Event enunciator for a power line using a lanyard
View Patent ↗An event annunciator may be provided. The event annunciator may comprise a housing, an alerting element, a switch, and a lanyard. The housing may be configured to mount on a pole that supports an electric power line. The alerting element may be in the housing and may have an active state and an inactive state. The switch may be in the housing and may have a first position and a second position. The first position may cause the alerting element to remain in the inactive state. The second position may cause the alerting element to remain in the active state. The lanyard may be configured to cause the switch to operate from the first state to the second state when the lanyard is pulled from the housing.
1. An event annunciator comprising:
a housing configured to mount on a pole supporting an electric power line;
an alerting element in the housing having an active state and an inactive state;
a switch in the housing having a first position and a second position wherein the first position causes the alerting element to remain in the inactive state and the second position causes the alerting element to remain in the active state; and
a lanyard configured to cause the switch to operate from the first state to the second state when the lanyard is pulled from the housing due to the electric power line being displaced.
2. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a bracket configured to mount to the pole.
3. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the housing is mounted on the pole at a position horizontally around the pole that is approximately 90 degrees from a hanger arm supporting the electric power line comprising a covered spacer cable power line.
4. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the housing is mounted on the pole at a vertical level on the pole substantially even with a hanger arm supporting the electric power line comprising a covered spacer cable power line.
5. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the housing is mounted on the pole at a vertical level on the pole below a hanger arm supporting the electric power line comprising a covered spacer cable power line.
6. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the alerting element comprises a high intensity strobe light.
7. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the alerting element comprises a device configured to create a human-perceivable noise.
8. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the alerting element is powered by a battery inside the housing.
9. The event annunciator of claim 8 , wherein the battery is charged by a solar cell.
10. The event annunciator of claim 8 , wherein the battery is charged by a solar cell mounted on a top of the housing.
11. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises a first spring-loaded contact and a second spring-loaded contact.
12. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises a first spring-loaded contact being separated from a second spring-loaded contact by a first end of the lanyard when the lanyard is connected to the housing, the switch being in the first position when the first spring-loaded contact is separated from the second spring-loaded contact by the first end of the lanyard.
13. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises a first spring-loaded contact and a second spring-loaded contact, the first spring-loaded contact and the second spring-loaded contact being configured to electrically connect when a first end of the lanyard is pulled away from the housing, the switch being configured to operate from the first position to the second position when first spring-loaded contact and the second spring-loaded contact electrically connect.
14. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the lanyard comprises a second end encircling the electric power line.
15. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the lanyard comprises a second end encircling the electric power line comprising a covered spacer cable power line.
16. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the lanyard comprises a second end encircling at least one conductor of the electric power line comprising a three-phase covered spacer cable power line.
17. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the lanyard comprises a second end encircling a messenger of the electric power line comprising a three-phase covered spacer cable power line.
18. The event annunciator of claim 1 , wherein the lanyard comprises a second end connected to a hanger arm supporting the electric power line.
19. An event annunciator comprising:
a housing configured to mount on a pole supporting an electric power line comprising a three-phase covered spacer cable power line, the housing having a bracket configured to mount on the pole, the housing being mounted on the pole at a position horizontally around the pole that is approximately 90 degrees from a hanger arm supporting the electric power line;
an alerting element in the housing having an active state and an inactive state, the alerting element comprises a high intensity strobe light, the alerting element being power by a battery charged by a solar cell mounted on a top of the housing;
a switch in the housing having a first position and a second position wherein the first position causes the alerting element to remain in the inactive state and the second position causes the alerting element to remain in the active state; and
an electrically non-conductive lanyard configured to cause the switch to operate from the first position to the second position when the lanyard is pulled from the housing, wherein the switch comprises a first spring-loaded contact being separated from a second spring-loaded contact by a first end of the lanyard when the lanyard is connected to the housing, the switch being in the first position when the first spring-loaded contact is separated from the second spring-loaded contact by the first end of the lanyard, the first spring-loaded contact and the second spring-loaded contact being configured to electrically connect when the first end of the lanyard is pulled away from the housing, the switch being configured to operate from the first position to the second position when first spring-loaded contact and the second spring-loaded contact electrically connect, the lanyard comprising a second end encircling at least one of the following: at least one conductor of the electric power line and a least one messenger of the electric power line.
20. A method for providing event annunciation, the method comprising:
receiving a force on a lanyard causing the lanyard to pull away from a housing, the force resulting from a covered spacer cable power line being displaced;
in response to the lanyard pulling away from the housing, operating a switch in the housing from a first position to a second position; and
in response to the switch operating from the first position to the second position, causing an alerting element in the housing to change from an inactive state and an active state.