ELECTRICITY ENERGY MONITOR

• US 20090079416A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Alan Gibson, Jonathan Philip Vinden
• Original Assignee: John Alan Gibson, Jonathan Philip Vinden
• Inventors: GIBSON, John Alan, VINDEN, Jonathan Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/103.R
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/06 by electronic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/065 related to mechanical aspects

Abstract

An electric energy monitor or meter for efficient measuring and recording electrical energy usage data relating to a particular appliance or circuit. One embodiment comprises a thin-profile monitoring device through which an electrical conductor, for example the normal line cord plug of an appliance or the output wire from a circuit breaker to the load, is inserted. A display may be provided to show the accumulated energy usage. In other embodiments a device of the invention can be installed in a light switch, appliance, plug, or receptacle. Data can also be transmitted by various means to a computing device such as a personal computer or the like. The device of the invention allows for interaction with Internet-based information dissemination or gathering, meter distribution by means of incentive or promotional give-away, and control of energy usage through connection to an energy management system.

Claims

1. An electric energy monitor device for measuring the electrical energy usage of an electrical load powered by load conductors connected to a power source, comprising

a body, the body being configured to allow at least one load conductor to pass through at least one opening in the body to couple to the power source,

at least one current sensor for detecting a level of current, the current sensor being in communication with the load conductor extending through the opening in the body when coupled to the power source,

a controller for receiving signals from the current sensor, and transmitting data either to a display for displaying data relating to electrical energy usage of the load, or to a remote data processing device for recording data relating to electrical energy usage of the load, or to both.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the current sensor comprises an electrical coil having at least one complete electrical turn in inductive communication with the load conductor extending through the opening in the body.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising at least one voltage sensor for detecting a level of voltage between at least two load conductors which have an electrical potential drop representing the voltage drop across the load, wherein the body is configured to allow the at least two load conductors to respectively extend through at least two openings in the body, the load conductors when extending through the at least two openings in the body being in conductive communication with voltage sensing conductors coupled to the voltage sensor, to sense a potential drop across the load.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein the controller calculates power usage based on the measured level of current and level of voltage drop.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 for use with a load having a line cord terminating in a plug having blades for connection to an electrical receptacle, wherein the load conductors are coupled to the current sensing conductor and voltage sensing conductors as the blades pass through the body into the electrical receptacle.

6. The device as defined in claim 4 for use in a power distribution panel, wherein the load conductors are coupled to the current sensing conductor and voltage sensing conductors as the load conductors pass through the body to a terminal of a circuit breaker or fuse.

7. The device as defined in claim 4 for use in a switch box, wherein the load conductors are coupled to the current sensing conductor and voltage sensing conductors as the load conductors pass through the body to a switch.

8. The device as defined in claim 5, wherein the body is configured as a cover plate for the receptacle.

9. The device as defined in claim 7, wherein the body is configured as a cover plate for the switch box.

10. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein the body is configured to be contained within the plug of the line cord.

11. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein the body is configured to be contained within a receptacle of an electrical power outlet to the load.

12. The device as defined in claim 3, wherein a space within the coil of the current sensor is filled with a ferromagnetic material or non-ferromagnetic material.

13. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the current sensor operates using the Hall Effect.

14. The device for as defined in claim 1 wherein the current sensor operates using a ferro-resistive principle.

15. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the current sensor operates using a ferro-capacitive principle.

16. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the current sensor comprises a fluxgate sensor.

17. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein the voltage sensor is coupled to the load conductors by galvanic contacts.

18. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein the voltage sensor is capacitively coupled to the load conductors.

19. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the display means is integral to the device.

20. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the display is located remotely from the device.

21. The device as defined in claim 20 wherein the display comprises more than one remote display element.

22. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises an integral display element and at least one remote display element.

23. The device as defined in claim 1 for a multi-phase load having N phases and N conductors wherein the device comprises N−

1 current sensors.

24. The device as defined in claim 3 for a multi-phase load having N phases and N conductors wherein the device comprises N−

1 voltage sensors.

25. The device as defined in claim 1 for a multi-phase load having N phases and N+1 conductors wherein the device comprises N current sensors.

26. The device as defined in claim 3 for a multi-phase load having N phases and N+1 conductors wherein the device comprises N voltage sensors.

27. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein either the time the device is powered or the time that a load characteristic such as current exceeds some preset minimum, or both, is monitored and displayed.

28. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein at least one energy usage characteristic is recorded in non-volatile memory.

29. A current monitoring device for measuring a current drawn by an electrical load powered by load conductors connected to a power source, comprising

a body, the body being configured to allow at least one load conductor to pass through at least one opening in the body to couple to the power source,

at least one current sensor for detecting a level of current, the current sensor being in communication with the load conductor extending through the opening in the body when coupled to the power source,

a controller for receiving signals from the current sensor, and transmitting data either to a display for displaying data relating to current drawn by the load, or to a remote data processing device for recording data relating to current drawn by the load, or to both.

30. A voltage monitoring device for measuring a voltage of an electrical load powered by load conductors connected to a power source, comprising

a body, the body being configured to allow at least one load conductor to pass through at least one opening in the body to couple to the power source,

at least one voltage sensor for detecting a level of voltage between at least two load conductors which have an electrical potential drop representing the voltage drop across the load, wherein the body is configured to allow the at least two load conductors to respectively extend through at least two openings in the body, the load conductors when extending through the at least two openings in the body being in conductive communication with voltage sensing conductors coupled to the voltage sensor, to sense a potential drop across the load, and

a controller for receiving signals from the voltage sensor, and transmitting data either to a display for displaying data relating to the voltage of the load, or to a remote data processing device for recording data relating to the voltage of the load, or to both.

31. A method of measuring electric power via a device comprising a body, the body being configured to allow at least one load conductor to pass through at least one opening in the body to couple to the power source and a current sensor for detecting a level of current, the current sensor being in communication with the load conductor extending through the opening in the body when coupled to the power source, comprising the steps of:

a. passing at least one load conductor through the body to the power source,

b. receiving signals from the current sensor, and

c. transmitting data either to a display for displaying data relating to electrical energy usage of the load, or to a remote data processing device for recording data relating to electrical energy usage of the load, or to both.

32. A method of monitoring electrical power at a user'"'"'s premises, comprising the steps of:

a. measuring power usage at the user'"'"'s premises; and

b. transmitting data relating to the power usage to a remote administrator;

whereby power usage or the power supply at the user'"'"'s premises, or both, can be modified based on the information transmitted to the administrator.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of:

c. transmitting data to the user relating to power usage at the user'"'"'s premises.