ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCHING TECHNIQUES
New techniques improving the efficiency of electrical power distribution are provided. In some aspects of the invention, a control unit, with additional switching hardware (in addition to any main circuit switch) switches power from an electrical outlet. In some embodiments, specialized sensory hardware may be included, and may comprise appliance control actuation devices and touch or power control actuation sensors installed on or about a main power control, and may further comprise a near field or other wireless communication tag(s). In other embodiments, such sensory hardware may comprise a power status light or other indicator sensor, proxy control and appliance control actuator. Among other aspects, some embodiments also provide for control system programmability, to learn actuation and indicator conditions associated with an appliance being turned off or on, or otherwise actuated, and the control unit may control power distribution based on such variable programming.
1 . An apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet, comprising:
a control unit, within said power outlet, or installed between said power outlet and said appliance, which further comprises a processing device;
hardware at least partially under the control of at least part of said control unit, configured to control the provision of power from a power outlet to an appliance; and
sensory hardware configured to sense the manual actuation of a power control of an appliance, if said sensory hardware is installed on, in, partially on or in, or near enough to said power control to so sense its manual actuation.
2 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 1 , further comprising in which, under at least some conditions, said control unit distributes, halts or otherwise controls the provision of power from a power outlet to an appliance, at least in part, based on sensing the manual actuation of a power control of an appliance.
3 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 1 , further comprising in which, under at least some conditions, said control unit distributes, halts or otherwise controls the delivery of power from a power outlet to an appliance, at least in part, based on the actuated conformation of a power control of an appliance.
4 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 1 , further comprising in which, under at least some conditions, said control unit distributes, halts or otherwise controls the delivery of power from a power outlet to an appliance, at least in part, based on a determination of a conformation pattern during actuation of a power control of an appliance.
5 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 2 , further comprising in which said control unit is user-programmable via a user interface.
6 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 4 , further comprising in which a user may use said user interface and said control unit to record signals, or data representative of or related to said signals, from said sensory hardware, and associate said record(s) with types of manual actuation of said appliance under conditions present during said recording.
7 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 2 , further comprising in which said control unit determines whether manual actuation to switch off said appliance occurs, and, if so, terminates or modifies the delivery of power from said power outlet to said appliance.
8 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 7 , further comprising in which said control unit determines whether manual actuation to switch on said appliance occurs, and, if so, provides power, or provides additional power, from said power outlet to said appliance.
9 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 8 , further comprising in which said sensory hardware is separate from a main housing of said control unit and networked for communications with said control unit.
10 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 9 , further comprising in which said sensory hardware comprises a fastener which may be installed and uninstalled onto the housing of said appliance, without substantially, permanently changing said appliance, or said sensory hardware comprises an otherwise reversibly adhered device.
11 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 2 , in which said sensory hardware comprises a near field communications or other communications tag mounted on said power control.
12 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 2 , in which said sensory hardware comprises a touch-sensitive device.
13 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 2 , in which said sensory hardware comprises a motion sensor.
14 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 11 , in which said near field communications or other communications tag, or a part of said sensory hardware of which said near field communications or other communications tag is a part, is user actuable, and communications with said control unit are affected if a user actuates said near field communications or other communications tag or a part of said sensory hardware of which said near field communications or other communications tag is a part.
15 . An apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet, comprising:
a control unit, which further comprises a processing device;
hardware at least partially under the control of at least part of said control unit, configured to control the provision of power from a power outlet to an appliance; and
sensory hardware configured to sense visual indications of a power status or other appliance condition indicator, if said sensory hardware is installed on, in, partially on or in, or near enough to said indicator to so sense said visual indications.
16 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 15 , further comprising in which, under at least some conditions, said control unit distributes, halts or otherwise controls the delivery of power from a power outlet to an appliance, at least in part, based on sensing visual indications of a power status indicator of an appliance.
17 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 15 , further comprising in which said visual indications of a power status indicator comprise a brightness, color or the presence of emitted light from said power status indicator.
18 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 15 , further comprising in which said visual indications of a power status indicator comprise a pattern or change in brightness, color or the presence of emitted light from said power status indicator.
19 . The apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet of claim 15 , further comprising in which said control unit may be programmed by a user to associate particular types of visual indications with power statuses of an appliance.
20 . An apparatus for controlling the distribution of power from a power outlet, comprising:
a control unit within said power outlet, or installed between said power outlet and said appliance, which further comprises a processing device;
hardware at least partially under the control of at least part of said control system, configured to control the provision and use of power; and
sensory hardware configured to sense or otherwise ascertain user activity in the course of actuation, or causing the actuation, of an appliance, which activity affects power usage.