WO2013038044A1 - Intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electricity networks - Google Patents

Intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electricity networks Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013038044A1
WO2013038044A1 PCT/ES2012/070647 ES2012070647W WO2013038044A1 WO 2013038044 A1 WO2013038044 A1 WO 2013038044A1 ES 2012070647 W ES2012070647 W ES 2012070647W WO 2013038044 A1 WO2013038044 A1 WO 2013038044A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
unit
plug
power
smart
smart plug
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/ES2012/070647
Other languages
Spanish (es)
French (fr)
Inventor
Humberto Campanella Pineda
Jaume ESTEVE TINTÓ
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Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Científicas (Csic)
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Publication of WO2013038044A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013038044A1/en

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Classifications

    • 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
    • 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
    • H02J13/00002—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 monitoring
    • 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
    • H02J13/00032—Systems characterised by the controlled or operated power network elements or equipment, the power network elements or equipment not otherwise provided for
    • H02J13/0005—Systems characterised by the controlled or operated power network elements or equipment, the power network elements or equipment not otherwise provided for the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D2204/00—Indexing scheme relating to details of tariff-metering apparatus
    • G01D2204/10—Analysing; Displaying
    • G01D2204/12—Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D2204/00—Indexing scheme relating to details of tariff-metering apparatus
    • G01D2204/40—Networks; Topology
    • G01D2204/45—Utility meters networked together within a single building
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D2204/00—Indexing scheme relating to details of tariff-metering apparatus
    • G01D2204/40—Networks; Topology
    • G01D2204/47—Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network
    • 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
    • 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
    • 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
    • H02J2310/50—The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load for selectively controlling the operation of the loads
    • H02J2310/56—The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load for selectively controlling the operation of the loads characterised by the condition upon which the selective controlling is based
    • H02J2310/62—The condition being non-electrical, e.g. temperature
    • H02J2310/64—The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
    • 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
    • H02J9/00—Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting
    • H02J9/005—Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting using a power saving mode
    • 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
    • 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
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P80/00—Climate change mitigation technologies for sector-wide applications
    • Y02P80/10—Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
    • 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
    • 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
    • Y04S50/00—Market activities related to the operation of systems integrating technologies related to power network operation or related to communication or information technologies
    • Y04S50/10—Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Definitions

  • the field of the present invention relates to energy, and more specifically to the distribution of domestic and industrial energy, and is applicable to all users whose objective is the optimization of power consumption and the prioritization of cheaper energy sources and efficient. More specifically, the present invention relates to electronic systems and circuits and their application to energy saving systems.
  • a first group of devices develops the concept of what is known as an intelligent meter.
  • the e-CLiPs device which is a smart energy-saving plug designed by Woods and Fitz at the University of Essex, United Kingdom [Woods].
  • the e-CLiPs is a domestic outlet capable of transmitting statistical data on the power consumption of the devices connected to it in a domestic installation, which are centralized and displayed on a central control panel.
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the e-CLiPs is that our intelligent socket, in addition to sensing power as the e-CLiPs does, additionally performs control actions and selects the most convenient power supply network according to energy cost criteria.
  • the systems and devices of the second group execute control actions at the user's premises, measuring, activating or deactivating the connections to the appliances
  • the Smart Wire-Devices is an energy management system conceived by Masters et al. which integrates electronic circuits to measure the consumption of electrical power and transmits the data remotely to a signal processor [Master].
  • the SWD is remotely controlled and can be installed in a domestic micro-grid (grid) and includes a management node that operates a switch or relay following remote control instructions to change the electrical power delivered to the connected device.
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the SWD is that our smart socket senses and controls locally the connection of the device to a power source from a variety of available networks, while the SWD operates on the basis of One source
  • Another example is the intelligent current attenuator for energy conservation in devices, by Heilman et al, where a network of devices that has at least one device, an energy controller, at least one intelligent regulator and an intelligent adapter, and a communications network that couples said components with the purpose of saving energy on a time programming basis, by activating or deactivating the devices according to operational tasks, such as cooking times, washing times, etc.
  • a network of devices that has at least one device, an energy controller, at least one intelligent regulator and an intelligent adapter, and a communications network that couples said components with the purpose of saving energy on a time programming basis, by activating or deactivating the devices according to operational tasks, such as cooking times, washing times, etc.
  • the intelligent electrical sockets and associated electrical networks of Chapel et al. allow the intelligent execution of blackouts, voltage drops, other control actions regarding quality control of the energy delivered to the devices, and their remote control [Chapel].
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and that of Chapel et al. is that our smart plug switches between multiple networks to select the most convenient, while Chapel's is limited to analyzing the quality of a single given network.
  • the client-server architecture allows the activation or deactivation of electrical appliances connected to the smart plug by building a hierarchy in which slave devices are deactivated if the master device is turned off or operated in stand-by, for example.
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and those of Chang et al. is that our smart socket is not hierarchical, that is, the connected devices are independent of each other, and what is controlled is the connection to the power sources, and not the connection scheme of the device and other devices in the network.
  • the apparatus, system and methods for reducing energy consumption in a Cohen [Cohen] network are composed of a management system and the apparatus, each consisting of a measurement unit, a processing unit, a unit (optional) of communications and a control unit, so that each device is connected to an electrical outlet and is associated with one or a group of appliances.
  • the Cohen system measures the electrical parameters at the outlet of the outlet, and the processing unit analyzes the measured electrical parameters, detecting various characteristics of the connected appliances and managing the power consumption of the network.
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the Cohen system is that our smart socket has power source selection and multi-network management capabilities to select the most convenient power supply network, while Cohen It manages the energy consumption of a single network.
  • the monitoring and control device by Sharood et al. is coupled with the connected appliance or device to monitor its energy consumption, provide data on the measured power and take control actions on its operation.
  • the main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the Sharood device is that our smart socket has power source selection and multi-network management capabilities to select the most convenient power supply network, while the Sharood system focuses on monitoring and management of devices in a single network.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent plug capable of connecting household appliances and / or industrial equipment through one or more sockets, detecting the power consumption of the connected devices, communicating through the control and communication units to the internal and external components of power supply control of devices, and select through an internal electronic switching mechanism the most convenient power source from a set of conventional and unconventional power supply sources, in order to optimize energy resources, giving priority to the most convenient sources of energy, according to criteria such as the cost or availability of the energy supplied.
  • the present invention provides an intelligent plug, thus enabling the concepts of intelligent power supply networks, both domestic and industrial. Therefore, for the preferred embodiment of the invention, the intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electrical networks comprises:
  • an autonomous command unit which in turn comprises means for measuring power consumption
  • the autonomous command unit decides and performs based on data received from the external controller through the data connection, for each device connection, a connection between each device connection and a selected connection between the main connection and the at least one secondary connection, where previously, the autonomous command unit measures the power consumption of each external device connected to the set of device connections and sends said consumption measurement to the external controller. That is, the smart plug object of the present invention first selects to which power supply network the smart plug itself connects and secondly to which network each of the external power consumption devices connects (for example: washing machine, personal computer, high power consumption machinery, motors, etc.) that are connected to the smart plug. Said decision can be called “switching decision" and is carried out only and exclusively by the autonomous command unit based on parameters received by external controllers. Therefore, external controllers do not decide which network the smart plug has to select.
  • the autonomous command unit additionally comprises: a signal processing unit, a detection unit, an electronic switching unit, a communications unit and a control unit, such that all the units are connected and communicated with each other in a way selected between direct communication between two units and indirect communication through at least one unit of the rest of the units included in the autonomous command unit.
  • the signal processing unit additionally comprises at least: a local input-output unit that transmits and receives data to / from other units comprised in the autonomous command unit; a digital signal processor that calculates specialized logical and arithmetic operations, executes algorithms, calculates comparisons of the power consumption of external devices connected to the set of device connections and calculates the available energies delivered by the power supply networks connected to the smart plug ; a memory unit that stores some data, where said data is at least: power consumption data of the external device and available energy to be delivered over the networks, calibration and self-diagnostic data, operation records, operational statistics and combination of the same; and, a calibration and self-diagnostic unit to perform at least the following functions: automatic test routines, commissioning, power calibration for signal processing, communication tests, and combinations thereof.
  • the detection unit additionally comprises at least: a fuse; a power detection circuit that measures the power consumption of the external power consumption device connected to a connection of the device connection set; a signal handling circuit to perform analog to digital conversion and data format; a buffer circuit for recording and transmission of data to the signal processing unit and the control unit; an optoelectronic detection decoupler that: a) protects the rest of the elements included in the autonomous command unit against power or short-circuit overloads; and, b) operates in a mode selected between analog and digital; such that in analog mode, the Optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the signal handling circuit, and in digital mode, the optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the power detection circuit.
  • the energy detection circuit is a solid state analog electronic circuit comprising semiconductor devices, power regulators and comparator amplifiers, such that said power detection circuit calculates the power consumption real of the connected external device, and encodes it in an analog waveform of magnitude proportional to energy.
  • the energy detection circuit is a digital electronic circuit, such that said energy detection circuit calculates the actual power consumption of the connected device and encodes it in the form of a binary word.
  • the electronic switching unit additionally comprises at least: a switching administrator that manages the connection with the signal processing unit, moderates communications and data transfer, and receives switching orders from the control unit; a switching controller, which is a logical control and coding unit that operates a set of electronic switches; an optoelectronic switching decoupler that isolates the digital circuits from the main and secondary power supply lines; a power supply line manager that protects the internal circuits of the smart plug against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure; and, the set of electronic switches to open or close the power lines according to commands of the power lines manager.
  • a switching administrator that manages the connection with the signal processing unit, moderates communications and data transfer, and receives switching orders from the control unit
  • a switching controller which is a logical control and coding unit that operates a set of electronic switches
  • an optoelectronic switching decoupler that isolates the digital circuits from the main and secondary power supply lines
  • a power supply line manager that protects the internal circuits of the smart plug
  • the communications unit additionally comprises at least: a communications interface that physically connects the smart plug with local or remote control devices and networks; a transceiver unit for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers; and, a network administration agent that provides an interface for remote control and intelligent plug management by an external network administrator, and notifies the operations administrator or user through network management protocols and procedures.
  • the control unit additionally comprises at least: an operating system that is the basic resource management unit of the smart plug managing all its components and units; a control processor that runs the operating system and control applications; an internal control memory that stores data from the units included in the autonomous command unit and from at least one external controller; a statistics unit that stores selected historical data among: use of the smart plug, available deliverable power, command registers, and combinations thereof; and, a device manager that addresses and commands the units included in the autonomous command unit.
  • an operating system that is the basic resource management unit of the smart plug managing all its components and units
  • a control processor that runs the operating system and control applications
  • an internal control memory that stores data from the units included in the autonomous command unit and from at least one external controller
  • a statistics unit that stores selected historical data among: use of the smart plug, available deliverable power, command registers, and combinations thereof
  • a device manager that addresses and commands the units included in the autonomous command unit.
  • control unit additionally comprises at least: a start-up controller; and, a command and event recorder.
  • the autonomous command unit additionally comprises: a power line connection port, such that the secondary connection connecting the smart plug with at least one secondary AC AC supply line is carried out by said power line connection port; a power supply; a male plug, such that the main connection between the smart plug and the main AC power supply line is carried out by said male plug; at least one female plug, such that where each device connection connecting the smart plug with the external power consumption device is carried out by said female plug; a protection unit; electrical interconnection lines of the units included in the autonomous command unit; and, a communications port, such that the data connection connecting the autonomous command unit with an external controller is carried out by means of said communications port, and where additionally, said communications port is selected from a communication port by cable and a wireless communication port.
  • the present invention aims to provide a method by which it is described how the autonomous command unit, and therefore, the smart plug, performs the "switching decision", that is, how the autonomous command unit decides which line of AC power supply connects with each device connected to the smart plug.
  • the operation procedure, in its preferred embodiment, of the intelligent plug in intelligent electrical networks and for any of the possible embodiments of the intelligent plug described above, is characterized in that it comprises:
  • ignition routine that initializes all the units included in the autonomous command unit, once that said autonomous command unit has been connected to the main AC power supply line, such that the ignition routine provides plug operating parameters;
  • ii) execute a calibration and self-diagnosis procedure according to an operation scheme called "calibration mode" whereby the signal processing unit and the control unit define and execute at least one called “calibration routine” to calibrate and measure the power consumption of the smart plug and a routine for self-diagnosis, such that the autonomous command unit connects the smart plug with an AC power supply network selected between the main AC power supply line and the at least a secondary AC AC supply line;
  • iii) execute an operating procedure according to an operation scheme called "operating mode" whereby the signal processing unit and the control unit of the autonomous command unit define and execute at least one routine called “operating routine "which performs a switching selection for the electronic switching unit to connect each of the external power consumption devices through the set of device connections with a selected supply line between the main alternating current supply line AC and the at least one secondary AC AC supply line; where said switching selection is based on information sent to the electronic unit of switching by the detection unit and the external controller through the data connection and from there to the communications unit.
  • operating mode an operation scheme called "operating mode” whereby the signal processing unit and the control unit of the autonomous command unit define and execute at least one routine called “operating routine "which performs a switching selection for the electronic switching unit to connect each of the external power consumption devices through the set of device connections with a selected supply line between the main alternating current supply line AC and the at least one secondary AC AC supply line; where said switching selection is based on information sent to the electronic unit of switching by the detection unit and the external
  • the operating procedure additionally comprises:
  • the autonomous command unit defines and executes at least one routine called “standby routine", by means of which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) periodically perform measurements of powers consumed in the device connections; b) generate an indication of zero power consumption of the device when it is detected that the sum of the values of said power measurements is equal to zero or below a preset value, indicating that there are no external power consumption devices connected to the plug; c) inform the control unit and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit that the plug will operate in a sleep mode; d) inform the external controller via the data connection that the plug has entered a sleep mode; Y,
  • shutdown mode an operation scheme called "shutdown mode” that stops all active processes and control actions and disconnects the autonomous command unit from the external controller, when the plug is connected, activated and the calibration and self-diagnosis routines and is operating in the operating mode or standby mode; by means of said shutdown mode, the autonomous command unit defines and executes at least one routine called “shutdown routine", by means of which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) detecting a shutdown command from the external controller or by direct action of the user over the smart plug; b) send the operation values and statistics stored in memory to the external controller; c) terminate the connection between the autonomous command unit and the external controller; d) stop the operation of all the components of the autonomous command unit; F) stop the operating system; and, g) remove the power supply to all the internal circuits of the smart plug.
  • shutdown routine an operation scheme called "shutdown mode” that stops all active processes and control actions and disconnects the autonomous command unit from the external controller, when the plug is connected, activated and the calibration and self-diagnos
  • the "ignition routine” that is executed in the “ignition mode” comprises: a) detecting the power supply to the plug via the main connection; b) energize the internal circuits; c) load the operating system; d) initialize the other components of the control unit and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit; e) connect the autonomous command unit with the external controller via the data connection; f) initiate the exchange of data between the autonomous command unit and the external controller to obtain plug operating parameters; g) load said parameters into the internal memories of the different components of the autonomous command unit to start the plug operation;
  • the "calibration routine" that is executed in the calibration mode comprises: a) loading in the RAM type volatile memory the power consumption reference value of the smart plug without charging previously stored in a non-volatile ROM type memory; b) measure the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of the detection circuit connected to the power supply; c) compare the reference value of power consumption and the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of an internal logic unit, thus generating a difference value, or offset; d) store in memory and transfer said offset value to the digital signal processor; e) execute the power network selection algorithm taking as input parameters said offset value, measured power consumption, and available and deliverable energy values for each of the AC supply lines available in the installation; f) generate selected network identifier; g) inform the calibration and self-diagnosis unit if the calibration routine has been successfully completed or not based on a binary cost identifier; h) end the calibration routine when the binary cost indicator has a positive value previously defined by the designer and informed to the control unit, to start the operation mode of the smart plug
  • the present invention manages to reduce energy waste and gives priority to the use of cheaper energy sources, which reduces the costs and energy impact of the growing demand for electricity at the domestic level and industrial.
  • the present invention thus relates to an intelligent plug for the supply of electricity to electrical appliances in home and industry, and more specifically to an improved intelligent socket capable of selecting the network or source of electricity supply from an available number from conventional and / or unconventional sources, automatically and without interruptions.
  • the field of the present invention relates to energy, and more specifically to distribution of domestic and industrial energy, and is applicable in those cases in which the user intends to optimize energy consumption and prioritize cheaper sources.
  • FIGURES Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the connection of the intelligent plug of the present invention with external elements as well as the interconnection of the internal elements included in the intelligent plug.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the smart plug in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the modes of operation of the smart plug, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the signal processing unit of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 5 is a flow chart of the intelligent plug operation routine in calibration mode, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 6 is a flow chart of the operation routine of the smart plug in operating mode, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug detection unit, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the electronic switching unit of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug communication unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug control unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent plug capable of connecting household appliances and / or industrial equipment through one or more sockets, detecting the power consumption of the connected devices, communicating through the control and communication units to the Internal and external components of power control appliances, and select through an internal electronic switching mechanism the most convenient power source from a set of conventional and unconventional electric power sources, in order to optimize energy resources, giving priority to energy efficiency and cheaper energy sources.
  • the smart plug is a key component of a smart grid.
  • the assembly of a power system of Figure 1 comprises at least one smart plug 1 comprising an autonomous command unit A that physically connects the power lines to the main AC AC power supply network a through the main connection B and "N" secondary power networks CAI -CAN through "N" secondary connections Cl-CN.
  • This assembly involves an electrical energy management system composed of the main AC AC network, which is the reference for power supply and calibration; at least one smart plug 1 such as that of the object of the present invention, plugged into an AC power outlet (not shown) or any other similar means for obtaining power, at least to an AC power supply network secondary CAI -CAN, an autonomous command unit A, a communications and management network H to physically access the intelligent plugs connected to the mentioned electrical energy management system, and an external controller F to command at least one intelligent plug 1 and collect operational data from said smart plug.
  • the connection between the autonomous command unit A and the communications and management network is made through the data connection D.
  • Figure 1 also shows the set of device connections that have "M" connections called El to EM that connect the plug Smart with "M” Gl-GM external power consumption devices
  • the smart plug is contained in a box, physically separated from the electrical installation to facilitate its administration and connection to it.
  • the principle of operation of the system is an intelligent scheme of energy measurement to initiate control actions from the power consumption measurement data to select the most convenient source of electricity at the discretion of the user, of a group of primary and secondary energy networks, including those from conventional and / or unconventional power generation sources such as wind, solar, and / or electromagnetic. Therefore, the intelligent power control scheme incorporates selection of the power supply through at least one of said intelligent sockets, said assembly of an energy system and said electrical energy management system.
  • the scheme provides for independent and non-hierarchical control and operation of each device connected to each outlet in homes and / or industrial facilities through said smart plug.
  • One of the objectives of this architecture is to improve the reliability of the power supply, due to the physical and functional independence of the installed smart plugs.
  • each of the smart plugs installed is controlled and managed independently.
  • companies or individual users can independently select and control the power supplies that supply electrical power to the devices connected to the smart plugs, through local or remote user interfaces. In this way, users can autonomously configure domestic and / or industrial installations as customized smart electrical networks of reduced size.
  • FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the smart plug 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the object of the present invention.
  • the main components of the smart plug are a signal processing unit 2 for controlling and operating signals, including the selection of the most convenient power source among the networks connected to the connection ports, a detection unit 3 for measuring the power consumption of each device connected to each outlet and to handle data for processing purposes, an electronic switching unit 4 to connect each device connected to each socket to one of the available power line ports, a communications unit 5 for transmit and receive data from internal and external controllers and to manage connections to networks and communications protocols; a control unit 6 to deal with the remote command, resource management, network management procedures, administration of operational statistics, and the general command of the smart plug and the units that comprise it, including its activation or partial deactivation or total, and a power line connection port 7 to connect to conventional power networks and not conventional.
  • a signal processing unit 2 for controlling and operating signals, including the selection of the most convenient power source among the networks connected to the connection ports
  • a detection unit 3 for measuring the power consumption
  • the smart plug also includes a box containing all its internal units, where said box offers one or more electrical, female and male power sockets, for power supply and connection of user electrical appliances, power line connections , and the wireless or wired physical interfaces for data communication and control through external controllers.
  • the smart plug 1 also needs a power supply 8 to supply power to all electronic circuits contained in the box containing it.
  • the power supply 8 performs AC / DC conversion to adapt the AC power grid to DC voltages appropriate to current integrated circuit technologies (IC) and other electronic components, and protects all internal electronics from instabilities in the main power grid AC through fuses to the connections of the smart plug units.
  • the smart plug also has an internal plug connector 9 to connect it to the jack sockets currently installed in the user's premises and connected to the AC network, at one end, and to the power supply 8, by its second end Such an internal plug connector 9 supplies power to the smart plug quickly, thus preventing the modification of the connections to the available AC electrical installation and the costly related civil works.
  • the smart plug 1 further comprises at least one power jack socket
  • the power jack 10 is the physical means for connecting household or industrial appliances to the power network selected by the signal processing unit 2 and / or the control unit 6 of said smart plug 1.
  • This protection unit 1 1 is an electronic switch, fuse, or electromechanical relay, and is connected to the power jack 10, at one of its ends, and to one of the power lines 12 available at the output of the connection port of power lines 7 after the line is selected by a mechanism that controls the electronic switching unit 4.
  • Each power line connection port 7 is connected to the selected power network by means of previously existing power lines in the user's electrical installation.
  • the power line connection port 7 is connected to the available AC networks, conventional and / or unconventional, at one of its ends, and the protection unit 11, at its second end.
  • the power line connection port 7 connects each power line to one and only one supply network by a selection mechanism controlled by the electronic switching unit 4, which makes it impossible connect at the same time a device to more than one network from among the networks available in the electrical installation.
  • the power line connection port 7 has commutable power lines commanded by a demultiplexing and selection mechanism controlled by the electronic switching unit 4, thus closing the wired circuit between the output of the connection port of power lines 7 and protection unit input 1 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow chart describing the modes of operation of the smart plug, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • the control unit 6 controls the smart plug to operate in five operating modes, namely the ignition mode 310, the calibration mode 31 1, the operation mode 312, the stand-by mode 313, and the mode of operation off 314. Such modes of operation define the different interactions between the units that make up the smart plug 1.
  • the control unit 6 executes at least one routine called ignition (310R), calibration and self-diagnosis (31 IR), operating (312R), standby (313R) and shutdown
  • the power mode defines routines for starting all units after connection to an AC power supply for power supply to power all electronic circuits contained in the smart plug box 1.
  • the calibration mode defines routines to calibrate and measure the real power consumption of the smart plug 1, to perform self-diagnosis, and execute, in general, all actions aimed at ensuring that future supply network selection decisions are suitable when external power consumption devices are connected to the plug.
  • the operating mode defines routines to operate on the smart plug 1 in its stable state, once the calibration routines have been turned on and completed and, at the same time, when it happens that a device is connected and switched on to the power jack 10.
  • the stand-by mode defines routines to operate the smart plug 1 in its stable state, once the calibration routines are turned on and completed, and at the same time, when it happens that no device is connected to the power jack 10, or each once it is connected but turned off, so it does not consume power and does not require power from the available power sources connected to the smart plug 1.
  • the shutdown mode defines routines for disconnecting smart plug 1, automatically or by action of the user, thus stopping all active processes, applications and the operating system.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the signal processing unit 2 of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the signal processing unit 2 is connected to the detection unit 3, the electronic switching unit 4, and the control unit 6.
  • the signal processing unit 2 comprises a local input-output unit 21 for transmitting and receiving data to and / or from other units within the intelligent plug 1, including the control unit 6, the detection unit 3, the electronic unit switching 4 and communication unit 5, and external controllers if available; a digital signal processor 22 to perform specialized logic and arithmetic operations and execute algorithms, in general, and to compare the power consumption of the devices connected to the smart plug 1 and the available energies delivered by the power supply networks connected to the plug smart 1; a memory unit 23 for storing data useful for the processing and administration of the plug, including data on power consumption and available energy to be delivered over the networks, calibration and self-diagnostic data, operation records, operational statistics and other obvious functions for the operation of the smart plug 1, and a calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 to perform the automatic test, start-up, power calibration for signal processing, communication tests, and other functions inherent to the operation of the smart plug 1.
  • the local input-output unit 21 is a digital electronic circuit with buffer storage, time control, recording and data transfer capabilities.
  • the local input-output unit 21 controls the communication of the signal processing unit 2 with other external and internal units, including the transfer of data to and from the memory unit 23 and the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24, and administers the protocols within the signal processing unit 2 such as the start-up of the calibration routines, the activation or deactivation of the processing, the memory startup and other obvious processes to the signal processing unit 2.
  • the digital signal processor 22 is a digital electronic hardware unit on which the calibration, control and decision algorithms for selecting power supply networks are executed.
  • the digital signal processor 22 is a general purpose microprocessor, digital signal microprocessor (DSP), microcontroller, programmable logic device, programmable door array, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital technology suitable for performing its operational functions.
  • DSP digital signal microprocessor
  • ASIC application specific integrated circuit
  • the digital signal processor 22 performs calculations on the basis of calibration data, the power consumption data of the connected device, the available energies delivered by the existing (connected) supply networks, standards, standards and thresholds of energy production for assign the most convenient network to service a given device, allocation / switching algorithms, network priority algorithms, better network service algorithms, and other algorithms suitable for selecting the power supply network more suitable to serve the connected device, in the event that the use of cheaper energy sources is prioritized, or at the user's discretion.
  • the digital signal processor 22 executes the algorithms and compares the calibration data of the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24, the energy delivery data from the control unit 6 and the power consumption data of the connected device from the detection unit 3, through the control unit 6, to select the best service network.
  • the digital signal processor 22 transfers the calculation results, through the local input-output unit 21, to the electronic switching unit 4 to control the power lines, and to the control unit 6 to Perform statistics and management.
  • the memory unit 23 transfers data from / to the digital signal processor 22 and the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24.
  • the memory unit 23 is a volatile, random access memory (RAM), where the processing instructions, registers, functions and other suitable data are loaded from a local, non-volatile memory, from the commissioning and loading of processes of the smart plug 1.
  • the calibration and self-diagnosis unit 24 performs local control of the calibration routine 31 IR and tests during calibration mode 31 1 that starts the control unit 6, and transfer the results of said calibration back to the control unit 6, through the local input-output unit 21. Therefore, and based on independent calibrated measurements, a power consumption reference value is extracted from the plug 241, which is previously loaded into a non-volatile memory and which is accessible by the control unit 6 and the signal processing unit 2, and which is used as input of the calibration routine IR 31.
  • the actual power consumption 242 of the smart plug is measured by a detection circuit connected to the power supply 8.
  • the reference value of power consumption 241 and the actual power consumption of the smart plug 242 are the input of a comparator of power 243, thus generating a difference value, or offset.
  • the offset value is used for compensation and correction 244 of the subsequent consumption measurements that are made during operating mode 312, generating a compensation value 245.
  • This compensation value 245 is then stored in memory and transferred to the signal processor. digital 22 to execute the power network selection.
  • the compensation value 245, the actual power consumption 242, the energy available in the main AC network 246 and the energies available in the secondary AC networks 247 are the input parameters of a better server network algorithm 248 executed by the digital signal processor 22.
  • the output of the best server network algorithm 248 is a selected network identifier 249, wherein the digital signal processor 22 performs a cost analysis 250, comparing the selected network identifier 249 against a reference network identifier 251.
  • the result of the cost analysis 250 is a binary cost indicator 252 that informs the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 if the calibration routine 31 IR has been successfully completed. Therefore, the calibration routine 31 IR ends when the binary cost indicator 252 has a positive value previously defined by the designer and informed to the control unit 6, to start the operation mode 312 of the smart plug 1.
  • a negative or null value of the binary cost indicator 252 informs the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 that another compensation and correction cycle is required to complete the calibration mode 31 1, until the binary cost indicator 252 is a positive number, in order to achieve an adequate calibration, thus informing the control unit 6 and leaving the calibration mode 31 1.
  • FIG. 7 shows the detection unit 3 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the unit has a fuse 31 for the protection of the smart plug 1 against improper handling of the power jack 10 or the device connected to it, an optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 for protection of the internal circuits of the smart plug 1 against overloads. power or short circuit, in case of damage to the fuse 31, a power detection circuit 33 to measure the power consumption of the device connected to the power jack 10, a signal handling circuit 34 to perform analog to digital conversion and data format, and a buffer circuit 35 for recording and transmission of data to the signal processing unit 2 and the control unit 6.
  • Fuse 31 is an electronic, fuse, or electromechanical relay switch, which connects to the power jack 10, at one of its ends, and to the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32, at its second end.
  • the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 is an analog solid state optoelectronic circuit consisting of semiconductor devices that electrically separates the power signal from the fuse 31 and subsequent circuits inside the detection unit 3.
  • the detection unit 3 is prepared to operate in two modes, according to user preferences and subsequent configuration, namely the analog detection mode and the digital detection mode.
  • the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 When operating in the analog detection mode, the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 connects to the fuse 31, at one of its ends, and to the power detection circuit 33, at its second end.
  • the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 is connected to the fuse 31 at one of its ends, and to the signal handling circuit 34, at its second end.
  • the power detection circuit 33 When operating in the analog detection mode, the power detection circuit 33 is a solid state analog electronic circuit consisting of semiconductor devices, power regulators and comparator amplifiers. In this mode, the power detection circuit 33 is connected to the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32, at one of its ends, and to the signal handling circuit 34, at its second end. The power detection circuit 33 calculates the actual power consumption of the connected apparatus, and encodes it in an analog waveform of magnitude proportional to the energy.
  • the power detection circuit 33 When operating in the digital detection mode, the power detection circuit 33 is a digital electronic circuit consisting of logic circuits, comparators, displacement registers, and other digital circuits. In this digital mode, the power detection circuit 33 is connected to the signal handling circuit 34, at one of its ends, and to the buffer circuit 35, at its second end. Therefore, the power detection circuit 33 calculates the actual power consumption of the connected device and encodes it in the form of a binary word.
  • the signal handling circuit 34 is an electronic mixed signal circuit consisting of analog to digital converters, clocks and synchronization circuits, shift registers, and other digital circuits.
  • the signal handling circuit 34 performs the analog to digital conversion and signal conditioning of its input signal, and delivery to the buffer circuit 35 or to the power detection circuit 33, depending on whether the detection unit 3 operates in the analog detection mode or the digital detection mode, respectively.
  • the buffer circuit 35 is a digital electronic circuit consisting of logic circuits, comparators, shift registers, and other digital circuits.
  • the buffer circuit 35 is connected at one of its ends to the output of the signal handling unit 34 and / or to the power detection unit 33, depending on whether the detection unit 3 operates in the analog detection mode or the digital detection mode, respectively, and to the control unit 6, at its second end.
  • the buffer circuit 35 stores the power consumption data encoded in binary form, and delivers them to the control unit 6 and / or the signal processing unit 2 after enabling and / or activating the control signals of the control unit. control 6.
  • FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the electronic switching unit
  • a switching manager 41 to connect to the signal processing unit 2, to moderate communications and data transfer, and to receive orders of switching of the control unit 6, a switching controller 42, which is a logic control and coding unit for operating the set of electronic switches, an optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 to isolate the digital circuits from the power lines, an administrator of the power lines 44 to protect the internal circuits of the smart plug 1 against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure, and a set of electronic switches 45 to open or close the power power lines according to commands from the power line manager 44.
  • a switching controller 42 which is a logic control and coding unit for operating the set of electronic switches
  • an optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 to isolate the digital circuits from the power lines
  • an administrator of the power lines 44 to protect the internal circuits of the smart plug 1 against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure
  • a set of electronic switches 45 to open or close the power power lines according to commands from the power line manager 44.
  • Switching manager 41 is a digital circuit with buffer storage, time control, recording and data transfer capabilities to connect to other circuits and receive commands from control unit 6. Switching manager 41 connects to the control unit 6, by one of its ends, and to the switching controller 42, by its second end. In this way, the switching administrator 41 passes a parallel or serial binary word with logical meaning to the switching controller 42, representing in an appropriate format the power line to be activated and / or selected.
  • Switching controller 42 is a logic circuit with demultiplexing and / or binary decoding capabilities to generate a binary word with a single logical value "1" with significant value, and which represents electronic switch 45 which has to be activated, and therefore the power line that will be activated / connected according to the commands of the control unit 6, after the signal processing unit 2 has executed and solved the algorithm for selecting the better supply network and the respective power line.
  • the switching controller 42 is connected to the switching manager 41, at one of its ends, and to the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43, at its second end.
  • Each bit of the binary word generated by switching controller 42 encodes each available power line, and has a logical value "0" if the corresponding power line must be deactivated and / or disconnected, and a logical value "1" if the line corresponding power must be selected, thus closing the electronic switch 45 corresponding to the power line in question and, as a consequence, delivering power to the connected device through the power jack 10.
  • the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 is an optoelectronic solid state circuit composed of semiconductor devices. It is connected to the switching controller 42, at one of its ends, and to the power line manager 44, at its second end, and electrically decouples the low power electronic signals and circuits of the switching controller 42 and the subsequent electronic circuits of power of the administrator of the power lines 44.
  • the power line manager 44 is an electronic solid state power circuit connected to the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43, at one of its ends, and to the set of electronic switches 45, at its second end.
  • the power line manager 44 performs the signal handling to adapt the low power binary signals from the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 to binary power signals to control the electronic switches 45.
  • Each of the electronic switches 45 is a binary solid state power or electromechanical relay switch.
  • An electronic switch 45 has a conduction port that is connected to the output of one of the available ports of the power line manager 44, a connection port switched to one of the power lines from the connection port of power lines. power 7, and a second switched port that connects the corresponding line to the input port of the protection unit 1 1.
  • Each electronic switch 45 opens or closes the contacts electrical connections between the lines connected to its switched ports depending on the value of the binary signal in its conduction port.
  • Figure 9 shows a block diagram of the communication unit 5 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention, the unit comprising a communication interface 51 for physically connecting the smart plug 1 to local control devices and networks or remote, a transceiver unit 52 for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers, and a network management agent 53 to provide an interface for remote control and management of the smart plug 1 by an external network administrator, and to notify the operations manager or user through network management protocols and procedures.
  • a communication interface 51 for physically connecting the smart plug 1 to local control devices and networks or remote
  • a transceiver unit 52 for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers
  • a network management agent 53 to provide an interface for remote control and management of the smart plug 1 by an external network administrator, and to notify the operations manager or user through network management protocols and procedures.
  • the communication interface 51 is a wired and / or wireless interface that connects the smart plug 1 to the physical transmission medium, at one of its ends, and to the transceiver unit 52, at its second end.
  • the transceiver unit 52 is a mixed signal circuit constructed in accordance with standard communication systems and has reception and transmission capabilities to communicate. It is connected to the communication interface 51, at one of its ends, and the control unit 6, at its second end.
  • the transceiver unit 52 performs the processing of communication signals, treating standard baseband and / or radio frequency communication signals and protocols, according to the communication interface 51 enabled.
  • the network management agent 53 is a software unit that resides in a non-volatile internal memory, which is activated by the control unit 6 after the start-up of the smart plug 1.
  • FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of the control unit 6 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the main function of the control unit 6 is to receive available and deliverable data from external controllers by various power supply networks, and which are required by the signal processing unit 2 to be able to execute the selection algorithms of network and, in general, to accept and manage commands from external controllers for the purpose of operation, installation, interconnection, statistics, network management, and remote or local registration, among others.
  • the control unit 6 further comprises an operating system 61 which is the basic resource management unit of the intelligent plug 1 managing all its components and units, a control processor 62 for executing the operating system 61 and the control applications, a memory control unit 63 for storing data from different units within smart plug 1 and from external controllers, a statistics unit 64 for storing historical data relating to the use of smart plug 1, available deliverable power, command registers, and other events related to the operation of the smart plug 1, and a device manager 65 to address and command the internal units of the smart plug 1.
  • the control unit 6 has a start-up controller 66, and a data logger. Commands and events 67.
  • the operating system 61 is a software unit that resides in a non-volatile internal memory, which is activated after commissioning to manage all the resources of the smart plug 1 including its internal units and external controllers via remote control, since that all are treated as peripheral devices of the smart plug 1.
  • the operating system 61 supports software applications for statistics, network management and control of the smart plug 1, and runs on a hardware platform defined by the realization of the control processor 62, when it is loaded into local memory after startup.
  • the control processor 62 is a digital electronic hardware unit on which the operating system 61 and the top-level statistics, network management and device controller applications of the smart plug 1 run.
  • the control processor 62 is a microprocessor General purpose, microcontroller, programmable logic device, programmable door array, specific application integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital technology suitable for performing its operational functions.
  • the internal control memory 63 is a volatile, random access memory (RAM) that stores process data from commands of the control processor 62.
  • RAM random access memory
  • the statistics unit 64 is a secondary, non-volatile and rewritable memory, where a statistics application controlled by the operating system 61 accesses, writes, reads, deletes and / or manages operational data.
  • the device manager 65 is a software interface for the command of the signal processing unit 2, the detection unit 3, the electronic switching unit 4, the communication unit 5, the power supply 8 and the control unit. detection inside, and other internal units of the smart plug 1.

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Abstract

The aim of the present invention is to provide an intelligent plug capable of connecting domestic appliances and/or industrial apparatuses via one or more outlets, detecting the power consumption of the connected apparatuses, communicating with internal components and with external power supply control apparatuses via control and communication units, and selecting the most appropriate energy source from a set of conventional and unconventional electrical energy supply sources by means of an internal electronic switching mechanism in order to optimize energy resources, giving priority to the most appropriate energy sources in accordance with energy cost criteria.

Description

ENCHUFE INTELIGENTE PARA USO DOMÉSTICO E INDUSTRIAL EN REDES ELÉCTRICAS INTELIGENTES  SMART PLUG FOR DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL USE IN SMART ELECTRICAL NETWORKS
SECTOR DE LA TÉCNICA SECTOR OF THE TECHNIQUE
El campo de la presente invención se refiere a energía, y más concretamente a la distribución de energía doméstica e industrial, y es aplicable a todos los usuarios que tienen como objetivo la optimización del consumo de potencia y la priorización de fuentes de energía más baratas y eficientes. Más específicamente, la presente invención se refiere a sistemas y circuitos electrónicos y su aplicación a sistemas de ahorro de energía.  The field of the present invention relates to energy, and more specifically to the distribution of domestic and industrial energy, and is applicable to all users whose objective is the optimization of power consumption and the prioritization of cheaper energy sources and efficient. More specifically, the present invention relates to electronic systems and circuits and their application to energy saving systems.
ESTADO DE LA TÉCNICA  STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE
Hay un interés comercial y social en el ahorro de energía y hacer uso más eficiente de los recursos. En particular, ahorrar energía eléctrica en los hogares y las instalaciones industriales es uno de los principales temas abordados por individuos y empresas. Además, la liberalización de los mercados energéticos y la presencia creciente de fuentes de energía no convencionales han permitido a los usuarios finales elegir a sus operadores de energía o, al menos, los distribuidores y comercializadores de energía eléctrica. El control inteligente en el nivel de aparato a través de dispositivos inteligentes está ganando cada vez más espacio en el ámbito de ahorro de energía y control. Estos dispositivos pueden ser meros medios de supervisión, o pueden controlar los aparatos conectados, activándolos o desactivándolos.  There is a commercial and social interest in saving energy and making more efficient use of resources. In particular, saving electricity in homes and industrial facilities is one of the main issues addressed by individuals and companies. In addition, the liberalization of energy markets and the growing presence of unconventional energy sources have allowed end users to choose their energy operators or, at least, distributors and traders of electric energy. Intelligent control at the device level through smart devices is gaining more and more space in the field of energy saving and control. These devices can be mere means of supervision, or they can control the connected devices, activating or deactivating them.
Un primer grupo de dispositivos desarrolla el concepto de lo que se conoce como medidor inteligente. Entre ellos, se encuentra el dispositivo e-CLiPs, que es un enchufe inteligente de ahorro de energía ideado por Woods y Fitz en la Universidad de Essex, Reino Unido [Woods]. El e-CLiPs es una toma doméstica capaz de transmitir datos estadísticos sobre el consumo de potencia de los aparatos conectados a ésta en una instalación doméstica, los que se centralizan y muestran en un panel de control central. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y el e- CLiPs es que nuestra toma inteligente, además de sensar potencia como hace la e-CLiPs, adicionalmente realiza acciones de control y selecciona la red de suministro de energía más conveniente según criterios de costo energético.  A first group of devices develops the concept of what is known as an intelligent meter. Among them, is the e-CLiPs device, which is a smart energy-saving plug designed by Woods and Fitz at the University of Essex, United Kingdom [Woods]. The e-CLiPs is a domestic outlet capable of transmitting statistical data on the power consumption of the devices connected to it in a domestic installation, which are centralized and displayed on a central control panel. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the e-CLiPs is that our intelligent socket, in addition to sensing power as the e-CLiPs does, additionally performs control actions and selects the most convenient power supply network according to energy cost criteria.
Los sistemas y dispositivos del segundo grupo ejecutan acciones de control en las instalaciones del usuario, midiendo, activando o desactivando las conexiones a los aparatos. Por ejemplo, el Smart Wire-Devices (DSC) es un sistema de administración de energía concebido por Masters et al. que integra circuitos electrónicos para medir el consumo de potencia eléctrica y transmite a distancia los datos a un procesador de señal [Master]. El SWD es controlado remotamente e instalable en una micro-red (grid) doméstica e incluye un nodo de administración que opera un interruptor o relé siguiendo instrucciones a control remoto para cambiar la potencia eléctrica entregada al aparato conectado. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y el SWD es que nuestra toma inteligente sensa y controla localmente la conexión del aparato a una fuente de energía de entre una variedad de redes disponibles, mientras que el SWD funciona sobre la base de una sola fuente. The systems and devices of the second group execute control actions at the user's premises, measuring, activating or deactivating the connections to the appliances For example, the Smart Wire-Devices (DSC) is an energy management system conceived by Masters et al. which integrates electronic circuits to measure the consumption of electrical power and transmits the data remotely to a signal processor [Master]. The SWD is remotely controlled and can be installed in a domestic micro-grid (grid) and includes a management node that operates a switch or relay following remote control instructions to change the electrical power delivered to the connected device. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the SWD is that our smart socket senses and controls locally the connection of the device to a power source from a variety of available networks, while the SWD operates on the basis of One source
Otro ejemplo es el atenuador de corriente inteligente para conservación de energía en aparatos, por Heilman et al, donde una red de aparatos que cuenta con al menos un dispositivo, un controlador de energía, por lo menos un regulador inteligente y un adaptador inteligente, y una red de comunicaciones que acopla dichos componentes con el propósito de ahorrar energía sobre una base de programación de tiempos, mediante la activación o desactivación de los aparatos de acuerdo a tareas operativas, como tiempos de cocción, lavado de tiempos, etc. [Heilman]. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y la de Heilman et al. es que nuestra toma de control inteligente realiza el control sobre una base el consumo de energía, al conmutar entre diferentes redes de suministro de energía, seleccionando la que sea más conveniente en términos de costos y/o eficiencia.  Another example is the intelligent current attenuator for energy conservation in devices, by Heilman et al, where a network of devices that has at least one device, an energy controller, at least one intelligent regulator and an intelligent adapter, and a communications network that couples said components with the purpose of saving energy on a time programming basis, by activating or deactivating the devices according to operational tasks, such as cooking times, washing times, etc. [Heilman] The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and that of Heilman et al. is that our intelligent control takes control of energy consumption on a basis, switching between different power supply networks, selecting the one that is most convenient in terms of costs and / or efficiency.
Las tomas eléctricas inteligentes y redes eléctricas asociadas de Chapel et al. permiten la ejecución inteligente de apagones, caídas de tensión, otras acciones de control en materia de control de calidad de la energía entregada a los aparatos, y el control remoto de los mismos [Chapel]. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y la de Chapel et al. es que nuestro enchufe inteligente conmuta entre redes múltiples para seleccionar la más conveniente, mientras que la de Chapel se limita a analizar la calidad de una única red dada.  The intelligent electrical sockets and associated electrical networks of Chapel et al. they allow the intelligent execution of blackouts, voltage drops, other control actions regarding quality control of the energy delivered to the devices, and their remote control [Chapel]. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and that of Chapel et al. is that our smart plug switches between multiple networks to select the most convenient, while Chapel's is limited to analyzing the quality of a single given network.
Otros ejemplos son el enchufe inteligente de arquitectura cliente- servidor y el aparato inteligente de control de potencia de arquitectura cliente-servidor, por Chang et al. [Changl, chang2]. Así, la arquitectura cliente-servidor permite la activación o desactivación de los aparatos eléctricos conectados al enchufe inteligente construyendo una jerarquía en la que los aparatos esclavos se desactivan si el aparato maestro se apaga u opera en stand-by, por ejemplo. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y las de Chang et al. es que nuestra toma inteligente no es jerárquica, es decir, los aparatos conectados son independientes entre ellos, y lo que se controla es la conexión a las fuentes de energía, y no el esquema de conexión del aparato y otros aparatos en la red. Other examples are the intelligent client-server architecture plug and the intelligent client-server architecture power control apparatus, by Chang et al. [Changl, chang2]. Thus, the client-server architecture allows the activation or deactivation of electrical appliances connected to the smart plug by building a hierarchy in which slave devices are deactivated if the master device is turned off or operated in stand-by, for example. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and those of Chang et al. is that our smart socket is not hierarchical, that is, the connected devices are independent of each other, and what is controlled is the connection to the power sources, and not the connection scheme of the device and other devices in the network.
El aparato, sistema y métodos para reducir el consumo de energía en una red de Cohén [Cohén] está compuesto por un sistema de gestión y los aparatos, cada uno compuesto por una unidad de mediciones, una unidad de procesamiento, una unidad (opcional) de comunicaciones y una unidad de control, de manera que cada aparato se conecta a una toma de corriente eléctrica y se asocia con uno o un grupo de electrodomésticos. El sistema de Cohén mide los parámetros eléctricos a la salida de la toma, y la unidad de procesamiento analiza los parámetros eléctricos medidos, detectando diversas características de los electrodomésticos conectados y gestionando el consumo de energía de la red. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y el sistema de Cohén es que nuestra toma inteligente tiene capacidades de selección de fuente de energía y de manejo de múltiples redes para seleccionar la red de suministro de energía más conveniente, mientras que Cohén gestiona el consumo de energía de una sola red.  The apparatus, system and methods for reducing energy consumption in a Cohen [Cohen] network are composed of a management system and the apparatus, each consisting of a measurement unit, a processing unit, a unit (optional) of communications and a control unit, so that each device is connected to an electrical outlet and is associated with one or a group of appliances. The Cohen system measures the electrical parameters at the outlet of the outlet, and the processing unit analyzes the measured electrical parameters, detecting various characteristics of the connected appliances and managing the power consumption of the network. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the Cohen system is that our smart socket has power source selection and multi-network management capabilities to select the most convenient power supply network, while Cohen It manages the energy consumption of a single network.
El dispositivo de vigilancia y control por Sharood et al. [Sharood] se acopla con el electrodoméstico o aparato conectado para supervisar su consumo de energía, proporcionar datos sobre la potencia medida y tomar acciones de control sobre su funcionamiento. La principal diferencia entre el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención y el dispositivo de Sharood es que nuestra toma inteligente tiene capacidades de selección de fuente de energía y de manejo de múltiples redes para seleccionar la red de suministro de energía más conveniente, mientras que el sistema de Sharood se centra en el seguimiento y la gestión de aparatos en una única red.  The monitoring and control device by Sharood et al. [Sharood] is coupled with the connected appliance or device to monitor its energy consumption, provide data on the measured power and take control actions on its operation. The main difference between the smart plug object of the present invention and the Sharood device is that our smart socket has power source selection and multi-network management capabilities to select the most convenient power supply network, while the Sharood system focuses on monitoring and management of devices in a single network.
Referencias citadas: [Changl] C.-M. Chang, C.-P. Chen, W.-K. Hsieh, and W.-C. Ho. "Smart client- server socket', by Chang et al. U.S. patent application publication no. 2009/0150509 Al, Jun. 11, 2009. References cited: [Changl] C.-M. Chang, C.-P. Chen, W.-K. Hsieh, and W.-C. Ho. 'Smart client server socket', by Chang et al. US patent application publication no. 2009/0150509 Al, Jun. 11, 2009.
[Chang2] C.-M. Chang, C.-P. Chen, W.-K. Hsieh, and W.-C. Ho. "Smart client- server power control apparatus", U.S. patent 7,769,857 B2, Aug. 3, 2010.  [Chang2] C.-M. Chang, C.-P. Chen, W.-K. Hsieh, and W.-C. Ho. "Smart client- server power control apparatus", U.S. patent 7,769,857 B2, Aug. 3, 2010.
[Chapel] S. Chapel and W. Pachoud, "Smart electrical outlets and associated networks", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2002/0145542 Al Jun. 10, 2010.  [Chapel] S. Chapel and W. Pachoud, "Smart electrical outlets and associated networks", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2002/0145542 As of Jun. 10, 2010.
[Cohén] A. Cohén, "Reducing power consumption in a network by detecting electrical signatures of appliances", Intl. Patent Publication WO/2009/081407, Jul. 2, 2009.  [Cohen] A. Cohen, "Reducing power consumption in a network by detecting electrical signatures of appliances", Intl. Patent Publication WO / 2009/081407, Jul. 2, 2009.
[Heilman] L. E. Heilman, G. R. Horst, and R. A. McCoy, "Smart current attenuator for energy conservation in appliances", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2008/0136581 Al, Jun. 12, 2008.  [Heilman] L. E. Heilman, G. R. Horst, and R. A. McCoy, "Smart current attenuator for energy conservation in appliances", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2008/0136581 Al, Jun. 12, 2008.
[Masters] G. J. Masters and M. S. Pernia, "Smart electrical wire-devices and premises power management system", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2010/0145536 Al, Jun. 10, 2010.  [Masters] G. J. Masters and M. S. Pernia, "Smart electrical wire-devices and premises power management system", U.S. patent application publication no. US 2010/0145536 Al, Jun. 10, 2010.
[Sharood] J. N. Sharood, G. Bailey, M. Carr, J. Turner, D. Peachey, Appliance retrofit monitoring device with a memory storing an electronic signature, US patent 6.934.862 B2, Aug. 23, 2005.  [Sharood] J. N. Sharood, G. Bailey, M. Carr, J. Turner, D. Peachey, Appliance retrofit monitoring device with a memory storing an electronic signature, US patent 6,934,862 B2, Aug. 23, 2005.
[Woods] J. Woods and S. Fitz, "Green Consumer Electronics: e-CLiPs, [Woods] J. Woods and S. Fitz, "Green Consumer Electronics: e-CLiPs,
Electronic Control of Intelligent Power Systems", in Digest of Technical Papers International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), 2010, 9-13 Jan. 2010, , Las Vegas, NV, USA, pp. 97 - 98. DESCRIPCIÓN DE LA INVENCIÓN Electronic Control of Intelligent Power Systems ", in Digest of Technical Papers International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE), 2010, 9-13 Jan. 2010,, Las Vegas, NV, USA, pp. 97-98. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
El objeto de la presente invención es proporcionar un enchufe inteligente capaz de conectar electrodomésticos y/o equipos industriales a través de una o más tomas, detectar el consumo de potencia de los aparatos conectados, comunicarse a través de las unidades de control y comunicación a los componentes internos y externos de control de alimentación de aparatos, y seleccionar a través de un mecanismo de conmutación electrónica interna la fuente de energía más conveniente de entre un conjunto de fuentes de suministro de energía eléctrica, convencionales y no convencionales, con el fin de optimizar recursos energéticos, dando prioridad a las fuentes de energía más convenientes, de acuerdo con criterios tales como el coste o la disponibilidad de la energía suministrada. The object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent plug capable of connecting household appliances and / or industrial equipment through one or more sockets, detecting the power consumption of the connected devices, communicating through the control and communication units to the internal and external components of power supply control of devices, and select through an internal electronic switching mechanism the most convenient power source from a set of conventional and unconventional power supply sources, in order to optimize energy resources, giving priority to the most convenient sources of energy, according to criteria such as the cost or availability of the energy supplied.
Para alcanzar el objeto antes mencionado, la presente invención proporciona un enchufe inteligente, permitiendo así realizar los conceptos de redes inteligentes de suministro de energía, tanto doméstica como industrial. Por tanto, para la realización preferida de la invención, el enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes comprende:  To achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention provides an intelligent plug, thus enabling the concepts of intelligent power supply networks, both domestic and industrial. Therefore, for the preferred embodiment of the invention, the intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electrical networks comprises:
• una unidad de comando autónoma que a su vez comprende unos medios de medición de consumo de potencia;  • an autonomous command unit which in turn comprises means for measuring power consumption;
• una conexión principal que conecta el enchufe inteligente con una línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA;  • a main connection that connects the smart plug to a main AC power supply line;
• al menos una conexión secundaria que conecta el enchufe inteligente con al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA; • at least one secondary connection that connects the smart plug with at least one secondary AC AC supply line;
• una conexión de datos que conecta la unidad de comando autónoma con un controlador externo a través de la línea de datos; • a data connection that connects the autonomous command unit with an external controller through the data line;
• un conjunto de conexiones de aparato que comprende al menos una conexión de aparato, donde cada conexión de aparato conecta el enchufe inteligente con un dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia;  • a set of device connections comprising at least one device connection, where each device connection connects the smart plug with an external power consumption device;
en donde la unidad de comando autónoma decide y lleva a cabo en base a unos datos recibidos del controlador externo a través de la conexión de datos, para cada conexión de aparato, una conexión entre cada conexión de aparato y una conexión seleccionada entre la conexión principal y la al menos una conexión secundaria, donde previamente, la unidad de comando autónoma mide el consumo de potencia de cada dispositivo externo conectado al conjunto de conexiones de aparato y envía dicha medición de consumo al controlador externo. Es decir, el enchufe inteligente objeto de la presente invención selecciona en primer lugar a qué red de suministro de energía se conecta el propio enchufe inteligente y en segundo lugar a qué red conecta cada uno de los dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia (por ejemplo: lavadora, ordenador personal, maquinaria de alto consumo de potencia, motores, etc.) que se encuentran conectados al enchufe inteligente. Dicha decisión se puede denominar "decisión de conmutación" y es llevada a cabo única y exclusivamente por la unidad de comando autónoma en base a parámetros recibidos por controladores externos. Por tanto, los controladores externos no deciden qué red tiene que seleccionar el enchufe inteligente. where the autonomous command unit decides and performs based on data received from the external controller through the data connection, for each device connection, a connection between each device connection and a selected connection between the main connection and the at least one secondary connection, where previously, the autonomous command unit measures the power consumption of each external device connected to the set of device connections and sends said consumption measurement to the external controller. That is, the smart plug object of the present invention first selects to which power supply network the smart plug itself connects and secondly to which network each of the external power consumption devices connects (for example: washing machine, personal computer, high power consumption machinery, motors, etc.) that are connected to the smart plug. Said decision can be called "switching decision" and is carried out only and exclusively by the autonomous command unit based on parameters received by external controllers. Therefore, external controllers do not decide which network the smart plug has to select.
Para poder llevar a cabo la "selección de conmutación", la unidad de comando autónoma adicionalmente comprende: una unidad de procesamiento de señal, una unidad de detección, una unidad electrónica de conmutación, una unidad de comunicaciones y una unidad de control, tal que todas las unidades están conectadas y comunicadas entre sí de una forma seleccionada entre comunicación directa entre dos unidades y comunicación indirecta a través de al menos una unidad del resto de unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma.  In order to carry out the "switching selection", the autonomous command unit additionally comprises: a signal processing unit, a detection unit, an electronic switching unit, a communications unit and a control unit, such that all the units are connected and communicated with each other in a way selected between direct communication between two units and indirect communication through at least one unit of the rest of the units included in the autonomous command unit.
La unidad de procesamiento de señal adicionalmente comprende al menos: una unidad local de entrada-salida que transmite y recibe datos hacia/desde otras unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma; un procesador de señal digital que calcula operaciones lógicas y aritméticas especializadas, ejecuta algoritmos, calcula comparaciones del consumo de potencia de los dispositivos externos conectados al conjunto de conexiones de aparato y calcula las energías disponibles entregadas por las redes de suministro de energía conectadas al enchufe inteligente; una unidad de memoria que almacena unos datos, donde dichos datos son al menos: datos de consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo y energías disponibles a entregar por las redes, datos de calibración y auto-diagnóstico, registros de operaciones, estadísticas operativas y combinación de los mismos; y, una unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico para realizar al menos las siguientes funciones: rutinas de prueba automática, puesta en marcha, calibración de potencia para el procesamiento de señales, pruebas de comunicación, y combinaciones de las mismas.  The signal processing unit additionally comprises at least: a local input-output unit that transmits and receives data to / from other units comprised in the autonomous command unit; a digital signal processor that calculates specialized logical and arithmetic operations, executes algorithms, calculates comparisons of the power consumption of external devices connected to the set of device connections and calculates the available energies delivered by the power supply networks connected to the smart plug ; a memory unit that stores some data, where said data is at least: power consumption data of the external device and available energy to be delivered over the networks, calibration and self-diagnostic data, operation records, operational statistics and combination of the same; and, a calibration and self-diagnostic unit to perform at least the following functions: automatic test routines, commissioning, power calibration for signal processing, communication tests, and combinations thereof.
La unidad de detección adicionalmente comprende al menos: un fusible; un circuito de detección de potencia que mide el consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia conectado con una conexión del conjunto de conexiones de dispositivo; un circuito de manejo de señal para realizar conversión analógica a digital y formato de datos; un circuito buffer para registro y transmisión de datos a la unidad de procesamiento de señal y a la unidad de control; un desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección que: a) protege al resto de elementos comprendidos en la unidad de comando autónoma contra sobrecargas de potencia o cortocircuito; y, b) opera en un modo seleccionado entre analógico y digital; de tal forma que en modo analógico, el desacoplador optoelectrónico conecta el fusible con el circuito de manejo de señal, y en el modo digital, el desacoplador optoelectrónico conecta el fusible con el circuito de detección de potencia. The detection unit additionally comprises at least: a fuse; a power detection circuit that measures the power consumption of the external power consumption device connected to a connection of the device connection set; a signal handling circuit to perform analog to digital conversion and data format; a buffer circuit for recording and transmission of data to the signal processing unit and the control unit; an optoelectronic detection decoupler that: a) protects the rest of the elements included in the autonomous command unit against power or short-circuit overloads; and, b) operates in a mode selected between analog and digital; such that in analog mode, the Optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the signal handling circuit, and in digital mode, the optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the power detection circuit.
Cuando el desacoplador electrónico de detección funciona en modo analógico, el circuito de detección de energía es un circuito electrónico analógico de estado sólido que comprende dispositivos semiconductores, reguladores de potencia y amplificadores comparadores, tal que dicho circuito de detección de potencia calcula el consumo de potencia real del dispositivo externo conectado, y lo codifica en una forma de onda analógica de magnitud proporcional a la energía.  When the electronic detection decoupler operates in analog mode, the energy detection circuit is a solid state analog electronic circuit comprising semiconductor devices, power regulators and comparator amplifiers, such that said power detection circuit calculates the power consumption real of the connected external device, and encodes it in an analog waveform of magnitude proportional to energy.
En cambio, cuando el desacoplador electrónico de detección funciona en modo digital, el circuito de detección de energía es un circuito electrónico digital, tal que dicho circuito de detección de energía calcula el consumo de potencia real del aparato conectado y lo codifica en forma de una palabra binaria.  On the other hand, when the electronic detection decoupler operates in digital mode, the energy detection circuit is a digital electronic circuit, such that said energy detection circuit calculates the actual power consumption of the connected device and encodes it in the form of a binary word.
La unidad electrónica de conmutación adicionalmente comprende al menos: un administrador de conmutación que gestiona la conexión con la unidad de procesamiento de señal, modera las comunicaciones y la transferencia de datos, y recibe órdenes de conmutación de la unidad de control; un controlador de conmutación, el cual es una unidad lógica de mando y codificación que opera un conjunto de interruptores electrónicos; un desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación que aisla los circuitos digitales de las líneas de suministro de potencia principal y secundarias; un administrador de las líneas de suministro de potencia que protege los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente contra saturación de potencia o cortocircuito, en caso de avería del fusible; y, el conjunto de interruptores electrónicos para abrir o cerrar las líneas eléctricas de potencia según comandos del administrador de las líneas de potencia.  The electronic switching unit additionally comprises at least: a switching administrator that manages the connection with the signal processing unit, moderates communications and data transfer, and receives switching orders from the control unit; a switching controller, which is a logical control and coding unit that operates a set of electronic switches; an optoelectronic switching decoupler that isolates the digital circuits from the main and secondary power supply lines; a power supply line manager that protects the internal circuits of the smart plug against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure; and, the set of electronic switches to open or close the power lines according to commands of the power lines manager.
La unidad de comunicaciones adicionalmente comprende al menos: una interfaz de comunicaciones que conecta físicamente el enchufe inteligente con aparatos y redes de control local o remoto; una unidad transceptora para transmitir y recibir datos hacia/desde controladores internos y externos; y, un agente de administración de red que proporciona una interfaz para el control remoto y gestión del enchufe inteligente por un administrador de red externa, y que notifica al administrador de operaciones o usuario a través de protocolos y procedimientos de gestión de red. La unidad de control adicionalmente comprende al menos: un sistema operativo que es la unidad básica de gestión de recursos del enchufe inteligente administrando todos sus componentes y unidades; un procesador de control que ejecuta el sistema operativo y unas aplicaciones de control; una memoria interna de control que almacena unos datos procedentes desde las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma y desde al menos un controlador externo; una unidad de estadísticas que almacena datos históricos seleccionados entre: utilización del enchufe inteligente, energía entregable disponible, registros de comando, y combinaciones de los mismos; y, un administrador de dispositivos que direcciona y comanda las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma. The communications unit additionally comprises at least: a communications interface that physically connects the smart plug with local or remote control devices and networks; a transceiver unit for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers; and, a network administration agent that provides an interface for remote control and intelligent plug management by an external network administrator, and notifies the operations administrator or user through network management protocols and procedures. The control unit additionally comprises at least: an operating system that is the basic resource management unit of the smart plug managing all its components and units; a control processor that runs the operating system and control applications; an internal control memory that stores data from the units included in the autonomous command unit and from at least one external controller; a statistics unit that stores selected historical data among: use of the smart plug, available deliverable power, command registers, and combinations thereof; and, a device manager that addresses and commands the units included in the autonomous command unit.
En otra forma de realización, la unidad de control adicionalmente comprende al menos: un controlador de puesta en marcha; y, un registrador de comandos y eventos.  In another embodiment, the control unit additionally comprises at least: a start-up controller; and, a command and event recorder.
En otra forma de realización, la unidad de comando autónoma adicionalmente comprende: un puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia, tal que la conexión secundaria que conecta el enchufe inteligente con al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA es llevada a cabo por dicho puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia; una fuente de alimentación; un enchufe macho, tal que la conexión principal entre el enchufe inteligente y la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna es llevada a cabo mediante dicho enchufe macho; al menos un enchufe hembra, tal que donde cada conexión de aparato que conecta el enchufe inteligente con el dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia es llevada a cabo mediante dicho enchufe hembra; una unidad de protección; unas líneas eléctricas de interconexión de las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma; y, un puerto de comunicaciones, tal que la conexión de datos que conecta la unidad de comando autónoma con un controlador externo es llevada a cabo mediante dicho puerto de comunicaciones, y donde adicionalmente, dicho puerto de comunicaciones está seleccionado entre un puerto de comunicación por cable y un puerto de comunicación inalámbrico.  In another embodiment, the autonomous command unit additionally comprises: a power line connection port, such that the secondary connection connecting the smart plug with at least one secondary AC AC supply line is carried out by said power line connection port; a power supply; a male plug, such that the main connection between the smart plug and the main AC power supply line is carried out by said male plug; at least one female plug, such that where each device connection connecting the smart plug with the external power consumption device is carried out by said female plug; a protection unit; electrical interconnection lines of the units included in the autonomous command unit; and, a communications port, such that the data connection connecting the autonomous command unit with an external controller is carried out by means of said communications port, and where additionally, said communications port is selected from a communication port by cable and a wireless communication port.
Adicionalmente al propio dispositivo (enchufe inteligente), la presente invención tiene como objeto proporcionar un procedimiento por el cual se describe cómo la unidad de comando autónoma, y por ende, el enchufe inteligente, realiza la "decisión de conmutación", es decir, cómo la unidad de comando autónoma decide qué línea de suministro de red de corriente alterna conecta con cada aparato conectado al enchufe inteligente. In addition to the device itself (smart plug), the present invention aims to provide a method by which it is described how the autonomous command unit, and therefore, the smart plug, performs the "switching decision", that is, how the autonomous command unit decides which line of AC power supply connects with each device connected to the smart plug.
Por tanto, el procedimiento de funcionamiento, en su forma de realización preferida, del enchufe inteligente en redes eléctricas inteligentes y para cualquiera de las posibles formas de realización del enchufe inteligente anteriormente descritas, está caracterizado porque comprende:  Therefore, the operation procedure, in its preferred embodiment, of the intelligent plug in intelligent electrical networks and for any of the possible embodiments of the intelligent plug described above, is characterized in that it comprises:
i) ejecutar un procedimiento de encendido según un esquema de operación denominado "modo encendido", donde la unidad de comando autónoma define al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de encendido" que inicializa todas las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma, una vez que dicha unidad de comando autónoma ha sido conectada a la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA, tal que la rutina de encendido proporciona unos parámetros de operación del enchufe;  i) execute an ignition procedure according to an operation scheme called "ignition mode", where the autonomous command unit defines at least one routine called "ignition routine" that initializes all the units included in the autonomous command unit, once that said autonomous command unit has been connected to the main AC power supply line, such that the ignition routine provides plug operating parameters;
ii) ejecutar un procedimiento de calibración y autodiagnóstico según un esquema de operación denominado "modo calibración" mediante el cual, la unidad de procesamiento de señal y la unidad de control definen y ejecutan al menos una denominada "rutina de calibración" para calibrar y medir el consumo de potencia del enchufe inteligente y una rutina para realizar auto-diagnóstico, tal que la unidad de comando autónoma conecta el enchufe inteligente con una red de suministro de corriente alterna seleccionada entre la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA y la al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA;  ii) execute a calibration and self-diagnosis procedure according to an operation scheme called "calibration mode" whereby the signal processing unit and the control unit define and execute at least one called "calibration routine" to calibrate and measure the power consumption of the smart plug and a routine for self-diagnosis, such that the autonomous command unit connects the smart plug with an AC power supply network selected between the main AC power supply line and the at least a secondary AC AC supply line;
iii) ejecutar un procedimiento de funcionamiento según un esquema de operación denominado "modo funcionamiento" mediante el cual, la unidad de procesamiento de señal y la unidad de control de la unidad de comando autónoma definen y ejecutan al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de funcionamiento" que lleva a cabo una selección de conmutación para que la unidad electrónica de conmutación conecte cada uno de los dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia a través del conjunto de conexiones de aparato con una línea de suministro seleccionada entre la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA y la al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA; donde dicha selección de conmutación está basada en una información enviada a la unidad electrónica de conmutación por la unidad de detección y el controlador externo a través de la conexión de datos y de ahí a la unidad de comunicaciones. iii) execute an operating procedure according to an operation scheme called "operating mode" whereby the signal processing unit and the control unit of the autonomous command unit define and execute at least one routine called "operating routine "which performs a switching selection for the electronic switching unit to connect each of the external power consumption devices through the set of device connections with a selected supply line between the main alternating current supply line AC and the at least one secondary AC AC supply line; where said switching selection is based on information sent to the electronic unit of switching by the detection unit and the external controller through the data connection and from there to the communications unit.
Para otra forma de realización, el procedimiento de funcionamiento adicionalmente comprende: For another embodiment, the operating procedure additionally comprises:
iv) ejecutar un procedimiento de puesta en reposo según un esquema de operación denominado "modo standby" definido por la ausencia de dispositivo externos de consumo conectados al enchufe inteligente; mediante dicho modo standby, la unidad de comando autónoma define y ejecuta al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de standby", mediante la cual se realizan secuencialmente las siguientes acciones: a) realizar periódicamente mediciones de potencias consumidas en las conexiones de aparato; b) generar una señal de indicación de cero potencia consumida de aparato cuando se detecte que la suma de los valores de dichas mediciones de potencia es igual a cero o está por debajo de un valor preestablecido, indicando que no hay dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia conectados al enchufe; c) informar a la unidad de control y las otras unidades internas que componen la unidad de comando autónoma que el enchufe operará en un modo de reposo; d) informar al controlador externo vía la conexión de datos que el enchufe ha entrado en un modo de reposo; y,  iv) execute a stand-by procedure according to an operation scheme called "standby mode" defined by the absence of external consumer devices connected to the smart plug; by means of said standby mode, the autonomous command unit defines and executes at least one routine called "standby routine", by means of which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) periodically perform measurements of powers consumed in the device connections; b) generate an indication of zero power consumption of the device when it is detected that the sum of the values of said power measurements is equal to zero or below a preset value, indicating that there are no external power consumption devices connected to the plug; c) inform the control unit and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit that the plug will operate in a sleep mode; d) inform the external controller via the data connection that the plug has entered a sleep mode; Y,
v) ejecutar un procedimiento de apagado según un esquema de operación denominado "modo apagado" que detiene todos los procesos activos y acciones de control y desconecta la unidad de comando autónoma del controlador externo, cuando el enchufe está conectado, activado y se han completado las rutinas de calibración y autodiagnóstico y está operando en el modo funcionamiento o el modo standby; mediante dicho modo apagado, la unidad de comando autónoma define y ejecuta al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de apagado", mediante la cual se realizan secuencialmente las siguientes acciones: a) detectar un comando de apagado proveniente del controlador externo o por acción directa del usuario sobre el enchufe inteligente; b) enviar al controlador externo los valores de operación y estadísticas almacenados en memoria; c) finalizar la conexión entre la unidad de comando autónoma y el controlador externo; d) detener el funcionamiento de todos los componentes de la unidad de comando autónoma; f) detener el sistema operativo; y, g) retirar la alimentación eléctrica a todos los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente. v) execute a shutdown procedure according to an operation scheme called "shutdown mode" that stops all active processes and control actions and disconnects the autonomous command unit from the external controller, when the plug is connected, activated and the calibration and self-diagnosis routines and is operating in the operating mode or standby mode; by means of said shutdown mode, the autonomous command unit defines and executes at least one routine called "shutdown routine", by means of which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) detecting a shutdown command from the external controller or by direct action of the user over the smart plug; b) send the operation values and statistics stored in memory to the external controller; c) terminate the connection between the autonomous command unit and the external controller; d) stop the operation of all the components of the autonomous command unit; F) stop the operating system; and, g) remove the power supply to all the internal circuits of the smart plug.
La "rutina de encendido" que se ejecuta en el "modo encendido" comprende: a) detectar el suministro de energía al enchufe vía la conexión principal; b) energizar los circuitos internos; c) cargar el sistema operativo; d) inicializar los otros componentes de la unidad de control y las otras unidades internas que componen la unidad de comando autónoma; e) conectar la unidad de comando autónoma con el controlador externo vía la conexión de datos; f) iniciar el intercambio de datos entre la unidad de comando autónoma y el controlador externo para obtener parámetros de operación del enchufe; g) cargar dichos parámetros en las memorias internas de los distintos componentes de la unidad de comando autónoma para iniciar la operación del enchufe;  The "ignition routine" that is executed in the "ignition mode" comprises: a) detecting the power supply to the plug via the main connection; b) energize the internal circuits; c) load the operating system; d) initialize the other components of the control unit and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit; e) connect the autonomous command unit with the external controller via the data connection; f) initiate the exchange of data between the autonomous command unit and the external controller to obtain plug operating parameters; g) load said parameters into the internal memories of the different components of the autonomous command unit to start the plug operation;
La "rutina de calibración" que se ejecuta en el modo calibración comprende: a) cargar en memoria volátil tipo RAM el valor de referencia de consumo de potencia del enchufe inteligente sin carga previamente almacenado en una memoria no volátil tipo ROM; b) medir el consumo de potencia real del enchufe inteligente por medio del circuito de detección conectado a la fuente de alimentación; c) comparar el valor de referencia de consumo de potencia y el consumo de potencia real del enchufe inteligente por medio de una unidad lógica interna, generando así un valor diferencia, u offset; d) almacenar en memoria y transferir al procesador de señal digital dicho valor de offset; e) ejecutar algoritmo de selección de red de alimentación tomando como parámetros de entrada dicho valor de offset, el consumo de potencia medido, y los valores de energías disponibles y entregables por cada una de las líneas de suministro de CA disponibles en la instalación; f) generar identificador de red seleccionada; g) informar a la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico si la rutina de calibración se ha completado exitosamente o no basado en un identificador binario de costo; h) finalizar la rutina de calibración cuando el indicador binario de costo tenga un valor positivo previamente definido por el diseñador e informado a la unidad de control, para iniciar el modo de funcionamiento del enchufe inteligente, o i) iniciar otro ciclo de corrección y compensación para terminar el modo de calibración, hasta que el indicador binario de costo sea un número positivo, a fin de lograr una adecuada calibración, informando así a la unidad de control y abandonando el modo de calibración; La "rutina de funcionamiento" que se ejecuta en el modo funcionamiento adicionalmente comprende: a) medir el consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia; b) comparar dicho valor de consumo de potencia con las energías disponibles y entregables promedio de la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA y las de las al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA; c) ejecutar un algoritmo de selección de mejor red de alimentación servidora; d) realizar los análisis de costos energéticos usando funciones de valor de costo provistas al enchufe por el controlador externo e incorporar los resultados de dichos análisis en la decisión de selección de red; e) seleccionar la mejor red de alimentación servidora; f) informar de la decisión a la unidad de control y la unidad de procesamiento de señal; y, g) realizar la conmutación a la línea de suministro de corriente alterna CA correspondiente a la red seleccionada. The "calibration routine" that is executed in the calibration mode comprises: a) loading in the RAM type volatile memory the power consumption reference value of the smart plug without charging previously stored in a non-volatile ROM type memory; b) measure the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of the detection circuit connected to the power supply; c) compare the reference value of power consumption and the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of an internal logic unit, thus generating a difference value, or offset; d) store in memory and transfer said offset value to the digital signal processor; e) execute the power network selection algorithm taking as input parameters said offset value, measured power consumption, and available and deliverable energy values for each of the AC supply lines available in the installation; f) generate selected network identifier; g) inform the calibration and self-diagnosis unit if the calibration routine has been successfully completed or not based on a binary cost identifier; h) end the calibration routine when the binary cost indicator has a positive value previously defined by the designer and informed to the control unit, to start the operation mode of the smart plug, or i) start another correction and compensation cycle for finish the calibration mode, until the binary cost indicator is a positive number, in order to achieve an adequate calibration, thus informing the control unit and leaving the calibration mode; The "operating routine" that is executed in the operating mode additionally comprises: a) measuring the power consumption of the external power consumption device; b) comparing said power consumption value with the average available and deliverable energies of the main AC alternating current supply line and those of the at least one secondary AC alternating current supply line; c) execute a selection algorithm for the best server feed network; d) perform the energy cost analyzes using cost value functions provided to the plug by the external controller and incorporate the results of said analyzes in the network selection decision; e) select the best power supply network; f) report the decision to the control unit and the signal processing unit; and, g) perform the switching to the AC alternating current supply line corresponding to the selected network.
Con todas las características hasta el momento descritas, la presente invención consigue reducir el desperdicio de energía y da prioridad a la utilización de fuentes de energía más barata, lo que reduce los costes y el impacto energético de la creciente demanda de electricidad a nivel doméstico e industrial.  With all the characteristics so far described, the present invention manages to reduce energy waste and gives priority to the use of cheaper energy sources, which reduces the costs and energy impact of the growing demand for electricity at the domestic level and industrial.
La presente invención se refiere, por tanto, a un enchufe inteligente para el suministro de electricidad a aparatos eléctricos en hogar e industria, y más concretamente a una toma inteligente mejorada capaz de seleccionar la red o fuente de suministro de electricidad de entre un número disponible de fuentes convencionales y/o no convencionales, de forma automática y sin interrupciones. El campo de la presente invención se refiere a energía, y más concretamente a distribución de energía doméstica e industrial, y es aplicable en aquellos casos en los que el usuario pretende la optimización de consumo de energía y la priorización de fuentes más baratas.  The present invention thus relates to an intelligent plug for the supply of electricity to electrical appliances in home and industry, and more specifically to an improved intelligent socket capable of selecting the network or source of electricity supply from an available number from conventional and / or unconventional sources, automatically and without interruptions. The field of the present invention relates to energy, and more specifically to distribution of domestic and industrial energy, and is applicable in those cases in which the user intends to optimize energy consumption and prioritize cheaper sources.
Cualquier aplicación virtual, doméstica e industrial, que involucre electricidad y aparatos electrónicos con conexión a redes estándar de voltaje de CA se puede beneficiar de la presente invención. Industrias de fabricación de componentes eléctricos, electrónicos y ópticos son así mismos los principales beneficiarios de la invención.  Any virtual application, domestic and industrial, involving electricity and electronic devices with connection to standard AC voltage networks can benefit from the present invention. Manufacturing industries of electrical, electronic and optical components are also the main beneficiaries of the invention.
Es otro objeto de la invención el mejorar el concepto de medición inteligente, iniciando acciones de control de energía a partir de los datos de medición de consumo de energía para seleccionar la fuente de electricidad óptima de un grupo heterogéneo de fuentes de energía (eólica, solar, electromagnética, etc.). Es aún otro objeto de la invención el proporcionar selección automática de alimentación en las instalaciones del usuario. It is another object of the invention to improve the concept of intelligent measurement, initiating energy control actions from the energy consumption measurement data to select the optimal source of electricity from a heterogeneous group of energy sources (wind, solar , electromagnetic, etc.). It is yet another object of the invention to provide automatic power selection at the user's premises.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el promover la eficiencia energética en el suministro de energía a aparatos domésticos e industriales, dando prioridad a la energía proporcionada por fuentes más baratas.  It is yet another object of the invention to promote energy efficiency in the supply of energy to domestic and industrial appliances, giving priority to the energy provided by cheaper sources.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el detectar el consumo de potencia de cada aparato conectado a las instalaciones del usuario, e iniciar acciones de procesamiento y control sobre la base del aparato gestionado, de acuerdo al consumo de potencia detectado.  It is yet another object of the invention to detect the power consumption of each device connected to the user's facilities, and to initiate processing and control actions on the basis of the managed device, according to the power consumption detected.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el proporcionar conexión eléctrica de los aparatos a una multiplicidad de redes de suministro de energía eléctrica, provenientes, en general, de fuentes heterogéneas.  It is yet another object of the invention to provide electrical connection of the devices to a multiplicity of electricity supply networks, in general, from heterogeneous sources.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el reducir la demanda energética de las redes eléctricas más caras, tanto para aplicaciones domésticas como industriales.  It is yet another object of the invention to reduce the energy demand of the most expensive power grids, both for domestic and industrial applications.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el proporcionar control y operación independientes y no jerárquicos de cada aparato conectado a cada toma en hogares y/o instalaciones industriales.  It is yet another object of the invention to provide independent and non-hierarchical control and operation of each apparatus connected to each outlet in homes and / or industrial facilities.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el mejorar la fiabilidad del suministro de alimentación debido a la independencia física y funcional entre las tomas instaladas.  It is yet another object of the invention to improve the reliability of the power supply due to the physical and functional independence between the installed sockets.
Es aún otro objeto de la presente invención el permitir el control y gestión independientes de tomas individuales.  It is yet another object of the present invention to allow independent control and management of individual shots.
Es aún otro objeto de la invención el permitir a los usuarios domésticos o industriales seleccionar y controlar de forma autónoma la fuente de alimentación que suministra energía eléctrica al dispositivo conectado a la toma, a través de una interfaz de usuario, local o remota.  It is yet another object of the invention to allow domestic or industrial users to independently select and control the power supply that supplies electrical power to the device connected to the outlet, through a user interface, local or remote.
Es otro objeto de la invención el ayudar a los usuarios a configurar de forma autónoma instalaciones domésticas y/o industriales como redes eléctricas inteligentes personalizadas de tamaño reducido.  It is another object of the invention to help users to autonomously configure domestic and / or industrial installations as customized smart electrical networks of reduced size.
BREVE DESCRIPCIÓN DE LAS FIGURAS La figura 1 es un diagrama de bloques que representa la conexión del enchufe inteligente de la presente invención con elementos externos así como la interconexión de los elementos internos comprendidos en el enchufe inteligente. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the connection of the intelligent plug of the present invention with external elements as well as the interconnection of the internal elements included in the intelligent plug.
La figura 2 es un diagrama de bloques del enchufe inteligente de acuerdo con una forma de realización de la presente invención.  Figure 2 is a block diagram of the smart plug in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
La figura 3 es diagrama de flujo que ilustra los modos de operación del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating the modes of operation of the smart plug, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 4 es un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de procesamiento de señal del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 4 is a block diagram of the signal processing unit of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 5 es un diagrama de flujo de la rutina de operación del enchufe inteligente en modo de calibración, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 5 is a flow chart of the intelligent plug operation routine in calibration mode, according to an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 6 es un diagrama de flujo de la rutina de operación del enchufe inteligente en modo de funcionamiento, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 6 is a flow chart of the operation routine of the smart plug in operating mode, according to an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 7 es un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de detección del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 7 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug detection unit, according to an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 8 es un diagrama de bloque de la unidad electrónica de conmutación del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 8 is a block diagram of the electronic switching unit of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 9 es un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de comunicaciones del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 9 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug communication unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
La figura 10 es un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de control del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención.  Figure 10 is a block diagram of the intelligent plug control unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPCIÓN DE UNA FORMA DE REALIZACIÓN DE LA INVENCIÓN DESCRIPTION OF A FORM OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
El objeto de la presente invención es proporcionar un enchufe inteligente capaz de conectar electrodomésticos y/o equipos industriales a través de una o más tomas, detectar el consumo de potencia de los aparatos conectados, comunicarse a través de las unidades de control y comunicación a los componentes internos y externos de control de alimentación aparatos, y seleccionar a través de un mecanismo de conmutación electrónica interna la fuente de energía más conveniente de entre un conjunto de fuentes de energía eléctrica, convencionales y no convencionales, con el fin de optimizar recursos energéticos, dando prioridad a la eficiencia energética y a las fuentes de energía más baratas. En lo sucesivo, las realizaciones preferidas de la presente invención se describen con más detalle con referencia a los dibujos que las acompañan, pero se entiende que la invención no debe limitarse a las siguientes realizaciones. The object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent plug capable of connecting household appliances and / or industrial equipment through one or more sockets, detecting the power consumption of the connected devices, communicating through the control and communication units to the Internal and external components of power control appliances, and select through an internal electronic switching mechanism the most convenient power source from a set of conventional and unconventional electric power sources, in order to optimize energy resources, giving priority to energy efficiency and cheaper energy sources. Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is understood that the invention should not be limited to the following embodiments.
En referencia a la figura 1, el enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización del objeto de la presente invención, es un componente clave de una red eléctrica inteligente. En general, varios enchufes inteligentes pueden ser instalados para proporcionar al usuario los beneficios derivados del control personalizado de la energía suministrada. Por lo tanto, el ensamblaje de un sistema de energía de la figura 1 comprende al menos un enchufe inteligente 1 que comprende una unidad de comando autónoma A que se conecta físicamente a las líneas de alimentación a la red principal de alimentación de corriente alterna CAO a través de la conexión principal B y a "N" redes secundarias de energía eléctrica CAI -CAN a través de "N" conexiones secundarias Cl- CN. Este montaje implica un sistema de gestión de energía eléctrica compuesto por la red principal de corriente alterna CAO, que es la referencia para el suministro de energía y calibración; al menos un enchufe inteligente 1 como el del objeto de la presente invención, enchufado a una toma de corriente eléctrica de CA (no mostrado) o a cualquier otro medio similar para obtener alimentación, por lo menos a una red de abastecimiento de energía eléctrica de CA secundaria CAI -CAN, una unidad de comando autónoma A, una red de comunicaciones y gestión H para acceder físicamente a los enchufes inteligentes conectados al sistema de gestión de energía eléctrica mencionado, y un controlador externo F para comandar al menos un enchufe inteligente 1 y recoger datos operacionales de dicho enchufe inteligente. La conexión entre la unidad de comando autónoma A y la red de comunicaciones y gestión se realiza mediante la conexión de datos D. La figura 1 también muestra el conjunto de conexiones de aparato que tiene "M" conexiones denominadas El a EM que conectan el enchufe inteligente con "M" dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia Gl-GM  Referring to Figure 1, the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the object of the present invention, is a key component of a smart grid. In general, several smart plugs can be installed to provide the user with the benefits derived from personalized control of the power supplied. Therefore, the assembly of a power system of Figure 1 comprises at least one smart plug 1 comprising an autonomous command unit A that physically connects the power lines to the main AC AC power supply network a through the main connection B and "N" secondary power networks CAI -CAN through "N" secondary connections Cl-CN. This assembly involves an electrical energy management system composed of the main AC AC network, which is the reference for power supply and calibration; at least one smart plug 1 such as that of the object of the present invention, plugged into an AC power outlet (not shown) or any other similar means for obtaining power, at least to an AC power supply network secondary CAI -CAN, an autonomous command unit A, a communications and management network H to physically access the intelligent plugs connected to the mentioned electrical energy management system, and an external controller F to command at least one intelligent plug 1 and collect operational data from said smart plug. The connection between the autonomous command unit A and the communications and management network is made through the data connection D. Figure 1 also shows the set of device connections that have "M" connections called El to EM that connect the plug Smart with "M" Gl-GM external power consumption devices
En un ejemplo de realización, el enchufe inteligente se contiene en una caja, físicamente separada de la instalación eléctrica para facilitar su administración y conexión a la misma.  In an exemplary embodiment, the smart plug is contained in a box, physically separated from the electrical installation to facilitate its administration and connection to it.
El principio de funcionamiento del sistema es un esquema inteligente de medición de energía para iniciar acciones de control a partir de los datos de medición de consumo de potencia para seleccionar la fuente de electricidad más conveniente a criterio del usuario, de un grupo de redes de energía primaria y secundaria, incluyendo las provenientes de fuentes de generación de energía convencionales y/o no convencionales como la eólica, la solar, y/o electromagnética. Por lo tanto, el esquema inteligente de control de potencia incorpora selección de la fuente de alimentación a través de al menos uno de dichos enchufes inteligentes, dicho ensamblaje de un sistema de energía y dicho sistema de gestión de energía eléctrica. El esquema prevé un control y operación independientes y no jerárquicos de cada aparato conectado a cada toma en los hogares y / o instalaciones industriales a través de dicho enchufe inteligente. Uno de los objetivos de esta arquitectura es mejorar la fiabilidad del suministro de energía, debido a la independencia física y funcional de los enchufes inteligentes instalados. Además, garantiza que cada uno de los enchufes inteligentes instalados es controlado y administrado de manera independiente. Sacando provecho del esquema inteligente de control de potencia, empresas o usuarios particulares pueden seleccionar y controlar de forma autónoma las fuentes de alimentación que suministran energía eléctrica a los aparatos conectados a los enchufes inteligentes, a través de interfaces de usuario locales o remotas. De tal manera, los usuarios pueden configurar de forma autónoma instalaciones domésticas y/o industriales como redes eléctricas inteligentes personalizadas de tamaño reducido. The principle of operation of the system is an intelligent scheme of energy measurement to initiate control actions from the power consumption measurement data to select the most convenient source of electricity at the discretion of the user, of a group of primary and secondary energy networks, including those from conventional and / or unconventional power generation sources such as wind, solar, and / or electromagnetic. Therefore, the intelligent power control scheme incorporates selection of the power supply through at least one of said intelligent sockets, said assembly of an energy system and said electrical energy management system. The scheme provides for independent and non-hierarchical control and operation of each device connected to each outlet in homes and / or industrial facilities through said smart plug. One of the objectives of this architecture is to improve the reliability of the power supply, due to the physical and functional independence of the installed smart plugs. In addition, it ensures that each of the smart plugs installed is controlled and managed independently. Taking advantage of the intelligent power control scheme, companies or individual users can independently select and control the power supplies that supply electrical power to the devices connected to the smart plugs, through local or remote user interfaces. In this way, users can autonomously configure domestic and / or industrial installations as customized smart electrical networks of reduced size.
La figura 2 muestra un diagrama de bloques del enchufe inteligente 1, de acuerdo con una realización preferida del objeto de la presente invención. Los principales componentes del enchufe inteligente son una unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 para realizar control y operación de señales, incluyendo la selección de la fuente de energía más conveniente entre las redes conectadas a los puertos de conexión, una unidad de detección 3 para medir el consumo de potencia de cada aparato conectado a cada toma y para manejar datos con fines de procesamiento, una unidad electrónica de conmutación 4 para conectar cada aparato conectado a cada enchufe a uno de los puertos de líneas de potencia disponibles, una unidad de comunicaciones 5 para transmitir y recibir datos de controladores internos y externos y para administrar conexiones a redes y protocolos de comunicaciones; una unidad de control 6 para tratar con el comando a distancia, gestión de recursos, procedimientos de gestión de red, administración de las estadísticas operacionales, y el comando en general del enchufe inteligente y las unidades que lo componen, incluida su activación o desactivación parcial o total, y un puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 para conectarse a redes eléctricas convencionales y no convencionales. El enchufe inteligente comprende además una caja contenedora de todas sus unidades internas, en donde dicha caja ofrece una o más tomas de alimentación eléctrica, hembras y machos, para el suministro de energía y conexión de aparatos eléctricos de usuario, las conexiones de líneas de potencia, y las interfaces físicas inalámbricas o cableadas para comunicación de datos y control por medio de controladores externos. Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the smart plug 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the object of the present invention. The main components of the smart plug are a signal processing unit 2 for controlling and operating signals, including the selection of the most convenient power source among the networks connected to the connection ports, a detection unit 3 for measuring the power consumption of each device connected to each outlet and to handle data for processing purposes, an electronic switching unit 4 to connect each device connected to each socket to one of the available power line ports, a communications unit 5 for transmit and receive data from internal and external controllers and to manage connections to networks and communications protocols; a control unit 6 to deal with the remote command, resource management, network management procedures, administration of operational statistics, and the general command of the smart plug and the units that comprise it, including its activation or partial deactivation or total, and a power line connection port 7 to connect to conventional power networks and not conventional. The smart plug also includes a box containing all its internal units, where said box offers one or more electrical, female and male power sockets, for power supply and connection of user electrical appliances, power line connections , and the wireless or wired physical interfaces for data communication and control through external controllers.
El enchufe inteligente 1 también necesita una fuente de alimentación 8 para suministrar energía a todos los circuitos electrónicos contenidos en la caja que lo contiene. La fuente de alimentación 8 realiza conversión CA /CC para adaptar la red eléctrica de CA a voltajes de CC adecuados a las actuales tecnologías de circuitos integrados (CI) y otros componentes electrónicos, y protege toda la electrónica interna de inestabilidades en la red eléctrica principal CA mediante fusibles a las conexiones de las unidades de enchufe inteligente. El enchufe inteligente también cuenta con un conector plug interno 9 para conectarlo a las tomas jack de enchufes instalados actualmente en las instalaciones del usuario y conectados a la red de corriente alterna, por uno de sus extremos, y a la fuente de alimentación 8, por su segundo extremo. Tal conector plug interno 9 suministra alimentación de forma rápida al enchufe inteligente, evitando así la modificación de las conexiones a la instalación eléctrica de CA disponible y las costosas obras civiles relacionadas.  The smart plug 1 also needs a power supply 8 to supply power to all electronic circuits contained in the box containing it. The power supply 8 performs AC / DC conversion to adapt the AC power grid to DC voltages appropriate to current integrated circuit technologies (IC) and other electronic components, and protects all internal electronics from instabilities in the main power grid AC through fuses to the connections of the smart plug units. The smart plug also has an internal plug connector 9 to connect it to the jack sockets currently installed in the user's premises and connected to the AC network, at one end, and to the power supply 8, by its second end Such an internal plug connector 9 supplies power to the smart plug quickly, thus preventing the modification of the connections to the available AC electrical installation and the costly related civil works.
El enchufe inteligente 1 comprende además al menos una toma jack de alimentación The smart plug 1 further comprises at least one power jack socket
10 para conectar los aparatos domésticos o industriales, por uno de sus extremos, y las unidades internas del enchufe inteligente, por su segundo extremo. La toma jack de alimentación 10 es el medio físico para conectar los aparatos domésticos o industriales a la red de energía seleccionada por la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 y / o la unidad de control 6 de dicho enchufe inteligente 1. 10 to connect the domestic or industrial appliances, by one of its ends, and the internal units of the smart plug, by its second end. The power jack 10 is the physical means for connecting household or industrial appliances to the power network selected by the signal processing unit 2 and / or the control unit 6 of said smart plug 1.
Otro componente del enchufe inteligente es la unidad de protección 1 1, que evita el daño de los aparatos conectados a la toma jack de alimentación debido a descargas eléctricas, rayos, cortes, y en general a inestabilidades de la alimentación de CA originadas en la red de suministro de energía seleccionado. Esta unidad de protección 1 1 es un interruptor electrónico, fusible, o de relés electromecánicos, y se conecta a la toma jack de alimentación 10, por uno de sus extremos, y a una de las líneas eléctricas 12 disponibles a la salida del puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 después de que la línea se selecciona por un mecanismo que controla a la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4. Another component of the smart plug is the 1 1 protection unit, which prevents damage to the devices connected to the power jack due to electric shocks, lightning, cuts, and in general to AC power instabilities caused by the network. of selected power supply. This protection unit 1 1 is an electronic switch, fuse, or electromechanical relay, and is connected to the power jack 10, at one of its ends, and to one of the power lines 12 available at the output of the connection port of power lines 7 after the line is selected by a mechanism that controls the electronic switching unit 4.
Cada puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 se conecta a la red de energía seleccionada por medio de líneas de potencia previamente existentes en la instalación eléctrica del usuario. Para ello, puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 se conecta a las redes de CA disponibles, convencionales y/o no convencionales, por uno de sus extremos, y la unidad de protección 11, por su segundo extremo. Hay que notar que, en un momento dado, el puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 conecta cada línea de potencia a una y sólo una red de suministro por un mecanismo de selección controlado por la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4, lo que hace imposible conectar al mismo tiempo un aparato a más de una red de entre las redes disponibles en la instalación eléctrica. Para lograr este propósito, el puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 cuenta con líneas de potencia conmutables comandadas de un mecanismo de demultiplexación y selección controlado por la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4, cerrando así el circuito cableado entre la salida del puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7 y la entrada de la unidad de protección 1 1.  Each power line connection port 7 is connected to the selected power network by means of previously existing power lines in the user's electrical installation. For this, the power line connection port 7 is connected to the available AC networks, conventional and / or unconventional, at one of its ends, and the protection unit 11, at its second end. It should be noted that, at any given time, the power line connection port 7 connects each power line to one and only one supply network by a selection mechanism controlled by the electronic switching unit 4, which makes it impossible connect at the same time a device to more than one network from among the networks available in the electrical installation. To achieve this purpose, the power line connection port 7 has commutable power lines commanded by a demultiplexing and selection mechanism controlled by the electronic switching unit 4, thus closing the wired circuit between the output of the connection port of power lines 7 and protection unit input 1 1.
La figura 3 es un diagrama de flujo que describe los modos de operación del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización preferida de la invención. La unidad de control 6 comanda el enchufe inteligente para operar en cinco modos de funcionamiento, a saber, el modo de encendido 310, el modo de calibración 31 1, el modo de funcionamiento 312, el modo stand-by 313, y el modo de apagado 314. Tales modos de operación definen las diferentes interacciones entre las unidades que componen el enchufe inteligente 1. Para cada modo de los anteriormente mencionados, la unidad de control 6 ejecuta al menos una rutina denominadas de encendido (310R), de calibración y autodiagnóstico (31 IR), de funcionamiento (312R), de standby (313R) y de apagado Figure 3 is a flow chart describing the modes of operation of the smart plug, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The control unit 6 controls the smart plug to operate in five operating modes, namely the ignition mode 310, the calibration mode 31 1, the operation mode 312, the stand-by mode 313, and the mode of operation off 314. Such modes of operation define the different interactions between the units that make up the smart plug 1. For each mode of the aforementioned, the control unit 6 executes at least one routine called ignition (310R), calibration and self-diagnosis (31 IR), operating (312R), standby (313R) and shutdown
(314R), respectivamente. (314R), respectively.
El modo de encendido define rutinas para el inicio de todas las unidades después de conexión a una fuente de alimentación de CA de suministro de energía para alimentar todos los circuitos electrónicos contenidos en la caja del enchufe inteligente 1. El modo de calibración define rutinas para calibrar y medir el consumo real de potencia del enchufe inteligente 1, para realizar auto-diagnóstico, y ejecutar, en general, todas las acciones orientadas a garantizar que las futuras decisiones de selección de redes de suministro sean adecuadas cuando al enchufe se conecten dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia. El modo de funcionamiento define rutinas para operar en el enchufe inteligente 1 en su estado estable, una vez encendido y completadas las rutinas de calibración y, al mismo tiempo, cuando ocurre que un aparato se conecta y enciende a la toma jack de alimentación 10. El modo stand-by define rutinas para operar el enchufe inteligente 1 en su estado estable, una vez encendido y completadas las rutinas de calibración y, al mismo tiempo, cuando ocurre que ningún aparato está conectado a la toma jack de alimentación 10, o cada vez que está conectado pero apagado, por lo que no consume potencia y no requiere alimentación eléctrica proveniente de las fuentes de energía disponibles conectadas al enchufe inteligente 1. El modo de apagado define rutinas para la desconexión del enchufe inteligente 1, automáticamente o por acción del usuario, deteniendo así todos los procesos activos, aplicaciones y el sistema operativo. The power mode defines routines for starting all units after connection to an AC power supply for power supply to power all electronic circuits contained in the smart plug box 1. The calibration mode defines routines to calibrate and measure the real power consumption of the smart plug 1, to perform self-diagnosis, and execute, in general, all actions aimed at ensuring that future supply network selection decisions are suitable when external power consumption devices are connected to the plug. The operating mode defines routines to operate on the smart plug 1 in its stable state, once the calibration routines have been turned on and completed and, at the same time, when it happens that a device is connected and switched on to the power jack 10. The stand-by mode defines routines to operate the smart plug 1 in its stable state, once the calibration routines are turned on and completed, and at the same time, when it happens that no device is connected to the power jack 10, or each once it is connected but turned off, so it does not consume power and does not require power from the available power sources connected to the smart plug 1. The shutdown mode defines routines for disconnecting smart plug 1, automatically or by action of the user, thus stopping all active processes, applications and the operating system.
La figura 4 es un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 del enchufe inteligente, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención. La unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 se conecta a la unidad de detección 3, la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4, y la unidad de control 6.  Figure 4 is a block diagram of the signal processing unit 2 of the smart plug, according to an embodiment of the invention. The signal processing unit 2 is connected to the detection unit 3, the electronic switching unit 4, and the control unit 6.
La unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 comprende una unidad local de entrada- salida 21 para transmitir y recibir datos hacia y/o desde otras unidades dentro del enchufe inteligente 1, incluyendo la unidad de control 6, la unidad de detección 3, la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4 y la unidad de comunicaciones 5, y controladores externos si están disponibles; un procesador de señal digital 22 para realizar operaciones lógicas y aritméticas especializadas y ejecutar algoritmos, en general, y para comparar el consumo de potencia de los aparatos conectados al enchufe inteligente 1 y las energías disponibles entregadas por las redes de suministro de energía conectadas al enchufe inteligente 1 ; una unidad de memoria 23 para almacenar datos útiles para el procesamiento y administración del enchufe, incluyendo datos de consumo de potencia y energías disponibles a entregar por las redes, datos de calibración y auto-diagnóstico, registros de operaciones, estadísticas operativas y otras funciones obvias para la operación del enchufe inteligente 1, y una unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico 24 para realizar las rutinas de prueba automática, puesta en marcha, calibración de potencia para el procesamiento de señales, pruebas de comunicación, y otras funciones inherentes a la operación del enchufe inteligente 1. La unidad local de entrada- salí da 21 es un circuito electrónico digital con capacidades de almacenamiento en buffer, de control de tiempos, de registro y de transferencia de datos. La unidad local de entrada- salí da 21 controla la comunicación de la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 con otras unidades, externas e internas, incluyendo la transferencia de datos hacia y desde la unidad de memoria 23 y la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico 24, y administra los protocolos dentro de la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 tales como la puesta en marcha de las rutinas de calibración, la activación o desactivación del procesamiento, el arranque de la memoria y otros procesos obvios a la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2. The signal processing unit 2 comprises a local input-output unit 21 for transmitting and receiving data to and / or from other units within the intelligent plug 1, including the control unit 6, the detection unit 3, the electronic unit switching 4 and communication unit 5, and external controllers if available; a digital signal processor 22 to perform specialized logic and arithmetic operations and execute algorithms, in general, and to compare the power consumption of the devices connected to the smart plug 1 and the available energies delivered by the power supply networks connected to the plug smart 1; a memory unit 23 for storing data useful for the processing and administration of the plug, including data on power consumption and available energy to be delivered over the networks, calibration and self-diagnostic data, operation records, operational statistics and other obvious functions for the operation of the smart plug 1, and a calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 to perform the automatic test, start-up, power calibration for signal processing, communication tests, and other functions inherent to the operation of the smart plug 1. The local input-output unit 21 is a digital electronic circuit with buffer storage, time control, recording and data transfer capabilities. The local input-output unit 21 controls the communication of the signal processing unit 2 with other external and internal units, including the transfer of data to and from the memory unit 23 and the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24, and administers the protocols within the signal processing unit 2 such as the start-up of the calibration routines, the activation or deactivation of the processing, the memory startup and other obvious processes to the signal processing unit 2.
El procesador de señal digital 22 es una unidad de hardware electrónico digital sobre la que se ejecutan los algoritmos de calibración, control y decisión de selección de redes de suministro eléctrico. El procesador de señal digital 22 es un microprocesador de propósito general, microprocesador de señal digital (DSP), microcontrolador, dispositivo de lógica programable, matriz de puertas programables, circuito integrado de aplicación específica (ASIC), o cualquier otra tecnología digital adecuada para desempeñar sus funciones operativas. El procesador de señal digital 22 realiza cálculos sobre la base de datos de calibración, los datos de consumo de potencia del aparato conectado, las energías disponibles entregadas por las redes de suministro existentes (conectadas), estándares, normas y umbrales de producción de energía para asignar la red más conveniente que ha de dar servicio a un determinado aparato, algoritmos de asignación/conmutación, algoritmos de prioridad de red, algoritmos de mejor servicio de la red, y otros algoritmos adecuados para la selección de la red de suministro de energía más adecuada para servir al aparato conectado, en el supuesto de que se prioriza el uso de fuentes de energía más baratas, o a criterio del usuario. El procesador de señal digital 22 ejecuta los algoritmos y compara los datos de calibración de la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico 24, los datos de entrega de energía proveniente de la unidad de control 6 y datos de consumo de alimentación del aparato conectado provenientes de la unidad de detección 3, a través de la unidad de control 6, para seleccionar la red de mejor servicio. A continuación, el procesador de señal digital 22 transfiere los resultados de los cálculos, a través de la unidad local de entrada- salí da 21, a la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4 para controlar las líneas de potencia, y a la unidad de control 6 para realizar estadísticas y gestión. La unidad de memoria 23 transfiere datos desde/hacia el procesador digital de señal 22 y la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico 24. La unidad de memoria 23 es una memoria volátil, de acceso aleatorio (RAM), donde las instrucciones de procesamiento, registros, funciones y otros datos adecuados se cargan desde una memoria local, no volátil, a partir de la puesta en marcha y carga de procesos del enchufe inteligente 1. The digital signal processor 22 is a digital electronic hardware unit on which the calibration, control and decision algorithms for selecting power supply networks are executed. The digital signal processor 22 is a general purpose microprocessor, digital signal microprocessor (DSP), microcontroller, programmable logic device, programmable door array, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital technology suitable for performing its operational functions. The digital signal processor 22 performs calculations on the basis of calibration data, the power consumption data of the connected device, the available energies delivered by the existing (connected) supply networks, standards, standards and thresholds of energy production for assign the most convenient network to service a given device, allocation / switching algorithms, network priority algorithms, better network service algorithms, and other algorithms suitable for selecting the power supply network more suitable to serve the connected device, in the event that the use of cheaper energy sources is prioritized, or at the user's discretion. The digital signal processor 22 executes the algorithms and compares the calibration data of the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24, the energy delivery data from the control unit 6 and the power consumption data of the connected device from the detection unit 3, through the control unit 6, to select the best service network. Next, the digital signal processor 22 transfers the calculation results, through the local input-output unit 21, to the electronic switching unit 4 to control the power lines, and to the control unit 6 to Perform statistics and management. The memory unit 23 transfers data from / to the digital signal processor 22 and the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24. The memory unit 23 is a volatile, random access memory (RAM), where the processing instructions, registers, functions and other suitable data are loaded from a local, non-volatile memory, from the commissioning and loading of processes of the smart plug 1.
En relación con el diagrama de flujo de la figura 5, la unidad de calibración y auto- diagnóstico 24 realiza el control local de la rutina de calibración 31 IR y pruebas durante el modo de calibración 31 1 que inicia la unidad de control 6, y transfiere de vuelta los resultados de dicha calibración a la unidad de control 6, a través de la unidad local de entrada- salí da 21. Por lo tanto y a partir de mediciones calibradas independientes, se extrae un valor de referencia de consumo de potencia del enchufe 241, el cual se carga previamente en una memoria no volátil y que es accesible por la unidad de control 6 y la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2, y que se utiliza como dato de entrada de la rutina de calibración 31 IR. El consumo de potencia real 242 del enchufe inteligente es medido por un circuito de detección conectado a la fuente de alimentación 8. El valor de referencia de consumo de potencia 241 y el consumo de potencia real del enchufe inteligente 242 son la entrada de un comparador de potencia 243, generando así un valor diferencia, u offset. El valor de offset se utiliza para compensación y corrección 244 de las posteriores mediciones de consumo que se realizan durante el modo de funcionamiento 312, generando un valor de compensación 245. Este valor de compensación 245 es pues almacenado en memoria y transferido al procesador de señal digital 22 para ejecutar la selección de red de alimentación. Así, el valor de compensación 245, el consumo de potencia real 242, la energía disponible en la red de CA principal 246 y las energías disponibles en las redes de CA secundarias 247 son los parámetros de entrada de un algoritmo de mejor red servidora 248 ejecutado por el procesador digital de señal 22. La salida del algoritmo de mejor red servidora 248 es un identificador de red seleccionada 249, en donde el procesador de señal digital 22 lleva a cabo un análisis de costos 250, comparando el identificador de red seleccionada 249 contra un identificador de red de referencia 251. A su vez, el resultado del análisis de costos 250 es un indicador binario de costo 252 que informa a la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico 24 si la rutina de calibración 31 IR se ha completado exitosamente. Por lo tanto, la rutina de calibración 31 IR acaba cuando el indicador binario de costo 252 tiene un valor positivo previamente definido por el diseñador e informado a la unidad de control 6, para iniciar el modo de funcionamiento 312 del enchufe inteligente 1. De manera equivalente, un valor negativo o nulo del indicador binario de costo 252 informa a la unidad de calibración y auto- diagnóstico 24 que se requiere otro ciclo de compensación y corrección para terminar el modo de calibración 31 1, hasta que el indicador binario de costo 252 sea un número positivo, a fin de lograr una adecuada calibración, informando así a la unidad de control 6 y abandonando el modo de calibración 31 1. In relation to the flow chart of Fig. 5, the calibration and self-diagnosis unit 24 performs local control of the calibration routine 31 IR and tests during calibration mode 31 1 that starts the control unit 6, and transfer the results of said calibration back to the control unit 6, through the local input-output unit 21. Therefore, and based on independent calibrated measurements, a power consumption reference value is extracted from the plug 241, which is previously loaded into a non-volatile memory and which is accessible by the control unit 6 and the signal processing unit 2, and which is used as input of the calibration routine IR 31. The actual power consumption 242 of the smart plug is measured by a detection circuit connected to the power supply 8. The reference value of power consumption 241 and the actual power consumption of the smart plug 242 are the input of a comparator of power 243, thus generating a difference value, or offset. The offset value is used for compensation and correction 244 of the subsequent consumption measurements that are made during operating mode 312, generating a compensation value 245. This compensation value 245 is then stored in memory and transferred to the signal processor. digital 22 to execute the power network selection. Thus, the compensation value 245, the actual power consumption 242, the energy available in the main AC network 246 and the energies available in the secondary AC networks 247 are the input parameters of a better server network algorithm 248 executed by the digital signal processor 22. The output of the best server network algorithm 248 is a selected network identifier 249, wherein the digital signal processor 22 performs a cost analysis 250, comparing the selected network identifier 249 against a reference network identifier 251. In turn, the result of the cost analysis 250 is a binary cost indicator 252 that informs the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 if the calibration routine 31 IR has been successfully completed. Therefore, the calibration routine 31 IR ends when the binary cost indicator 252 has a positive value previously defined by the designer and informed to the control unit 6, to start the operation mode 312 of the smart plug 1. Equivalently, a negative or null value of the binary cost indicator 252 informs the calibration and self-diagnostic unit 24 that another compensation and correction cycle is required to complete the calibration mode 31 1, until the binary cost indicator 252 is a positive number, in order to achieve an adequate calibration, thus informing the control unit 6 and leaving the calibration mode 31 1.
En relación con el diagrama de flujo de la figura 6, durante el modo de funcionamiento 312 del enchufe inteligente 1, se asume una adecuada calibración del enchufe inteligente 1, de tal manera que las rutinas involucradas emplean los mismos algoritmos para la selección de la red de suministro, utilizando el valor de consumo de potencia de dispositivo externo conectado 253, el identificador de red de referencia 251 actualizado, el valor de energía disponible de la red principal de CA 246, y los valores de energías disponibles en las redes secundarias de CA 247. Obtenida la red seleccionada 249, se informa la decisión a la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 y a la unidad de control 6.  In relation to the flowchart of Figure 6, during operation mode 312 of the smart plug 1, an appropriate calibration of the smart plug 1 is assumed, so that the routines involved employ the same algorithms for network selection supply, using the power consumption value of connected external device 253, the updated reference network identifier 251, the available energy value of the main AC network 246, and the energy values available in the secondary AC networks 247. Once the selected network 249 is obtained, the decision is informed to the signal processing unit 2 and the control unit 6.
La figura 7 muestra la unidad de detección 3 del enchufe inteligente 1, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención. La unidad cuenta con un fusible 31 para la protección del enchufe inteligente 1 contra manipulación indebida de la toma jack de alimentación 10 o del aparato conectado a éste, un desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32 para protección de los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente 1 contra sobrecargas de potencia o cortocircuito, en caso de daño del fusible 31, un circuito de detección de potencia 33 para medir el consumo de potencia del aparato conectado a la toma jack de alimentación 10, un circuito de manejo de señal 34 para realizar conversión analógica a digital y formato de datos, y un circuito buffer 35 para registro y transmisión de datos a la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 y a la unidad de control 6.  Figure 7 shows the detection unit 3 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention. The unit has a fuse 31 for the protection of the smart plug 1 against improper handling of the power jack 10 or the device connected to it, an optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 for protection of the internal circuits of the smart plug 1 against overloads. power or short circuit, in case of damage to the fuse 31, a power detection circuit 33 to measure the power consumption of the device connected to the power jack 10, a signal handling circuit 34 to perform analog to digital conversion and data format, and a buffer circuit 35 for recording and transmission of data to the signal processing unit 2 and the control unit 6.
El fusible 31 es un interruptor electrónico, fusible, o de relés electromecánicos, que conecta a la toma jack de alimentación 10, por uno de sus extremos, y al desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32, por su segundo extremo.  Fuse 31 is an electronic, fuse, or electromechanical relay switch, which connects to the power jack 10, at one of its ends, and to the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32, at its second end.
El desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32 es un circuito optoelectrónico analógico de estado sólido compuesto por dispositivos semiconductores que separa eléctricamente la señal de potencia proveniente del fusible 31 y los circuitos posteriores dentro de la unidad de detección 3. La unidad de detección 3 está preparada para funcionar en dos modos, según las preferencias del usuario y la configuración posterior, a saber, el modo analógico de detección y el modo digital de detección. Cuando se opera en el modo analógico de detección, el desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32 conecta al fusible 31, por uno de sus extremos, y al circuito de detección de potencia 33, por su segundo extremo. Por otra parte, cuando el enchufe inteligente 1 opera en el modo digital de detección, el desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32 se conecta al fusible 31 por uno de sus extremos, y al circuito de manejo de señales 34, por su segundo extremo. The optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 is an analog solid state optoelectronic circuit consisting of semiconductor devices that electrically separates the power signal from the fuse 31 and subsequent circuits inside the detection unit 3. The detection unit 3 is prepared to operate in two modes, according to user preferences and subsequent configuration, namely the analog detection mode and the digital detection mode. When operating in the analog detection mode, the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 connects to the fuse 31, at one of its ends, and to the power detection circuit 33, at its second end. On the other hand, when the smart plug 1 operates in the digital detection mode, the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32 is connected to the fuse 31 at one of its ends, and to the signal handling circuit 34, at its second end.
Cuando se opera en el modo analógico de detección, el circuito de detección de potencia 33 es un circuito electrónico analógico de estado sólido compuesto por dispositivos semiconductores, reguladores de potencia y amplificadores comparadores. En este modo, el circuito de detección de potencia 33 se conecta con el desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección 32, por uno de sus extremos, y al circuito de manejo de señales 34, por su segundo extremo. El circuito de detección de potencia 33 calcula el consumo de potencia real del aparato conectado, y lo codifica en una forma de onda analógica de magnitud proporcional a la energía.  When operating in the analog detection mode, the power detection circuit 33 is a solid state analog electronic circuit consisting of semiconductor devices, power regulators and comparator amplifiers. In this mode, the power detection circuit 33 is connected to the optoelectronic detection decoupler 32, at one of its ends, and to the signal handling circuit 34, at its second end. The power detection circuit 33 calculates the actual power consumption of the connected apparatus, and encodes it in an analog waveform of magnitude proportional to the energy.
Cuando se opera en el modo digital de detección, el circuito de detección de potencia 33 es un circuito electrónico digital compuesto por circuitos lógicos, comparadores, registros de desplazamiento, y otros circuitos digitales. En este modo digital, el circuito de detección de potencia 33 se conecta al circuito de manejo de señales 34, por uno de sus extremos, y al circuito buffer 35, por su segundo extremo. Por lo tanto, el circuito de detección de potencia 33 calcula el consumo de potencia real del aparato conectado y lo codifica en forma de una palabra binaria.  When operating in the digital detection mode, the power detection circuit 33 is a digital electronic circuit consisting of logic circuits, comparators, displacement registers, and other digital circuits. In this digital mode, the power detection circuit 33 is connected to the signal handling circuit 34, at one of its ends, and to the buffer circuit 35, at its second end. Therefore, the power detection circuit 33 calculates the actual power consumption of the connected device and encodes it in the form of a binary word.
El circuito de manejo de señales 34 es un circuito electrónico de señal mixta compuesto por convertidores analógico a digital, relojes y circuitos de sincronización, registros de desplazamiento, y otros circuitos digitales. El circuito de manejo de señales 34 realiza la conversión analógica a digital y el acondicionamiento de señales de su señal de entrada, y la entrega al circuito buffer 35 o al circuito de detección de potencia 33, dependiendo de si la unidad de detección 3 funciona en el modo analógico de detección o el modo digital de detección, respectivamente. El circuito buffer 35 es un circuito electrónico digital compuesto por circuitos lógicos, comparadores, registros de desplazamiento, y otros circuitos digitales. El circuito buffer 35 se conecta por uno de sus extremos a la salida de la unidad de manejo de señales 34 y / o a la unidad de detección de potencia 33, dependiendo de si la unidad de detección 3 funciona en el modo analógico de detección o el modo digital de detección, respectivamente, y a la unidad de control 6, por su segundo extremo. El circuito buffer 35 almacena los datos de consumo de potencia codificados en forma binaria, y les entrega a la unidad de control 6 y/o a la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 después de habilitar y/o activar las señales de mando de la unidad de control 6. The signal handling circuit 34 is an electronic mixed signal circuit consisting of analog to digital converters, clocks and synchronization circuits, shift registers, and other digital circuits. The signal handling circuit 34 performs the analog to digital conversion and signal conditioning of its input signal, and delivery to the buffer circuit 35 or to the power detection circuit 33, depending on whether the detection unit 3 operates in the analog detection mode or the digital detection mode, respectively. The buffer circuit 35 is a digital electronic circuit consisting of logic circuits, comparators, shift registers, and other digital circuits. The buffer circuit 35 is connected at one of its ends to the output of the signal handling unit 34 and / or to the power detection unit 33, depending on whether the detection unit 3 operates in the analog detection mode or the digital detection mode, respectively, and to the control unit 6, at its second end. The buffer circuit 35 stores the power consumption data encoded in binary form, and delivers them to the control unit 6 and / or the signal processing unit 2 after enabling and / or activating the control signals of the control unit. control 6.
La figura 8 muestra un diagrama de bloque de la unidad electrónica de conmutación Figure 8 shows a block diagram of the electronic switching unit
4 del enchufe inteligente 1, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención, en donde éste cuenta con un administrador de conmutación 41 para conectarse a la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2, para moderar las comunicaciones y la transferencia de datos, y para recibir órdenes de conmutación de la unidad de control 6, un controlador de conmutación 42, el cual es una unidad lógica de mando y codificación para operar el conjunto de interruptores electrónicos, un desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación 43 para aislar los circuitos digitales de las líneas de potencia, un administrador de las líneas de potencia 44 para proteger los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente 1 contra saturación de potencia o cortocircuito, en caso de avería del fusible, y un conjunto de interruptores electrónicos 45 para abrir o cerrar las líneas eléctricas de potencia según comandos del administrador de las líneas de potencia 44. 4 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein it has a switching manager 41 to connect to the signal processing unit 2, to moderate communications and data transfer, and to receive orders of switching of the control unit 6, a switching controller 42, which is a logic control and coding unit for operating the set of electronic switches, an optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 to isolate the digital circuits from the power lines, an administrator of the power lines 44 to protect the internal circuits of the smart plug 1 against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure, and a set of electronic switches 45 to open or close the power power lines according to commands from the power line manager 44.
El administrador de conmutación 41 es un circuito digital con capacidades de almacenamiento en buffer, de control de tiempos, de registro y de transferencia de datos para conectarse a otros circuitos y recibir comandos de la unidad de control 6. El administrador de conmutación 41 se conecta a la unidad de control 6, por uno de sus extremos, y al controlador de conmutación 42, por su segundo extremo. De esta manera, el administrador de conmutación 41 pasa una palabra binaria paralela o serial con significado lógico al controlador de conmutación 42, representando en un formato apropiado la línea eléctrica de potencia a ser activada y/o seleccionada.  Switching manager 41 is a digital circuit with buffer storage, time control, recording and data transfer capabilities to connect to other circuits and receive commands from control unit 6. Switching manager 41 connects to the control unit 6, by one of its ends, and to the switching controller 42, by its second end. In this way, the switching administrator 41 passes a parallel or serial binary word with logical meaning to the switching controller 42, representing in an appropriate format the power line to be activated and / or selected.
El controlador de conmutación 42 es un circuito lógico con capacidades de demultiplexación y/o decodificación binaria para generar una palabra binaria con un único valor lógico " 1 " con valor significativo, y que representa al interruptor electrónico 45 que ha de activarse, y por lo tanto la línea eléctrica de potencia que se activará/conectará de acuerdo a los comandos de la unidad de control 6, luego de que la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 ha ejecutado y resuelto el algoritmo de selección de la mejor red de suministro y de la respectiva línea de potencia. El controlador de conmutación 42 se conecta con el administrador de conmutación 41, por uno de sus extremos, y al desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación 43, por su segundo extremo. Cada bit de la palabra binaria generada por el controlador de conmutación 42 codifica cada línea de potencia disponible, y tiene un valor lógico "0" si la línea eléctrica correspondiente debe desactivarse y/o desconectarse, y un valor lógico " 1 " si la línea de potencia correspondiente se ha de seleccionar, cerrando así el interruptor electrónico 45 correspondiente a la línea de potencia en cuestión y, como consecuencia, entregando energía al aparato conectado a través de la toma jack de alimentación 10. Switching controller 42 is a logic circuit with demultiplexing and / or binary decoding capabilities to generate a binary word with a single logical value "1" with significant value, and which represents electronic switch 45 which has to be activated, and therefore the power line that will be activated / connected according to the commands of the control unit 6, after the signal processing unit 2 has executed and solved the algorithm for selecting the better supply network and the respective power line. The switching controller 42 is connected to the switching manager 41, at one of its ends, and to the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43, at its second end. Each bit of the binary word generated by switching controller 42 encodes each available power line, and has a logical value "0" if the corresponding power line must be deactivated and / or disconnected, and a logical value "1" if the line corresponding power must be selected, thus closing the electronic switch 45 corresponding to the power line in question and, as a consequence, delivering power to the connected device through the power jack 10.
El desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación 43 es un circuito de estado sólido optoelectrónico compuesto por dispositivos semiconductores. Se conecta al controlador de conmutación 42, por uno de sus extremos, y al administrador de las líneas de potencia 44, por su segundo extremo, y desacopla eléctricamente las señales y circuitos electrónicos de baja potencia del controlador de conmutación 42 y los subsecuentes circuitos electrónicos de potencia del administrador de las líneas de potencia 44.  The optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 is an optoelectronic solid state circuit composed of semiconductor devices. It is connected to the switching controller 42, at one of its ends, and to the power line manager 44, at its second end, and electrically decouples the low power electronic signals and circuits of the switching controller 42 and the subsequent electronic circuits of power of the administrator of the power lines 44.
El administrador de las líneas de potencia 44 es un circuito electrónico de potencia de estado sólido conectado al desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación 43, por uno de sus extremos, y al conjunto de interruptores electrónicos 45, por su segundo extremo. El administrador de las líneas de potencia 44 realiza el manejo de señal para adaptar las señales binarias de baja potencia provenientes del desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación 43 a señales binarias de potencia para controlar los interruptores electrónicos 45.  The power line manager 44 is an electronic solid state power circuit connected to the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43, at one of its ends, and to the set of electronic switches 45, at its second end. The power line manager 44 performs the signal handling to adapt the low power binary signals from the optoelectronic switching decoupler 43 to binary power signals to control the electronic switches 45.
Cada uno de los interruptores electrónicos 45 es un interruptor binario de potencia de estado sólido o de relés electromecánicos. Un interruptor electrónico 45 tiene un puerto de conducción que se conecta a la salida de uno de los puertos disponibles del administrador de las líneas de potencia 44, un puerto de conexión conmutada a una de las líneas de potencia provenientes del puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia 7, y un segundo puerto conmutado que conecta la línea correspondiente en el puerto de entrada de la unidad de protección 1 1. Cada interruptor electrónico 45 abre o cierra los contactos eléctricos existentes entre las líneas conectadas a sus puertos conmutados en función del valor de la señal binaria en su puerto de conducción. Each of the electronic switches 45 is a binary solid state power or electromechanical relay switch. An electronic switch 45 has a conduction port that is connected to the output of one of the available ports of the power line manager 44, a connection port switched to one of the power lines from the connection port of power lines. power 7, and a second switched port that connects the corresponding line to the input port of the protection unit 1 1. Each electronic switch 45 opens or closes the contacts electrical connections between the lines connected to its switched ports depending on the value of the binary signal in its conduction port.
La figura 9 muestra un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de comunicaciones 5 del enchufe inteligente 1, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención, la unidad comprendiendo una interfaz de comunicaciones 51 para conectar físicamente el enchufe inteligente 1 a aparatos y redes de control local o remoto, una unidad transceptora 52 para transmitir y recibir datos hacia/desde controladores internos y externos, y un agente de administración de red 53 para proporcionar una interfaz para el control remoto y gestión del enchufe inteligente 1 por un administrador de red externa, y para notificar al administrador de operaciones o usuario a través de protocolos y procedimientos de gestión de red.  Figure 9 shows a block diagram of the communication unit 5 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention, the unit comprising a communication interface 51 for physically connecting the smart plug 1 to local control devices and networks or remote, a transceiver unit 52 for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers, and a network management agent 53 to provide an interface for remote control and management of the smart plug 1 by an external network administrator, and to notify the operations manager or user through network management protocols and procedures.
La interfaz de comunicación 51 es una interfaz de cable y/o inalámbrica que conecta al enchufe inteligente 1 al medio de transmisión físico, por uno de sus extremos, y a la unidad transceptora 52, por su segundo extremo.  The communication interface 51 is a wired and / or wireless interface that connects the smart plug 1 to the physical transmission medium, at one of its ends, and to the transceiver unit 52, at its second end.
La unidad transceptora 52 es un circuito de señal mixta construido de acuerdo a los sistemas de comunicación estándar y tiene capacidades de recepción y transmisión de señales para comunicarse. Se conecta a la interfaz de comunicaciones 51, por uno de sus extremos, y la unidad de control 6, por su segundo extremo. La unidad transceptora 52 realiza el procesamiento de señales de comunicación, tratando señales y protocolos de comunicación estándar de banda base y/o de radiofrecuencia, de acuerdo a la interfaz de comunicación 51 habilitada.  The transceiver unit 52 is a mixed signal circuit constructed in accordance with standard communication systems and has reception and transmission capabilities to communicate. It is connected to the communication interface 51, at one of its ends, and the control unit 6, at its second end. The transceiver unit 52 performs the processing of communication signals, treating standard baseband and / or radio frequency communication signals and protocols, according to the communication interface 51 enabled.
El agente de gestión de red 53 es una unidad de software que reside en una memoria interna no volátil, que se activa por la unidad de control 6 después de la puesta en marcha del enchufe inteligente 1.  The network management agent 53 is a software unit that resides in a non-volatile internal memory, which is activated by the control unit 6 after the start-up of the smart plug 1.
La figura 10 muestra un diagrama de bloques de la unidad de control 6 del enchufe inteligente 1, de acuerdo con una realización de la invención. La función principal de la unidad de control 6 es recibir de controladores externos datos de energía disponible y entregable por parte de diversas redes de suministro de energía, y que son requeridos por la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2 para poder ejecutar los algoritmos de selección de red y, en general, para aceptar y manejar comandos de controladores externos con fines de operación, instalación, interconexión, estadísticas, gestión de redes, y registro remoto o local, entre otros. La unidad de control 6 comprende además un sistema operativo 61 que es la unidad básica de gestión de recursos del enchufe inteligente 1 administrando todos sus componentes y unidades, un procesador de control 62 para ejecutar el sistema operativo 61 y las aplicaciones de control, una memoria interna de control 63 para almacenar los datos procedentes desde las diferentes unidades dentro del enchufe inteligente 1 y desde controladores externos, una unidad de estadísticas 64 para almacenar datos históricos relativos a la utilización del enchufe inteligente 1, energía entregable disponible, registros de comando, y otros eventos relacionados a la operación del enchufe inteligente 1, y un administrador de dispositivos 65 para direccionar y comandar las unidades internas del enchufe inteligente 1. Además, la unidad de control 6 cuenta con un controlador de puesta en marcha 66, y un registrador de comandos y eventos 67. Figure 10 shows a block diagram of the control unit 6 of the smart plug 1, according to an embodiment of the invention. The main function of the control unit 6 is to receive available and deliverable data from external controllers by various power supply networks, and which are required by the signal processing unit 2 to be able to execute the selection algorithms of network and, in general, to accept and manage commands from external controllers for the purpose of operation, installation, interconnection, statistics, network management, and remote or local registration, among others. The control unit 6 further comprises an operating system 61 which is the basic resource management unit of the intelligent plug 1 managing all its components and units, a control processor 62 for executing the operating system 61 and the control applications, a memory control unit 63 for storing data from different units within smart plug 1 and from external controllers, a statistics unit 64 for storing historical data relating to the use of smart plug 1, available deliverable power, command registers, and other events related to the operation of the smart plug 1, and a device manager 65 to address and command the internal units of the smart plug 1. In addition, the control unit 6 has a start-up controller 66, and a data logger. Commands and events 67.
El sistema operativo 61 es una unidad de software que reside en una memoria interna no volátil, que se activa después de la puesta en marcha para administrar todos los recursos del enchufe inteligente 1 incluidas sus unidades internas y controladores externos a través de control remoto, ya que todos son tratados como dispositivos periféricos del enchufe inteligente 1. El sistema operativo 61 soporta aplicaciones de software para realizar estadísticas, gestión de red y control del enchufe inteligente 1, y se ejecuta en una plataforma de hardware definida por la realización del procesador de control 62, cuando se carga en la memoria local después de la puesta en marcha.  The operating system 61 is a software unit that resides in a non-volatile internal memory, which is activated after commissioning to manage all the resources of the smart plug 1 including its internal units and external controllers via remote control, since that all are treated as peripheral devices of the smart plug 1. The operating system 61 supports software applications for statistics, network management and control of the smart plug 1, and runs on a hardware platform defined by the realization of the control processor 62, when it is loaded into local memory after startup.
El procesador de control 62 es una unidad de hardware electrónico digital sobre la que corre el sistema operativo 61 y las estadísticas de nivel superior, la gestión de redes y aplicaciones de controlador de dispositivos del enchufe inteligente 1. El procesador de control 62 es un microprocesador de propósito general, microcontrolador, dispositivo de lógica programable, matriz de puertas programables, circuito integrado de aplicación específica (ASIC), o cualquier otra tecnología digital adecuada para desempeñar sus funciones operativas.  The control processor 62 is a digital electronic hardware unit on which the operating system 61 and the top-level statistics, network management and device controller applications of the smart plug 1 run. The control processor 62 is a microprocessor General purpose, microcontroller, programmable logic device, programmable door array, specific application integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital technology suitable for performing its operational functions.
La memoria interna de control 63 es una memoria volátil, de acceso aleatorio (RAM) que almacena datos de proceso a partir de comandos del procesador de control 62.  The internal control memory 63 is a volatile, random access memory (RAM) that stores process data from commands of the control processor 62.
La unidad de estadísticas 64 es una memoria secundaria, no volátil y regrabable, donde una aplicación de estadísticas controladas por el sistema operativo 61 accede, escribe, lee, borra y/o administra datos operativos. El administrador de dispositivos 65 es una interfaz de software para el comando de la unidad de procesamiento de señal 2, la unidad de detección 3, la unidad electrónica de conmutación 4, la unidad de comunicaciones 5, la fuente de alimentación 8 y la unidad de detección en su interior, y otras unidades internas del enchufe inteligente 1. The statistics unit 64 is a secondary, non-volatile and rewritable memory, where a statistics application controlled by the operating system 61 accesses, writes, reads, deletes and / or manages operational data. The device manager 65 is a software interface for the command of the signal processing unit 2, the detection unit 3, the electronic switching unit 4, the communication unit 5, the power supply 8 and the control unit. detection inside, and other internal units of the smart plug 1.

Claims

REIVINDICACIONES
1. - Enchufe inteligente (1) para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes caracterizado porque comprende: 1. - Smart plug (1) for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electrical networks characterized in that it comprises:
• una unidad de comando autónoma (A) que a su vez comprende unos medios de medición de consumo de potencia;  • an autonomous command unit (A) which in turn comprises means for measuring power consumption;
• una conexión principal (B) que conecta el enchufe inteligente con una línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA (CAO);  • a main connection (B) that connects the smart plug to a main AC power supply line (CAO);
« al menos una conexión secundaria (Cl-CN) que conecta el enchufe inteligente con al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA (CAI -CAN);  «At least one secondary connection (Cl-CN) that connects the smart plug with at least one secondary AC AC supply line (CAI -CAN);
• una conexión de datos (D) que conecta la unidad de comando autónoma con un controlador externo (F) a través de la línea de datos (H);  • a data connection (D) that connects the autonomous command unit with an external controller (F) through the data line (H);
« un conjunto de conexiones de aparato (El-EM) que comprende al menos una conexión de aparato, donde cada conexión de aparato conecta el enchufe inteligente con un dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia (Gl-GM); en donde la unidad de comando autónoma (A) decide y lleva a cabo en base a unos datos recibidos del controlador externo a través de la conexión de datos, para cada conexión de aparato, una conexión entre cada conexión de aparato y una conexión seleccionada entre la conexión principal y la al menos una conexión secundaria, donde previamente, la unidad de comando autónoma mide el consumo de potencia de cada dispositivo externo conectado al conjunto de conexiones de aparato y envía dicha medición de consumo al controlador externo.  «A set of device connections (El-EM) comprising at least one device connection, where each device connection connects the smart plug with an external power consumption device (Gl-GM); wherein the autonomous command unit (A) decides and carries out based on data received from the external controller through the data connection, for each device connection, a connection between each device connection and a connection selected between the main connection and the at least one secondary connection, where previously, the autonomous command unit measures the power consumption of each external device connected to the set of device connections and sends said consumption measurement to the external controller.
2. - Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 1, caracterizado porque la unidad de comando autónoma (A) adicionalmente comprende: 2. - Intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electrical networks according to claim 1, characterized in that the autonomous command unit (A) additionally comprises:
• una unidad de procesamiento de señal (2);  • a signal processing unit (2);
· una unidad de detección (3);  · A detection unit (3);
• una unidad electrónica de conmutación (4);  • an electronic switching unit (4);
• una unidad de comunicaciones (5); • una unidad de control (6); • a communications unit (5); • a control unit (6);
tal que dichas unidades están conectadas y comunicadas entre sí de una forma seleccionada entre comunicación directa entre dos unidades y comunicación indirecta a través de al menos una unidad del resto de unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma. such that said units are connected and communicated with each other in a manner selected between direct communication between two units and indirect communication through at least one unit of the rest of the units included in the autonomous command unit.
3. - Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2) adicionalmente comprende al menos: 3. - Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the signal processing unit (2) additionally comprises at least:
· una unidad local de entrada-salida (21) que transmite y recibe datos hacia/desde otras unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma;  · A local input-output unit (21) that transmits and receives data to / from other units included in the autonomous command unit;
• un procesador de señal digital (22) que calcula operaciones lógicas y aritméticas especializadas, ejecuta algoritmos, calcula comparaciones del consumo de potencia de los dispositivos externos conectados al conjunto de conexiones de aparato y calcula las energías disponibles entregadas por las redes de suministro de energía conectadas al enchufe inteligente (1);  • a digital signal processor (22) that calculates specialized logical and arithmetic operations, executes algorithms, calculates comparisons of the power consumption of external devices connected to the set of device connections and calculates the available energies delivered by the power supply networks connected to the smart plug (1);
• una unidad de memoria (23) que almacena unos datos, donde dichos datos son al menos: datos de consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo y energías disponibles a entregar por las redes, datos de calibración y auto-diagnóstico, registros de operaciones, estadísticas operativas y combinación de los mismos; y, • a memory unit (23) that stores data, where said data is at least: power consumption data of the external device and available energy to be delivered over the networks, calibration and self-diagnostic data, operation records, statistics operational and combination thereof; Y,
• una unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico (24) para realizar al menos las siguientes funciones: rutinas de prueba automática, puesta en marcha, calibración de potencia para el procesamiento de señales, pruebas de comunicación, y combinaciones de las mismas. • a calibration and self-diagnostic unit (24) to perform at least the following functions: automatic test routines, commissioning, power calibration for signal processing, communication tests, and combinations thereof.
4. - Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad de detección (3) adicionalmente comprende al menos: 4. - Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the detection unit (3) additionally comprises at least:
• un fusible (31);  • a fuse (31);
« un circuito de detección de potencia (33) que mide el consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia conectado con una conexión del conjunto de conexiones de dispositivo; • un circuito de manejo de señal (34) para realizar conversión analógica a digital y formato de datos; «A power detection circuit (33) that measures the power consumption of the external power consumption device connected to a connection of the set of device connections; • a signal management circuit (34) to perform analog to digital conversion and data format;
• un circuito buffer (35) para registro y transmisión de datos a la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2) y a la unidad de control (6);  • a buffer circuit (35) for recording and transmission of data to the signal processing unit (2) and to the control unit (6);
« un desacoplador optoelectrónico de detección (32) que:  "An optoelectronic detection decoupler (32) that:
o protege al resto de elementos comprendidos en la unidad de comando autónoma contra sobrecargas de potencia o cortocircuito; y, o opera en un modo seleccionado entre analógico y digital; de tal forma que en modo analógico, el desacoplador optoelectrónico conecta el fusible con el circuito de manejo de señal, y en el modo digital, el desacoplador optoelectrónico conecta el fusible con el circuito de detección de potencia.  o protects the rest of the elements included in the autonomous command unit against power overload or short circuit; and, or operates in a mode selected between analog and digital; so that in analog mode, the optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the signal handling circuit, and in digital mode, the optoelectronic decoupler connects the fuse with the power detection circuit.
5 - Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad electrónica de conmutación (4) adicionalmente comprende al menos: 5 - Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the electronic switching unit (4) additionally comprises at least:
• un administrador de conmutación (41) que gestiona la conexión con la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2), modera las comunicaciones y la transferencia de datos, y recibe órdenes de conmutación de la unidad de control (6);  • a switching administrator (41) that manages the connection with the signal processing unit (2), moderates communications and data transfer, and receives switching orders from the control unit (6);
• un controlador de conmutación (42), el cual es una unidad lógica de mando y codificación que opera un conjunto de interruptores electrónicos (45);  • a switching controller (42), which is a logic control and coding unit that operates a set of electronic switches (45);
• un desacoplador optoelectrónico de conmutación (43) que aisla los circuitos digitales de las líneas de suministro de potencia principal y secundarias;  • an optoelectronic switching decoupler (43) that isolates the digital circuits from the main and secondary power supply lines;
• un administrador (44) de las líneas de suministro de potencia que protege los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente (1) contra saturación de potencia o cortocircuito, en caso de avería del fusible; y,  • an administrator (44) of the power supply lines that protects the internal circuits of the smart plug (1) against power saturation or short circuit, in the event of a fuse failure; Y,
• el conjunto de interruptores electrónicos (45) para abrir o cerrar las líneas eléctricas de potencia según comandos del administrador de las líneas de potencia (44).  • the set of electronic switches (45) to open or close the power power lines according to commands from the power line manager (44).
6.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad de comunicaciones (5) adicionalmente comprende al menos: una interfaz de comunicaciones (51) que conecta físicamente el enchufe inteligente (1) con aparatos y redes de control local o remoto; 6. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the communications unit (5) additionally comprises at least: a communications interface (51) that physically connects the smart plug (1) with local or remote control devices and networks;
una unidad transceptora (52) para transmitir y recibir datos hacia/desde controladores internos y externos; y,  a transceiver unit (52) for transmitting and receiving data to / from internal and external controllers; Y,
un agente de administración de red (53) que proporciona una interfaz para el control remoto y gestión del enchufe inteligente (1) por un administrador de red externa, y que notifica al administrador de operaciones o usuario a través de protocolos y procedimientos de gestión de red.  a network administration agent (53) that provides an interface for remote control and management of the smart plug (1) by an external network administrator, and notifies the operations administrator or user through protocols and management procedures of net.
7.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad de control (6) adicionalmente comprende al menos: 7. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit (6) additionally comprises at least:
• un sistema operativo (61) que es la unidad básica de gestión de recursos del enchufe inteligente (1) administrando todos sus componentes y unidades;  • an operating system (61) which is the basic resource management unit of the smart plug (1) managing all its components and units;
« un procesador de control (62) que ejecuta el sistema operativo (61) y unas aplicaciones de control;  «A control processor (62) running the operating system (61) and control applications;
• una memoria interna de control (63) que almacena unos datos procedentes desde las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma y desde al menos un controlador externo;  • an internal control memory (63) that stores data from the units included in the autonomous command unit and from at least one external controller;
· una unidad de estadísticas (64) que almacena datos históricos seleccionados entre: utilización del enchufe inteligente, energía entregable disponible, registros de comando, y combinaciones de los mismos; y,  · A statistics unit (64) that stores historical data selected from: use of the smart plug, available deliverable power, command registers, and combinations thereof; Y,
• un administrador de dispositivos (65) que direcciona y comanda las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma.  • a device manager (65) that addresses and commands the units included in the autonomous command unit.
8.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 7, caracterizado porque la unidad de control (6) adicionalmente comprende al menos: 8. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit (6) additionally comprises at least:
• un controlador de puesta en marcha (66); y,  • a start-up controller (66); Y,
« un registrador de comandos y eventos (67). «A command and event recorder (67).
9.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 4, caracterizado porque cuando el desacoplador electrónico de detección (32) funciona en modo analógico, el circuito de detección de energía (33) es un circuito electrónico analógico de estado sólido que comprende dispositivos semiconductores, reguladores de potencia y amplificadores comparadores, tal que dicho circuito de detección de potencia (33) calcula el consumo de potencia real del dispositivo externo conectado, y lo codifica en una forma de onda analógica de magnitud proporcional a la energía. 9. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 4, characterized in that when the electronic detection decoupler (32) operates in analog mode, the energy detection circuit (33) is an analog electronic circuit of solid state comprising semiconductor devices, power regulators and comparator amplifiers, such that said power detection circuit (33) calculates the actual power consumption of the connected external device, and encodes it in an analog waveform of magnitude proportional to the Energy.
10.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 4, caracterizado porque cuando el desacoplador electrónico de detección (32) funciona en modo digital, el circuito de detección de energía (33) es un circuito electrónico digital, tal que dicho circuito de detección de energía (33) calcula el consumo de potencia real del aparato conectado y lo codifica en forma de una palabra binaria. 10. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 4, characterized in that when the electronic detection decoupler (32) operates in digital mode, the energy detection circuit (33) is a digital electronic circuit, such that said energy detection circuit (33) calculates the actual power consumption of the connected device and encodes it in the form of a binary word.
1 1.- Enchufe inteligente para uso doméstico e industrial en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 2, caracterizado porque la unidad de comando autónoma adicionalmente comprende: 1 1. Smart plug for domestic and industrial use in smart electrical networks according to claim 2, characterized in that the autonomous command unit additionally comprises:
« un puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia (7), tal que la conexión secundaria "A power line connection port (7), such that the secondary connection
(Cl-CN) que conecta el enchufe inteligente con al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA (CAI -CAN) es llevada a cabo por dicho puerto de conexión de líneas de potencia; (Cl-CN) that connects the smart plug with at least one secondary AC AC supply line (CAI -CAN) is carried out by said power line connection port;
• una fuente de alimentación (8);  • a power supply (8);
« un enchufe macho (9), tal que la conexión principal entre el enchufe inteligente y la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna (CAO) es llevada a cabo mediante dicho enchufe macho;  «A male plug (9), such that the main connection between the smart plug and the main AC power supply line is carried out by means of said male plug;
• al menos un enchufe hembra (10) , tal que donde cada conexión de aparato que conecta el enchufe inteligente con el dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia (Gl-GM) es llevada a cabo mediante dicho enchufe hembra;  • at least one female plug (10), such that where each device connection connecting the smart plug with the external power consumption device (Gl-GM) is carried out by said female plug;
• una unidad de protección (1 1); • unas líneas eléctricas (12) de interconexión de las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma; y, • a protection unit (1 1); • interconnecting power lines (12) of the units included in the autonomous command unit; Y,
• un puerto de comunicaciones (13), tal que la conexión de datos que conecta la unidad de comando autónoma con un controlador externo es llevada a cabo mediante dicho puerto de comunicaciones (13), y donde adicionalmente, dicho puerto de comunicaciones está seleccionado entre un puerto de comunicación por cable y un puerto de comunicación inalámbrico.  • a communications port (13), such that the data connection that connects the autonomous command unit with an external controller is carried out through said communications port (13), and where additionally, said communications port is selected from a cable communication port and a wireless communication port.
12.- Procedimiento de funcionamiento de un enchufe inteligente en redes eléctricas inteligentes, donde dicho enchufe inteligente está definido por cualquiera de las reivindicaciones 1 a 11, caracterizado porque comprende: 12. Method of operation of an intelligent plug in intelligent electrical networks, wherein said intelligent plug is defined by any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises:
i) ejecutar un procedimiento de encendido según un esquema de operación denominado "modo encendido" (310), donde la unidad de comando autónoma (A) define al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de encendido" (310R) que inicializa todas las unidades comprendidas en la unidad de comando autónoma, una vez que dicha unidad de comando autónoma (A) ha sido conectada a la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA (CAO), tal que la rutina de encendido proporciona unos parámetros de operación del enchufe;  i) execute an ignition procedure according to an operation scheme called "ignition mode" (310), where the autonomous command unit (A) defines at least one routine called "ignition routine" (310R) that initializes all units included in the autonomous command unit, once said autonomous command unit (A) has been connected to the main AC power supply line (CAO), such that the ignition routine provides plug operating parameters;
ii) ejecutar un procedimiento de calibración y autodiagnóstico según un esquema de operación denominado "modo calibración" (311) mediante el cual, la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2) y la unidad de control (6) definen y ejecutan al menos una denominada "rutina de calibración" (31 IR) para calibrar y medir el consumo de potencia del enchufe inteligente y una rutina para realizar auto-diagnóstico, tal que la unidad de comando autónoma conecta el enchufe inteligente con una red de suministro de corriente alterna seleccionada entre la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA (CAO) y la al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA (CAI -CAN);  ii) execute a calibration and self-diagnosis procedure according to an operation scheme called "calibration mode" (311) whereby the signal processing unit (2) and the control unit (6) define and execute at least one called "calibration routine" (31 IR) to calibrate and measure the power consumption of the smart plug and a routine to perform self-diagnosis, such that the autonomous command unit connects the smart plug to an alternating current supply network selected from the main AC AC supply line (CAO) and the at least one secondary AC AC supply line (CAI -CAN);
iii) ejecutar un procedimiento de funcionamiento según un esquema de operación denominado "modo funcionamiento" (312) mediante el cual, la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2) y la unidad de control (6) de la unidad de comando autónoma (A) definen y ejecutan al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de funcionamiento" (312R) que lleva a cabo una selección de conmutación para que la unidad electrónica de conmutación (4) conecte cada uno de los dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia (Gl-GM) a través del conjunto de conexiones de aparato (El-EM) con una línea de suministro seleccionada entre la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA (CAO) y la al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA (CA2-CAN); donde dicha selección de conmutación está basada en una información enviada a la unidad electrónica de conmutación (4) por la unidad de detección (3) y el controlador externo (F) a través de la conexión de datos (D) y de ahí a la unidad de comunicaciones (5). iii) execute an operation procedure according to an operation scheme called "operating mode" (312) whereby the signal processing unit (2) and the control unit (6) of the autonomous command unit (A) define and execute at least one routine called "operating routine" (312R) that performs a switching selection so that the electronic switching unit (4) connect each of the external power consumption devices (Gl-GM) through the set of device connections (El-EM) with a selected supply line between the main supply line of AC alternating current (CAO) and the at least one secondary AC alternating current supply line (CA2-CAN); wherein said switching selection is based on information sent to the electronic switching unit (4) by the detection unit (3) and the external controller (F) through the data connection (D) and from there to the communications unit (5).
13.- Procedimiento de funcionamiento de un enchufe inteligente en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 12, caracterizado porque adicionalmente comprende: iv) ejecutar un procedimiento de puesta en reposo según un esquema de operación denominado "modo standby" (313) definido por la ausencia de dispositivo externos de consumo conectados al enchufe inteligente; mediante dicho modo standby, la unidad de comando autónoma define y ejecuta al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de standby" (313R), mediante la cual se realizan secuencialmente las siguientes acciones: a) realizar periódicamente mediciones de potencias consumidas en las conexiones de aparato (El-EM); b) generar una señal de indicación de cero potencia consumida de aparato cuando se detecte que la suma de los valores de dichas mediciones de potencia es igual a cero o está por debajo de un valor pre-establecido, indicando que no hay dispositivos externos de consumo de potencia (Gl-GM) conectados al enchufe; c) informar a la unidad de control (6) y las otras unidades internas que componen la unidad de comando autónoma (A) que el enchufe operará en un modo de reposo; d) informar al controlador externo (F) vía la conexión de datos (D) que el enchufe ha entrado en un modo de reposo.; y, 13.- Operating procedure of an intelligent plug in intelligent electrical networks according to claim 12, characterized in that it additionally comprises: iv) executing a stand-by procedure according to an operation scheme called "standby mode" (313) defined by the absence external consumer device connected to the smart plug; by means of said standby mode, the autonomous command unit defines and executes at least one routine called "standby routine" (313R), by means of which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) periodically perform measurements of powers consumed in the device connections (El-EM); b) generate an indication of zero power consumption of the device when it is detected that the sum of the values of said power measurements is equal to zero or below a pre-established value, indicating that there are no external consumption devices of power (Gl-GM) connected to the plug; c) inform the control unit (6) and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit (A) that the plug will operate in a sleep mode; d) inform the external controller (F) via the data connection (D) that the plug has entered a sleep mode .; Y,
v) ejecutar un procedimiento de apagado según un esquema de operación denominado "modo apagado" (314) que detiene todos los procesos activos y acciones de control y desconecta la unidad de comando autónoma del controlador externo (F), cuando el enchufe está conectado, activado y se han completado las rutinas de calibración y autodiagnóstico y está operando en el modo funcionamiento o el modo standby; mediante dicho modo apagado, la unidad de comando autónoma define y ejecuta al menos una rutina denominada "rutina de apagado" (314R), mediante la cual se realizan secuencialmente las siguientes acciones: a) detectar un comando de apagado proveniente del controlador externo (F) o por acción directa del usuario sobre el enchufe inteligente; b) enviar al controlador externo (F) los valores de operación y estadísticas almacenados en memoria; c) finalizar la conexión entre la unidad de comando autónoma (A) y el controlador externo (F); d) detener el funcionamiento de todos los componentes de la unidad de comando autónoma (A); f) detener el sistema operativo (61); y, g) retirar la alimentación eléctrica a todos los circuitos internos del enchufe inteligente. v) execute a shutdown procedure according to an operation scheme called "shutdown mode" (314) that stops all active processes and control actions and disconnects the autonomous command unit from the external controller (F), when the plug is connected, activated and the calibration and self-diagnosis routines have been completed and are operating in the operating mode or standby mode; by said shutdown mode, the unit of autonomous command defines and executes at least one routine called "shutdown routine" (314R), by which the following actions are performed sequentially: a) detecting a shutdown command from the external controller (F) or by direct user action on the smart plug; b) send the operation values and statistics stored in memory to the external controller (F); c) terminate the connection between the autonomous command unit (A) and the external controller (F); d) stop the operation of all the components of the autonomous command unit (A); f) stop the operating system (61); and, g) remove the power supply to all the internal circuits of the smart plug.
14.- Procedimiento de funcionamiento de un enchufe inteligente en redes eléctricas inteligentes según la reivindicación 12, caracterizado porque: 14.- Operating procedure of an intelligent plug in intelligent electrical networks according to claim 12, characterized in that:
• la "rutina de encendido" (310R) comprende: a) detectar el suministro de energía al enchufe vía la conexión principal (B); b) energizar los circuitos internos; c) cargar el sistema operativo (61); d) inicializar los otros componentes de la unidad de control (6) y las otras unidades internas que componen la unidad de comando autónoma (A); e) conectar la unidad de comando autónoma (A) con el controlador externo (F) vía la conexión de datos (D); f) iniciar el intercambio de datos entre la unidad de comando autónoma (A) y el controlador externo (F) para obtener parámetros de operación del enchufe; g) cargar dichos parámetros en las memorias internas de los distintos componentes de la unidad de comando autónoma (A) para iniciar la operación del enchufe;  • "ignition routine" (310R) comprises: a) detecting the power supply to the plug via the main connection (B); b) energize the internal circuits; c) load the operating system (61); d) initialize the other components of the control unit (6) and the other internal units that make up the autonomous command unit (A); e) connect the autonomous command unit (A) with the external controller (F) via the data connection (D); f) initiate the exchange of data between the autonomous command unit (A) and the external controller (F) to obtain plug operating parameters; g) load said parameters into the internal memories of the different components of the autonomous command unit (A) to start the plug operation;
• la "rutina de calibración" (31 IR) comprende: a) cargar en memoria volátil tipo RAM el valor de referencia de consumo de potencia del enchufe inteligente sin carga previamente almacenado en una memoria no volátil tipo ROM; b) medir el consumo de potencia real del enchufe inteligente por medio del circuito de detección conectado a la fuente de alimentación (8); c) comparar el valor de referencia de consumo de potencia y el consumo de potencia real del enchufe inteligente por medio de una unidad lógica interna, generando así un valor diferencia, u offset; d) almacenar en memoria y transferir al procesador de señal digital (22) dicho valor de offset; e) ejecutar algoritmo de selección de red de alimentación tomando como parámetros de entrada dicho valor de offset, el consumo de potencia medido, y los valores de energías disponibles y entregables por cada una de las líneas de suministro de CA disponibles en la instalación; f) generar identificador de red seleccionada; g) informar a la unidad de calibración y auto-diagnóstico (24) si la rutina de calibración se ha completado exitosamente o no basado en un identificador binario de costo; h) finalizar la rutina de calibración cuando el indicador binario de costo tenga un valor positivo previamente definido por el diseñador e informado a la unidad de control (6), para iniciar el modo de funcionamiento del enchufe inteligente, o i) iniciar otro ciclo de corrección y compensación para terminar el modo de calibración, hasta que el indicador binario de costo sea un número positivo, a fin de lograr una adecuada calibración, informando así a la unidad de control (6) y abandonando el modo de calibración; • the "calibration routine" (31 IR) includes: a) load the power consumption reference value of the smart plug without load previously stored in a non-volatile ROM type memory into RAM type volatile memory; b) measure the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of the detection circuit connected to the power supply (8); c) compare the reference value of power consumption and the real power consumption of the smart plug by means of an internal logic unit, thus generating a difference value, or offset; d) store in memory and transfer to the processor digital signal (22) said offset value; e) execute the power network selection algorithm taking as input parameters said offset value, measured power consumption, and available and deliverable energy values for each of the AC supply lines available in the installation; f) generate selected network identifier; g) inform the calibration and self-diagnosis unit (24) if the calibration routine has been successfully completed or not based on a binary cost identifier; h) end the calibration routine when the binary cost indicator has a positive value previously defined by the designer and informed to the control unit (6), to start the operation mode of the smart plug, or i) start another correction cycle and compensation to finish the calibration mode, until the binary cost indicator is a positive number, in order to achieve an adequate calibration, thus informing the control unit (6) and leaving the calibration mode;
la "rutina de funcionamiento" (312R) adicionalmente comprende: a) medir el consumo de potencia del dispositivo externo de consumo de potencia (Gl- GM); b) comparar dicho valor de consumo de potencia con las energías disponibles y entregables promedio de la línea de suministro principal de corriente alterna CA (CAO) y las de las al menos una línea de suministro secundaria de corriente alterna CA (CA2-CAN); c) ejecutar un algoritmo de selección de mejor red de alimentación servidora; d) realizar los análisis de costos energéticos usando funciones de valor de costo provistas al enchufe por el controlador externo e incorporar los resultados de dichos análisis en la decisión de selección de red; e) seleccionar la mejor red de alimentación servidora; f) informar de la decisión a la unidad de control (6) y la unidad de procesamiento de señal (2); y, g) realizar la conmutación a la línea de suministro de corriente alterna CA correspondiente a la red seleccionada. the "operating routine" (312R) additionally comprises: a) measuring the power consumption of the external power consumption device (Gl-GM); b) compare said power consumption value with the average available and deliverable energies of the main AC alternating current supply line (CAO) and those of the at least one secondary AC alternating current supply line (CA2-CAN); c) execute a selection algorithm for the best server feed network; d) perform the energy cost analyzes using cost value functions provided to the plug by the external controller and incorporate the results of said analyzes in the network selection decision; e) select the best power supply network; f) report the decision to the control unit (6) and the signal processing unit (2); and, g) perform the switching to the AC alternating current supply line corresponding to the selected network.
PCT/ES2012/070647 2011-09-14 2012-09-12 Intelligent plug for domestic and industrial use in intelligent electricity networks WO2013038044A1 (en)

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CA2142545A1 (en) * 1994-02-15 1995-08-16 Graham S. Lee Meter for measuring power consumption of an electrical appliance
ES2204104T3 (en) * 1998-02-20 2004-04-16 Wrap S.P.A. SYSTEM, DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A SERIES OF CONSUMPTION EQUIPMENT, PARTICULARLY DOMESTIC APPLIANCES.
US20090150509A1 (en) * 2007-12-10 2009-06-11 Industrial Technology Research Institute Smart client-server socket
US20100145536A1 (en) * 2008-09-25 2010-06-10 Masters Gilbert J Smart Electrical Wire-Devices and Premises Power Management System
US20110121648A1 (en) * 2009-11-22 2011-05-26 Yang Pan Power Supply System Including Alternative Sources

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2142545A1 (en) * 1994-02-15 1995-08-16 Graham S. Lee Meter for measuring power consumption of an electrical appliance
ES2204104T3 (en) * 1998-02-20 2004-04-16 Wrap S.P.A. SYSTEM, DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A SERIES OF CONSUMPTION EQUIPMENT, PARTICULARLY DOMESTIC APPLIANCES.
US20090150509A1 (en) * 2007-12-10 2009-06-11 Industrial Technology Research Institute Smart client-server socket
US20100145536A1 (en) * 2008-09-25 2010-06-10 Masters Gilbert J Smart Electrical Wire-Devices and Premises Power Management System
US20110121648A1 (en) * 2009-11-22 2011-05-26 Yang Pan Power Supply System Including Alternative Sources

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