Load control system

• US 5,495,406 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 02/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kushiro, Noriyuki, Igarashi, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US08/482,841
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 364/140-146, 364/138-139, 364/492-494, 307/38-42, 340/310.01, 340/310.06, 340/310.08, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.08
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00036 the elements or equipment being or involving switches, relays or circuit breakers circuits for indication of single switches H01H9/167
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/185 via power line carrier transmission
• 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 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/246 the system involving the remote operation of lamps or lighting equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

An improved luminaire load control system for handling control signals as by converting them into power line carrier communication signals which are transmitted through branch power lines to terminal control units without causing any significant interference to power line installation. the conversion of the control signals is done respectively at a plurality of gate way units mounted on each branch power line and each gate way unit further includes memory unit for storing the information regarding to the connecting status of the terminal unit for sending back the stored information to a central control unit upon receipt of a send back command therefrom. In a specific embodiment of the invention, a plurality of gate way units are mutually connected with specific signal transmission lines for providing the reciprocity control of luminaire loads by installing a plurality of operation command input terminals in each of the branch power line, whereby the control signal is transmitted through the specific signal transmission lines.

Claims

1. A load control system comprising:

a plurality of branch power lines;

a plurality of loads selectively connectable to respective ones of said branch power lines;

a plurality of terminal control means for controlling the connecting status of the loads in response to load control signals, each terminal control means being connected to a respective one of said loads and to said load'"'"'s respective branch power line;

a plurality of input terminal means for transmitting operation commands as power line carrier communication signals on said branch power lines, the input terminal means being connected to ones of said branch power lines;

a plurality of gateway means for providing reciprocity control of the plurality of loads, the gateway means being connected to one another and to respective ones of the branch power lines such that one gateway means is connected to each branch power line, wherein the gateway means generate transmission signals and the load control signals in response to said operation commands received as power line carrier communication signals transmitted by ones of said input terminals means, said transmission signals being communicated among the gateway means and the load control signals being communicated to selected ones of the terminal control means wherein a first one of said plurality of gateway means, connected to a first one of said branch power lines, is adapted to transmit said transmission signals responsive to receiving said power line carrier communication signals from a first one of said plurality of input terminal means connected to the first branch power line, to a second one of said plurality of gateway means, connected to a second branch power line, which in turn transmits load control signals to one of said plurality of terminal control means connected to the second branch power line.

2. A load control system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a signal line connected between each of said gateway means for connecting said gateway means to one another, and wherein said signal line transmits said transmission signals between said first one of said plurality of gateway means and said second one of gateway means.