Sensor

• US 9,665,073 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TrickleStar Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TrickleStar Ltd.
• Inventors: Emby, Bernard Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Gannon, Levi
• Application Number:
  US14/205,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 307 39, 307116, 307140
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The present invention generally pertains to a sensor (101), more particularly the present invention pertains to sensors for saving energy, wherein the sensor (101) comprising at least one input (11) for receiving signal, at least one output (12) for transmitting signal, and at least a sensing module (14) for sequentially sensing at least one activity of a user and determining power supply to at least one appliance by tracking a sequential predetermined period of time and detecting at least one activity.

Claims

1. A sensor (101) for determining power supply to at least one appliance by sensing a first activity of a user and sequentially sensing a second activity of a user in an event the first activity is undetected, wherein the sensor (101) terminates the power supply in an event the second activity is undetected within a predetermined period of time, wherein the first activity is any one of infra-red activity from an infra-red enabled remote control, radio frequency activity, or movement of the user within a predetermined vicinity and the second activity is any one of infra-red activity from the infra-red enabled remote control, radio frequency activity, or movement of the user within the predetermined vicinity, and wherein the first activity and the second activity are different from one another such that:

a) when the first activity is infra-red activity from the infra-red enabled remote control, the second activity is one of radio frequency activity or movement of the user within the predetermined vicinity;

b) when the first activity is radio frequency activity, the second activity is one of infra-red activity from the infra-red enabled remote control or movement of the user within the predetermined vicinity; and

c) when the first activity is movement of the user within the predetermined vicinity, the second activity is one of infra-red activity from the infra-red enabled remote control or radio frequency activity.

2. The sensor (101) according to claim 1 comprising:

at least one input (11) for a receiving signal;

at least one output (12) for a transmitting signal; and

at least one sensing module (14) configured to sense at least an activity for determining power supply to at least one appliance.

3. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein said at least one sensing module (14) comprises a logic module (31) configured to sequentially sense said at least one activity.

4. The sensor (101) according to claim 3, wherein the logic module (31) regulates a timer (21) to track a first predetermined period of time for detecting a first activity.

5. The sensor (101) according to claim 4, wherein the logic module (31) triggers the timer (21) to track a subsequent predetermined period of time for detecting a second activity in an event that the first activity is undetected.

6. The sensor (101) according to claim 5, wherein the logic module (31) triggers an alert via an alerting means to user by the end of the subsequent predetermined period of time prior to termination of the power supply in an event that the second activity is undetected.

7. The sensor (101) according to claim 6, wherein the alerting means comprises an audio alert.

8. The sensor (101) according to claim 6, wherein the alerting means comprises a visual alert.

9. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein said at least one sensing module (14) comprises a logic module (31) configured to trigger an action by an end of a sequential predetermined period of time.

10. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) is configured to be connected to a power strip.

11. The sensor (101) according to claim 10, wherein the power strip comprises a master and slave configuration.

12. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) is configured to be incorporated with a power strip.

13. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) is configured with high definition multimedia interface capabilities.

14. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) comprises a controller for controlling operation of a power strip or a high definition multimedia interface.

15. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) is any one or in combination of infra-red sensor, passive infra-red sensor, motion sensor, and radio frequency sensor.

16. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein the sensor (101) is configured with a resettable timer function.

17. A sensing method of the sensor (101) in claim 2 comprising the steps of:

detecting a first activity for a first predetermined period of time;

detecting a second activity for a subsequent predetermined period of time if the first activity is undetected within the first predetermined period of time;

triggering an alert by the end of the subsequent predetermined period of time if the second activity is undetected; and

terminating power supply if the second activity is undetected by the end of the subsequent predetermined period;

wherein the first activity and the second activity are different from one another.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said at least one subsequent predetermined period is triggered in an event that the first activity is undetected within said at least one first predetermined period.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the alert is triggered via an alerting means.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the alerting means comprises an audio alert.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the alerting means comprises a visual alert.

22. The sensor (101) according to claim 2, wherein said at least one sensing module (14) is configured to track a sequential predetermined period of time.

23. The sensor (101) according to claim 22, wherein said at least one sensing module (14) comprises a timer (21) configured to track the sequential predetermined period of time.