Wireless transceiver within an electrical receptacle system
First Claim
1. A wall-mounted electrical receptacle assembly for installation into an electrical junction box, comprising:
- a housing that houses a microcontroller coupled to a wireless transceiver that is electrically coupled to one or more antennas and a power converter that powers the microcontroller and the wireless transceiver;
an electrical socket for receiving a power plug through the housing, wherein the power converter derives its power from the line power connection to which the electrical socket is connected; and
a temperature sensor coupled to the microcontroller, the microcontroller being programmed to receive a signal from the temperature sensor indicative of a temperature measured by the temperature sensor and communicating, via the wireless transceiver, data indicative of the ambient temperature.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical receptacle assembly having a housing that includes a wireless transceiver electrically coupled to one or more antennas that can be integrated into the receptacle housing itself or in the receptacle'"'"'s faceplate. The one or more antennas can be one or more dipoles or a single loop antenna. The housing also houses a power converter that derives its power directly from the line connection to the outlet. A junction box includes an integrated antenna reflector for improved radio direction and propagation relative to the antenna(s). Or, an antenna reflector insert is placed within the junction box behind the electrical receptacle assembly. The electrical receptacle assembly further includes a temperature sensor, a PLC module, or a current/voltage sensor and communicates associated data via its wireless transceiver. A status indicator is disposed on the front of the housing. A reset switch on housing resets the electronics to a default state.
51 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A wall-mounted electrical receptacle assembly for installation into an electrical junction box, comprising:
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a housing that houses a microcontroller coupled to a wireless transceiver that is electrically coupled to one or more antennas and a power converter that powers the microcontroller and the wireless transceiver; an electrical socket for receiving a power plug through the housing, wherein the power converter derives its power from the line power connection to which the electrical socket is connected; and a temperature sensor coupled to the microcontroller, the microcontroller being programmed to receive a signal from the temperature sensor indicative of a temperature measured by the temperature sensor and communicating, via the wireless transceiver, data indicative of the ambient temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A wall-mounted electrical receptacle assembly for installation into an electrical junction box, comprising:
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a housing that houses a microcontroller coupled to a wireless transceiver that is electrically coupled to one or more antennas and a power converter that powers the microcontroller and the wireless transceiver; an electrical socket for receiving a power plug through the housing, wherein the power converter derives its power from the line power connection to which the electrical socket is connected; and a sensor that senses an electrical characteristic of the line current from the line power connection, the microcontroller receiving an output signal from the sensor indicative of the electrical characteristic and communicating data indicative of the electrical characteristic via the wireless transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A wall-mounted electrical receptacle assembly for installation into an electrical junction box, comprising:
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a housing that houses a microcontroller coupled to a wireless transceiver that is electrically coupled to one or more antennas and a power converter that powers the microcontroller and the wireless transceiver; an electrical socket for receiving a power plug through the housing, wherein the power converter derives its power from the line power connection to which the electrical socket is connected; and an electrical junction box, the electrical junction box having a front opening that receives the housing and a back portion opposite the front opening, the back portion forming a shaped antenna reflector that reflects electromagnetic signals toward the one or more antennas. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A wall-mounted electrical receptacle assembly for installation into an electrical junction box, comprising:
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a housing that houses a microcontroller coupled to a wireless transceiver that is electrically coupled to one or more antennas and a power converter that powers the microcontroller and the wireless transceiver; an electrical socket for receiving a power plug through the housing, wherein the power converter derives its power from the line power connection to which the electrical socket is connected; and an electrical junction box and an antenna reflector insert that is inserted into the electrical junction box behind the electrical receptacle assembly for reflecting electromagnetic signals toward the one or more antennas. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification