Selective electrical coupling based on environmental conditions

• US 9,170,625 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leeo, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leeo, Incorporated
• Inventors: Gettings, Adam M., Stevens, Andrew G., Hovland, Bjorn H., Zheng, Yi, Ivers, Lucas, Joshi, Nina S.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNN, DARRIN D
• Application Number:
  US14/334,616
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/297, 700/300, 713/300, 713/310, 713/315, 713/320
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/261 PC controlled powerstrip
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• 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: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

An environmental monitoring device that includes a switching mechanism is described. During operation of the environmental monitoring device, the switching mechanism such as a switch) selectively electrically couples a first electrical-connection node and a second electrical-connection node. For example, using the switching mechanism, an electronic device that is electrically coupled to the first electrical-connection node may be selectively electrically coupled to a second electronic device that is electrically coupled to the second electrical-connection node. The selective electrical coupling may be based on one or more measurements of an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device. Moreover, a sensor mechanism in the environmental monitoring device may provide sensor data based on the one or more measurements. Alternatively, an antenna and an interface circuit in the environmental monitoring device may receive the sensor data from a third electronic device.

Claims

1. An environmental monitoring device, comprising:

a first electrical-connection node configured to electrically couple to an electronic device;

a second electrical-connection node configured to electrically couple to a second electronic device;

a switching mechanism, electrically coupled to the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, configured to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node;

a control mechanism, electrically coupled to the switching mechanism, configured to provide a control signal to the switching mechanism to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on one or more measurements of an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device;

an override mechanism configured to specify an electrical coupling state of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, wherein the electrical coupling state specified by the override mechanism supersedes the selective electrical coupling specified by the control signal; and

a safety mechanism configured to detect a safety condition and to decouple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, wherein the safety mechanism includes an insertion sensor with pairs of springs in each of at least a first hole and a second hole in a socket associated with at least one of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node; and

wherein the insertion sensor is configured to determine an object other than a plug has been inserted into the socket based on detecting, using the pairs of springs, insertion of the object into the first hole without detecting insertion of the object into the second hole within a predetermined time interval for detecting the insertion of the object into the second hole after detecting the insertion of the object into the first hole.

2. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the override mechanism is electrically coupled to at least one of:

the switching mechanism, and the control mechanism.

3. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the override mechanism has a first electrical coupling state and a second electrical coupling state, and includes one of:

a switch, and a button; and

wherein, in a first electrical coupling state of the override mechanism, the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node are electrically coupled; and

wherein, in a second electrical coupling state of the override mechanism, the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node are electrically decoupled.

4. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the environmental monitoring device further includes a sensor mechanism, electrically coupled to the control mechanism, that provides sensor data based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition.

5. The environmental monitoring device of claim 4, wherein the sensor mechanism includes one of:

a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an acoustic sensor, a fire-detection sensor, a load-monitoring sensor, and a motion sensor.

6. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the environmental monitoring device further includes:

an antenna; and

an interface circuit, electrically coupled to the antenna, configured to communicate with a third electronic device that is separate from the environmental monitoring device, wherein the communication includes sensor data based on one or more measurements, provided by the third electronic device, of the environmental condition, and wherein the sensor data is associated with a sensor mechanism in the third electronic device.

7. The environmental monitoring device of claim 6, wherein the sensor mechanism includes one of:

a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an acoustic sensor, a fire-detection sensor, a load-monitoring sensor, and a motion sensor.

8. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the insertion sensor is configured to detect current between contacts in one of the first hole and the second hole.

9. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the safety condition involves detecting insertion of the object into a hot contact associated with the socket.

10. The environmental monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the safety condition involves detecting a ground-fault current.

11. A computer-program product for use in junction with an environmental monitoring device, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein to selectively electrically couple a first electrical-connection node and a second electrical-connection node, the computer-program mechanism including:

instructions for obtaining one or more measurements of an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device; and

instructions for providing a control signal to a switching mechanism in the environmental monitoring device to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition;

instructions for specifying an electrical coupling state of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node using an override mechanism, wherein the electrical coupling state specified by the override mechanism supersedes the selective electrical coupling specified by the control signal; and

instructions for detecting a safety condition and decoupling the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on a safety mechanism that includes an insertion sensor, wherein the insertion sensor includes pairs of springs in each of at least a first hole and a second hole in a socket associated with at least one of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node; and

wherein the insertion sensor determines an object other than a plug has been inserted into the socket based on detecting, using the pairs of springs, insertion of the object into the first hole without detecting insertion of the object into the second hole within a predetermined time interval for detecting the insertion of the object into the second hole after detecting the insertion of the object into the first hole.

12. The computer-program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-program mechanism further includes instructions for receiving, from a sensor mechanism in the environmental monitoring device, sensor data based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition.

13. The computer-program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-program mechanism further includes instructions for receiving, from another electronic device that is separate from the environmental monitoring device, sensor data based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition.

14. A control-mechanism-implemented method for selectively electrically coupling a first electrical-connection node and a second electrical-connection node in an environmental monitoring device, wherein the method comprises:

obtaining one or more measurements of an environmental condition in an external environment that includes an environmental monitoring device; and

using the control mechanism in the environmental monitoring device, providing a control signal to a switching mechanism in the environmental monitoring device to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition;

specifying an electrical coupling state of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node using an override mechanism, wherein the electrical coupling state specified by the override mechanism supersedes the selective electrical coupling specified by the control signal; and

detecting a safety condition and decoupling the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on a safety mechanism that includes an insertion sensor, wherein the insertion sensor includes pairs of springs in each of at least two a first hole and a second hole in a socket associated with at least one of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node; and

wherein the insertion sensor determines an object other than a plug has been inserted into the socket based on detecting, using the pairs of springs, insertion of the object into the first hole without detecting insertion of the object into the second hole within a predetermined time interval for detecting the insertion of the object into the second hole after detecting the insertion of the object into the first hole.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from a sensor mechanism in the environmental monitoring device, sensor data based on the one or more measurements of the environmental condition.