Intelligent wire connectors

• US 8,552,876 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Patent Store Llc
• Original Assignee: The Patent Store Llc
• Inventors: King, Lloyd Herbert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/800,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 340600-69312, 43962001-625, 174/87
• 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 twist-on 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 twist-on wire connector, said microprocessor having a transmitter operable to transmit dynamic information generated by a sensor to a location remote from the twist-on wire connector either periodically, continually or in response to a signal external to the twist-on wire connector, said sensor is integral to the microprocessor and the transmitter is a wireless transmitter;

a looped coil for inductively powering the microprocessor from an internal ac current carried by the electrical wire secured in the 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.

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

3. The twist-on wire connector of claim 2 wherein the sensor is integral to the microprocessor and the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

4. The twist-on wire connector of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises one or more of a moisture sensor, a pressure sensor, a location sensor or a temperature sensor.

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

6. The twist-on wire connector of claim 1 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 a wire connector location and a wire connector identity.

7. The twist-on wire connector of claim 1 wherein the microprocessor includes an environmental sensor and either an active microprocessor or a passive microprocessor.

8. The twist-on wire connector of claim 1, said twist-on wire connector located in either an irrigation system electrical circuit or a building system electrical circuit, said 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 twist-on wire connector.