Systems, methods and devices for remote power management and discovery
A power monitoring device (PMD) can perform real-time remote managing, status reporting and analysis on the health/condition of equipment connected to the PMD. For example, a PMD provides data such as whether the equipment connected is idling, fully operating, malfunctioning, etc. The PMD can turn the power on/off, trigger system alert, and perform time-delayed or special profile programming to manage and monitor equipment usage. A power signature identification capability can identify what equipment such as monitor, laptop, lighting equipment, etc., are being connected. A configuration can be used by the power management device based at least in part on the waveform information (e.g., device model, activity status, etc.). Real-time diagnosis and collection of energy consumption and usage pattern can be aggregated for planning and management. Asset management can be enabled by discovering which models of devices are active and connected to a predetermined power management device.
1. A system for providing a status of a remote device, the system comprising:
a set of configurable power connectors configured to removably electrically couple to devices and provide power to the devices;
a set of sensors coupled to the set of configurable power connectors, the set of sensors configured to sample an energy consumption characteristic of the devices electrically coupled to the set of configurable power connectors; and
a microcontroller to:
perform one or more self-diagnostic tests to detect problems with components of the set of configurable power connectors and components of the set of sensors, wherein when a problem is detected in an affected component, the set of configurable power connectors to:
disable the affected component, and
bypass the affected component such that unaffected components can continue to be used, wherein the set of configurable power connectors comprise one or more relays, wherein the self-diagnostic tests assess a response of the one or more relays, and wherein an affected relay is disabled and bypassed.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a processor unit to:
receive a first sampled energy consumption characteristic data from the set of sensors;
determine a first device energy consumption profile of a first device coupled to a first power connector sampled by a first sensor from the set of sensors;
determine a state of the first device by comparing the first sampled energy consumption characteristic data to an upper threshold or a lower threshold described in the first device energy consumption profile; and
based on the state of the first device, transmit a signal to the first power connector instructing the first power connector to enter an off state, transmit an alert message, or perform a time-delayed action.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a transmitter to send the energy consumption characteristic to a remote processing unit, and wherein the self-diagnostic tests further detect problems with components of the transmitter.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the self-diagnostic check assesses one or more parameters comprising transmitter link status, network status, feedback response from relays used by the set of configurable power connectors, and response from power meters of the set used by sensors.
5. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a remote processing unit that monitors for a periodic heartbeat signal from the transmitter.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein bypassing the affected component allows the set of configurable power connectors to continue to provide power to the devices.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to cause a status determined by the one or more self-diagnostic tests to be reported to a remote processing unit.
8. A method of a power monitoring equipment, the method comprising:
providing power to devices electrically coupled to a set of configurable power connectors;
sampling, using a set of sensors, an energy consumption characteristic of the devices electrically coupled to the set of configurable power connectors; and
performing one or more self-diagnostic tests to detect problems with components of the set of configurable power connectors and components of the set of sensors,
when a problem is detected in an affected component:
disabling the affected component, and
bypassing the affected component such that unaffected components can continue to be used, wherein the set of configurable power connectors comprise one or more relays, wherein the self-diagnostic tests assess a response of the one or more relays, and wherein an affected relay is disabled and bypassed.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving a first sampled energy consumption characteristic data from the set of sensors;
determining a first device energy consumption profile of a first device coupled to a first power connector sampled by a first sensor from the set of sensors;
determining a state of the first device by comparing the first sampled energy consumption characteristic data to an upper threshold or a lower threshold described in the first device energy consumption profile; and
based on the state of the first device, transmitting a signal to the first power connector instructing the first power connector to enter an off state, transmitting an alert message, or performing a time-delayed action.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the self-diagnostic tests further detect problems with components of a transmitter.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the self-diagnostic check assesses one or more parameters comprising transmitter link status, network status, feedback response from relays used by the set of configurable power connectors, and response from power meters of the set used by sensors.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising monitoring for a periodic heartbeat signal from the transmitter.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein bypassing the affected component allows the set of configurable power connectors to continue to provide power to the devices.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising transmitting a status determined by the one or more self-diagnostic tests to a remote processing unit.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
provide power to devices electrically coupled to a set of configurable power connectors;
sample, using a set of sensors, an energy consumption characteristic of the devices electrically coupled to the set of configurable power connectors; and
perform one or more self-diagnostic tests to detect problems with components of the set of configurable power connectors and components of the set of sensors, and when a problem is detected in an affected component:
disable the affected component, and
bypass the affected component such that unaffected components can continue to be used, wherein the set of configurable power connectors comprise one or more relays, wherein the self-diagnostic tests assess a response of the one or more relays, and wherein an affected relay is disabled and bypassed.
16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further configure the computer to:
receive a first sampled energy consumption characteristic data from the set of sensors;
determine a first device energy consumption profile of a first device coupled to a first power connector sampled by a first sensor from the set of sensors;
determine a state of the first device by comparing the first sampled energy consumption characteristic data to an upper threshold or a lower threshold described in the first device energy consumption profile; and
based on the state of the first device, transmit a signal to the first power connector instructing the first power connector to enter an off state, transmit an alert message, or perform a time-delayed action.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the self-diagnostic check assesses one or more parameters comprising transmitter link status, network status, feedback response from relays used by the set of configurable power connectors, and response from power meters of the set used by sensors.