Remote Control of Powering of Electrical Appliances

• US 20140159864A1
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marland, Sam, Allen, James, Deadman, Matthew, O'Neill, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product are provided for remotely controlling a supply of power to a plurality of electrical appliances. In response to attaching a plug of a first electrical appliance of a plurality of electrical appliances to a first socket of the one or more sockets connected to a main power supply, a control system activates a transceiver at a first of the first socket and the plug; stimulates, via the transceiver, a tag at a second of the first socket and the plug to determine a unique identifier of the tag. The control system receives the unique identifier of the tag from the transceiver and uses the unique identifier to activate/deactivate the transceiver which connects/disconnects the main power supply from the first electrical appliance.

Claims

1. A control system for remotely controlling a supply of power to a plurality of electrical appliances, the system comprising:

one or more sockets attached to a main power supply, wherein a first electrical appliance of the plurality of electrical appliances is connectable to the main power supply via a first socket of the one or more sockets to which a plug of the first electrical appliance is attached;

a transceiver located at one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance;

a tag provided at a next one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance, wherein the tag is in close proximity to the transceiver and is capable of receiving communication from the transceiver; and

a controller that is communicatively connected to the transceiver and which;

interrogates, via the transceiver, the tag to determine a unique identifier of the tag, wherein the unique identifier enables the control system to control whether power is applied to the transceiver;

receives, from the transceiver, the unique identifier of the tag;

in response to the control system receiving an instruction to disconnect power to the first electrical appliance, deactivates the transceiver, wherein deactivation of the transceiver deactivates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket and disconnects the main power supply from the first electrical appliance; and

in response to the control system receiving an instruction to connect power to the first electrical appliance, activates the transceiver, wherein activation of the transceiver stimulates the tag and activates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket to connect the main power supply to the first electrical appliance.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is powered by the main supply;

the plug of the first electrical appliance is powered at the first socket only while the transceiver is active and the plug of the first electrical appliance is attached to the first socket; and

the tag allows a current to flow through the plug of the first electrical appliance to the first electrical appliance while the tag is stimulated.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein:

the tag includes an inductor that is coupled to a first relay switch;

the first relay switch is wired in series with and located in between the first electrical appliance and the main power supply; and

the inductor holds the first relay switch closed while the tag is being stimulated by the transceiver.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein:

the first socket further comprises a microcontroller that receives instructions from the control system;

the microcontroller is coupled to a second relay switch;

the microcontroller receives instructions from the control system to provide power to or disconnect power from the transceiver by closing or opening of the second relay switch;

the microcontroller and the transceiver are connected in series; and

the microcontroller and the transceiver are wired parallel to a live wire and a neutral wire of the first socket.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is communicatively coupled to the control system via a wireless connection.

6. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a web portal having a network connection to each of the one or more sockets.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and the tag are radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and the tag are near field communication (NFC) devices.

9. A method for remotely controlling a supply of power to a plurality of electrical appliances, wherein the plurality of electrical appliances are connectable to a main power supply via one or more sockets, the method comprising:

in response to attaching a plug of a first electrical appliance of the plurality of electrical appliances to a first socket of the one or more sockets, a control system;

activating a transceiver located at one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance;

stimulating, via the transceiver, a tag located at a next one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance, wherein the tag is in close proximity to the transceiver and is capable of receiving communication from the transceiver; and

interrogating, via the transceiver, the tag to determine a unique identifier of the tag, wherein the unique identifier enables the control system to control whether power is applied to the transceiver;

the control system receiving, from the transceiver, the unique identifier of the tag;

in response to the control system receiving an instruction to disconnect power to the first electrical appliance, deactivating the transceiver, wherein deactivation of the transceiver deactivates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket and disconnects the main power supply from the first electrical appliance; and

in response to the control system receiving an instruction to connect power to the first electrical appliance, activating the transceiver, wherein activation of the transceiver stimulates the tag and activates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket and connects the main power supply to the first electrical appliance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the transceiver is powered by the main supply;

the plug of the first electrical appliance is powered at the first socket only while the transceiver is active and the plug of the first electrical appliance is attached to the first socket; and

the tag allows a current to flow through the plug of the first electrical appliance to the first electrical appliance while the tag is stimulated.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the tag includes an inductor that is coupled to a first relay switch;

the first relay switch is wired in series with and located in between the appliance and the main power supply; and

said stimulating the tag via the transceiver causes the inductor to hold the first relay switch closed, while the tag is being stimulated by the transceiver.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first socket further comprises a microcontroller that receives instructions from the control system;

the microcontroller is communicatively coupled to the control system via a wireless connection,

the microcontroller is coupled to a second relay switch;

the microcontroller receives instructions from the control system to provide power to or disconnect power from the transceiver by closing or opening of the second relay switch;

the microcontroller and the transceiver are connected in series; and

the microcontroller and the transceiver are wired parallel to a live wire and a neutral wire of the first socket.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the control system further comprises a web portal having a network connection to each of the one or more sockets.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the transceiver and the tag are one of:

radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices and near field communication (NFC) devices.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium; and

a plurality of instructions on the computer readable storage medium that when executed by a processor of a control system, enables the control system to perform the functions of;

in response to attaching a plug of a first electrical appliance of a plurality of electrical appliances to a first socket of one or more sockets connected to a main power supply;

activating a transceiver located at a one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance;

stimulating, via the transceiver, a tag located at a next one of the first socket and the plug of the first electrical appliance, wherein the tag is in close proximity to the transceiver and is capable of receiving communication from the transceiver; and

interrogating, via the transceiver, the tag to determine a unique identifier of the tag, wherein the unique identifier enables the control system to control whether power is applied to the transceiver;

receiving, from the transceiver, the unique identifier of the tag;

in response to receiving an instruction to disconnect power to the first electrical appliance, deactivating the transceiver, wherein deactivation of the transceiver deactivates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket and disconnects the main power supply from the first electrical appliance; and

in response to receiving an instruction to connect power to the first electrical appliance, activating the transceiver, wherein activation of the transceiver stimulates the tag and activates the plug of the first electrical appliance at the first socket and interconnects the main power supply to the first electrical appliance.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the transceiver is powered by the main supply;

the plug of the first electrical appliance is powered at the first socket only while the transceiver is active and the plug of the first electrical appliance is attached to the first socket; and

the tag allows a current to flow through the plug of the first electrical appliance to the first electrical appliance while the tag is stimulated.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the tag includes an inductor that is coupled to a first relay switch;

the first relay switch is wired in series with and located in between the appliance and the main power supply; and

the inductor holds the first relay switch closed while the tag is being stimulated by the transceiver.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the first socket further comprises a microcontroller that receives instructions from the control system;

the microcontroller is communicatively coupled to the control system via a wireless connection,

the microcontroller is coupled to a second relay switch;

the microcontroller receives instructions from the control system to provide power to or disconnect power from the transceiver by closing or opening of the second relay switch;

the microcontroller and the transceiver are connected in series; and

the microcontroller and the transceiver are wired parallel to a live wire and a neutral wire of the first socket.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the control system further comprises a web portal having a network connection to each of the one or more sockets.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the transceiver and the tag are one of:

radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices and near field communication (NFC) devices.