Intelligent wire connectors

• US 20100295691A1
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Patent Store Llc
• Original Assignee: The Patent Store Llc
• Inventors: King, Lloyd Herbert JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,552,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24457 Failure detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/66 Structural association with built-in electrical component coupling devices having concentrically or coaxially-arranged contacts H01R24/38
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/22 End caps, i.e. of insulating or conductive material for covering or maintaining connections between wires entering the cap from the same end

Abstract

An intelligent wire connector carrying a microprocessor for transmitting information and/or sensing conditions proximate the wire connector wherein information from the microprocessor may be transmitted to a remote location in either a wireless mode or indirectly through an electrical wire, which is secured in the wire connector.

Claims

1. An intelligent twist-on electrical wire connector for joining electrical wires into an electrical connection therein comprising:

an electrically insulated housing having a closed end and an open end;

a spiral coil for maintaining an electrical wire in electrical contact within the insulated housing; and

an information device comprising a microprocessor carried by said electrical wire connector, said microprocessor operable to transmit dynamic information generated by the sensor to a location remote from the electrical wire connector either periodically, continually or in response to a signal external to the electrical wire connector.

2. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 1 wherein the twist-on electrical wire connector includes a looped coil for inductively powering the microprocessor from an internal ac current carried by an electrical wire secured in the twist-on wire connector.

3. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 2 wherein the sensor is integral to the microprocessor and the microprocessor includes a wireless transmitter for maintaining electrical wires in electrical contact within the electrically insulated housing.

4. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 3 wherein electrical twist-on wire connector wherein the microprocessor is shielded from the internal ac current by the electrically insulated housing of said twist-on wire connector and the information device includes a sensor.

6. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 1 wherein the twist-on electrical wire connector includes, a battery, a battery charger and a looped coil for inductively receiving energy from an electromagnetic field generated by electrical wire present in the electrical twist-on wire connector.

7. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 4 wherein the microprocessor carried by said electrical wire connector is embedded in the electrically insulated housing of said twist-on wire connector and the microprocessor includes information on the location and identity of the wire connector.

8. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 4 wherein the microprocessor includes an environmental sensor and either an active microprocessor or a passive microprocessor.

9. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 1, said electrical twist-on wire connector located in either an irrigation system electrical circuit or a building system electrical circuit, said electrical twist-on wire connector joining ends of electrical wires therein with the twist-on wire connector including an environmental sensor;

and said microprocessor embedded in the insulated electrical housing with the environmental sensor exposed to an external environment of the electrical twist-on wire connector

5. The electrical twist-on wire connector of claim 5 wherein the sensor comprises one or more of a moisture sensor, a pressure sensor, a location sensor or a temperature sensor.

10. The method of remotely obtaining dynamic information proximate an electrical wire connector comprising:

placing a microprocessor in or on an electrically insulated housing of an electrical wire connector;

forming an electrical junction within the electrical wire connector without interfering with the microprocessor;

placing the wire connector with the microprocessor in an area where the wire connector may be concealed from view;

using the microprocessor to sense conditions proximate the wire connector to obtain dynamic information; and

using the microprocessor to transmit the dynamic information to a remote location.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the microprocessor is placed in the electrically insulated housing of a twist-on electrical wire connector and a set of electrical wires are twisted into electrical engagement in the twist-on wire connector.

12. The method of claim 11 including incorporating an environmental sensor in the twist-on electrical wire connector.

13. The method of claim 11 including the step of incorporating the environmental sensor in the microprocessor.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of incorporating an environmental sensor includes incorporating one or all of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor or a moisture sensor.

15. The method of claim 11 including monitoring conditions proximate the twist-on electrical wire connector with one or more of a location sensor, an environmental sensor or a motion sensor.

16. The method of claim 10 including incorporating a wireless transmitter into the microprocessor to transfer information to a remote location either on demand or in response to a condition proximate the wire connector.

17. The method of claim 10 including inductively supplying power to the microprocessor in said electrical wire connector wherein the power is tapped from an ac signal flowing through an electrical wire secured in the wire connector;

and

communication to and from the microprocessor is via an electrical wire secured in the wire connector wherein the communication is a different frequency then the frequency of ac current flowing through the electrical wire.

18. An intelligent electrical wire connector for joining electrical wires into an electrical connection comprising:

an electrically insulated housing for eclectically isolating an electrical junction therein;

a member located in said electrically insulated housing for holding electrical wires in electrical contact with each other; and

a microprocessor carried by said electrically insulated housing, said microprocessor responsive to a condition proximate the electrical wire connector with said microprocessor operable for transmitting dynamic information to a location remote from the electrical wire connector either periodically, continually or in response to a signal external to the electrical wire connector.

19. The electrical wire connector of claim 18 wherein the electrical wire connector includes a waterproof sealant therein and the member for holding electrical wires in electrical contact comprises a spiral coil with the microprocessor including wireless transmission capability.

20. The electrical wire connector of claim 18 wherein the electrical wire connector includes a looped coil therein for tapping a portion of power from an electromagnetic field generated by an ac current flowing through the electrical wire connector.