Method and apparatus for implementing a consumer-configurable modular electrical system

• US 8,145,327 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solsaver, LLC
• Original Assignee: SBS Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Banks, Susan, Elliott, Scott D., Forrest, Brad
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US12/403,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/19, 700/20, 700/295, 700/297, 709/200, 709/223
• US Class Current: 700/19
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

A system of electrical modules includes a plurality of modules, including power modules, control modules, and output modules. Power modules provide power for powering one or more control and output modules. Control modules provide control signals to one or more output modules. Output modules perform predefined functions responsive to receiving power from a power module and/or a control signal from a control module. All of the modules have like mating connectors and like connector wiring. This arrangement forms a system bus across any given plurality of modules, when those modules are serially interconnected in a daisy chain. In at least one embodiment, the mating connectors and the connector wiring are standardized across the system such that any module can be coupled to any other module, and the ordering of the modules in the daisy chain is not fixed.

Claims

1. A system of electrical modules for implementing a consumer-configurable modular electrical system, said system of electrical modules comprising:

a plurality of modules including power modules, control modules, and output modules;

said power modules configured to provide power for powering attached control and output modules, said control modules configured to provide a control signal for controlling one or more attached output modules, and at least one said output module configured to perform a predefined function responsive to the control signal;

wherein all said modules include like mating connectors and like connector wiring, forming a system bus across any given plurality of said modules that are serially interconnected in a daisy chain; and

wherein each power module includes indicia on an exterior portion of the module that identifies a number of power units the power module provides, and wherein each output module includes indicia on an exterior portion of the module that identifies a number of power units the output module consumes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one type of power module comprises a solar power module that is configured to provide power derived from an included photovoltaic cell.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the solar power module includes a power control circuit and a battery, and wherein the power control circuit is configured to recharge the battery via the photovoltaic cell.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mating connectors and connector wiring of the modules are standardized across the system, such that any module can be coupled to any other module, for forming the system with a desired mix and ordering of module types in a daisy chain of interconnected modules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system bus includes a continuous power line and at least one switched power line, and wherein each power module is configured to provide a continuous power signal on the continuous power line of the system bus, and each control module is configured to provide a switched power signal as its control signal on one of the at least one switched power lines in the system bus.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each control module is configured to provide its switched power signal by selectively energizing a switched power line terminal of the control module via the continuous power signal provided to the control module on a continuous power line terminal of the control module, according to a control function of the control module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each control module comprises one of a programmable timer module configured to selectively energize the switched power line terminal at programmed times or intervals, a temperature detection module configured to selectively energize the switched power line terminal responsive to detecting ambient temperature relative to one or more thresholds, a motion detection module configured to selectively energize the switched power line terminal responsive to detecting motion of an object within a spatial area monitored by the motion detection module, or a photosensitive module configured to selectively energize the switched power line terminal responsive to detecting ambient light conditions.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the control modules are configured such that, in a daisy chain of interconnected modules that includes two or more control modules, output modules in the daisy chain are controlled by the switched power line signal of the first preceding control module.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the system bus includes two switched power lines, and wherein each control module includes a user-settable switch to control which switched power line is operated on by the control module, and each output module includes a user-settable switch to control which switched power line the output module operates from.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein there are one or more types of output modules, including at least one of a lighting module, a DC motor module, a DC pump or bubbler module, a DC output power module, a USB charger module, an audio player or recorder module, a digital camera or video recorder module, a fan module, and an animal or insect repellent module.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each power module comprises one of a solar power module, a rechargeable battery module, a combined solar power/rechargeable battery module, and an AC/DC converter module.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each module includes a female connector, a male connector, and electrical wiring interconnecting corresponding terminals in the male and female connectors for carrying the system bus through the module, and wherein the male connector of each module is configured to be electrically and mechanically compatible with the female connector of any other module and the female connector of each module is likewise configured to be electrically and mechanically compatible with the male connector of any other module.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each module comprises a housing with a male connector at one end, and a female connector at the other end, thereby enabling a daisy chain of modules to be interconnected end-to-end by connecting the male connector of one module with the female connector of another module.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each module further includes a pair of flexible tabs at the male connector end, the female connector end, or both, and wherein each pair of tabs is configured to pivot between a closed position wherein they cover and protect the adjacent connector, and an open position wherein they extend outward from the adjacent connector for physically coupling to the housing of another module that is plugged into the adjacent connector.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the housing of each module includes at least one flexible bellows section that terminates in one of the male and female connectors of the module, to impart flexibility along a daisy chain of interconnected modules by allowing relative movement between interconnected modules in the daisy chain.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes one or more module mounting brackets, each module mounting bracket configured to releasably retain a module mounted therein, and wherein each module mounting bracket includes a mounting section for mounting the module mounting bracket to a surface and a housing retention section for releaseably retaining a module mounted therein.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicia is expressed as an integer number, such that each power module is marked with the integer number indicating an amount of power provided by the module, and each output module is marked with the integer number indicating an amount of power consumed by the module.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicia are color-coded to identify whether the module provides power to the system or draws power from the system, to permit a user to balance available power as output by power modules with required power as consumed by output modules, for a given interconnected set of modules.