US20160043553A1 - Power Monitoring and Control System which Determines a Performance Parameter of an Electrical Load - Google Patents
Power Monitoring and Control System which Determines a Performance Parameter of an Electrical Load Download PDFInfo
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- US20160043553A1 US20160043553A1 US14/922,978 US201514922978A US2016043553A1 US 20160043553 A1 US20160043553 A1 US 20160043553A1 US 201514922978 A US201514922978 A US 201514922978A US 2016043553 A1 US2016043553 A1 US 2016043553A1
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- signal
- electrical load
- controller
- power
- sensor
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J3/00—Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
- H02J3/12—Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
- H02J3/14—Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
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- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B15/00—Systems controlled by a computer
- G05B15/02—Systems controlled by a computer electric
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J13/00—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
- H02J13/00004—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network characterised by the power network being locally controlled
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J13/00—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
- H02J13/00006—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
- H02J13/00007—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment using the power network as support for the transmission
- H02J13/00009—Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment using the power network as support for the transmission using pulsed signals
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- H02J13/0024—
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- H02J2003/143—
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02J2310/00—The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load
- H02J2310/10—The network having a local or delimited stationary reach
- H02J2310/12—The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
- H02J2310/14—The load or loads being home appliances
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B70/00—Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
- Y02B70/30—Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B70/00—Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
- Y02B70/30—Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
- Y02B70/3225—Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02B90/20—Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y04—INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
- Y04S—SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
- Y04S20/00—Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
- Y04S20/20—End-user application control systems
- Y04S20/222—Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y04—INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
- Y04S—SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
- Y04S20/00—Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
- Y04S20/20—End-user application control systems
- Y04S20/242—Home appliances
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y04—INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
- Y04S—SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
- Y04S40/00—Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
- Y04S40/12—Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
- Y04S40/121—Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment using the power network as support for the transmission
Definitions
- U.S. Pat. No. 9,172,275 is a continuation-in-part of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/925,690, filed on Oct. 26, 2007, which issued on Jan. 10, 2012, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,095,243, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of, and claims the benefit of U.S. Pat. No. 7,555,365, filed on Jul. 11, 2005, the contents of both of which are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
- This invention relates generally to power regulation and, more particularly, to monitoring and controlling the operation of an electrical load.
- Energy monitoring and control systems are widely used to provide centralized monitoring and control of an electrical load in an electrical system.
- the electrical load can be of many different types, such as heating, cooling, appliances and lighting devices. It is desirable to monitor and control the electrical load to monitor and control the energy usage by the electrical load. More information regarding such systems and electrical loads is provided in the Backgrounds of the above-identified related applications. Other references to note include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,521,838, 5,563,455, 5,880,677, 5,978,569 and 7,379,997, as well as U.S. Patent Application Nos. 20060120008 and 20080031026.
- Control systems are available for controlling household appliances from a central location. Some of these control systems use a power line modem, which is a transmitter/receiver capable of operating over conventional AC 120/240 volt (V) power lines (power mains). Examples of these types of control systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,517 and 4,418,333.
- a control unit is programmed to control a desired function within various electrical loads depending upon the time of day. For example, the control unit can control the operation of a lighting device and/or appliance. However, it is desirable to provide a way to control the operation of an electrical load, and to monitor the energy usage of the electrical load.
- the present invention involves a system which monitors operating information and performance parameters of an electrical load.
- the invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3A is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4A is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of electrical outlets of the systems of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- FIGS. 5C , 5 D, 5 E, 5 F, 5 G, 5 H, 5 I and 5 J are perspective views of various embodiments of portions of the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the primary controller of the system of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the secondary controller of the system of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- FIG. 8 is a top view of one embodiment of a digital signal processor of the primary and secondary controllers of FIGS. 6 and 7 .
- FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of an isolation circuit of the primary and secondary controllers of FIGS. 6 and 7 .
- FIGS. 10A-10O are graphs of the various signals shown in the primary and secondary controllers of FIGS. 6 and 7 .
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a method of controlling the power using the system of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 12A-12C are block diagrams of a method of encoding a symbol.
- FIGS. 12D-12F are block diagrams of a method of decoding a symbol.
- FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an energy management system.
- FIG. 14 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an energy management system.
- the performance and/or efficiency of the electrical load is monitored by the system, which is desirable because the performance typically changes with time as the device's lifetime decreases.
- the electrical load's performance and/or efficiency it can be determined whether or not it is approaching the end of its useful lifetime. This can be done because electrical loads are generally manufactured to operate within a particular range of power consumption, voltage (V), current (A), and temperature. An indication that the electrical load is reaching the end of its useful lifetime and is about to fail occurs when the electrical load is operating outside one or more of these ranges. Further, newer and more efficient electrical loads are typically being developed, so the system can be used to determine whether it is more cost effective to replace an old electrical load with a newer and more efficient electrical load.
- the system is useful in many different settings. For example, it can be used at home, in an office, or another setting to monitor and control the operation of electrical loads typically used in these places.
- the electrical load can be any type of electrical load, such as an appliance, television, computer, air conditioner, lamp, hair drier, refrigerator, etc. which are generally powered by an electrical outlet.
- the electrical load can also include wireless sensors, such as a motion sensor, smoke detector, temperature sensor, air pressure/quality sensor, and a switch sensor.
- the system is used to monitor and control the electrical loads in the rooms of a hotel. If the room is currently unoccupied, then the system can turn one or more of the electrical loads in this room off to reduce operating costs. If the room is going to be occupied, then one or more of the electrical loads in the room can be provided with power by the system so they can be used by the occupants. If the room is currently being occupied, then the system can monitor and/or control the operation of the devices.
- the system is used to determine the amount of power consumed over a particular period of time by the electrical loads in an office, home, or another building. This is desirable because sometimes there are two rates for electrical power, a low rate and a high rate. In some instances, the low rate is paid when the total power usage is below a predetermined threshold power value and the high rate is paid when the total power usage is above the predetermined threshold power value. Since it is desirable for the consumer to pay the lower rate, the system can be used to determine the total power usage so it can be compared to the predetermined threshold power value. In this way, the consumer will know how much power they can use before they go above the threshold power value and have to pay the higher rate.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system 10 .
- system 10 includes a primary controller 12 in communication with a secondary controller 17 through a communication channel 13 .
- Secondary controller 17 is in communication with an electrical load 16 through a communication channel 15 .
- Communication channels 13 and 15 can be of many different types. In this example, they include conductive lines, such as AC 120 volt (V) wiring, which is typically used in building construction to power mains flow high voltage signals therethrough. In other examples, however, channels 13 and 15 can be of other types which power and/or control signals can flow. For example, they can be optical fibers, wireless links, etc., or combinations thereof. In one example, power signals can flow through the electrical wires in channel 13 and control and monitoring signals can be sent through a wireless channel in channel 13 .
- V 120 volt
- system 10 can remotely monitor and/or control the operation of device 16 .
- channel 13 flows a power signal S Power and a signal S 1 between primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 and channel 15 flows S Power to electrical load 16 .
- Signal S Power provides power to primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 and electrical load 16
- signal S 1 typically includes control and/or monitoring signals.
- the control signal in S 1 allows primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 to control the operation of electrical load 16
- the monitoring signal in S 1 provides information to primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 about the operation of electrical load 16 .
- the information can be, for example, about the performance and efficiency of electrical load 16 .
- Power signal S Power is typically a 120 volts AC (VAC) signal with a 60 Hertz (Hz) frequency, which is the United States standard for power mains.
- VAC 120 volts AC
- Hz Hertz
- S Power can have different parameters which generally depend on the application and the country or location at which the power is provided. For example, many countries in Europe use 230 volts AC (VAC) at 50 Hz and Japan uses 100 volts AC (VAC) at 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Further, in the U.S. some heavy appliances use 240 volts AC (VAC) at 60 Hz.
- VAC 230 volts AC
- VAC 100 volts AC
- VAC 240 volts AC
- primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 include both analog and digital circuitry, which is not shown in FIG. 1 , but will be discussed in more detail below.
- the circuitry is coupled to channel 13 and separates signal S 1 from S Power so that S Power does not damage the circuitry and so that signal S 1 can be processed. After it is processed, signal S 1 , with the same or different information, is then provided back to channel 13 and flowed to primary controller 12 . In this way, control and/or monitoring signals are flowed between primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 to control and/or monitor the operation of electrical load 16 .
- primary controller 12 flows signal S 1 to controller 17 through channel 13 .
- controller 17 performs one or more tasks.
- controller 17 controls the operation of electrical load 16 .
- controller 17 can control the operation of electrical load 16 by turning it on and/or off as desired.
- controller 17 can turn electrical load 16 on and/or off by activating and deactivating a switch (not shown) coupled to electrical load 16 .
- controller 17 determines the performance parameters of electrical load 16 .
- the performance parameters can include, among others, the temperature of operation, power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, voltage, current, power factor and/or frequency of operation of electrical load 16 .
- Performance parameters, such as the power factor and power consumption are typically determined by secondary controller 17 using the current and voltage of electrical load 16 , but in other examples, they can be determined by primary controller 12 .
- An advantage of having secondary controller 17 determine these performance parameters is that they will be more up-to-date in case electrical load 16 fails, and can provide a better indication of the operation of electrical load 16 before it fails. Having more up-to-date information is useful for troubleshooting device 16 to determine its reason for failure.
- electrical load can be of many different types, such as an appliance, computer, phone, water heater, air conditioner, powered door, window sensor, and power storage device, among others.
- appliances include a refrigerator, washer, dryer, water heater, water pump, powered door, door sensor, powered window, window sensor, television, and power storage device, among others.
- the electrical load consumes electrical energy during operation.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system 11 , which includes many of the same components of system 10 .
- system 11 includes a terminal device 18 in communication with primary controller 12 through a communication channel 14 .
- Communication channel 14 can be the same or similar to communication channels 13 and 15 discussed above.
- Terminal device 18 can be of many different types.
- terminal device 18 can be a laptop computer, desktop computer.
- Pocket PC Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and mobile phone, among others
- communication channel 14 can be a data cable, such as a phone cord, an Ethernet cable, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), or an RS-232 serial cable.
- channel 14 can be a wireless link so that device 18 and primary controller 12 communicate with each other wirelessly.
- the wireless link can be established in many different ways, such as by a wireless module.
- a wireless module There are many different types of wireless modules that can be used, such as a ZigBee module. More information regarding ZigBee modules can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,260,360, 7,742,894 and 7,957,697.
- terminal device 18 flows a control signal S Control to primary controller 12 through communication channel 14 .
- signal S Control indicates to primary controller 12 what information (temperature, frequency, power, current, voltage, etc.) terminal device 18 is requesting about electrical load 16 .
- signal S Control can also indicate to primary controller 12 if it is desired to control the operation of electrical load 16 , such as by turning electrical load 16 on or off.
- primary controller 12 flows signal S 1 to secondary controller 17 .
- secondary controller 17 controls and/or monitors device 16 , as discussed above with FIG. 1 .
- controller 17 flows information about device 16 back to primary controller 12 through channel 13 .
- Primary controller 12 provides this information to terminal device 18 through channel 14 .
- a software program can be operated by terminal device 18 , wherein the software program flows information and/or commands to primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 . It should be noted that information can be flowed in many different ways, such as by transmitting and/or receiving it. Terminal device 18 also displays the information in a convenient manner for the user. In this way, terminal device 18 provides the user an interface with primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 . As mentioned above, primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 can determine some of the performance parameters of device 16 , but in this embodiment, these performance parameters can be determined by terminal device 18 .
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams of systems 20 and 21 , respectively, which includes many of the same components of systems 10 and/or 11 .
- system 20 includes an outlet 22 between terminal device 18 and primary controller 12 and an outlet 24 between secondary controller 17 and electrical load 16 .
- Terminal device 18 is in communication with outlet 22 through a communication channel 30 and primary controller 12 is in communication with outlet 22 through a communication channel 31 .
- Secondary controller 17 is in communication with outlet 24 through a communication channel 33 and electrical load 16 is in communication with outlet 24 through a communication channel 34 .
- primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 are in communication with each other through a communication channel 32 .
- system 21 is similar to system 20 except that primary controller 12 is in communication with terminal device 18 through communication channel 30 and to outlet 22 through communication channel 31 .
- Outlet 22 is in communication with secondary controller 17 through communication channel 32 .
- Secondary controller 17 is in communication with outlet 24 through communication channel 33 and outlet 24 is in communication with electrical load 16 through communication channel 34 .
- communication channels 30 - 34 can be the same or similar to channels 13 - 15 discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- communication channel 34 is embodied as a power cord.
- Signal S Power flows through communication channel 34 between outlet 24 and electrical load 16 .
- communication channels 32 - 33 are embodied as conductive lines used in electrical wiring for building construction.
- channel 30 is embodied as a data cable, which can be received by terminal device 18 and outlet 22
- channel 31 is embodied as electrical wiring used in building construction.
- channel 30 is embodied as a data cable which can be received by terminal device 18 and controller 17
- channel 31 is embodied as a data cable which can be received by primary controller 12 and outlet 22 .
- the operation of systems 20 and 21 are the same or similar to the operation of systems 10 and 11 discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2 .
- primary controller 12 is separate from outlet 22 and secondary controller 17 is separate from outlet 24 .
- primary controller 12 can be integrated with outlet 22 and/or secondary controller 17 can be integrated with outlet 24 , as will be discussed in more detail presently.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are block diagrams of systems 40 and 41 , respectively, which includes many of the same components of systems 10 , 11 , 20 and/or 21 .
- One difference, however, is that the primary and/or secondary controllers are integrated with corresponding electrical outlets.
- One advantage of integrating primary and/or secondary controllers with corresponding electrical outlets is that systems 40 and 41 are more compact.
- terminal device 18 is in communication with primary controller 12 through conductive lines 30 a and 30 b and primary controller 12 is in communication with outlet 22 through conductive lines 31 a and 31 b .
- Outlet 22 is in communication with an outlet 25 through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b and outlet 25 is in communication with electrical load 16 through conductive lines 34 a and 34 b .
- outlet 25 includes secondary controller 17 in communication with conductive lines 32 a and 32 b through conductive lines 32 c and 32 d , respectively.
- a switch 27 has an input connected to conductive line 32 b and an output connected to a conductive line 33 a .
- a conductive line 33 b is connected between a control terminal of switch 27 and secondary controller 17 so that secondary controller can control its operation.
- Conductive lines 32 a and 33 a are connected to separate inputs of a socket 39 and separate outputs of socket 39 are connected to conductive lines 34 a and 34 b.
- Secondary controller 17 and switch 27 are housed by an outlet housing 26 (See FIG. SB). In this way, these components are integrated with outlet 25 . In other examples, however controller 17 and/or switch 27 can be positioned outside housing 26 .
- the switch can be of many different types.
- the switch is a relay, such as a bi-stable magnetic relay. The relay can flow S Power through socket 39 to electrical load 16 so it is on and interrupt the flow of S Power through socket 39 so it is off.
- the switch can be a transistor or another type of switch known in the art.
- conductive lines 30 a and 30 b are embodied as separate conductive wires typically included in an RS-232 cable which is known in the art.
- the RS-232 cable has a first connector on one end which can be received by a connector receptacle on terminal device 18 .
- the RS-232 cable also has a second connector on its other end which can be received by an input connector receptacle on primary controller 12 .
- Conductive lines 31 a and 31 b are embodied as separate conductive wires typically included in a power cord.
- the power cord is modified so it has a connector on one end which can be received by an output connector receptacle on primary controller 12 and a connector on its other end which is embodied as a plug that can be received by outlet 22 .
- terminal device 18 is in communication with an electrical outlet 28 through conductive lines 30 a and 30 b .
- Electrical outlet 28 is in communication with electrical outlet 25 through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b .
- outlet 28 includes a socket 38 with separate outputs connected to conductive lines 30 a and 30 b . Separate inputs of socket 38 are connected to separate inputs of primary controller 12 through conductive lines 31 a and 31 b . Separate outputs of primary controller 12 are connected to conductive lines 32 a and 32 b .
- Primary controller 12 is housed by an outlet housing 29 (See FIG. SA) of outlet 28 . In this way, this component is integrated with outlet 28 .
- conductive lines 30 a and 30 b are embodied as separate conductive wires typically included in an RS-232 cable.
- the cable is modified so it has a connector on one end, which can be received by a connector receptacle on terminal device 18 , and a connector on its other end, which can be received by a connector receptacle on socket 38 .
- the various connectors and connector receptacles can be of many different types known in the art. For example, they can be those used in phone lines, power cords, RS 232 cables, Ethernet cables, Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables, etc. Further, these connectors and connector receptacles can be provided in many different combinations on opposite ends of the same cable, such as in the modified cable and power cords discussed above.
- FIGS. SA and SB are perspective views of outlets 28 and 25 , respectively.
- outlet 28 includes housing 29 which houses primary controller 12 .
- primary controller 12 includes a wireless module 69 a , which is discussed in more detail below.
- Wireless module 69 a can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module.
- socket 38 is carried by housing 29 and has slots 38 a and 38 b with separate contacts (not shown) connected to separate terminals of primary controller 12 through conductive lines 31 a and 31 b ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ).
- signal S Control is provided to primary controller 12 through a cable 113 .
- Cable 113 includes conductive lines 30 a and 30 b which are connected to a connector 114 .
- Connector 114 is shaped to be received by a connector receptacle 112 , which is coupled to primary controller 12 through conductive lines 31 a and 31 b.
- outlet 25 includes housing 26 which houses controller 17 and switch 27 (not shown), wherein switch 27 is discussed in more detail below.
- controller 17 includes a wireless module 69 b , which is discussed in more detail below.
- Wireless module 69 b can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module.
- outlet 25 does not include connector 112 , although it can in other embodiments.
- a power cord 117 includes conductive lines 34 a and 34 b ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ), which are connected to a power plug 116 .
- Power cord 117 provides signal S Power to electrical load 16 (not shown).
- Conductive lines 34 a and 34 b extend through a housing 111 of power plug 116 where they are connected to prongs 110 a and 110 b , respectively, of power plug 116 .
- Prongs 110 a and 110 b can be received by slots 39 a and 39 b of socket 39 so that they connect to terminals (not shown) therein connected to conductive lines 32 a and 33 a ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ).
- FIG. 5C is a perspective view of a system 11 a .
- system 11 a includes terminal device 18 , which is embodied as a computer.
- terminal device 18 is embodied as a laptop computer 18 a .
- terminal device 18 can be embodied as another type of device, such as a phone.
- the phone can be of many different types, such as a mobile phone 205 , as indicated by a substitution arrow 36 .
- System 11 a includes electrical outlet 28 , which is shown in FIG. 5A .
- Communication channel 30 is established between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 .
- system 11 a includes a data cable 113 a which establishes communication channel 30 .
- Data cable 113 a can be of many different types.
- data cable 113 a includes conductive lines 30 a and 30 b ( FIG. 5A ) and data connectors 114 and 115 .
- Data connectors 114 and 115 are connected to opposed ends of conductive lines 30 a and 30 b .
- Data connectors 114 and 115 can be of many different types of connectors used with computers.
- data connector 115 is an Ethernet connector which is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with a data connector receptacle 119 of laptop computer 18 a .
- data connector 114 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with data connector receptacle 112 of electrical outlet 28 .
- Data connectors 114 and 115 can be the same type of data connectors, or they can be different types of data connectors.
- Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal S Control , between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 . In this way, signal S Control flows through data cable 113 a and between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 . In particular, communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal S Control between terminal device 18 and primary controller 12 of electrical outlet 28 . In this way, signal S Control flows through data cable 113 a and between terminal device 18 and primary controller 12 of electrical outlet 28 .
- FIG. 5D is a perspective view of a system 11 b .
- system 11 b includes terminal device 18 , which is embodied as a computer.
- terminal device 18 is embodied as laptop computer 18 a .
- System 11 b includes an electrical outlet 25 a , which is the same type of electrical outlet shown in FIG. 5B .
- Communication channel 30 is established between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 .
- system 11 b includes a data cable 113 b which establishes communication channel 30 .
- Data cable 113 b can be of many different types.
- data cable 113 b includes conductive lines 34 a and 34 b (FIG. SB) and a data connector 115 and power plug 116 a .
- power plug 116 a is the same type of power plug shown in FIG. 5B .
- Data connector 115 and power plug 116 a are connected to opposed ends of conductive lines 34 a and 34 b .
- Data connector 115 can be of many different types of connectors used with computers.
- data connector 115 is an Ethernet connector which is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with data connector receptacle 119 of laptop computer 18 a .
- Power plug 116 a is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with socket 39 of electrical outlet 28 .
- Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal S Control , between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 25 a .
- signal S Control flows through data cable 113 b and between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 25 a .
- communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal S Control between terminal device 18 and secondary controller 17 of electrical outlet 25 a .
- signal S Controls flows through data cable 113 b and between terminal device 18 and secondary controller 17 of electrical outlet 25 a.
- FIG. 5E is a perspective view of a system 11 c .
- system 11 c includes terminal device 18 , which is embodied as a computer.
- terminal device 18 is embodied as laptop computer 18 a .
- System 11 c includes electrical outlet 25 a , which is the same type of electrical outlet shown in FIG. SB.
- Communication channel 30 is established between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 by establishing a wireless link 95 therebetween.
- wireless link 95 is established between a wireless module 120 of laptop computer 18 a and wireless module 69 b of electrical outlet 25 a .
- Wireless link 95 will be discussed in more detail below.
- communication channel 30 can also be established in system 11 c by using data cables 113 a and 113 b , as discussed in more detail above.
- Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal S Control , between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 25 a . In this way, signal S Control flows through wireless link 95 and between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 25 a . In particular, communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal S Control between terminal device 18 and secondary controller 17 of electrical outlet 25 a . In this way, signal S Control flows through wireless link 95 and between terminal device 18 and secondary controller 17 of electrical outlet 25 a.
- FIG. 5F is a perspective view of a system 11 d .
- system 11 d includes an electrical load 16 a , which is capable of wireless communication, as will be discussed in more detail below.
- System 11 d includes electrical outlet 25 a , which is the same type of electrical outlet shown in FIG. 5B .
- Communication channel 34 is established between electrical load 16 a and electrical outlet 25 a .
- system 11 d includes power cord 117 which establishes communication channel 34 .
- Power cord 117 includes conductive lines 34 a and 34 b , which are connected to power plug 116 .
- Power cord 117 can be of many different types.
- power cord 117 includes conductive lines 34 a and 34 b ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ) and power plugs 116 and 118 .
- Power plugs 116 and 118 are connected to opposed ends of conductive lines 34 a and 34 b.
- power plug 116 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with socket 39 of electrical outlet 25 a .
- power plug 118 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with a power plug receptacle 19 of electrical load 16 a .
- Power plugs 116 and 118 can be of many different types of plugs used with electrical loads. Power plugs 116 and 118 can be the same type of power plugs, or they can be different types of power plugs. In this embodiment, power plugs 116 and 118 are male and female power plugs, respectively.
- Power cord 117 provides signal S Power to electrical load 16 a .
- Conductive lines 34 a and 34 b extend through housing 111 of power plug 116 where they are connected to prongs 110 a and 110 b , respectively, of power plug 116 .
- Prongs 110 a and 110 b can be received by slots 39 a and 39 b of socket 39 so that they connect to terminals (not shown) therein connected to conductive lines 32 a and 33 a ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ).
- signal S Control can also flow through power cord 117 , as discussed in more detail above. Further, in some embodiments, signal S Control can flow between electrical load 16 a and electrical outlet 25 a through a wireless link, such as wireless link 96 . In this embodiment, wireless link 96 is established between wireless module 69 b of electrical outlet 25 a and a wireless module 23 of electrical load 16 a . In this way, the operation of electrical load 16 a is controllable in response to flowing a wireless signal between it and electrical outlet 25 a .
- Wireless module 23 can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module.
- FIG. 5G is a perspective view of a system 11 e .
- system 11 e includes electrical outlets 25 and 25 a in communication with each other.
- electrical outlet 25 can be replaced with electrical outlet 28 .
- electrical outlet 25 a can be replaced with electrical outlet 28 , such as will be described below with FIG. 5H .
- electrical outlet 25 a includes a controller 17 a , which includes wireless module 69 a .
- controller 17 a can correspond to the primary or secondary controllers discussed herein.
- Electrical outlet 39 a includes a socket 39 a , which can correspond to the sockets discussed herein, such as sockets 38 and 39 .
- electrical outlets 25 and 25 a are in communication with each other through communication link 32 .
- Communication link 32 can be established in many different ways, several of which are discussed in more detail above.
- communication link is established through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b , which are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B .
- Conductive lines 32 a and 32 b allow signal S Power to flow between electrical outlets 25 and 25 a . In some embodiments, conductive lines 32 a and 32 b allow control signal S Control to flow between electrical outlets 25 and 25 a.
- signal S Control can flow between electrical outlets 25 and 25 a through a wireless link, such as wireless links 95 a and 96 a .
- wireless link 95 a is established between wireless modules 69 a and 69 b of electrical outlets 25 a and 25 , respectively, by wireless module 69 a .
- wireless link 95 b is established between wireless modules 69 a and 69 b of electrical outlets 25 a and 25 , respectively, by wireless module 69 b .
- the operation of controllers 17 and 17 a is controllable in response to flowing a wireless signal between electrical outlets 25 and 25 a.
- FIG. 5H is a perspective view of a system 11 f .
- system 11 f includes systems 11 a , 11 d and 11 e , which are discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5C , 5 F and 5 G, respectively.
- system 11 e includes electrical outlet 28 , which has replaced electrical outlet 25 a of FIG. 5G .
- terminal device 18 is in communication with electrical outlet 28 through data cable 113 a in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5C .
- electrical outlets 25 and 28 are in communication with each other in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5G .
- Electrical load 16 is in communication with electrical outlet 25 in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. SF.
- terminal device 18 flows control signal S Control to primary controller 12 through data cable 113 a .
- primary controller 12 performs one or more tasks, such as those mentioned above. In some situations, the task involves flowing signal S 1 to secondary controller 17 .
- Signal S 1 can be flowed to secondary controller 17 in many different ways, such as by establishing wireless link 95 a . In this embodiment, signal S 1 is flowed to secondary controller 17 through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b.
- secondary controller 17 performs one or more tasks.
- controller 17 controls the operation of electrical load 16 .
- controller 17 can control the operation of electrical load 16 by turning it on and/or off as desired.
- controller 17 can turn electrical load 16 on and/or off by activating and deactivating a switch (not shown) coupled to electrical load 16 .
- controller 17 determines the performance parameters of electrical load 16 .
- the performance parameters can include, among others, the temperature of operation, power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, voltage, current, power factor and/or frequency of operation of electrical load 16 .
- Performance parameters, such as the power factor and power consumption are typically determined by secondary controller 17 using the current and voltage of device 16 , but in other examples, they can be determined by primary controller 12 .
- An advantage of having secondary controller 17 determine these performance parameters is that they will be more up-to-date in case electrical load 16 fails, and can provide a better indication of the operation of device 16 before it fails. Having more up-to-date information is useful for troubleshooting device 16 to determine its reason for failure.
- controller 17 flows information regarding electrical load 16 to primary controller 12 through communication link 32 . Further, primary controller 12 flows the information regarding electrical load 16 to terminal device 18 through data cable 113 a.
- FIG. 5I is a perspective view of a system 11 g .
- system 11 g includes systems 11 b , 11 d and 11 e , which are discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5D , 5 F and 5 G, respectively.
- terminal device 18 is in communication with electrical outlet 25 a through data cable 113 b in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5D .
- electrical outlets 25 and 25 a are in communication with each other in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5G .
- Electrical load 16 is in communication with electrical outlet 25 in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5F .
- terminal device 18 flows control signal S Control to primary controller 12 through data cable 113 a .
- primary controller 12 performs one or more tasks, such as those mentioned above. In some situations, the task involves flowing signal S 1 to secondary controller 17 .
- Signal S 1 can be flowed to secondary controller 17 in many different ways, such as by establishing wireless link 95 a . In this embodiment, signal S 1 is flowed to secondary controller 17 through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b.
- secondary controller 17 performs one or more tasks, as discussed in more detail above with FIG. 5H . If desired, controller 17 flows information regarding electrical load 16 to primary controller 12 through communication link 32 . Further, primary controller 12 flows the information regarding electrical load 16 to terminal device 18 through data cable 113 a.
- FIG. 5J is a perspective view of a system 11 h .
- system 11 h includes systems 11 c , 11 d and 11 e , which are discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5E , 5 F and 5 G, respectively.
- communication channel 30 is established between terminal device 18 and electrical outlet 28 .
- Communication channel 30 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above.
- communication channel 30 is established in response to establishing wireless link 95 in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. 5E .
- communication channel 32 is established between electrical outlets 25 and 28 .
- Communication channel 32 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above with FIG. 5G .
- communication channel 32 is established in response to establishing wireless links 95 a and 96 a .
- communication channel 32 is established through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b . It should be noted that communication channel 32 can be established through wireless links 95 a and 96 a , as well as through conductive lines 32 a and 32 b , if desired.
- communication channel 34 is established between electrical load 16 and electrical outlet 25 .
- Communication channel 34 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above with FIG. 5F .
- communication channel 34 is established in response to establishing wireless link 96 .
- communication channel 34 is established through conductive lines 34 a and 34 b . It should be noted that communication channel 34 can be established through wireless link 96 , as well as through conductive lines 34 a and 34 b , if desired.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram of primary controller 12 of the systems of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- Primary controller 12 includes an AC line coupling circuit 50 which has separate inputs coupled to lines 30 a and 30 b ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ).
- conductive lines 30 a and 30 b are coupled to conductive lines 31 a and 31 b , respectively.
- An output of circuit 50 is coupled to a filter 52 through a conductive line 80 a and an output of filter 52 is coupled to an input of an isolation circuit 68 through a conductive line 81 a .
- An output of isolation circuit 68 is coupled to an input of an amplifier circuit 58 through a conductive line 83 a and an output of amplifier circuit 58 is coupled to an input of a sine-to-square wave circuit 62 through a conductive line 84 a .
- An output of sine-to-square wave circuit 62 is coupled to an input of a signal processor 66 .
- An output of processor 66 is coupled to an input of a square-to-sine wave circuit 60 through a conductive line 85 b and an output of circuit 60 is coupled to an input of an attenuator circuit 56 through a conductive line 84 b .
- An output of attenuator circuit 56 is coupled to isolation circuit 68 through a conductive line 83 b and an output of isolation circuit 68 is coupled to an input of a filter 54 through a conductive line 81 b and an output of filter 54 is coupled to an input of AC line coupling circuit 50 through a conductive line 80 b .
- Filters 52 and 54 are analog band-pass filters in this embodiment, but they could be other types of filters in other examples.
- Conductive lines 31 a and 31 b are coupled to separate inputs of a zero crossing detect circuit 64 .
- An output of circuit 64 is coupled to another input of processor 66 through a conductive line 87 g .
- Conductive lines 32 a and 32 b are further coupled to separate inputs of a power transformer 72 . Separate outputs of transformer 72 are coupled to conductive lines 87 a and 87 b .
- Conductive lines 87 a and 87 b are connected to processor 66 and isolation circuit 68 to provide power thereto in the form of signals S Power1 and S Power2 , respectively.
- An enable terminal of processor 66 is connected to a conductive line 89 which extends between it and isolation circuit 68 . Conductive line 89 flows a signal S Enable1 between isolation circuit 68 and processor 66 .
- Signal processor 66 receives signals S In and transmits signal S Out , which can be in signal S Control from terminal device 18 , through separate terminals connected to conductive lines 90 a and 90 b , respectively.
- signals S In and S Out can be transmitted and received through a wireless link, as indicated by substitution arrow 90 .
- conductive lines 90 a and 90 b ( FIGS. 4A and 4B ) are connected between separate terminals of processor 66 and a wireless module 69 a .
- a conductive line 88 is connected between wireless module 69 a and an antenna 70 so that signals can be transmitted therefrom wirelessly between processor 66 and terminal device 18 .
- Wireless module 69 a can be of many different types.
- wireless module 69 a can be positioned inside or outside of outlet housing 29 of FIG. 5A .
- the operation of primary controller 12 will be discussed in more detail below.
- FIG. 7 is a block diagram of secondary controller 17 of the systems of FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- controller 17 is similar to primary controller 12 discussed above.
- controller 17 also includes a voltage transformer 76 and a current transformer 74 , with each having separate inputs coupled to conductive lines 32 a and 32 b through conductive lines 32 c and 32 d , respectively.
- conductive lines 32 a , 32 b . 32 c and 32 d are also shown in FIGS. 4A and 41 .
- Separate outputs of transformer 74 are coupled to separate inputs of a filter 93 through conductive lines 87 c and 87 d .
- Separate outputs of transformer 76 are coupled to separate inputs of a filter 94 through conductive lines 87 e and 87 f .
- Outputs of filter 93 and 94 are coupled to separate inputs of processor 66 .
- Filters 93 and 94 are analog low pass filters, but they can be other types of filters in other examples.
- switch 27 has an input coupled to line 32 b and an output coupled to line 33 a .
- Switch 27 also has separate terminals coupled to processor 66 through conductive lines 33 b and 33 c .
- Conductive lines 33 b and 33 c flow signals S Direction and S Enable2 , respectively, between processor 66 and switch 27 .
- Signal processor 66 receives signals S In and S Out through separate terminals connected to conductive lines 91 a and 91 b , respectively.
- signals S In and S Out can be transmitted and received through a wireless link, as indicated by substitution arrow 91 , which is similar to that discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 6 .
- Wireless module 69 b of controller 17 can be used to receive a wireless signal from a sensor, which can be of many different types. For example, it can be a motion, temperature, pressure, and/or humidity sensor, among others.
- the sensor can be integrated with controller 17 and/or outlet 25 or it can be positioned outside of them.
- the operation of controller 17 is similar to that of primary controller 12 of FIG. 6 , both of which will be discussed in more detail below. However, in this embodiment, controller 17 can determine the performance parameters of operation of electrical load 16 .
- FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment of signal processor 66 of primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 of FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively.
- signal processor 66 includes a Texas Instruments MSP430FE42x Mixed Signal Microcontroller. It should be noted that the TI MSP430FE42x Mixed Signal Microcontroller can be replaced with a similar circuit made by TI or another supplier. Hence, the use of the TI MSP430FE42x chip in this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only.
- pin 45 is connected to conductive line 87 g and pins 48 and 53 are connected to conductive lines 85 a and 85 b , respectively.
- pins 59 and 60 are connected to conductive lines 90 a and 90 b , respectively ( FIG. 6 ).
- Controller 17 is connected similarly, only pins 59 and 60 are connected to conductive lines 91 a and 91 b , respectively ( FIG. 7 ).
- pins 2 and 3 are connected to conductive lines 87 c and 87 d , respectively, and pins 6 and 7 are connected to conductive lines 87 e and 87 f , respectively.
- pins 46 and 47 are connected to conductive lines 33 c and 33 b , respectively.
- FIG. 9 is a block diagram of one embodiment of isolation circuit 68 of primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 of FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively.
- isolation circuit 68 includes an Agilent HCPL-800J PLC Powerline DAA Integrated Circuit (IC). It should be noted that the Agilent HCPL-800J PLC Powerline DAA IC can be replaced with a similar circuit which provides isolation between transmission and amplifier lines as desired in most power line modem applications. Hence, the use of the HCIPL-800J chip in this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only.
- Isolation circuit 68 provides optical coupling between conductive lines 81 a and 81 b and conductive lines 83 a and 83 b .
- Optical coupling technology provides very high isolation mode rejection, and a high isolation mode rejection provides improved electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance.
- EMI electromagnetic interference
- EMC electromagnetic compatibility
- Application robustness is enhanced by the inherent properties of opto-isolation devices to reduce the flow of damaging surge transients from signal S Power .
- Transmitter performance is enhanced with the use of a high efficiency, low distortion line driver stage. Transmitter robustness is further enhanced with integrated load detection and over-temperature protection functions.
- isolation circuit 68 includes 16 pins.
- Pin 1 is connected to line 89 and pin 2 is connected to lines 83 b so that it is coupled to the output of attenuator circuit 56 .
- Pin 6 is connected to line 83 a so that it is coupled to the input of amplifier circuit 58 and pin 15 is connected to line 81 b so that it is coupled to the input of filter 54 .
- Pin 10 is connected to line 81 a so that it is coupled to the input of filter 52 and pin 7 is connected to a voltage power source, which can be through lines 87 a and/or 87 b so that it is coupled to power transformer 72 .
- Pin 8 is coupled to a reference potential V Ref1 so that the potential difference between pins 7 and 8 provide power to circuit 68 .
- pin 9 is coupled to a reference resistor R Ref to set a line driving biasing current.
- Resistor R Ref typically has a value of 24 k ⁇ , although it can have other values.
- Pin 11 is coupled to a reference capacitor C Ref to provide a desired stability to circuit 68 .
- Pin 14 is coupled to a voltage power source V cc2 , which can be lines 87 a and/or 87 b so that it is coupled to power transformer 72 .
- Pin 16 is coupled to a reference potential V Ref2 so that the potential difference between pins 14 and 16 provide power to circuit 68 .
- reference potentials V Ref1 and/or V Ref2 can be analog and/or digital current returns. More information about the MSP430FE42x and HCPL-800J chips can be found in their corresponding product data sheets which are incorporated herein by reference, as though fully set forth herein.
- power transformer 72 in primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 receives signal S Power on lines 32 a and 326 , onto which signals S 1 or S 10 are superimposed. In response, transformer 72 outputs signals S Power1 and S Power2 on lines 87 a and 87 b , respectively. Since signal S Power is a high voltage, transformer 72 transforms this high voltage into a lower voltage which can be used to provide power to signal processor 66 , isolation circuit 68 , and or switch 27 . In one example, signal S Power has a peak-to-peak amplitude of 120 V and oscillates at 60 Hertz and signals S 1 and S 10 have amplitudes and 4 V and oscillate at 120 kilohertz (kHIz).
- Transformer 72 transforms this 120 V power signal into S Power1 and S Power2 so that they have amplitudes between about 2 V and 5 V, although they can have amplitudes outside of this range.
- the particular signal amplitude will depend on the power needed for signal processor 66 , isolation circuit 68 , and or switch 27 .
- switch 27 is a bi-stable magnetic relay, then it is typically powered by about 24 V.
- current transformer 74 receives signal S Power on lines 32 a and 32 b and outputs signal S 11 between lines 87 c and 87 d .
- Signal S 11 corresponds to the current of signal S Power which corresponds to the current of electrical load 16 .
- Signal S 11 is filtered by filter 93 and provided to processor 66 as filtered signal S 12 .
- voltage transformer 76 receives signals S Power on lines 32 a and 32 b and outputs signal S V1 between lines 87 e and 87 f .
- Signal S V1 corresponds to the voltage of signal of S Power which corresponds to the voltage of electrical load 16 .
- Signal S V1 is filtered by filter 94 and provided to processor 66 as filtered signal S V2 .
- processor 66 receives signal S In on line 31 a from terminal device 18 by connecting line 31 a to device 18 or by using wireless modules 69 b and/or 69 b .
- processor 66 codes and transmits it as signal S 6 to square-to-sine wave circuit 60 on line 85 b so that S 6 is a coded version of S In .
- FIGS. 10A-10K how processor 66 codes and decodes some of the signals, such as S In , S Out , S I2 and S V2 , it transmits and receives.
- Circuit 60 converts the square wave signal S 6 to a sine wave signal and provides it to line 84 b as signal S 7 .
- Signal S 7 is attenuated by attenuator circuit 56 and provided to line 83 b as signal S 8 .
- Signal S 8 is provided to line 81 b as signal S 9 by isolation circuit 68 when it is enabled.
- Isolation circuit 68 is enabled at a desired time in response to S Zero and S Enable1 .
- the desired time is when S Power is near its zero value.
- signal S Power is near its zero value when it is within plus or minus a time T Zero from its zero value.
- Signal S 9 is filtered by filter 54 and provided to line 80 b as signal S 22 .
- Signal S 22 is coupled to lines 32 a and 32 b by line coupling circuit 50 as signal S 10 so that the signal between lines 32 a and 32 b includes signals S Power and S 10 .
- Signal S 10 then flows to secondary controller 17 , as shown in FIG. 7 .
- signals S Power and S 10 are received by controller 17 .
- Line coupling circuit 50 separates signal S 10 from S Power and provides it to line 80 a as signal S 21 .
- Filter 52 filters signal S 21 and provides it to line 81 a as signal S 11 .
- processor 66 enables isolation circuit 68 through signal S Enable1 in a manner similar to that discussed above.
- isolation circuit 68 allows signal S 11 to pass from line 81 a to line 83 a as signal S 12 .
- Signal S 12 is amplified by amplifier circuit 58 and provided to line 84 a as signal S 13 .
- signal S 13 is a sine wave that is converted to a square wave by sine-to-square-wave circuit 62 and provided as signal S 14 to line 85 a .
- Signal S 14 is received by processor 66 where it is processed. This involves having processor 66 determine the control and/or monitoring information in signal S 14 , which corresponds to the control and/or monitoring information in signal S In on line 31 a of FIG. 6 .
- processor 66 can perform several different tasks. In one example, processor 66 determines the performance parameters of electronic device 16 . It does this by receiving signals S I2 and S V2 from filters 93 and 94 , respectively. Signals S I2 and S V2 include information about the voltage and current of electronic device 16 . Processor 66 can use signals S I2 and S V2 to determine other performance parameters of device 16 , such as its power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, power factor, frequency, etc.
- the control signal can include information so that processor 66 flows signals S Direction and S Enable2 to switch 27 to open or close it as desired.
- the desired performance parameters of device 16 are coded by processor 66 in a manner that will be described in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 10A-10O and this coded signal is provided to line 85 b as signal S 15 .
- Circuit 60 converts the square wave signal S 15 to a sine wave signal and provides it to line 84 b as signal S 16 .
- Signal S 16 is attenuated by attenuator circuit 56 and provided to line 83 b as signal S 17 .
- Signal S 17 is provided to line 81 b as signal S 18 by isolation circuit 68 when it is enabled in a manner similar to that discussed above.
- Signal S 18 is filtered by filter 54 and provided to line 80 b as signal S 19 .
- Signal S 19 is coupled to lines 32 a and 32 b by line coupling circuit 50 as signal S 1 so that the signal between lines 32 a and 32 b includes signals S Power and S 1 .
- Signal S 1 then flows to primary controller 12 , as shown in FIG. 6 .
- signals S Power and S 1 are received by primary controller 12 .
- Line coupling circuit 50 separates signal S 1 from S Power and provides it to line 80 a .
- Filter 52 filters signal S 1 and provides it to line 81 a as signal S 2 .
- processor 66 enables isolation circuit 68 through signal S Enable1 in a manner similar to that discussed above.
- isolation circuit 68 allows signal S 2 to pass from line 81 a to line 83 a as signal S 3 .
- Signal S 3 is amplified by amplifier circuit 58 and provided to line 84 a as signal S 4 .
- Signal S 4 is a sine wave that is converted to a square wave by sine-to-square-wave circuit 62 and provided as signal S 5 to line 85 a .
- Signal S 5 is received by processor 66 where it is decoded in a manner described in more detail below. The decoded signal is then sent to terminal device 18 as signal S Out on line 31 b .
- Signal S Out can flow to terminal device 18 on line 31 b or it can be sent using wireless module 69 a . After this, the process can repeat itself if desired.
- signals S 5 , S 6 , S 14 , and S 15 are square wave signals and the others are sinusoidal.
- Signals S 5 , S 6 , S 14 , and S 15 are square wave signals because they are processed by digital circuitry and the other signals are sinusoidal because it is generally more efficient to flow sinusoidal signals through conductive lines. It should be noted, however, that these signals can have other shapes, such as triangular.
- circuit 60 is replaced with a square-to-triangle wave circuit and circuit 62 is replaced with a triangle-to-square wave circuit.
- FIGS. 10A-10O are graphs of signals in primary controller 12 and/or secondary controller 17 as a function of time.
- FIGS. 10A-10O are shown to better illustrate the operation of primary and secondary controllers 12 and 17 of FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively, and to show how processor 66 codes and decodes the various signals it transmits and receives.
- FIG. 10A shows signal S Power which is sinusoidal and oscillates at a particular frequency.
- S Power is a 120 V peak-to-peak AC signal that oscillates at 60 Hz so that its period T is about 16.6 milliseconds (ms) and half of its period (T/2) is about 8.3 ms.
- FIG. 10B shows signal S Zero which is a square wave with each pulse having a width of T Zero .
- Signal S Zero is provided in response to an indication that signal S Power is zero or near zero.
- signal S Power is near zero when its amplitude is within plus or minus T Zero of its inflection point 99 (See FIG. 10A ).
- S Power can be defined as being near zero when it is within another predetermined time of inflection point 99 .
- FIG. 10C shows one example of signal S 1 .
- Signal S 1 can have many different shapes depending on the information it is carrying.
- signal S 1 is a train of oscillating signals which are separated from each other by one-half the period (T) of signal S Power , denoted as T/2 (See FIG. 10A ).
- signal S 1 is sinusoidal with a frequency f carrier for a portion of time within time T Zero and zero or constant for another portion of time T Zero .
- signal S 1 is zero outside of T Zero , although in some examples, it can have a constant non-zero value.
- signal S 1 is shown here as being sinusoidal, but it can have other shapes which oscillate a predetermined number of times within time T Zero .
- Frequency f carrier can have many different values.
- frequency f carrier has a value between 30 Hertz (30 Hz) to 300,000,000,000 Hertz (300 GHz).
- the value of frequency f carrier depends on many different factors, such as the amount of data it is desired to flow as a function of time.
- the flow of data as a function of time increases in response to increasing the value of frequency f carrier .
- the flow of data as a function of time decreases in response to decreasing the value of frequency f carrier .
- the flow of data as a function of time is adjustable in response to adjusting the value of frequency f carrier .
- the flow of data is in a range between about 2,000,000 bits per second (2 MbitsS) and 72,000.000 bits per second (72 Mbits/S) when frequency f carrier is driven to 1,000,000 Hz (1 MHz).
- the range of values of frequency f carrier depends on the bit error loss, as well as the number of coded symbols.
- the coded symbols will be discussed in more detail below.
- the number of coded symbols is reduced to reduce the bit error loss in response to increasing the value of frequency f carrier .
- the number of coded symbols is increased to increase the bit error loss in response to increasing the value of frequency f carrier .
- the bit error loss, at a given value of frequency f carrier is reduced in response to reducing the number of coded symbols used.
- the bit error loss, at the given value of frequency f carrier is increased in response to increasing the number of coded symbols used. Adjusting the value of frequency f carrier is desirable to adjust the amount of power consumed.
- the amount of power consumed increases and decreases in response to increasing and decreasing, respectively, the value of frequency f carrier .
- a data compression rate is adjustable in response to adjusting the number of coded symbols, as well as the value of frequency f carrier .
- the data compression rate is increased and decreased in response to increasing and decreasing, respectively, the number of symbols.
- the data compression rate can be characterized in many different ways, such as by the ratio of the compressed size of the data to the uncompressed size of the data.
- the amount of data flowed can be adjusted in response to adjusting the number of carrier frequencies.
- the number of carrier frequencies is 1, 2, 3, . . . , N, wherein N is a whole number. As the number N of carrier frequencies increases and decreases, the amount of data flowed increases and decreases.
- the frequency bandwidth f Band is between 1,000,000 Hertz (1 MHz) and 5,000,000 Hertz (5 MHz), and frequency f carrier1 is 1,500,000 Hertz (1.5 MHz) and frequency f carrier2 is 3,500,000 Hertz (3.5 MHz).
- frequency f carrier1 is 2,250,000 Hertz (2.25 MHz)
- frequency f carrier2 is 2,300.000 Hertz (2.3 MHz)
- FIGS. 10D-10G show examples of signal S 1 with different shapes.
- signal S 1 is sinusoidal, but has an offset voltage V Offset and in FIG. 10E , signal S 1 is triangular in shape.
- signal S 1 has a square shape and in FIG. 10G , signal S 1 includes pulses. It should be noted that signal S 1 can have other shapes, but only a few are shown here for simplicity.
- the portions of S 1 that are sinusoidal, zero, or constant depends on the information coded in S 1 .
- the letters of the English alphabet i.e. A, B, C, . . . , X, Y, Z
- 36 different codes are needed to distinguish between these symbols. This is because at least 10 different codes are needed to distinguish between the numbers zero through nine and at least 26 different codes are needed to distinguish between the letters of the English alphabet.
- the letters of the English alphabet can be upper case and lower case, and combinations thereof.
- the number of codes can even depend on the number base used to represent the numbers. For example, the numbers can be one or zero for binary (base 2), zero to seven for octal (base 8), zero to nine for decimal (base 10), and zero to F for hexadecimal (base 16), among others.
- the number of codes can also depend on the acceptable error in coded and decoding the symbols as will be discussed in more detail below.
- the codes are distinguished from one another by the number of cycles that occur in time T Zero , wherein a cycle corresponds to the period of the signal.
- Table 1 which lists the number of cycles and the corresponding assigned symbol.
- signal 130 in FIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 10 cycles in time T Zero in a region 133 and zero cycles in a region 134 . From Table 1, signal 130 is assigned a symbol of ‘2’ (two) since a number of cycles between 8 and 11 is coded as ‘2’.
- signal 131 in FIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 6 cycles in time T Zero in a region 135 and zero cycles in a region 136 .
- signal 131 is assigned a symbol of ‘1’ (one) since a number of cycles between 4 and 7 is coded as ‘1’.
- signal 132 in FIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 20 cycles in time T Zero in a region 137 and zero cycles in a region 138 .
- signal 132 is assigned a symbol of ‘5’ (five) since a number of cycles between 19 and 21 is coded as ‘5’. If the signal has no cycles or is constant, zero or otherwise, during time T Zero , then the signal is assigned a symbol of ‘0’ (zero). If the signal is sinusoidal throughout time T Zero so that it has 144 cycles, then it is coded as a symbol ‘Z’.
- the values and symbols in Table 1 can be programmed into a memory chip (not shown).
- the memory chip can be non-volatile or random access memory in some examples. The values and symbols in Table 1 can even be determined from a look-up table.
- each symbol is assigned four cycles.
- the symbol 0 (zero) is assigned zero, one, two, and three cycles and the symbol 1 (one) is assigned four, five, six, and seven cycles.
- the number of cycles assigned to a particular symbol depends on the acceptable error in coded and decoding the information. The more cycles that are assigned to a particular symbol, the less the error is in encoding and decoding it. Further, the less cycles that are assigned to a particular symbol, the more the error is in encoding and decoding it.
- the number zero is assigned to a number of cycles between 0 and 72 and the number one is assigned to a number of cycles between 73 and 144 so that the information corresponds to binary data (base 2).
- the accuracy of this binary coded scheme is more accurate than the scheme of Table 1. This is because it is generally more difficult and less accurate to determine if the number of cycles is between zero and three (‘0’) or four and seven (‘1’), for example, then it is to determine if the number of cycles is between 0 and 72 (‘0’) or 73 and 144 (‘1’).
- an advantage of having a fewer number of cycles assigned to a particular symbol is that more different symbols can be represented, so that the data compression is increased.
- time T Zero many more different symbols can be coded in time T Zero .
- the binary scheme only two symbols can be coded in time T Zero (a ‘0’ or a ‘1’), but in the scheme of Table 1, 36 different symbol can be coded in time T Zero (0 to 10 and A to Z). Hence, the transmission of information is faster.
- the symbol of the signal in time T Zero there are several other ways to determine the symbol of the signal in time T Zero .
- the number of cycles of the sinusoid in time T Zero is determined.
- the percentage that the signal is sinusoidal in time T Zero can be determined.
- signal 130 is sinusoidal for a time T 2 in time T Zero . Since time T 2 is 10 cycles out of 144 total cycles, time T 2 is about 6.9% of time T Zero .
- signal 130 represents a ‘2’ (two) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 5.6 to 7.6 percent of T Zero is assigned the symbol ‘2’.
- signal 131 is sinusoidal for a time T 1 in time T Zero .
- time T 2 is about 4.2% of time T Zero .
- signal 130 represents a ‘1’ (one) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 2.8% to 4.9% of T Zero is assigned the symbol ‘1’.
- signal 132 is sinusoidal for a time T 5 in time T Zero . Since time T 5 is 20 cycles out of 144 total cycles, time T 5 is about 13.9% of time T Zero .
- signal 132 represents a ‘5’ (five) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 13.9% to 16% of T Zero is assigned the symbol ‘5’.
- the number of half cycles of the sinusoid or the number of peaks and/or valleys in the oscillating signal can be determined.
- the amount of time that the signal is zero within time T Zero is determined (i.e. T Zero ⁇ T 2 ) and compared to T Zero ([T Zero ⁇ T 2 ]/T Zero ). This percentage is then used to determine the code in a manner similar to that described above.
- FIG. 10G shows another way that the symbols can be coded.
- time T 2 is determined by the occurrence of pulses 140 and 141 . This can be done by using a timer or counter circuit. Once time T 2 is determined, it can be compared to time T Zero to determine the percentage of T 2 to T Zero . As discussed above, time T 2 is 10 cycles out of 144 total cycles, so time T 2 is about 6.9% of time T Zero and signal 130 represents a ‘2’ (two) according to Table 1.
- a bit can be a one (‘1’) and zero (‘0’).
- the bits can be grouped together for convenience into groups of bits referred to as bytes and words, wherein a byte includes eight bits and a word includes thirty two bits.
- the digital data can be represented in different bases, such as hexadecimal.
- FIG. 10H shows signal S 20 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V 20 .
- FIG. 10I shows signal S 3 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V 3 .
- FIG. 10J shows signal S 4 which is signal S 3 after it has been amplified by amplifier circuit 58 .
- Signal S 4 has an amplitude of V 4 which is greater than V 3 .
- FIG. 10K shows signal S 5 which is signal S 4 after it has been converted to a square wave by sine-to-square wave circuit 62 .
- Signal S 5 has an amplitude of V 5 .
- FIG. 10L shows signal S 6 which is a square wave.
- Signal S 6 has an amplitude of V 6 .
- FIG. 10H shows signal S 20 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V 20 .
- FIG. 10I shows signal S 3 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V 3 .
- FIG. 10J shows signal S 4 which is signal S
- FIG. 10M shows signal S 7 which is signal S 6 after it has been converted to a sine wave by square-to-sine wave circuit 60 .
- FIG. 10N shows signal S 8 which corresponds to signal S 7 after it has been attenuated by attenuator circuit 56 .
- Signal S 7 has an amplitude of V 7 and signal S 8 has an amplitude of V 8 where V 7 is greater than V 8 .
- FIG. 10O shows signal S 9 which is signal S 8 after it has been passed between lines 83 b and 81 b by isolation circuit 68 .
- Signal S 10 is a filtered version of signal S 9 .
- Signal S 9 is filtered to provide S 10 to remove unwanted modes that may be present in signal S 9 .
- S Power has a peak-to-peak amplitude of about 120 V and oscillates at 60 Hz.
- the other signals oscillate at the carrier frequency, which in these examples is f Carrier 120 kHz.
- FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a method 150 of controlling and monitoring an electrical load using a power monitoring and control apparatus. It should be noted that the steps in method 150 can be performed in other ways, but only one way is shown here for illustrative purposes.
- Method 150 starts at a step 150 and then initializes the primary and secondary controllers at a step 154 .
- a step 156 it is determined whether a first message has been received from a terminal device by the primary controller from the terminal device. If the first message has been received, then the first message is processed and sent by the primary controller to the secondary controller in a step 158 .
- a step 160 it is determined whether the first message from the primary controller has been received by the secondary controller. If it has, then control is sent back to step 156 . If it has not, then control is sent back to step 158 .
- step 156 If the first message from the terminal device has not been received by the primary controller in step 156 , then it is determined if a second message has been received by the primary controller from the secondary controller in a step 162 . If it has been received, then the second message is processed and sent to the terminal device in a step 164 . In a step 166 , it is determined whether the second message from the secondary controller has been received by the primary controller and sent to the terminal device. If it has, then control is sent back to step 156 . If it has not, then control is sent back to step 164 .
- FIGS. 12A-12F are block diagrams of methods of coding symbols and decoding waveforms.
- a method 170 of decoding waveforms includes a step 171 of receiving a waveform.
- a property of the waveform is determined in a step 172 and the waveform is assigned a symbol in response to the property in a step 173 .
- the property of the waveform can be, for example, its period, frequency, etc.
- the property can also be the ratio of the time that the waveform oscillates to a predetermined time, such as T Zero .
- the symbol assigned to the waveform can be an ASCI character, such as a letter or number, or another symbol which is desired to decode.
- the property of the waveform has a one-to-one correspondence to the symbol it represents. For example, a waveform with zero oscillations within the predetermined time is assigned the symbol ‘0’ (zero) and a waveform with one oscillation within the predetermined time is assigned the symbol ‘1’ (one). In another example, waveforms with between zero and three oscillations within the predetermined time are assigned the symbol ‘0’ (zero) and waveforms with between four and seven oscillations within the predetermined time are assigned the symbol ‘1’ (one).
- a method 175 of decoding waveforms includes a step 176 of receiving a time varying waveform.
- the time varying waveform can be sinusoidal, square, triangular, etc.
- the number of cycles within a predetermined time in the time varying waveform is determined.
- a symbol is assigned to the time varying waveform in response to the number of cycles within the predetermined time.
- the number of cycles can be full cycles based on the period of the time varying waveform and in other examples, the number of cycles can be based on half or quarter periods of the time varying waveform.
- a method 180 of decoding waveforms includes a step 181 of receiving a waveform.
- the time between pulses in the waveform is determined.
- a symbol is assigned to the waveform in response to the time between the pulses.
- the time between pulses is compared to a predetermined time, such as time T Zero .
- a method 185 of encoding symbols includes a step 186 of receiving a symbol.
- a property for the symbol is determined in a step 187 and the symbol is assigned a waveform in response to the property in a step 188 .
- the property for the symbol can be, for example, the period, frequency, etc. of the waveform.
- the property can also be the ratio of the time that the waveform oscillates to a predetermined time, such as T Zero .
- the symbol can be an ASCI character, such as a letter or number, or another symbol which is desired to encode.
- a method 190 of encoding a symbol includes a step 191 of receiving a symbol.
- the number of cycles of a waveform for the symbol is determined. The number of cycles corresponds to that in the waveform within a predetermined time.
- the waveform corresponding to the symbol is outputted.
- the number of cycles can be full cycles based on the period of the waveform and in other examples, the number of cycles can be based on half or quarter periods of the waveform.
- a method 195 of encoding a symbol includes a step 196 of receiving a symbol.
- a time which corresponds to the symbol is determined. The time corresponds to the time between pulses in a waveform.
- the time between pulses is assigned to the symbol. The waveform can then be outputted with pulses spaced apart by the time determined in step 197 .
- FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a system 200 . It should be noted that system 200 can include many of the components discussed in more detail above. Further, system 200 can operate in the same manner as the systems discussed in more detail above.
- system 200 includes a management system 201 , wherein management system 201 includes a memory system 203 operatively coupled to processor 202 .
- Memory system 203 can be of many different types, such as computer memory, and processor 202 can be of many different types, such as a computer processor.
- management system includes a terminal device, which is discussed in more detail above.
- the terminal device can be a laptop computer, desktop computer, Pocket PC, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), among others.
- management system 201 includes one or more terminal devices.
- management system 201 can include a plurality of terminal devices in communication with each other so they operate as a network.
- the network can be of many different types, such as a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network and the Internet.
- WAN Wide Area Network
- the terminal devices can be located proximate to each other or away from each other in different geographical locations.
- management system 201 includes a communication system 204 operatively coupled to the processor 202 .
- Communication system 204 can be of many different types.
- communication system 204 includes a data connector receptacle which allows it to flow wired signals.
- communication system 204 includes a wireless module 120 which allows it to flow wired signals. Wired and wireless signals are discussed in more detail above.
- system 200 includes electronic device 16 and electrical outlet 28 , wherein electronic device 16 is in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 28 .
- Electronic device 16 can be in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 28 in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above.
- electronic device 16 and electrical outlet 28 are in communication with each other through power cord 117 , as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5B , 5 H, 5 I and 5 J. Further, electrical outlet 28 is in communication with communication system 204 through data connector receptacle 119 and data cable 113 a , as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5C and 5H .
- system 200 includes electronic device 16 a and electrical outlet 25 a , wherein electronic device 16 a is in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 25 a .
- Electronic device 16 a can be in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 25 a in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above.
- electronic device 16 a and electrical outlet 25 a are in communication with each other through power cord 117 a and/or wireless link 96 , as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5B , 5 F and 5 J. Further, electrical outlet 25 a is in communication with communication system 204 through data connector receptacle 119 and data cable 113 b , as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5D and 5I . Electrical outlet 25 a is also in communication with communication system 204 through wireless module 120 and wireless link 95 .
- system 200 includes an electronic device 16 b and electrical outlet 25 b , wherein electronic device 16 b is in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 25 b .
- Electronic device 16 b can be in communication with management system 201 through electrical outlet 25 b in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above.
- electronic device 16 b and electrical outlet 25 b are in communication with each other through a power chord 117 b and/or wireless link 96 c , as discussed in more detail above with power cord 117 a and wireless link 96 , respectively.
- electrical outlet 25 b is in communication with communication system 204 through wireless module 120 and a wireless link 95 b , as discussed in more detail above with wireless link 95 .
- electrical outlets 28 , 25 a and 25 b are in communication with each other. Electrical outlets 28 , 25 a and 25 b can be in communication with each other in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above.
- electrical outlets 28 and 25 a are in communication with each other through communication channel 32 , as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5H and 5I , which involves a wired communication channel. It should be noted, however, that the communication between electrical outlets 28 and 25 a can be through a wireless communication channel, or a combination of a wired and wireless communication channel, as discussed in more detail above with FIG. 5G .
- electrical outlets 25 a and 25 b are in communication with each other through communication channel 32 , as discussed in more detail above with FIG. 5J , which involves wired and wireless communication channels. It should be noted, however, that the communication between electrical outlets 28 and 25 a can be through a wired communication channel, as discussed in more detail above with FIGS. 5H and 5I .
- the electrical outlets of system 200 collect information from the corresponding electrical load and flow it to management system 201 in a manner described in more detail above.
- the information is received by communication system 204 and, in response to the operation of processor 202 , the information is stored with memory system 203 .
- the electrical loads of system 200 can be of many different types, such as the ones discussed in more detail above.
- Processor 202 processes the information of memory system 203 to determine one or more performance parameters.
- the performance parameters can be of many different types, such as those discussed in more detail above.
- management system 201 can determine the amount of power consumed over a particular period of time by the electrical loads of system 200 . This is desirable because sometimes there are two rates for electrical power, a low rate and a high rate. In some instances, the low rate is paid when the total power usage is below a predetermined threshold power value and the high rate is paid when the total power usage is above the predetermined threshold power value. Since it is desirable for the consumer to pay the lower rate, system 200 can be used to determine the total power usage so it can be compared to the predetermined threshold power value. In this way, the consumer will know how much power they can use before they go above the threshold power value and have to pay the higher rate.
- the electrical loads of system 200 can be of many different types, such as those mentioned above. Examples include an appliance, computer, phone, water heater, air conditioner, water pump and smoke detector, among others. Examples of appliances include a refrigerator, washer, dryer, water heater, water pump, powered door, door sensor, powered window, window sensor, television, and power storage device, among others. In general, the electrical load consumes electrical energy during operation.
- the performance parameters determined by management system 201 can be stored with management system 201 , such as in memory system 203 .
- the performance parameters determined by management system 201 can also be provided to the user of the electronic devices of system 200 so they can determine how much the operation of the electronic devices costs.
- the information can be provided to the user of the electronic devices of system 200 in many different ways, such as through a wired link, a wireless link and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the information is emailed to the user and, in some embodiments, a short message service (SMS is used so that the information is flowed to the user's phone as a text message. It is useful to flow the information to the user's mobile device for convenience.
- SMS short message service
- FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a system 210 , wherein management system 200 is replaced by mobile phone 205 .
- system 210 can include many of the components discussed in more detail above. Further, system 210 can operate in the same manner as the systems discussed in more detail above.
- systems 200 and 210 include a software system which controls the operation of management system 201 .
- the software system can be of many different types, such as those which operate on a computer.
- the software system can also be of the type that operates on mobile phone 205 , such as those manufactured by APPLE. Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. and a mobile phone which operates with an Android operating system.
- mobile phone 205 is in communication with communication system 204 through a wireless link 95 c .
- mobile phone 205 can be replaced with another type of phone, such as a landline phone, if desired.
- mobile phone 205 can be replaced with a terminal device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
- PDA Personal Digital Assistant
- the software system can allow the user to determine which electronic devices to monitor and control. Further, the software system can allow the user to determine how the information is processed. The software can allow the user to determine the type of performance parameter determined from the information discussed in more detail above. The software can allow the user to control the operation of the electronic devices in the manner described in more detail above. Hence, mobile phone 205 can control the operation of the electronic devices.
- the information can be flowed using many different codes, such as those discussed in more detail above. It is desired to have a code which reduces the amount of information that is flowed and stored with memory system 203 . Reducing the amount of information flowed is desirable to reduce the amount of power consumed by system 200 , as well as to reduce the cost of memory system 203 .
- One example of a code which can be used will be discussed in more detail presently. It should be noted that the code involves digital data, which is represented by a bit. A bit can be a one (‘1’) and zero (‘0’). The bits can be grouped together for convenience into groups of bits referred to as bytes and words, wherein a byte includes eight bits and a word includes thirty two bits. The digital data can be represented in different bases, such as hexadecimal.
- Table 2 includes one example of a code which can be used by system 200 , or the other systems disclosed herein, to flow information from management system 201 to the electronic devices of system 200 .
- Table 3 includes one example of a code which can be used by system 200 , or the other systems disclosed herein, to flow information from the electronic devices of system 200 to management system 201 .
- Table 4 includes one example of a parameter table which can be used by system 200 , or the other systems disclosed herein, to code the information discussed above. It should be noted that LSB means least significant bit and MSB means most significant bit.
- Example packet for above - [255.Node Address, E, 81, 170] next packet sent is [255.Node Address, E, 103, 170] **Other data returned with temperature.
- Data1 Temp. in Centigrade 0 to 100.
- Data2 Humidity in % 0 to 100
- Data3 Light Level in % 0 to 100
- Data4 MSB Temperature/Motion Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 ***Data returned with water flow reading.
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Abstract
A system includes a controller which determines information regarding an electrical load. The system includes a management system which receives the information from the controller and determines a performance parameter of the electrical load. The management system adjusts the operation of the electrical load in response to the performance parameter.
Description
- This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/345,699, filed on Jan. 7, 2012, which issued on Oct. 27, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,172,275, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
- U.S. Pat. No. 9,172,275 is a continuation-in-part of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/925,690, filed on Oct. 26, 2007, which issued on Jan. 10, 2012, as U.S. Pat. No. 8,095,243, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of, and claims the benefit of U.S. Pat. No. 7,555,365, filed on Jul. 11, 2005, the contents of both of which are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- This invention relates generally to power regulation and, more particularly, to monitoring and controlling the operation of an electrical load.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Energy monitoring and control systems are widely used to provide centralized monitoring and control of an electrical load in an electrical system. The electrical load can be of many different types, such as heating, cooling, appliances and lighting devices. It is desirable to monitor and control the electrical load to monitor and control the energy usage by the electrical load. More information regarding such systems and electrical loads is provided in the Backgrounds of the above-identified related applications. Other references to note include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,521,838, 5,563,455, 5,880,677, 5,978,569 and 7,379,997, as well as U.S. Patent Application Nos. 20060120008 and 20080031026.
- Control systems are available for controlling household appliances from a central location. Some of these control systems use a power line modem, which is a transmitter/receiver capable of operating over
conventional AC 120/240 volt (V) power lines (power mains). Examples of these types of control systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,517 and 4,418,333. In some of these control systems, a control unit is programmed to control a desired function within various electrical loads depending upon the time of day. For example, the control unit can control the operation of a lighting device and/or appliance. However, it is desirable to provide a way to control the operation of an electrical load, and to monitor the energy usage of the electrical load. - The present invention involves a system which monitors operating information and performance parameters of an electrical load. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3A is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4A is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of electrical outlets of the systems ofFIGS. 4A and 4B . -
FIGS. 5C , 5D, 5E, 5F, 5G, 5H, 5I and 5J are perspective views of various embodiments of portions of the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the primary controller of the system ofFIGS. 4A and 4B . -
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the secondary controller of the system ofFIGS. 4A and 4B . -
FIG. 8 is a top view of one embodiment of a digital signal processor of the primary and secondary controllers ofFIGS. 6 and 7 . -
FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of an isolation circuit of the primary and secondary controllers ofFIGS. 6 and 7 . -
FIGS. 10A-10O are graphs of the various signals shown in the primary and secondary controllers ofFIGS. 6 and 7 . -
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a method of controlling the power using the system ofFIG. 1 . -
FIGS. 12A-12C are block diagrams of a method of encoding a symbol. -
FIGS. 12D-12F are block diagrams of a method of decoding a symbol. -
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an energy management system. -
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an energy management system. - Disclosed herein are several systems which monitor and/or control the operation of one or more electrical loads. This is desirable because, for many different reasons, the operation of an electrical load is expensive. One reason the operation is expensive is because electrical power is expensive and the general trend is for it to increase in cost. Another reason the operation is expensive is because the electrical load has a certain lifetime after which it fails and needs to be fixed or replaced. The lifetime tends to decrease the more the electrical load is used, so in some instances, it is desirable to turn it off when not needed so its lifetime will not decrease as rapidly. It should be noted that like reference characters are used throughout the several views of the Drawings.
- In some embodiments, the performance and/or efficiency of the electrical load is monitored by the system, which is desirable because the performance typically changes with time as the device's lifetime decreases. Hence, by monitoring the electrical load's performance and/or efficiency, it can be determined whether or not it is approaching the end of its useful lifetime. This can be done because electrical loads are generally manufactured to operate within a particular range of power consumption, voltage (V), current (A), and temperature. An indication that the electrical load is reaching the end of its useful lifetime and is about to fail occurs when the electrical load is operating outside one or more of these ranges. Further, newer and more efficient electrical loads are typically being developed, so the system can be used to determine whether it is more cost effective to replace an old electrical load with a newer and more efficient electrical load.
- The system is useful in many different settings. For example, it can be used at home, in an office, or another setting to monitor and control the operation of electrical loads typically used in these places. The electrical load can be any type of electrical load, such as an appliance, television, computer, air conditioner, lamp, hair drier, refrigerator, etc. which are generally powered by an electrical outlet. The electrical load can also include wireless sensors, such as a motion sensor, smoke detector, temperature sensor, air pressure/quality sensor, and a switch sensor.
- In one particular example, the system is used to monitor and control the electrical loads in the rooms of a hotel. If the room is currently unoccupied, then the system can turn one or more of the electrical loads in this room off to reduce operating costs. If the room is going to be occupied, then one or more of the electrical loads in the room can be provided with power by the system so they can be used by the occupants. If the room is currently being occupied, then the system can monitor and/or control the operation of the devices.
- In another example, the system is used to determine the amount of power consumed over a particular period of time by the electrical loads in an office, home, or another building. This is desirable because sometimes there are two rates for electrical power, a low rate and a high rate. In some instances, the low rate is paid when the total power usage is below a predetermined threshold power value and the high rate is paid when the total power usage is above the predetermined threshold power value. Since it is desirable for the consumer to pay the lower rate, the system can be used to determine the total power usage so it can be compared to the predetermined threshold power value. In this way, the consumer will know how much power they can use before they go above the threshold power value and have to pay the higher rate.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of asystem 10. In this embodiment,system 10 includes aprimary controller 12 in communication with asecondary controller 17 through acommunication channel 13.Secondary controller 17 is in communication with anelectrical load 16 through acommunication channel 15.Communication channels AC 120 volt (V) wiring, which is typically used in building construction to power mains flow high voltage signals therethrough. In other examples, however,channels channel 13 and control and monitoring signals can be sent through a wireless channel inchannel 13. - One advantage of
system 10 is thatprimary controller 12 can be positioned at one location andsecondary controller 17 can be positioned at another location. For example, the locations can be at different positions in the same room or in different rooms in the same building. In other examples, the locations can even be in different buildings. In this way,system 10 can remotely monitor and/or control the operation ofdevice 16. - In operation,
channel 13 flows a power signal SPower and a signal S1 between primary andsecondary controllers channel 15 flows SPower toelectrical load 16. Signal SPower provides power to primary andsecondary controllers electrical load 16, and signal S1 typically includes control and/or monitoring signals. The control signal in S1 allows primary andsecondary controllers electrical load 16 and the monitoring signal in S1 provides information to primary andsecondary controllers electrical load 16. The information can be, for example, about the performance and efficiency ofelectrical load 16. Power signal SPower is typically a 120 volts AC (VAC) signal with a 60 Hertz (Hz) frequency, which is the United States standard for power mains. However, it should be noted that SPower can have different parameters which generally depend on the application and the country or location at which the power is provided. For example, many countries in Europe use 230 volts AC (VAC) at 50 Hz and Japan uses 100 volts AC (VAC) at 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Further, in the U.S. some heavy appliances use 240 volts AC (VAC) at 60 Hz. - In this embodiment, primary and
secondary controllers FIG. 1 , but will be discussed in more detail below. The circuitry is coupled tochannel 13 and separates signal S1 from SPower so that SPower does not damage the circuitry and so that signal S1 can be processed. After it is processed, signal S1, with the same or different information, is then provided back tochannel 13 and flowed toprimary controller 12. In this way, control and/or monitoring signals are flowed between primary andsecondary controllers electrical load 16. - In one example of operation,
primary controller 12 flows signal S1 tocontroller 17 throughchannel 13. In response to this signal,controller 17 performs one or more tasks. In one task,controller 17 controls the operation ofelectrical load 16. For example,controller 17 can control the operation ofelectrical load 16 by turning it on and/or off as desired. In some examples,controller 17 can turnelectrical load 16 on and/or off by activating and deactivating a switch (not shown) coupled toelectrical load 16. - In another task,
controller 17 determines the performance parameters ofelectrical load 16. The performance parameters can include, among others, the temperature of operation, power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, voltage, current, power factor and/or frequency of operation ofelectrical load 16. Performance parameters, such as the power factor and power consumption are typically determined bysecondary controller 17 using the current and voltage ofelectrical load 16, but in other examples, they can be determined byprimary controller 12. An advantage of havingsecondary controller 17 determine these performance parameters is that they will be more up-to-date in caseelectrical load 16 fails, and can provide a better indication of the operation ofelectrical load 16 before it fails. Having more up-to-date information is useful for troubleshootingdevice 16 to determine its reason for failure. It should be noted that electrical load can be of many different types, such as an appliance, computer, phone, water heater, air conditioner, powered door, window sensor, and power storage device, among others. Examples of appliances include a refrigerator, washer, dryer, water heater, water pump, powered door, door sensor, powered window, window sensor, television, and power storage device, among others. In general, the electrical load consumes electrical energy during operation. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of asystem 11, which includes many of the same components ofsystem 10. In this embodiment,system 11 includes aterminal device 18 in communication withprimary controller 12 through acommunication channel 14.Communication channel 14 can be the same or similar tocommunication channels Terminal device 18 can be of many different types. For example,terminal device 18 can be a laptop computer, desktop computer. Pocket PC, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and mobile phone, among others, andcommunication channel 14 can be a data cable, such as a phone cord, an Ethernet cable, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), or an RS-232 serial cable. In some examples,channel 14 can be a wireless link so thatdevice 18 andprimary controller 12 communicate with each other wirelessly. The wireless link can be established in many different ways, such as by a wireless module. There are many different types of wireless modules that can be used, such as a ZigBee module. More information regarding ZigBee modules can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,260,360, 7,742,894 and 7,957,697. - In operation,
terminal device 18 flows a control signal SControl toprimary controller 12 throughcommunication channel 14. In some situations, signal SControl indicates toprimary controller 12 what information (temperature, frequency, power, current, voltage, etc.)terminal device 18 is requesting aboutelectrical load 16. In some situations, signal SControl can also indicate toprimary controller 12 if it is desired to control the operation ofelectrical load 16, such as by turningelectrical load 16 on or off. In response to receiving control signal SControl,primary controller 12 flows signal S1 tosecondary controller 17. In response to receiving signal S1,secondary controller 17 controls and/ormonitors device 16, as discussed above withFIG. 1 . In some instances,controller 17 flows information aboutdevice 16 back toprimary controller 12 throughchannel 13.Primary controller 12 provides this information toterminal device 18 throughchannel 14. - One advantage of the embodiment of
FIG. 2 is that a software program can be operated byterminal device 18, wherein the software program flows information and/or commands to primary andsecondary controllers Terminal device 18 also displays the information in a convenient manner for the user. In this way,terminal device 18 provides the user an interface with primary andsecondary controllers secondary controllers device 16, but in this embodiment, these performance parameters can be determined byterminal device 18. -
FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams ofsystems systems 10 and/or 11. In this embodiment,system 20 includes anoutlet 22 betweenterminal device 18 andprimary controller 12 and anoutlet 24 betweensecondary controller 17 andelectrical load 16.Terminal device 18 is in communication withoutlet 22 through acommunication channel 30 andprimary controller 12 is in communication withoutlet 22 through acommunication channel 31.Secondary controller 17 is in communication withoutlet 24 through acommunication channel 33 andelectrical load 16 is in communication withoutlet 24 through acommunication channel 34. Further, primary andsecondary controllers communication channel 32. - In this embodiment,
system 21 is similar tosystem 20 except thatprimary controller 12 is in communication withterminal device 18 throughcommunication channel 30 and tooutlet 22 throughcommunication channel 31.Outlet 22 is in communication withsecondary controller 17 throughcommunication channel 32.Secondary controller 17 is in communication withoutlet 24 throughcommunication channel 33 andoutlet 24 is in communication withelectrical load 16 throughcommunication channel 34. - It should be noted that communication channels 30-34 can be the same or similar to channels 13-15 discussed above in conjunction with
FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment, however,communication channel 34 is embodied as a power cord. Signal SPower flows throughcommunication channel 34 betweenoutlet 24 andelectrical load 16. In some embodiments, communication channels 32-33 are embodied as conductive lines used in electrical wiring for building construction. Further, insystem 20,channel 30 is embodied as a data cable, which can be received byterminal device 18 andoutlet 22, andchannel 31 is embodied as electrical wiring used in building construction. Similarly, insystem 21,channel 30 is embodied as a data cable which can be received byterminal device 18 andcontroller 17, andchannel 31 is embodied as a data cable which can be received byprimary controller 12 andoutlet 22. The operation ofsystems systems FIGS. 1 and 2 . In this embodiment,primary controller 12 is separate fromoutlet 22 andsecondary controller 17 is separate fromoutlet 24. In other embodiments, however,primary controller 12 can be integrated withoutlet 22 and/orsecondary controller 17 can be integrated withoutlet 24, as will be discussed in more detail presently. -
FIGS. 4A and 4B are block diagrams ofsystems systems systems - In
system 40 ofFIG. 4A ,terminal device 18 is in communication withprimary controller 12 throughconductive lines primary controller 12 is in communication withoutlet 22 throughconductive lines Outlet 22 is in communication with anoutlet 25 throughconductive lines outlet 25 is in communication withelectrical load 16 throughconductive lines outlet 25 includessecondary controller 17 in communication withconductive lines conductive lines switch 27 has an input connected toconductive line 32 b and an output connected to aconductive line 33 a. Aconductive line 33 b is connected between a control terminal ofswitch 27 andsecondary controller 17 so that secondary controller can control its operation.Conductive lines socket 39 and separate outputs ofsocket 39 are connected toconductive lines -
Secondary controller 17 and switch 27 are housed by an outlet housing 26 (See FIG. SB). In this way, these components are integrated withoutlet 25. In other examples, howevercontroller 17 and/or switch 27 can be positioned outsidehousing 26. The switch can be of many different types. In this example, the switch is a relay, such as a bi-stable magnetic relay. The relay can flow SPower throughsocket 39 toelectrical load 16 so it is on and interrupt the flow of SPower throughsocket 39 so it is off. In other examples, the switch can be a transistor or another type of switch known in the art. - In
system 40,conductive lines terminal device 18. The RS-232 cable also has a second connector on its other end which can be received by an input connector receptacle onprimary controller 12.Conductive lines primary controller 12 and a connector on its other end which is embodied as a plug that can be received byoutlet 22. - In
system 41 ofFIG. 4B ,terminal device 18 is in communication with anelectrical outlet 28 throughconductive lines Electrical outlet 28 is in communication withelectrical outlet 25 throughconductive lines outlet 28 includes asocket 38 with separate outputs connected toconductive lines socket 38 are connected to separate inputs ofprimary controller 12 throughconductive lines primary controller 12 are connected toconductive lines Primary controller 12 is housed by an outlet housing 29 (See FIG. SA) ofoutlet 28. In this way, this component is integrated withoutlet 28. - In
system 41,conductive lines terminal device 18, and a connector on its other end, which can be received by a connector receptacle onsocket 38. It should be noted that the various connectors and connector receptacles can be of many different types known in the art. For example, they can be those used in phone lines, power cords, RS 232 cables, Ethernet cables, Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables, etc. Further, these connectors and connector receptacles can be provided in many different combinations on opposite ends of the same cable, such as in the modified cable and power cords discussed above. - FIGS. SA and SB are perspective views of
outlets FIG. 5A ,outlet 28 includeshousing 29 which housesprimary controller 12. In some embodiments,primary controller 12 includes awireless module 69 a, which is discussed in more detail below.Wireless module 69 a can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module. - In this embodiment,
socket 38 is carried byhousing 29 and hasslots primary controller 12 throughconductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ). In this embodiment, signal SControl is provided toprimary controller 12 through acable 113.Cable 113 includesconductive lines connector 114.Connector 114 is shaped to be received by aconnector receptacle 112, which is coupled toprimary controller 12 throughconductive lines - In
FIG. 5B ,outlet 25 includeshousing 26 which housescontroller 17 and switch 27 (not shown), whereinswitch 27 is discussed in more detail below. In some embodiments,controller 17 includes awireless module 69 b, which is discussed in more detail below.Wireless module 69 b can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module. - In this embodiment,
outlet 25 does not includeconnector 112, although it can in other embodiments. Instead, apower cord 117 includesconductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ), which are connected to apower plug 116.Power cord 117 provides signal SPower to electrical load 16 (not shown).Conductive lines power plug 116 where they are connected toprongs power plug 116.Prongs slots 39 a and 39 b ofsocket 39 so that they connect to terminals (not shown) therein connected toconductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ). -
FIG. 5C is a perspective view of asystem 11 a. In this embodiment,system 11 a includesterminal device 18, which is embodied as a computer. In particular,terminal device 18 is embodied as alaptop computer 18 a. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the systems disclosed herein,terminal device 18 can be embodied as another type of device, such as a phone. The phone can be of many different types, such as amobile phone 205, as indicated by asubstitution arrow 36.System 11 a includeselectrical outlet 28, which is shown inFIG. 5A . -
Communication channel 30 is established betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28. In this embodiment,system 11 a includes adata cable 113 a which establishescommunication channel 30.Data cable 113 a can be of many different types. In this embodiment,data cable 113 a includesconductive lines FIG. 5A ) anddata connectors Data connectors conductive lines Data connectors data connector 115 is an Ethernet connector which is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with adata connector receptacle 119 oflaptop computer 18 a. As discussed in more detail above,data connector 114 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions withdata connector receptacle 112 ofelectrical outlet 28.Data connectors -
Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal SControl, betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28. In this way, signal SControl flows throughdata cable 113 a and betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28. In particular,communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal SControl betweenterminal device 18 andprimary controller 12 ofelectrical outlet 28. In this way, signal SControl flows throughdata cable 113 a and betweenterminal device 18 andprimary controller 12 ofelectrical outlet 28. -
FIG. 5D is a perspective view of a system 11 b. In this embodiment, system 11 b includesterminal device 18, which is embodied as a computer. In particular,terminal device 18 is embodied aslaptop computer 18 a. System 11 b includes anelectrical outlet 25 a, which is the same type of electrical outlet shown inFIG. 5B . -
Communication channel 30 is established betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28. In this embodiment, system 11 b includes adata cable 113 b which establishescommunication channel 30.Data cable 113 b can be of many different types. In this embodiment,data cable 113 b includesconductive lines data connector 115 andpower plug 116 a. In this embodiment,power plug 116 a is the same type of power plug shown inFIG. 5B .Data connector 115 andpower plug 116 a are connected to opposed ends ofconductive lines Data connector 115 can be of many different types of connectors used with computers. In this embodiment,data connector 115 is an Ethernet connector which is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions withdata connector receptacle 119 oflaptop computer 18 a.Power plug 116 a is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions withsocket 39 ofelectrical outlet 28. -
Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal SControl, betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 25 a. In this way, signal SControl flows throughdata cable 113 b and betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 25 a. In particular,communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal SControl betweenterminal device 18 andsecondary controller 17 ofelectrical outlet 25 a. In this way, signal SControls flows throughdata cable 113 b and betweenterminal device 18 andsecondary controller 17 ofelectrical outlet 25 a. -
FIG. 5E is a perspective view of asystem 11 c. In this embodiment,system 11 c includesterminal device 18, which is embodied as a computer. In particular,terminal device 18 is embodied aslaptop computer 18 a.System 11 c includeselectrical outlet 25 a, which is the same type of electrical outlet shown in FIG. SB. -
Communication channel 30 is established betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28 by establishing awireless link 95 therebetween. In this embodiment,wireless link 95 is established between awireless module 120 oflaptop computer 18 a andwireless module 69 b ofelectrical outlet 25 a.Wireless link 95 will be discussed in more detail below. It should be noted thatcommunication channel 30 can also be established insystem 11 c by usingdata cables -
Communication channel 30 allows the flow of a signal, such as signal SControl, betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 25 a. In this way, signal SControl flows throughwireless link 95 and betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 25 a. In particular,communication channel 30 allows the flow of signal SControl betweenterminal device 18 andsecondary controller 17 ofelectrical outlet 25 a. In this way, signal SControl flows throughwireless link 95 and betweenterminal device 18 andsecondary controller 17 ofelectrical outlet 25 a. -
FIG. 5F is a perspective view of asystem 11 d. In this embodiment,system 11 d includes anelectrical load 16 a, which is capable of wireless communication, as will be discussed in more detail below.System 11 d includeselectrical outlet 25 a, which is the same type of electrical outlet shown inFIG. 5B . -
Communication channel 34 is established betweenelectrical load 16 a andelectrical outlet 25 a. In this embodiment,system 11 d includespower cord 117 which establishescommunication channel 34.Power cord 117 includesconductive lines power plug 116.Power cord 117 can be of many different types. In this embodiment,power cord 117 includesconductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ) and power plugs 116 and 118. Power plugs 116 and 118 are connected to opposed ends ofconductive lines - In this embodiment,
power plug 116 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions withsocket 39 ofelectrical outlet 25 a. Further,power plug 118 is repeatably moveable between connected and unconnected conditions with apower plug receptacle 19 ofelectrical load 16 a. Power plugs 116 and 118 can be of many different types of plugs used with electrical loads. Power plugs 116 and 118 can be the same type of power plugs, or they can be different types of power plugs. In this embodiment, power plugs 116 and 118 are male and female power plugs, respectively. -
Power cord 117 provides signal SPower toelectrical load 16 a.Conductive lines power plug 116 where they are connected toprongs power plug 116.Prongs slots 39 a and 39 b ofsocket 39 so that they connect to terminals (not shown) therein connected toconductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ). - It should be noted that signal SControl can also flow through
power cord 117, as discussed in more detail above. Further, in some embodiments, signal SControl can flow betweenelectrical load 16 a andelectrical outlet 25 a through a wireless link, such aswireless link 96. In this embodiment,wireless link 96 is established betweenwireless module 69 b ofelectrical outlet 25 a and awireless module 23 ofelectrical load 16 a. In this way, the operation ofelectrical load 16 a is controllable in response to flowing a wireless signal between it andelectrical outlet 25 a.Wireless module 23 can be of many different types, such as a ZigBee module. -
FIG. 5G is a perspective view of asystem 11 e. In this embodiment,system 11 e includeselectrical outlets electrical outlet 25 can be replaced withelectrical outlet 28. Further,electrical outlet 25 a can be replaced withelectrical outlet 28, such as will be described below withFIG. 5H . In this embodiment,electrical outlet 25 a includes acontroller 17 a, which includeswireless module 69 a. It should be noted thatcontroller 17 a can correspond to the primary or secondary controllers discussed herein.Electrical outlet 39 a includes asocket 39 a, which can correspond to the sockets discussed herein, such assockets - In this embodiment,
electrical outlets communication link 32.Communication link 32 can be established in many different ways, several of which are discussed in more detail above. In this embodiment, communication link is established throughconductive lines FIGS. 5A and 5B . -
Conductive lines electrical outlets conductive lines electrical outlets - In some embodiments, signal SControl can flow between
electrical outlets wireless links wireless modules electrical outlets wireless module 69 a. Further,wireless link 95 b is established betweenwireless modules electrical outlets wireless module 69 b. In this way, the operation ofcontrollers electrical outlets - The systems described above can be combined with each other in many different ways to provide more functionality. Several embodiments of such systems will be discussed in more detail presently.
-
FIG. 5H is a perspective view of asystem 11 f. In this embodiment,system 11 f includessystems FIGS. 5C , 5F and 5G, respectively. In this embodiment,system 11 e includeselectrical outlet 28, which has replacedelectrical outlet 25 a ofFIG. 5G . Hence,terminal device 18 is in communication withelectrical outlet 28 throughdata cable 113 a in a manner described in more detail above withFIG. 5C . Further,electrical outlets FIG. 5G .Electrical load 16 is in communication withelectrical outlet 25 in a manner described in more detail above with FIG. SF. - In operation,
terminal device 18 flows control signal SControl toprimary controller 12 throughdata cable 113 a. In response to signal SControl,primary controller 12 performs one or more tasks, such as those mentioned above. In some situations, the task involves flowing signal S1 tosecondary controller 17. Signal S1 can be flowed tosecondary controller 17 in many different ways, such as by establishingwireless link 95 a. In this embodiment, signal S1 is flowed tosecondary controller 17 throughconductive lines - In response to signal S1,
secondary controller 17 performs one or more tasks. In one task,controller 17 controls the operation ofelectrical load 16. For example,controller 17 can control the operation ofelectrical load 16 by turning it on and/or off as desired. In some examples,controller 17 can turnelectrical load 16 on and/or off by activating and deactivating a switch (not shown) coupled toelectrical load 16. - In another task,
controller 17 determines the performance parameters ofelectrical load 16. The performance parameters can include, among others, the temperature of operation, power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, voltage, current, power factor and/or frequency of operation ofelectrical load 16. Performance parameters, such as the power factor and power consumption are typically determined bysecondary controller 17 using the current and voltage ofdevice 16, but in other examples, they can be determined byprimary controller 12. An advantage of havingsecondary controller 17 determine these performance parameters is that they will be more up-to-date in caseelectrical load 16 fails, and can provide a better indication of the operation ofdevice 16 before it fails. Having more up-to-date information is useful for troubleshootingdevice 16 to determine its reason for failure. - If desired,
controller 17 flows information regardingelectrical load 16 toprimary controller 12 throughcommunication link 32. Further,primary controller 12 flows the information regardingelectrical load 16 toterminal device 18 throughdata cable 113 a. -
FIG. 5I is a perspective view of asystem 11 g. In this embodiment,system 11 g includessystems FIGS. 5D , 5F and 5G, respectively. In this embodiment,terminal device 18 is in communication withelectrical outlet 25 a throughdata cable 113 b in a manner described in more detail above withFIG. 5D . Further,electrical outlets FIG. 5G .Electrical load 16 is in communication withelectrical outlet 25 in a manner described in more detail above withFIG. 5F . - In operation,
terminal device 18 flows control signal SControl toprimary controller 12 throughdata cable 113 a. In response to signal SControl,primary controller 12 performs one or more tasks, such as those mentioned above. In some situations, the task involves flowing signal S1 tosecondary controller 17. Signal S1 can be flowed tosecondary controller 17 in many different ways, such as by establishingwireless link 95 a. In this embodiment, signal S1 is flowed tosecondary controller 17 throughconductive lines - In response to signal S1,
secondary controller 17 performs one or more tasks, as discussed in more detail above withFIG. 5H . If desired,controller 17 flows information regardingelectrical load 16 toprimary controller 12 throughcommunication link 32. Further,primary controller 12 flows the information regardingelectrical load 16 toterminal device 18 throughdata cable 113 a. -
FIG. 5J is a perspective view of asystem 11 h. In this embodiment,system 11 h includessystems FIGS. 5E , 5F and 5G, respectively. In this embodiment,communication channel 30 is established betweenterminal device 18 andelectrical outlet 28.Communication channel 30 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above. In this embodiment,communication channel 30 is established in response to establishingwireless link 95 in a manner described in more detail above withFIG. 5E . - In this embodiment,
communication channel 32 is established betweenelectrical outlets Communication channel 32 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above withFIG. 5G . In some embodiments,communication channel 32 is established in response to establishingwireless links communication channel 32 is established throughconductive lines communication channel 32 can be established throughwireless links conductive lines - In this embodiment,
communication channel 34 is established betweenelectrical load 16 andelectrical outlet 25.Communication channel 34 can be established in many different ways, such as those described in more detail above withFIG. 5F . In some embodiments,communication channel 34 is established in response to establishingwireless link 96. In some embodiments,communication channel 34 is established throughconductive lines communication channel 34 can be established throughwireless link 96, as well as throughconductive lines -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram ofprimary controller 12 of the systems ofFIGS. 4A and 4B . It should be noted that the primary controllers shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and 3A and 3B can be the same or similar to the controller shown inFIG. 6 .Primary controller 12 includes an ACline coupling circuit 50 which has separate inputs coupled tolines FIGS. 4A and 4B ). It should be noted thatconductive lines conductive lines circuit 50 is coupled to afilter 52 through aconductive line 80 a and an output offilter 52 is coupled to an input of anisolation circuit 68 through aconductive line 81 a. An output ofisolation circuit 68 is coupled to an input of anamplifier circuit 58 through aconductive line 83 a and an output ofamplifier circuit 58 is coupled to an input of a sine-to-square wave circuit 62 through aconductive line 84 a. An output of sine-to-square wave circuit 62 is coupled to an input of asignal processor 66. - An output of
processor 66 is coupled to an input of a square-to-sine wave circuit 60 through aconductive line 85 b and an output ofcircuit 60 is coupled to an input of anattenuator circuit 56 through aconductive line 84 b. An output ofattenuator circuit 56 is coupled toisolation circuit 68 through aconductive line 83 b and an output ofisolation circuit 68 is coupled to an input of afilter 54 through aconductive line 81 b and an output offilter 54 is coupled to an input of ACline coupling circuit 50 through aconductive line 80 b.Filters -
Conductive lines circuit 64. An output ofcircuit 64 is coupled to another input ofprocessor 66 through aconductive line 87 g.Conductive lines power transformer 72. Separate outputs oftransformer 72 are coupled toconductive lines Conductive lines processor 66 andisolation circuit 68 to provide power thereto in the form of signals SPower1 and SPower2, respectively. An enable terminal ofprocessor 66 is connected to aconductive line 89 which extends between it andisolation circuit 68.Conductive line 89 flows a signal SEnable1 betweenisolation circuit 68 andprocessor 66. -
Signal processor 66 receives signals SIn and transmits signal SOut, which can be in signal SControl fromterminal device 18, through separate terminals connected toconductive lines conductive lines FIGS. 4A and 4B ) are connected between separate terminals ofprocessor 66 and awireless module 69 a. Aconductive line 88 is connected betweenwireless module 69 a and an antenna 70 so that signals can be transmitted therefrom wirelessly betweenprocessor 66 andterminal device 18.Wireless module 69 a can be of many different types. In this example, it is a 2.4 GHz transceiver, but there are other wireless modules in the art that can be used. It should be noted thatwireless module 69 a can be positioned inside or outside ofoutlet housing 29 ofFIG. 5A . The operation ofprimary controller 12 will be discussed in more detail below. -
FIG. 7 is a block diagram ofsecondary controller 17 of the systems ofFIGS. 4A and 4B . It should be noted that the secondary controllers shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and 3A and 3B can be the same or similar to the controller shown inFIG. 7 . In this embodiment,controller 17 is similar toprimary controller 12 discussed above. However,controller 17 also includes avoltage transformer 76 and acurrent transformer 74, with each having separate inputs coupled toconductive lines conductive lines conductive lines FIGS. 4A and 41 . Separate outputs oftransformer 74 are coupled to separate inputs of afilter 93 throughconductive lines transformer 76 are coupled to separate inputs of afilter 94 throughconductive lines filter processor 66.Filters - In this embodiment, switch 27 has an input coupled to
line 32 b and an output coupled toline 33 a.Switch 27 also has separate terminals coupled toprocessor 66 throughconductive lines Conductive lines processor 66 andswitch 27.Signal processor 66 receives signals SIn and SOut through separate terminals connected toconductive lines FIG. 6 .Wireless module 69 b ofcontroller 17 can be used to receive a wireless signal from a sensor, which can be of many different types. For example, it can be a motion, temperature, pressure, and/or humidity sensor, among others. The sensor can be integrated withcontroller 17 and/oroutlet 25 or it can be positioned outside of them. The operation ofcontroller 17 is similar to that ofprimary controller 12 ofFIG. 6 , both of which will be discussed in more detail below. However, in this embodiment,controller 17 can determine the performance parameters of operation ofelectrical load 16. -
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one embodiment ofsignal processor 66 of primary andsecondary controllers FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively. In this embodiment,signal processor 66 includes a Texas Instruments MSP430FE42x Mixed Signal Microcontroller. It should be noted that the TI MSP430FE42x Mixed Signal Microcontroller can be replaced with a similar circuit made by TI or another supplier. Hence, the use of the TI MSP430FE42x chip in this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only. - For
primary controller 12,pin 45 is connected toconductive line 87 g and pins 48 and 53 are connected toconductive lines conductive lines FIG. 6 ).Controller 17 is connected similarly, only pins 59 and 60 are connected toconductive lines FIG. 7 ). Further, pins 2 and 3 are connected toconductive lines conductive lines conductive lines -
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of one embodiment ofisolation circuit 68 of primary andsecondary controllers FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively. In this embodiment,isolation circuit 68 includes an Agilent HCPL-800J PLC Powerline DAA Integrated Circuit (IC). It should be noted that the Agilent HCPL-800J PLC Powerline DAA IC can be replaced with a similar circuit which provides isolation between transmission and amplifier lines as desired in most power line modem applications. Hence, the use of the HCIPL-800J chip in this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only. -
Isolation circuit 68 provides optical coupling betweenconductive lines conductive lines - In this particular example,
isolation circuit 68 includes 16 pins.Pin 1 is connected to line 89 andpin 2 is connected tolines 83 b so that it is coupled to the output ofattenuator circuit 56.Pin 6 is connected to line 83 a so that it is coupled to the input ofamplifier circuit 58 andpin 15 is connected to line 81 b so that it is coupled to the input offilter 54.Pin 10 is connected to line 81 a so that it is coupled to the input offilter 52 andpin 7 is connected to a voltage power source, which can be throughlines 87 a and/or 87 b so that it is coupled topower transformer 72.Pin 8 is coupled to a reference potential VRef1 so that the potential difference betweenpins circuit 68. Further,pin 9 is coupled to a reference resistor RRef to set a line driving biasing current. Resistor RRef typically has a value of 24 kΩ, although it can have other values.Pin 11 is coupled to a reference capacitor CRef to provide a desired stability tocircuit 68.Pin 14 is coupled to a voltage power source Vcc2, which can belines 87 a and/or 87 b so that it is coupled topower transformer 72.Pin 16 is coupled to a reference potential VRef2 so that the potential difference betweenpins circuit 68. It should be noted that reference potentials VRef1 and/or VRef2 can be analog and/or digital current returns. More information about the MSP430FE42x and HCPL-800J chips can be found in their corresponding product data sheets which are incorporated herein by reference, as though fully set forth herein. - In operation,
power transformer 72 in primary andsecondary controllers lines 32 a and 326, onto which signals S1 or S10 are superimposed. In response,transformer 72 outputs signals SPower1 and SPower2 onlines transformer 72 transforms this high voltage into a lower voltage which can be used to provide power to signalprocessor 66,isolation circuit 68, and or switch 27. In one example, signal SPower has a peak-to-peak amplitude of 120 V and oscillates at 60 Hertz and signals S1 and S10 have amplitudes and 4 V and oscillate at 120 kilohertz (kHIz).Transformer 72 transforms this 120 V power signal into SPower1 and SPower2 so that they have amplitudes between about 2 V and 5 V, although they can have amplitudes outside of this range. The particular signal amplitude will depend on the power needed forsignal processor 66,isolation circuit 68, and or switch 27. For example, ifswitch 27 is a bi-stable magnetic relay, then it is typically powered by about 24 V. - In
controller 17,current transformer 74 receives signal SPower onlines lines electrical load 16. Signal S11 is filtered byfilter 93 and provided toprocessor 66 as filtered signal S12. Similarly,voltage transformer 76 receives signals SPower onlines lines electrical load 16. Signal SV1 is filtered byfilter 94 and provided toprocessor 66 as filtered signal SV2. - The operation of
systems secondary controllers FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively, will now be discussed in more detail. InFIG. 6 ,processor 66 receives signal SIn online 31 a fromterminal device 18 by connectingline 31 a todevice 18 or by usingwireless modules 69 b and/or 69 b. In response,processor 66 codes and transmits it as signal S6 to square-to-sine wave circuit 60 online 85 b so that S6 is a coded version of SIn. It will be discussed in more detail in conjunction withFIGS. 10A-10K howprocessor 66 codes and decodes some of the signals, such as SIn, SOut, SI2 and SV2, it transmits and receives.Circuit 60 converts the square wave signal S6 to a sine wave signal and provides it to line 84 b as signal S7. - Signal S7 is attenuated by
attenuator circuit 56 and provided toline 83 b as signal S8. Signal S8 is provided toline 81 b as signal S9 byisolation circuit 68 when it is enabled.Isolation circuit 68 is enabled at a desired time in response to SZero and SEnable1. In some embodiments, the desired time is when SPower is near its zero value. In one embodiment, signal SPower is near its zero value when it is within plus or minus a time TZero from its zero value. However, different times can be used in other embodiments. Signal S9 is filtered byfilter 54 and provided toline 80 b as signal S22. Signal S22 is coupled tolines line coupling circuit 50 as signal S10 so that the signal betweenlines secondary controller 17, as shown inFIG. 7 . - In
FIG. 7 , signals SPower and S10 are received bycontroller 17.Line coupling circuit 50 separates signal S10 from SPower and provides it to line 80 a as signal S21. Filter 52 filters signal S21 and provides it to line 81 a as signal S11. In response to SZero,processor 66 enablesisolation circuit 68 through signal SEnable1 in a manner similar to that discussed above. In response to SEnable1,isolation circuit 68 allows signal S11 to pass fromline 81 a to line 83 a as signal S12. Signal S12 is amplified byamplifier circuit 58 and provided to line 84 a as signal S13. In this example, signal S13 is a sine wave that is converted to a square wave by sine-to-square-wave circuit 62 and provided as signal S14 to line 85 a. Signal S14 is received byprocessor 66 where it is processed. This involves havingprocessor 66 determine the control and/or monitoring information in signal S14, which corresponds to the control and/or monitoring information in signal SIn online 31 a ofFIG. 6 . - In response to the control and/or monitoring information in signal S14,
processor 66 can perform several different tasks. In one example,processor 66 determines the performance parameters ofelectronic device 16. It does this by receiving signals SI2 and SV2 fromfilters electronic device 16.Processor 66 can use signals SI2 and SV2 to determine other performance parameters ofdevice 16, such as its power consumption, power consumption as a function of time, power factor, frequency, etc. The control signal can include information so thatprocessor 66 flows signals SDirection and SEnable2 to switch 27 to open or close it as desired. - The desired performance parameters of
device 16 are coded byprocessor 66 in a manner that will be described in more detail below in conjunction withFIGS. 10A-10O and this coded signal is provided toline 85 b as signal S15. Circuit 60 converts the square wave signal S15 to a sine wave signal and provides it to line 84 b as signal S16. Signal S16 is attenuated byattenuator circuit 56 and provided toline 83 b as signal S17. Signal S17 is provided toline 81 b as signal S18 byisolation circuit 68 when it is enabled in a manner similar to that discussed above. Signal S18 is filtered byfilter 54 and provided toline 80 b as signal S19. Signal S19 is coupled tolines line coupling circuit 50 as signal S1 so that the signal betweenlines primary controller 12, as shown inFIG. 6 . - In
FIG. 6 , signals SPower and S1 are received byprimary controller 12.Line coupling circuit 50 separates signal S1 from SPower and provides it to line 80 a.Filter 52 filters signal S1 and provides it to line 81 a as signal S2. In response to SZero,processor 66 enablesisolation circuit 68 through signal SEnable1 in a manner similar to that discussed above. In response to SEnable1,isolation circuit 68 allows signal S2 to pass fromline 81 a to line 83 a as signal S3. Signal S3 is amplified byamplifier circuit 58 and provided to line 84 a as signal S4. Signal S4 is a sine wave that is converted to a square wave by sine-to-square-wave circuit 62 and provided as signal S5 to line 85 a. Signal S5 is received byprocessor 66 where it is decoded in a manner described in more detail below. The decoded signal is then sent toterminal device 18 as signal SOut online 31 b. Signal SOut can flow toterminal device 18 online 31 b or it can be sent usingwireless module 69 a. After this, the process can repeat itself if desired. - In this embodiment, signals S5, S6, S14, and S15 are square wave signals and the others are sinusoidal. Signals S5, S6, S14, and S15 are square wave signals because they are processed by digital circuitry and the other signals are sinusoidal because it is generally more efficient to flow sinusoidal signals through conductive lines. It should be noted, however, that these signals can have other shapes, such as triangular. For the triangular wave example,
circuit 60 is replaced with a square-to-triangle wave circuit andcircuit 62 is replaced with a triangle-to-square wave circuit. -
FIGS. 10A-10O are graphs of signals inprimary controller 12 and/orsecondary controller 17 as a function of time.FIGS. 10A-10O are shown to better illustrate the operation of primary andsecondary controllers FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively, and to show howprocessor 66 codes and decodes the various signals it transmits and receives. -
FIG. 10A shows signal SPower which is sinusoidal and oscillates at a particular frequency. In this example, SPower is a 120 V peak-to-peak AC signal that oscillates at 60 Hz so that its period T is about 16.6 milliseconds (ms) and half of its period (T/2) is about 8.3 ms. -
FIG. 10B shows signal SZero which is a square wave with each pulse having a width of TZero. Signal SZero is provided in response to an indication that signal SPower is zero or near zero. In this example, signal SPower is near zero when its amplitude is within plus or minus TZero of its inflection point 99 (SeeFIG. 10A ). However, in other examples, SPower can be defined as being near zero when it is within another predetermined time of inflection point 99. -
FIG. 10C shows one example of signal S1. Signal S1 can have many different shapes depending on the information it is carrying. In general, signal S1 is a train of oscillating signals which are separated from each other by one-half the period (T) of signal SPower, denoted as T/2 (SeeFIG. 10A ). In general, signal S1 is sinusoidal with a frequency fcarrier for a portion of time within time TZero and zero or constant for another portion of time TZero. In this example, signal S1 is zero outside of TZero, although in some examples, it can have a constant non-zero value. It should be noted that signal S1 is shown here as being sinusoidal, but it can have other shapes which oscillate a predetermined number of times within time TZero. - Frequency fcarrier can have many different values. In general, frequency fcarrier has a value between 30 Hertz (30 Hz) to 300,000,000,000 Hertz (300 GHz). The value of frequency fcarrier depends on many different factors, such as the amount of data it is desired to flow as a function of time. In general, the flow of data as a function of time increases in response to increasing the value of frequency fcarrier. Further, the flow of data as a function of time decreases in response to decreasing the value of frequency fcarrier. In this way, the flow of data as a function of time is adjustable in response to adjusting the value of frequency fcarrier. For example, the flow of data is in a range between about 2,000,000 bits per second (2 MbitsS) and 72,000.000 bits per second (72 Mbits/S) when frequency fcarrier is driven to 1,000,000 Hz (1 MHz).
- It should be noted that the range of values of frequency fcarrier depends on the bit error loss, as well as the number of coded symbols. The coded symbols will be discussed in more detail below. In general, the number of coded symbols is reduced to reduce the bit error loss in response to increasing the value of frequency fcarrier. Further, the number of coded symbols is increased to increase the bit error loss in response to increasing the value of frequency fcarrier. The bit error loss, at a given value of frequency fcarrier, is reduced in response to reducing the number of coded symbols used. Further, the bit error loss, at the given value of frequency fcarrier, is increased in response to increasing the number of coded symbols used. Adjusting the value of frequency fcarrier is desirable to adjust the amount of power consumed.
- In general, the amount of power consumed increases and decreases in response to increasing and decreasing, respectively, the value of frequency fcarrier. Further, a data compression rate is adjustable in response to adjusting the number of coded symbols, as well as the value of frequency fcarrier. In general, the data compression rate is increased and decreased in response to increasing and decreasing, respectively, the number of symbols. The data compression rate can be characterized in many different ways, such as by the ratio of the compressed size of the data to the uncompressed size of the data.
- The amount of data flowed can be adjusted in response to adjusting the number of carrier frequencies. In general, the number of carrier frequencies is 1, 2, 3, . . . , N, wherein N is a whole number. As the number N of carrier frequencies increases and decreases, the amount of data flowed increases and decreases. The value of the carrier frequencies is typically chosen to be within a desired bandwidth, fBand. In some embodiments, two carrier frequencies fcarrier1 and fcarrier2 are used so that N=2. In one example, the frequency bandwidth fBand is between 1,000,000 Hertz (1 MHz) and 5,000,000 Hertz (5 MHz), and frequency fcarrier1 is 1,500,000 Hertz (1.5 MHz) and frequency fcarrier2 is 3,500,000 Hertz (3.5 MHz). In another embodiment, the frequency bandwidth fBand is between 1,000,000 Hertz (1 MHz) and 5,000,000 Hertz (5 MHz), and three carrier frequencies fcarrier1, fcarrier2 and fcarrier3 are used so that N=3. In one example, frequency fcarrier1 is 2,250,000 Hertz (2.25 MHz), frequency fcarrier2 is 2,300.000 Hertz (2.3 MHz) and frequency fcarrier2 is 2,350,000 Hertz (2.35 MHz). It should be noted that the amount of data flows is less when N=2 than when N=3. Further, the amount of data flowed is greater when N=3 than when N=2.
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FIGS. 10D-10G show examples of signal S1 with different shapes. InFIG. 10D , signal S1 is sinusoidal, but has an offset voltage VOffset and inFIG. 10E , signal S1 is triangular in shape. InFIG. 10F , signal S1 has a square shape and inFIG. 10G , signal S1 includes pulses. It should be noted that signal S1 can have other shapes, but only a few are shown here for simplicity. - In
FIG. 10C , frequency fCarrier is 120 kHz and TZero is 1.2 ms so that there are about 144 oscillations of S1 within TZero ( 1/120 kHz=8.3 microseconds (μs), 1.2 ms/8.3 μs=144) if S1 oscillates throughout time TZero. It should be noted, however, that the carrier frequency and TZero can have other values. For example, if the carrier frequency is 150 kHz and TZero is 1.3 ms, then there are about 194 oscillations of S1 within TZero ( 1/150 kHz=6.7 (μs), 1.3 ms/6.7 μs=194). - As will be discussed in more detail presently, the portions of S1 that are sinusoidal, zero, or constant depends on the information coded in S1. For example, if it is desired to code the numbers zero (0) to nine (9) along with the letters of the English alphabet (i.e. A, B, C, . . . , X, Y, Z), then 36 different codes are needed to distinguish between these symbols. This is because at least 10 different codes are needed to distinguish between the numbers zero through nine and at least 26 different codes are needed to distinguish between the letters of the English alphabet. It should be noted that the letters of the English alphabet can be upper case and lower case, and combinations thereof. It should also be noted that the number of codes will depend on many other factors, such as the language used (English, French, Spanish, etc.), the number of symbols used (zero to nine, A, B, C, . . . , X, Y, Z, a, b, c, . . . , x, y, z, and +, −, =, or any of the other ASCI characters). The number of codes can even depend on the number base used to represent the numbers. For example, the numbers can be one or zero for binary (base 2), zero to seven for octal (base 8), zero to nine for decimal (base 10), and zero to F for hexadecimal (base 16), among others. The number of codes can also depend on the acceptable error in coded and decoding the symbols as will be discussed in more detail below.
- In this particular example, the codes are distinguished from one another by the number of cycles that occur in time TZero, wherein a cycle corresponds to the period of the signal. This is shown in Table 1 which lists the number of cycles and the corresponding assigned symbol. For example, signal 130 in
FIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 10 cycles in time TZero in aregion 133 and zero cycles in aregion 134. From Table 1, signal 130 is assigned a symbol of ‘2’ (two) since a number of cycles between 8 and 11 is coded as ‘2’. Similarly, signal 131 inFIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 6 cycles in time TZero in aregion 135 and zero cycles in aregion 136. From Table 1, signal 131 is assigned a symbol of ‘1’ (one) since a number of cycles between 4 and 7 is coded as ‘1’. Likewise, signal 132 inFIG. 10C is sinusoidal with 20 cycles in time TZero in aregion 137 and zero cycles in aregion 138. From Table 1, signal 132 is assigned a symbol of ‘5’ (five) since a number of cycles between 19 and 21 is coded as ‘5’. If the signal has no cycles or is constant, zero or otherwise, during time TZero, then the signal is assigned a symbol of ‘0’ (zero). If the signal is sinusoidal throughout time TZero so that it has 144 cycles, then it is coded as a symbol ‘Z’. It should be noted that the values and symbols in Table 1 can be programmed into a memory chip (not shown). The memory chip can be non-volatile or random access memory in some examples. The values and symbols in Table 1 can even be determined from a look-up table. -
TABLE 1 Number of Percentage Value of cycles (%) Data T0 0 to 3 0.0 to 2.1 0 T 14 to 7 2.8 to 4.9 1 T 28 to 11 5.6 to 7.6 2 T 312 to 15 8.3 to 10 3 . . . . . . T 832 to 35 22 to 24 8 T 936 to 39 25 to 27 9 T A40 to 43 28 to 30 A T B 44 to 47 31 to 33 B . . . . . . T Z140 to 143 97 to 100 Z - In this example, each symbol is assigned four cycles. For example, the symbol 0 (zero) is assigned zero, one, two, and three cycles and the symbol 1 (one) is assigned four, five, six, and seven cycles. The number of cycles assigned to a particular symbol depends on the acceptable error in coded and decoding the information. The more cycles that are assigned to a particular symbol, the less the error is in encoding and decoding it. Further, the less cycles that are assigned to a particular symbol, the more the error is in encoding and decoding it.
- For example, in one method, the number zero is assigned to a number of cycles between 0 and 72 and the number one is assigned to a number of cycles between 73 and 144 so that the information corresponds to binary data (base 2). The accuracy of this binary coded scheme is more accurate than the scheme of Table 1. This is because it is generally more difficult and less accurate to determine if the number of cycles is between zero and three (‘0’) or four and seven (‘1’), for example, then it is to determine if the number of cycles is between 0 and 72 (‘0’) or 73 and 144 (‘1’). However, an advantage of having a fewer number of cycles assigned to a particular symbol is that more different symbols can be represented, so that the data compression is increased. Further, many more different symbols can be coded in time TZero. For example, in the binary scheme, only two symbols can be coded in time TZero (a ‘0’ or a ‘1’), but in the scheme of Table 1, 36 different symbol can be coded in time TZero (0 to 10 and A to Z). Hence, the transmission of information is faster.
- It should be noted that there are several other ways to determine the symbol of the signal in time TZero. In the example above, the number of cycles of the sinusoid in time TZero is determined. In another way, the percentage that the signal is sinusoidal in time TZero can be determined. For example, signal 130 is sinusoidal for a time T2 in time TZero. Since time T2 is 10 cycles out of 144 total cycles, time T2 is about 6.9% of time TZero. According to Table 1, signal 130 represents a ‘2’ (two) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 5.6 to 7.6 percent of TZero is assigned the symbol ‘2’. Similarly, signal 131 is sinusoidal for a time T1 in time TZero. Since time T1 is 6 cycles out of 144 total cycles, time T2 is about 4.2% of time TZero. According to Table 1, signal 130 represents a ‘1’ (one) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 2.8% to 4.9% of TZero is assigned the symbol ‘1’. Further, signal 132 is sinusoidal for a time T5 in time TZero. Since time T5 is 20 cycles out of 144 total cycles, time T5 is about 13.9% of time TZero. According to Table 1, signal 132 represents a ‘5’ (five) since a signal that is sinusoidal between about 13.9% to 16% of TZero is assigned the symbol ‘5’. In another way, the number of half cycles of the sinusoid or the number of peaks and/or valleys in the oscillating signal can be determined. In other examples, the amount of time that the signal is zero within time TZero is determined (i.e. TZero−T2) and compared to TZero ([TZero−T2]/TZero). This percentage is then used to determine the code in a manner similar to that described above.
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FIG. 10G shows another way that the symbols can be coded. Here, time T2 is determined by the occurrence ofpulses - It should be noted that the codes discussed herein involve digital data, which is represented by a bit. A bit can be a one (‘1’) and zero (‘0’). The bits can be grouped together for convenience into groups of bits referred to as bytes and words, wherein a byte includes eight bits and a word includes thirty two bits. The digital data can be represented in different bases, such as hexadecimal.
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FIG. 10H shows signal S20 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V20.FIG. 10I shows signal S3 as being a sinusoidal signal with an amplitude of V3.FIG. 10J shows signal S4 which is signal S3 after it has been amplified byamplifier circuit 58. Signal S4 has an amplitude of V4 which is greater than V3.FIG. 10K shows signal S5 which is signal S4 after it has been converted to a square wave by sine-to-square wave circuit 62. Signal S5 has an amplitude of V5.FIG. 10L shows signal S6 which is a square wave. Signal S6 has an amplitude of V6.FIG. 10M shows signal S7 which is signal S6 after it has been converted to a sine wave by square-to-sine wave circuit 60.FIG. 10N shows signal S8 which corresponds to signal S7 after it has been attenuated byattenuator circuit 56. Signal S7 has an amplitude of V7 and signal S8 has an amplitude of V8 where V7 is greater than V8.FIG. 10O shows signal S9 which is signal S8 after it has been passed betweenlines isolation circuit 68. Signal S10 is a filtered version of signal S9. Signal S9 is filtered to provide S10 to remove unwanted modes that may be present in signal S9. - It should be noted that the signals of
FIG. 6 described above in conjunction withFIGS. 10A-10O are the same or similar to the signals ofFIG. 7 , but they are not shown for simplicity. Further, it should be noted that the various signals ofFIGS. 6 and 7 can have different amplitudes and frequencies. In one particular example, SPower has a peak-to-peak amplitude of about 120 V and oscillates at 60 Hz. The other signals oscillate at the carrier frequency, which in these examples is fCarrier=120 kHz. In this example, signals S1 and S10 each have peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 4 V and signals V20 and V21 each have peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 5 mV (V20=2.5 mV). Signals S3 and S12 have peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 100 mV (V3=100 mV), although they typically have amplitudes in a range between 100 mV to 500 mV. Further, signals S4 and S13 each have peak-to-peak amplitudes of about 5 V (V4=2.5 V) and signals S5, S6, and S14, and S15 each have amplitudes of 5 V (V5=5 V, V6=5 V). Signals S7 and S16 each have peak-to-peak amplitudes of 5 V (V7=2.5 V) and signals S8 and S17 each have amplitudes of 200 mV (V8=100 mV). Signals S9, S10, S18, and S19 each have peak-to-peak amplitudes of 4 V (V9=2 V). It should be noted, however, that the amplitude and frequency values listed here are for illustrative purposes and they could have other values. -
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of amethod 150 of controlling and monitoring an electrical load using a power monitoring and control apparatus. It should be noted that the steps inmethod 150 can be performed in other ways, but only one way is shown here for illustrative purposes.Method 150 starts at astep 150 and then initializes the primary and secondary controllers at astep 154. In astep 156, it is determined whether a first message has been received from a terminal device by the primary controller from the terminal device. If the first message has been received, then the first message is processed and sent by the primary controller to the secondary controller in astep 158. In astep 160, it is determined whether the first message from the primary controller has been received by the secondary controller. If it has, then control is sent back tostep 156. If it has not, then control is sent back tostep 158. - If the first message from the terminal device has not been received by the primary controller in
step 156, then it is determined if a second message has been received by the primary controller from the secondary controller in astep 162. If it has been received, then the second message is processed and sent to the terminal device in astep 164. In astep 166, it is determined whether the second message from the secondary controller has been received by the primary controller and sent to the terminal device. If it has, then control is sent back tostep 156. If it has not, then control is sent back tostep 164. -
FIGS. 12A-12F are block diagrams of methods of coding symbols and decoding waveforms. InFIG. 12A , amethod 170 of decoding waveforms includes astep 171 of receiving a waveform. A property of the waveform is determined in astep 172 and the waveform is assigned a symbol in response to the property in a step 173. The property of the waveform can be, for example, its period, frequency, etc. The property can also be the ratio of the time that the waveform oscillates to a predetermined time, such as TZero. The symbol assigned to the waveform can be an ASCI character, such as a letter or number, or another symbol which is desired to decode. - In one example, the property of the waveform has a one-to-one correspondence to the symbol it represents. For example, a waveform with zero oscillations within the predetermined time is assigned the symbol ‘0’ (zero) and a waveform with one oscillation within the predetermined time is assigned the symbol ‘1’ (one). In another example, waveforms with between zero and three oscillations within the predetermined time are assigned the symbol ‘0’ (zero) and waveforms with between four and seven oscillations within the predetermined time are assigned the symbol ‘1’ (one).
- In
FIG. 12B , amethod 175 of decoding waveforms includes astep 176 of receiving a time varying waveform. The time varying waveform can be sinusoidal, square, triangular, etc. In astep 177, the number of cycles within a predetermined time in the time varying waveform is determined. In astep 178, a symbol is assigned to the time varying waveform in response to the number of cycles within the predetermined time. In some examples, the number of cycles can be full cycles based on the period of the time varying waveform and in other examples, the number of cycles can be based on half or quarter periods of the time varying waveform. - In
FIG. 12C , amethod 180 of decoding waveforms includes astep 181 of receiving a waveform. In astep 182, the time between pulses in the waveform is determined. In astep 183, a symbol is assigned to the waveform in response to the time between the pulses. In some examples, the time between pulses is compared to a predetermined time, such as time TZero. - In
FIG. 12D , amethod 185 of encoding symbols includes astep 186 of receiving a symbol. A property for the symbol is determined in astep 187 and the symbol is assigned a waveform in response to the property in a step 188. The property for the symbol can be, for example, the period, frequency, etc. of the waveform. The property can also be the ratio of the time that the waveform oscillates to a predetermined time, such as TZero. The symbol can be an ASCI character, such as a letter or number, or another symbol which is desired to encode. - In
FIG. 12E , amethod 190 of encoding a symbol includes astep 191 of receiving a symbol. In astep 192, the number of cycles of a waveform for the symbol is determined. The number of cycles corresponds to that in the waveform within a predetermined time. In a step 193, the waveform corresponding to the symbol is outputted. In some examples, the number of cycles can be full cycles based on the period of the waveform and in other examples, the number of cycles can be based on half or quarter periods of the waveform. - In
FIG. 12F , amethod 195 of encoding a symbol includes astep 196 of receiving a symbol. In astep 197, a time which corresponds to the symbol is determined. The time corresponds to the time between pulses in a waveform. In a step 198, the time between pulses is assigned to the symbol. The waveform can then be outputted with pulses spaced apart by the time determined instep 197. -
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of asystem 200. It should be noted thatsystem 200 can include many of the components discussed in more detail above. Further,system 200 can operate in the same manner as the systems discussed in more detail above. - In this
embodiment system 200 includes amanagement system 201, whereinmanagement system 201 includes amemory system 203 operatively coupled toprocessor 202.Memory system 203 can be of many different types, such as computer memory, andprocessor 202 can be of many different types, such as a computer processor. In some embodiments, management system includes a terminal device, which is discussed in more detail above. The terminal device can be a laptop computer, desktop computer, Pocket PC, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), among others. - It should be noted that, in general,
management system 201 includes one or more terminal devices. For example,management system 201 can include a plurality of terminal devices in communication with each other so they operate as a network. The network can be of many different types, such as a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network and the Internet. Hence, the terminal devices can be located proximate to each other or away from each other in different geographical locations. - In this embodiment,
management system 201 includes acommunication system 204 operatively coupled to theprocessor 202.Communication system 204 can be of many different types. In this embodiment,communication system 204 includes a data connector receptacle which allows it to flow wired signals. Further, in this embodiment,communication system 204 includes awireless module 120 which allows it to flow wired signals. Wired and wireless signals are discussed in more detail above. - In this embodiment,
system 200 includeselectronic device 16 andelectrical outlet 28, whereinelectronic device 16 is in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 28.Electronic device 16 can be in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 28 in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above. - In this embodiment,
electronic device 16 andelectrical outlet 28 are in communication with each other throughpower cord 117, as discussed in more detail above withFIGS. 5B , 5H, 5I and 5J. Further,electrical outlet 28 is in communication withcommunication system 204 throughdata connector receptacle 119 anddata cable 113 a, as discussed in more detail above withFIGS. 5C and 5H . - In this embodiment,
system 200 includeselectronic device 16 a andelectrical outlet 25 a, whereinelectronic device 16 a is in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 25 a.Electronic device 16 a can be in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 25 a in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above. - In this embodiment,
electronic device 16 a andelectrical outlet 25 a are in communication with each other throughpower cord 117 a and/orwireless link 96, as discussed in more detail above withFIGS. 5B , 5F and 5J. Further,electrical outlet 25 a is in communication withcommunication system 204 throughdata connector receptacle 119 anddata cable 113 b, as discussed in more detail above withFIGS. 5D and 5I .Electrical outlet 25 a is also in communication withcommunication system 204 throughwireless module 120 andwireless link 95. - In this embodiment,
system 200 includes anelectronic device 16 b andelectrical outlet 25 b, whereinelectronic device 16 b is in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 25 b.Electronic device 16 b can be in communication withmanagement system 201 throughelectrical outlet 25 b in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detail above. - In this embodiment,
electronic device 16 b andelectrical outlet 25 b are in communication with each other through apower chord 117 b and/orwireless link 96 c, as discussed in more detail above withpower cord 117 a andwireless link 96, respectively. Further,electrical outlet 25 b is in communication withcommunication system 204 throughwireless module 120 and awireless link 95 b, as discussed in more detail above withwireless link 95. - In this embodiment,
electrical outlets Electrical outlets - In this embodiment,
electrical outlets communication channel 32, as discussed in more detail above withFIGS. 5H and 5I , which involves a wired communication channel. It should be noted, however, that the communication betweenelectrical outlets FIG. 5G . - In this embodiment,
electrical outlets communication channel 32, as discussed in more detail above withFIG. 5J , which involves wired and wireless communication channels. It should be noted, however, that the communication betweenelectrical outlets FIGS. 5H and 5I . - In operation, the electrical outlets of
system 200 collect information from the corresponding electrical load and flow it tomanagement system 201 in a manner described in more detail above. The information is received bycommunication system 204 and, in response to the operation ofprocessor 202, the information is stored withmemory system 203. It should be noted that the electrical loads ofsystem 200 can be of many different types, such as the ones discussed in more detail above. -
Processor 202 processes the information ofmemory system 203 to determine one or more performance parameters. The performance parameters can be of many different types, such as those discussed in more detail above. For example,management system 201 can determine the amount of power consumed over a particular period of time by the electrical loads ofsystem 200. This is desirable because sometimes there are two rates for electrical power, a low rate and a high rate. In some instances, the low rate is paid when the total power usage is below a predetermined threshold power value and the high rate is paid when the total power usage is above the predetermined threshold power value. Since it is desirable for the consumer to pay the lower rate,system 200 can be used to determine the total power usage so it can be compared to the predetermined threshold power value. In this way, the consumer will know how much power they can use before they go above the threshold power value and have to pay the higher rate. - It should be noted that the electrical loads of
system 200 can be of many different types, such as those mentioned above. Examples include an appliance, computer, phone, water heater, air conditioner, water pump and smoke detector, among others. Examples of appliances include a refrigerator, washer, dryer, water heater, water pump, powered door, door sensor, powered window, window sensor, television, and power storage device, among others. In general, the electrical load consumes electrical energy during operation. - The performance parameters determined by
management system 201 can be stored withmanagement system 201, such as inmemory system 203. The performance parameters determined bymanagement system 201 can also be provided to the user of the electronic devices ofsystem 200 so they can determine how much the operation of the electronic devices costs. The information can be provided to the user of the electronic devices ofsystem 200 in many different ways, such as through a wired link, a wireless link and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the information is emailed to the user and, in some embodiments, a short message service (SMS is used so that the information is flowed to the user's phone as a text message. It is useful to flow the information to the user's mobile device for convenience. -
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of asystem 210, whereinmanagement system 200 is replaced bymobile phone 205. It should be noted thatsystem 210 can include many of the components discussed in more detail above. Further,system 210 can operate in the same manner as the systems discussed in more detail above. - In some embodiments,
systems management system 201. The software system can be of many different types, such as those which operate on a computer. The software system can also be of the type that operates onmobile phone 205, such as those manufactured by APPLE. Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. and a mobile phone which operates with an Android operating system. In this embodiment,mobile phone 205 is in communication withcommunication system 204 through a wireless link 95 c. It should be noted thatmobile phone 205 can be replaced with another type of phone, such as a landline phone, if desired. Further,mobile phone 205 can be replaced with a terminal device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). - The software system can allow the user to determine which electronic devices to monitor and control. Further, the software system can allow the user to determine how the information is processed. The software can allow the user to determine the type of performance parameter determined from the information discussed in more detail above. The software can allow the user to control the operation of the electronic devices in the manner described in more detail above. Hence,
mobile phone 205 can control the operation of the electronic devices. - The information can be flowed using many different codes, such as those discussed in more detail above. It is desired to have a code which reduces the amount of information that is flowed and stored with
memory system 203. Reducing the amount of information flowed is desirable to reduce the amount of power consumed bysystem 200, as well as to reduce the cost ofmemory system 203. One example of a code which can be used will be discussed in more detail presently. It should be noted that the code involves digital data, which is represented by a bit. A bit can be a one (‘1’) and zero (‘0’). The bits can be grouped together for convenience into groups of bits referred to as bytes and words, wherein a byte includes eight bits and a word includes thirty two bits. The digital data can be represented in different bases, such as hexadecimal. - Table 2 includes one example of a code which can be used by
system 200, or the other systems disclosed herein, to flow information frommanagement system 201 to the electronic devices ofsystem 200. -
TABLE 2 Byte Name Byte Data Description Packet Header 1 255 Header Byte 0xFF Node ID Socket 2 1 to 255 Node ID = 1 Global command Address for all Nodes Parameter ID 3 A to Z Parameter ID (see table) Data Byte 14 0 to 255 Data Byte 1Data Byte 25 0 to 255 Data Byte 2Packet Footer 6 170 Footer Byte 0xAA Examples 255 = Start, TARAS Remote Node ID = 17, 255, 17, A, 2, CRC, 170 Parameter A = Switch load off, Data = 2, CRC, 170 - Table 3 includes one example of a code which can be used by
system 200, or the other systems disclosed herein, to flow information from the electronic devices ofsystem 200 tomanagement system 201. -
TABLE 3 Byte Name Byte Data Description Packet Header 1 ‘<’ Header Byte “<” (60) Node ID Address 2 1 to 255 Node ID = 1 to 255 Nodes if less than 1 then error code Parameter ID 3 A to Z Parameter ID (see table) Data Byte 14 0 to 255 Data Byte 1 ofparameter Data Byte 2 5 0 to 255 Data Byte 2 ofparameter Data Byte 3 6 0 to 255 Data Byte 3 ofparameter Data Byte 4 7 0 to 255 Data Byte 4 of parameterPacket Footer 8 ‘>’ Footer Byte “>” (62) - Table 4 includes one example of a parameter table which can be used by
system 200, or the other systems disclosed herein, to code the information discussed above. It should be noted that LSB means least significant bit and MSB means most significant bit. -
TABLE 4 Parameter Name ID Data Byte 1 Description Switch Load On A 49 Switch load on at the electrical wall outlet node ID Switch Load Off A 50 Switch load off at the electrical wall outlet node ID Switch Load Off A 51 Switch load off at the outlet node ID when load <10 W Smart Set PIR Motion B 01 to 127 PIR timeout period in minutes - Relay OFF timer Sensor Timer Set PIR Motion B 128 to 255 PIR timeout period in minutes - Relay ON timer Sensor Timer Set Temperature C 01 to 99 Set point for room temperature high in C deg. High Set Temperature Low D 01 to 99 Set point for room temperature low in C deg. Set Date and Time E *See Below Real time clock parameter Set Kv voltage F 00 to 99 Meter constant for voltage ratio = constant Set Kv voltage G 00 to 99 Meter constant for voltage ratio = constant Set Ki current H 00 to 99 Meter constant for current ratio = constant Set Ki current I 00 to 99 Meter constant for current ratio = constant Set Node Address J 11 to 255 Set Slave Node Socket Address ID Spare K Spare L Send Node Power M 48 Returns Power factor (4 data bytes) Factor Send Node Mains N 48 Returns Mains voltage and Frequency (4 data bytes) Voltage/freq Send Node Mains O 48 Returns Mains current (4 data bytes) Current Send Line Cycle P 48 Read value of ESP430 LINECYCLCNT (4 data bytes) Count LO & HI Send Node Active Q 48 Send real power consumed by the load (4 data bytes) Energy Send Node Reactive R 48 Send reactive power consumed by the load (4 data bytes) Energy Send Node Apparent S 48 Send apparent power consumed by the load (4 data bytes) Energy Send Node Room T 49 to 55 **Returns node room temperature sensor reading Temperature Send Node Room U 49 to 55 ***Returns node room water sensor flow reading Water usage Send Node Room V 49 to 55 ****Returns node room Smoke smoke detector/door/window alarm/open/closed Detector/Door/Window Send Energy used in W 49 Returns current energy consumption in KW/hr KW/hr Reset Energy used in W 50 Reset energy consumption Flash register for KW/hr KW/hr Send Total Energy in X 48 Returns total energy used since socket was installed KW/hr Y Node Reply Message - Z 49 Message at Node ID received correctly ACK Node Reply Message - Z 50 Message at Node ID receive incorretly - CRC error NAK *Set Date and Time - MSB = 1 to 12 (YY, MM, DD, HH, MM, SS), LSB = Data (0 to 9). Example set the day to 17th (MSB = 5, LSB = 1) the data byte would be hex 0x51(not decimal 51) next command data byte is (MSB = 6, LSB = 7) the data byte would be hex 0x67(not decimal 67) Example packet for above - [255.Node Address, E, 81, 170] next packet sent is [255.Node Address, E, 103, 170] **Other data returned with temperature. Example - “<, Node Address, T, Data1, Data2, Data3, Data4, >” Data1 = Temp. in Centigrade 0 to 100. Data2 = Humidity in % 0 to 100, Data3 = Light Level in % 0 to 100 Data4 LSB = 00000001 = no motion on sensor 1, 00001001 = detected motion onsensor 100000010 = no motion on sensor 2, 00001010 = detected motion onsensor 200000011 = no motion on sensor 3, 00001011 = detected motion onsensor 300000100 = no motion on sensor 4, 00001100 = detected motion onsensor 400000101 = no motion on sensor 5, 00001101 = detected motion onsensor 500000110 = no motion on sensor 6, 00001110 = detected motion onsensor 600000111 = no motion on sensor 7, 00001111 = detected motion onsensor 7Data4 MSB = Temperature/Motion Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 ***Data returned with water flow reading. Example - “<, Node Address, U, Data1, Data2, Data3, Data4, >” Data1 & Data2 = Water Flow in whole gallons used (max up to 65,535) Data3 = Water Flow in 1/100 gallon used Data4 LSB = 00000001 = water not flowing - sensor 1, 00001001 = water flowing -sensor 100000010 = water not flowing - sensor 2, 00001010 = water flowing -sensor 200000011 = water not flowing - sensor 3, 00001011 = water flowing -sensor 300000100 = water not flowing - sensor 4, 00001100 = water flowing -sensor 400000101 = water not flowing - sensor 5, 00001101 = water flowing -sensor 500000110 = water not flowing - sensor 6, 00001110 = water flowing -sensor 600000111 = water not flowing - sensor 7, 00001111 = water flowing -sensor 7Data4 MSB = Water Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 ****Data returned from smoke detector/door/window sensor. “<, Node Address, V, Data1, Data2, Data3, Data4, >” Data1 LSB = 00000001 = door closed - sensor 1, 00001001 = door open - sensor 1 00000010 = door closed - sensor 2, 00001010 = door open - sensor 2 00000011 = door closed - sensor 3, 00001011 = door open - sensor 3 00000100 = door closed - sensor 4, 00001100 = door open - sensor 4 00000101 = door closed - sensor 5, 00001101 = door open - sensor 5 00000110 = door closed - sensor 6, 00001110 = door open - sensor 6 00000111 = door closed - sensor 7, 00001111 = door open - sensor 7 Data1MSB = Door Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 Data2 LSB = 00000001 = window closed - sensor 1, 00001001 = window open - sensor 1 00000010 = window closed - sensor 2, 00001010 = window open - sensor 2 00000011 = window closed - sensor 3, 00001011 = window open - sensor 3 00000100 = window closed - sensor 4, 00001100 = window open - sensor 4 00000101 = window closed - sensor 5, 00001101 = window open - sensor 5 00000110 = window closed - sensor 6, 00001110 = window open - sensor 6 00000111 = window closed - sensor 7, 00001111 = window open - sensor 7 Data2 MSB = Window Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 Data3 LSB = 00000001 = smoke detector off - sensor 1, 00001001 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 1 00000010 = smoke detector off - sensor 2, 00001010 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 2 00000011 = smoke detector off - sensor 3, 00001011 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 3 00000100 = smoke detector off - sensor 4, 00001100 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 4 00000101 = smoke detector off - sensor 5, 00001101 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 5 00000110 = smoke detector off - sensor 6, 00001110 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 6 00000111 = smoke detector off - sensor 7, 00001111 = smoke detector alarm on - sensor 7 Data3 MSB = Smoke detector Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 Data4 LSB = 00000001 = CO detector off - sensor 1, 00001001 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 1 00000010 = CO detector off - sensor 2, 00001010 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 2 00000011 = CO detector off - sensor 3, 00001011 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 3 00000100 = CO detector off - sensor 4, 00001100 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 4 00000101 = CO detector off - sensor 5, 00001101 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 5 00000110 = CO detector off - sensor 6, 00001110 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 6 00000111 = CO detector off - sensor 7, 00001111 = CO detector alarm on - sensor 7 Data4 MSB = CO detector Sensor Battery Charge Level 0 to 15 - The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (20)
1. A system, comprising:
a controller which determines information regarding an electrical load; and
a management system which receives the information from the controller and determines a performance parameter of the electrical load;
wherein the management system adjusts the operation of the electrical load in response to the performance parameter.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information determined corresponds to a power factor of the electrical load.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the information determined corresponds to a voltage of the electrical load.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information determined corresponds to a power usage of the electrical load.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information determined corresponds to a current usage of the electrical load.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information determined corresponds to a temperature of operation of the electrical load.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the management system includes a terminal device which displays the performance parameter.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the terminal is in communication with the controller through a wireless communication link.
9. A system, comprising:
a controller which determines a performance parameter of an electrical load, wherein the controller includes a signal processor; and
a terminal device which displays the performance parameter in response to a first signal from the controller;
wherein the operation of the electrical load is adjustable in response to the controller receiving a second signal from the terminal device.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller includes a wireless module which establishes a wireless communication link with the terminal device.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the signal processor includes a memory which stores the performance parameter.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the signal processor includes a memory which stores operating information regarding the electrical load.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operating information is coded information.
14. The system of claim 9 , further including a transformer in communication with the signal processor and a power source SPower of the electrical load.
15. A system, comprising:
a first controller which determines operating information regarding an electrical load; and
a management system which receives the operating information from the first controller and determines a first performance parameter of the electrical load;
wherein the management system adjusts the operation of the electrical load in response to the first performance parameter.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first controller includes a first memory which stores at least one of the operating information and performance parameter.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the operating information determined corresponds to a power factor of the electrical load.
18. The system of claim 17 , further including a second controller in communication with the management system wherein the second controller includes a second memory.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the second memory stores at least one of the operating information and performance parameter.
20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first and second controllers are in communication with each other through a first wireless communication link, and the first controller is in communication with the management system through a second wireless communication link.
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US14/922,978 US20160043553A1 (en) | 2007-10-26 | 2015-10-26 | Power Monitoring and Control System which Determines a Performance Parameter of an Electrical Load |
US15/658,915 US20170324274A1 (en) | 2015-10-26 | 2017-07-25 | Power Monitoring and Control System and Method |
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US11/925,690 US8095243B2 (en) | 2005-07-11 | 2007-10-26 | Power monitoring and control system and method |
US13/345,699 US9172275B2 (en) | 2005-07-11 | 2012-01-07 | Power monitoring and control system and method |
US14/922,978 US20160043553A1 (en) | 2007-10-26 | 2015-10-26 | Power Monitoring and Control System which Determines a Performance Parameter of an Electrical Load |
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US13/345,699 Continuation US9172275B2 (en) | 2005-07-11 | 2012-01-07 | Power monitoring and control system and method |
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