voice input using recognition software, or keypad/touch screen selecting one of the appropriate connection configuration instructions). In an alternative embodiment, the monitor  160  provides the controller  170  with appropriate connection configuration instructions to use. In another embodiment, controller  170  includes sensors that read bar coded or RFID tagged equipment to determine the appropriate connection configuration instructions to use. Thus, it should be appreciated that controller  170  can determine the correct monitor  160  hookup configuration in any suitable manner. In accordance with the desired connection configuration instructions and circuit type, the controller  170  determines a connection procedure, optimized for minimum number of steps and confusion for the user. 
     In one embodiment, the user is prompted before each step using voice messages; however, the user can be prompted at any suitable point in any suitable manner. Preferably, the controller  170  receives notice from the monitor  160  when the user actually makes a connection (either by polling, or through alerts from the monitor  160 ); however, the controller  170  can receive notice at any suitable time in any suitable manner. Further, the controller  170  informs the user of what connection was sensed in one embodiment. The controller  170  then determines whether the connection just performed by the user was correct. If the connection was correct, the user is informed that the connection is correct and prompted to perform the next step; however, in other embodiments, the user is merely prompted to perform the next step without confirming that the previous step was completed successfully. 
     If the connection is not correct, in one embodiment, the controller  170  prompts the user to correct the mistake. In an alternative embodiment, if the connection mistake can be fixed by altering the monitor  160  configuration, the controller  170  alters the monitor configuration and computes a new connection plan based on the connections already made. For example, if the user errantly connects Phase A voltage to input channel  2  instead of channel  1 , this may be correctable by the monitor  160  by reassigning logical channel numbers. Instead of prompting the user to fix the connection, the controller  170  instructs the monitor to expect Phase A voltage on channel  2  and determines new channel assignments for the remaining phases. As a result, the amount of corrections the user may have to perform or correct if they make a mistake during the process is reduced. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the wrong connection configuration instructions may have been determined at controller  170  for connecting monitor  160  to an electrical system. For example, the user may have provided controller  170  the wrong type of electrical system or electrical device. Thus, controller  170  provides the wrong connection configuration or hookup instructions. However, in one such embodiment, the controller  170  can still determine if the monitor  160  has been properly connected to an electrical system based on an analysis of the couplings between the monitor  160  and the electrical system, regardless of the wrong instructions. If any connection problems are detected, the controller  170  can provide instructions to the user on how to correct the problem as discussed above. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the process of connecting a monitor and reconfiguring the connection if necessary during connection in accordance with one embodiment. At block  300 , a connection configuration is determined. At block  302 , a controller prompts a user to make a connection. At block  304 , the user makes a connection. At block  306 , it is determined whether the connection is properly made. If the connection is properly made, at block  308 , it is determined whether there are additional connections to be made remaining. If there are no additional connections remaining, at block  310 , the controller informs the user that the monitor is correctly connected. If there are additional connections remaining, the process repeats at block  302 . If the connection is not properly made, at block  312 , it is determined whether the connection configuration can be acceptably reconfigured such that all current connections, including the recent erroneous connection, would be correct. It should be noted that in various embodiments, any reconfiguration that causes the current connections to be correct is acceptable, and in various other embodiments, such reconfigurations are acceptable if they do not increase the complexity, number or difficulty of remaining connections to be made beyond a threshold level. If the connection configuration can be acceptably reconfigured, at block  314 , the connection configuration is reconfigured and the process continues at block  308 . If the connection configuration can not be acceptably reconfigured, at block  316 , the controller informs the user of the incorrect connection, prompts the user to disconnect the incorrect connection and make the correct connection and the process repeats at block  302 . 
     In one embodiment, upon completion of the hookup configuration process the controller  170  confirms the circuit type and desired hookup configuration through the voice output unit, giving the user a positive confirmation; however, in other embodiments confirmation is provided in other suitable manners or not at all. If the user decides that the announced hookup is incorrect, the user can change the connection type using the controller  170  interface. In such an instance, the controller  170  re-computes the optimal reconnect strategy (in accordance with the connections already made), and the process begins again. In an alternate embodiment, the user can disconnect a voltage or current probe without informing the controller  170 . In one such embodiment, the controller  170  detects the probe change from the monitor  160  and prompts the user to enter a new desired hookup type. 
     It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.