Enhanced power distribution unit with self-orienting display

• US 8,605,091 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Bradbury, Colin, Ramirez, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, JIN CHENG
• Application Number:
  US12/106,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 345 30- 33, 345/55, 348/333.06, 709/200, 709/223, 700/295, 370/389, 363/146
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/20 Function-generator circuits, e.g. circle generators line or curve smoothing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6691 with built-in signalling means H01R13/717 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/717 with built-in light source
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/003 the coupling part being secured only to wires or cables

Abstract

An enhanced power distribution unit (PDU) with self-orienting display uses an orientation sensor in conjunction with a microprocessor to properly orient visual display of information by one or more displays of the enhanced PDU. Information displayed can relate to electrical current furnished to one or more power outlets of the enhanced PDU and/or information related to temperature, humidity or other conditions of the enhanced PDU.

Claims

1. A system to provide electrical power to at least one external device, the system comprising:

a housing configured to have a selected installation orientation chosen from a plurality of possible installation orientations;

a power input coupled to the housing and couplable to receive electrical power;

at least one power output coupled to the housing and coupled to receive electrical power from the power input, the at least one power output being configured to supply power to the at least one external device;

a display non-movably attached to the housing and configured to visually display information in four presentation orientations relative to the housing, each corresponding to at least one of the plurality of possible installation orientations of the housing;

an orientation sensor coupled to the housing, at any one time the orientation sensor configured to exist in a particular one of a plurality of states corresponding to the selected installation orientation of the housing;

a second sensor coupled to the housing, at any one time the second sensor configured to exist in a particular one of a plurality of states based upon a sensed condition associated with the system; and

a microprocessor coupled to the housing, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the orientation sensor to receive input from the orientation sensor based upon the particular state of the orientation sensor, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the second sensor to receive input from the second sensor based upon the particular state of the second sensor, the microprocessor configured to select one of the four presentation orientations for the display based upon the input received from the orientation sensor and to send output to the display to visually display information based upon the input received from the second sensor in the selected one of the four presentation orientations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one power output includes a plurality of receptacles.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the power input has at least one power input cable.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one power output includes at least one receptacle for each of the at least one power input cables of the power input.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein for each of the at least one power input cables of the power input, the at least one power output includes at least one receptacle for each phase of power on each of at least one power input cable.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second sensor is at least one current sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the display includes at least one matrix readout.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the matrix readout is one of the following:

dot-matrix LED and graphic LCD.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the display includes at least one segmented readout.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the display includes two segmented readouts, and the two segmented readouts have a first LED unit with a first seven segment display and a first decimal point, and second LED unit with a second seven segment display and a second decimal point, the second LED unit being inverted relative to the first LED unit such that when the first LED unit is positioned upright the first decimal point is positioned in the lower right of the first seven segment display, and the second decimal point is positioned in the upper left of the second seven segment display.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the first LED unit is non-movably attached to the housing in a first orientation and the second LED unit is non-movably attached to the housing in a second orientation, the second orientation being inverted relative to the first orientation.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the second sensor includes one of the following:

current sensor, humidity sensor, and temperature sensor.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the display is configured to display one of the following:

numeric and alphanumeric symbols.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the four presentation orientations comprise a first presentation orientation, a second presentation orientation, a third presentation orientation, and a fourth presentation orientation, the second presentation orientation being inverted relative to the first presentation orientation, and the first presentation orientation being substantially orthogonal to the third presentation orientation.

15. A system to provide electrical power to one or more external devices, the system comprising:

a housing mountable with a selected installation orientation;

at least one power input cable coupled to the housing and couplable to receive electrical power;

a plurality of receptacles coupled to the housing and coupled to receive electrical power from the at least one power input cable, the plurality of receptacles being configured to provide power to the one or more external devices;

a display non-movably attached to the housing and configured to visually display information in four presentation orientations relative to the housing;

an orientation sensor coupled to the housing and configured to detect the selected installation orientation;

at least one current sensor coupled to the housing, at any one time at least one current sensor being configured to exist in a particular one of a plurality of states based upon a different current associated with the system; and

a microprocessor coupled to the housing, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the orientation sensor to receive input from the orientation sensor based upon the detected selected installation orientation, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the at least one current sensor to receive input from the at least one current sensor based upon the particular state)of the at least one current sensor, the microprocessor configured to select one of the four presentation orientations for the display based upon the input received from the orientation sensor and to send output to the display to visually display information based upon the input received from the at least one current sensor in the selected one of the four presentation orientations.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein each of the four presentation orientations for the display corresponds to at least one of a plurality of predetermined installation orientations for the housing, and wherein the microprocessor selects one of the four presentation orientations for the display based upon the one of the predetermined installation orientations closest to the detected selected installation orientation.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one power input cable is configured to supply a plurality of phases of the electrical power, each of a group of the plurality of receptacles is configured to receive the electrical power with one of the phases supplied by the power input cable, and the at least one current sensor includes a different current sensor for each of the plurality of phases of the electrical power supplied by the power input cable.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one power input cable includes a plurality of power input cables, each configured to supply one of a plurality of phases of the electrical power, each of a group of the plurality of receptacles is configured to receive the electrical power with one of the phases supplied by the plurality of power input cables, and the at least one current sensor includes a different current sensor for each of the plurality of phases of the electrical power supplied by the plurality of power input cables.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the four presentation orientations comprise a first presentation orientation, a second presentation orientation, a third presentation orientation, and a fourth presentation orientation, the second presentation orientation being inverted relative to the first presentation orientation, and the first presentation orientation being substantially orthogonal to the third presentation orientation.

20. A system to provide electrical power to at least one external device, the system comprising:

a housing configured to have a selected installation orientation chosen from a plurality of installation orientations;

at least one power input cable coupled to the housing and couplable to receive electrical power;

a plurality of receptacles coupled to the housing and coupled to receive electrical power from the at least one power input cable, the plurality of receptacles couplable to provide the electrical power to the at least one external device;

a segmented display non-movably attached to the housing and configured to visually display information in a first presentation orientation and a second presentation orientation, the segmented display including at least one segmented readout having a first LED unit with a first seven segment display and a first decimal point and a second LED unit with a second seven segment display and a second decimal point, the second LED unit being inverted relative to the first LED unit such that when the first LED unit is positioned upright the first decimal point is positioned in the lower right of the first seven segment display, and the second decimal point is positioned in the upper left of the second seven segment display;

an orientation sensor coupled to the housing, the orientation sensor configured to exist in a plurality of states, each corresponding to one of the plurality of installation orientations of the housing, at any one time the orientation sensor configured to exist in a particular one of the plurality of states corresponding to the selected installation orientation of the housing;

at least one current sensor coupled to the housing, the at least one current sensor configured to exist in a plurality of states, at any one time the at least one current sensor configured to exist in a particular one of the plurality of states based upon the current associated with the system; and

a microprocessor coupled to the housing, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the orientation sensor to receive input from the orientation sensor based upon the particular state of the orientation sensor, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the at least one current sensor to receive input from the at least one current sensor based upon the particular state of the at least one current sensor, the microprocessor configured to select one of the first and second presentation orientations for the segmented display based upon the input received from the orientation sensor and to send output to the display to visually display information based upon the input received from the at least one current sensor in the selected one of the first and second presentation orientations.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the at least one power input cable includes a plurality of power input cables, each configured to supply one of a plurality of phases of the electrical power, the plurality of receptacles includes a receptacle for each phase of the electrical power being supplied by the power input cables, and the at least one current sensor includes a different current sensor for each of the plurality of phases of the electrical power supplied by the plurality of power input cables.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the at least one input power cable is configured to supply a plurality of phases of the electrical power, each of a group of the plurality of receptacles is configured to receive the electrical power with one of the phases supplied by the power input cable, and the at least one current sensor includes a different current sensor for each phase of the plurality of phases of the electrical power supplied by the power input cable.

23. A method comprising:

selecting an installation orientation for a housing, the installation orientation being chosen from a plurality of possible installation orientations;

receiving electrical power through a power input;

providing the electrical power to at least one external device through at least one power output;

providing a display configured to visually display information in four presentation orientations;

determining a closest one of the four presentation orientations of the display to a right-side-up presentation based upon the installation orientation selected for the housing;

providing a present condition state based upon a condition associated with the providing the electrical power through the power output; and

visually displaying information based upon the present condition state on the display with the determined presentation orientation of the display.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the at least one power output comprises a plurality of receptacles.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein providing electrical power through the plurality of receptacles includes for each phase of the electrical power provided, providing electrical power through a different one of the plurality of receptacles.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the receiving electrical power includes receiving electrical power through at least one power input cable.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein providing a present condition state includes providing a condition state of the level of electrical current associated with providing the electrical power through the power output.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein providing the display includes a display with at least one matrix readout of one of the following types:

dot-matrix LED and graphic LCD.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein providing the display includes a display with at least one segmented readout.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein providing a present condition state is related to one of the following:

electrical current, humidity, and temperature.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the four presentation orientations comprise a first presentation orientation, a second presentation orientation, a third presentation orientation, and a fourth presentation orientation, the second presentation orientation being inverted relative to the first presentation orientation, and the first presentation orientation being substantially orthogonal to the third presentation orientation.

32. A power distribution unit mountable on an external structure in a selected installation orientation, the power distribution unit comprising:

means for receiving electrical power;

a plurality of receptacles powered by the means for receiving electrical power, each of the plurality of receptacles being operable to supply power to at least one external device;

a display configured to visually display information in four presentation orientations;

an orientation sensor configured to sense the power distribution unit is in the selected installation orientation;

a second sensor configured to sense a condition related to the power distribution unit; and

a microprocessor communicatively linked to the orientation sensor to receive input from the orientation sensor indicating the power distribution unit is in the selected installation orientation, the microprocessor communicatively linked to the second sensor to receive input from the second sensor based upon the sensed condition, the microprocessor configured to select one of the four presentation orientations for the display based upon the input received from the orientation sensor and to send output to the display to visually display information based upon the input received from the second sensor in the selected one of the four presentation orientations.

33. The power distribution unit of claim 32, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of a current sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor.

34. The power distribution unit of claim 32, wherein the condition related to the power distribution unit is at least one of an electrical current level, a temperature, and a humidity.

35. The power distribution unit of claim 32, wherein the four presentation orientations comprise a first presentation orientation, a second presentation orientation, a third presentation orientation, and a fourth presentation orientation, the second presentation orientation being inverted relative to the first presentation orientation, and the first presentation orientation being substantially orthogonal to the third presentation orientation.