Electrical control system

• US 20070049242A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Fair, James, Goyal, Rahul, Malkowski, Mariusz
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control

Abstract

An electrical control system.

Claims

1. A power receptacle for use in a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a load;

a controller operably coupled to the electrical plug receptacle and adapted to be operably coupled to a source of electrical power for controllably operably coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the source of electrical power; and

a radio frequency communication interface operably coupled to and adapted to be controlled by the controller;

wherein the controller is adapted to transmit and receive radio frequency control signals to and from one or more of the master devices and slave devices.

2. A power receptacle for use in a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a load;

a radio frequency communication interface;

a memory comprising;

a non volatile memory;

a device database comprising;

node information for the power receptacle;

an association database comprising information representative of one or more communication pathways that the power receptacle is associated with;

a child protection database comprising information representative of a configuration of the power receptacle when operating in a child protection mode of operation;

a delayed off database comprising information representative of a configuration of the power receptacle when operating in a delayed off mode of operation;

a panic database comprising information representative of a configuration of the power receptacle when operating in a panic mode of operation; and

an operational state database comprises information representative of an operational state of the power receptacle immediately prior to a loss of power from a power supply;

a scenes database comprising information regarding one or more scenes that the power receptacle is associated with;

an events database comprising information regarding one or more events that the power receptacle is associated with;

an away database comprising information regarding one or more away groups that the power receptacle is associated with; and

a system database comprising information regarding the control system;

a visual display device;

an install button;

an uninstall button;

an associate button;

a controller operably coupled to the plug receptacle, the communications interface, the memory, the visual display device, the install button, the uninstall button, and the associate button comprising;

an operating system comprising;

a serial communications driver adapted to control an operation of the communication interface;

a memory driver adapted to control an operation of the memory;

a display driver adapted to control an operation of the visual display device; and

a button input driver adapted to monitor an operation of the switch, the install button, the uninstall button, and the associate button;

application programs comprising;

a state engine comprising;

an installation engine adapted to sense and indicate an installation of the power receptacle within the control system, install the power receptacle into the control system when the install button is depressed, and uninstall the power receptacle from the control system when the uninstall button is depressed;

a change of state engine adapted to sense a change in an operational state of the power receptacle;

an association engine adapted to associate the power receptacle with one or more communication pathways when the associate button is depressed;

a child protection engine adapted to control an operation of the power receptacle in a child protection mode of operation;

a delayed off engine adapted to delay a transition of a slave unit controlled by the power receptacle from an on to an off operational state;

a panic mode engine adapted to control an operation of the power receptacle in a panic mode of operation; and

a loss of power engine adapted to monitor an operational state of the power supply and, in the event of a loss of power from the power supply, determine an operational state of the power receptacle and store the determined operational state of the power receptacle; and

a boot loader;

wherein the controller is adapted to transmit and receive control signals to and from one or more of the master and slave devices of the control system using the communication interface.

3. A method of operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location; and

coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal.

4. A method of operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location;

coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal;

providing a first visual indication of supplying the power supply to the power receptacle;

providing a second visual indication of installing the power receptacle into the control system, wherein the first and second visual indications are different;

determining if an operational state of the power receptacle has changed;

if the operational state of the power receptacle has changed, transmitting a radio frequency signal to one or more of the other master devices within the control system comprising information regarding the power receptacle;

associating the power receptacle with one or more slave devices to provide corresponding communication pathways in the control system;

determining if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices;

if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices, then transmitting a radio frequency signal by multicasting the signal to all of the slave devices associated with the power receptacle and then single casting the signal to one of the slave devices;

determining if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation;

if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation, then determining if the child protection mode of operation comprises a sequence control or a remote control;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has remote control, then disabling local manual control of the power receptacle;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control, then determining if a local user of the master device has depressed a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle multiple times;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control and if the local user of the power receptacle depressed the manually operated switch multiple times, then permitting local user control of the power receptacle;

determining if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is positioned in an on position and if the power receptacle does not have remote control protection;

if the manually operated switch is positioned in an on position and the power receptacle does not have remote control protection, then decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply with a time delay;

depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the power receptacle has sequence control;

if the power receptacle has sequence control, depressing the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period, then decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply without a time delay;

determining if the power receptacle is being controlled by another master device;

if the power receptacle is being controlled by another power receptacle, then controlling the operational state of the power receptacle using the other master device;

if a panic mode of operation is enabled, then operating the power receptacle in the panic mode of operation, wherein the panic mode of operation comprises a duty cycle comprising a first time period in which the plug receptacle is operably coupled to the power supply and a second time period in which the plug receptacle is not operably coupled to the power supply;

if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is depressed, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if the panic mode of operation of the power receptacle is cancelled by another master device, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if a loss of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, storing an operational state of the power receptacle in a memory within the power receptacle;

if a restoration of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, retrieving the operational state of the power receptacle from the memory within the power receptacle; and

operating the power receptacle in accordance with the retrieved operational state for the power receptacle.

5. A system for operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

means for transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location; and

means for coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal.

6. A system for operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

means for transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location;

means for coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal;

means for providing a first visual indication of supplying the power supply to the power receptacle;

means for providing a second visual indication of installing the power receptacle into the control system, wherein the first and second visual indications are different;

means for determining if an operational state of the power receptacle has changed;

if the operational state of the power receptacle has changed, means for transmitting a radio frequency signal to one or more of the other master devices within the control system comprising information regarding the power receptacle;

means for associating the power receptacle with one or more slave devices to provide corresponding communication pathways in the control system;

means for determining if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices;

if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices, then means for transmitting a radio frequency signal by multicasting the signal to all of the slave devices associated with the power receptacle and then single casting the signal to one of the slave devices;

means for determining if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation;

if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation, then means for determining if the child protection mode of operation comprises a sequence control or a remote control;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has remote control, then means for disabling local manual control of the power receptacle;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control, then means for determining if a local user of the master device has depressed a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle multiple times;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control and if the local user of the power receptacle depressed the manually operated switch multiple times, then means for permitting local user control of the power receptacle;

means for determining if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is positioned in an on position and if the power receptacle does not have remote control protection;

if the manually operated switch is positioned in an on position and the power receptacle does not have remote control protection, then means for decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply with a time delay;

means for depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

means for determining if the power receptacle has sequence control;

if the power receptacle has sequence control, means for depressing the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

means for determining if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period, then means for decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply without a time delay;

means for determining if the power receptacle is being controlled by another master device;

if the power receptacle is being controlled by another power receptacle, then means for controlling the operational state of the power receptacle using the other master device;

if a panic mode of operation is enabled, then means for operating the power receptacle in the panic mode of operation, wherein the panic mode of operation comprises a duty cycle comprising a first time period in which the plug receptacle is operably coupled to the power supply and a second time period in which the plug receptacle is not operably coupled to the power supply;

if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is depressed, then means for canceling the panic mode of operation;

if the panic mode of operation of the power receptacle is cancelled by another master device, then means for canceling the panic mode of operation;

if a loss of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, means for storing an operational state of the power receptacle in a memory within the power receptacle;

if a restoration of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, means for retrieving the operational state of the power receptacle from the memory within the power receptacle; and

means for operating the power receptacle in accordance with the retrieved operational state for the power receptacle.

7. A computer program for operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising program instructions for:

transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location; and

coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal.

8. A computer program for operating a power receptacle comprising at least one electrical plug receptacle adapted to be coupled to a power supply and a load, wherein the power receptacle is adapted to be installed within a control system comprising one or more master devices and one or more slave devices, comprising:

transmitting a radio frequency control signal to the power receptacle from a remote location;

coupling or decoupling the electrical plug receptacle to or from the power supply as a function of the transmitted control signal;

providing a first visual indication of supplying the power supply to the power receptacle;

providing a second visual indication of installing the power receptacle into the control system, wherein the first and second visual indications are different;

determining if an operational state of the power receptacle has changed;

if the operational state of the power receptacle has changed, transmitting a radio frequency signal to one or more of the other master devices within the control system comprising information regarding the power receptacle;

associating the power receptacle with one or more slave devices to provide corresponding communication pathways in the control system;

determining if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices;

if the power receptacle is associated with a plurality of slave devices, then transmitting a radio frequency signal by multicasting the signal to all of the slave devices associated with the power receptacle and then single casting the signal to one of the slave devices;

determining if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation;

if the power receptacle has an enabled child protection mode of operation, then determining if the child protection mode of operation comprises a sequence control or a remote control;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has remote control, then disabling local manual control of the power receptacle;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control, then determining if a local user of the master device has depressed a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle multiple times;

if the enabled child protection mode of operation for the power receptacle has sequence control and if the local user of the power receptacle depressed the manually operated switch multiple times, then permitting local user control of the power receptacle;

determining if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is positioned in an on position and if the power receptacle does not have remote control protection;

if the manually operated switch is positioned in an on position and the power receptacle does not have remote control protection, then decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply with a time delay;

depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the power receptacle has sequence control;

if the power receptacle has sequence control, depressing the manually operated switch multiple times prior to depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

determining if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period;

if the manually operated switch has been depressed after depressing the manually operated switch for a predetermined minimum time period, then decoupling the electrical plug receptacle from the power supply without a time delay;

determining if the power receptacle is being controlled by another master device;

if the power receptacle is being controlled by another power receptacle, then controlling the operational state of the power receptacle using the other master device;

if a panic mode of operation is enabled, then operating the power receptacle in the panic mode of operation, wherein the panic mode of operation comprises a duty cycle comprising a first time period in which the plug receptacle is operably coupled to the power supply and a second time period in which the plug receptacle is not operably coupled to the power supply;

if a manually operated switch associated with the power receptacle is depressed, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if the panic mode of operation of the power receptacle is cancelled by another master device, then canceling the panic mode of operation;

if a loss of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, storing an operational state of the power receptacle in a memory within the power receptacle;

if a restoration of the power supply is detected by the power receptacle, retrieving the operational state of the power receptacle from the memory within the power receptacle; and

operating the power receptacle in accordance with the retrieved operational state for the power receptacle.