Patent Application
20130015714
The exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to relates to power supply. More specifically, the exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to alternating current (“AC”) power and direct current (“DC”) power supply.
A conventional power supply for providing electricity to AC powered and DC powered devices, such as medical instruments, commercial electronics, or mobiles, generally provides power with one specific characteristic to such devices with typically one or two form factors or common connecting platforms. The power supply can be in a form of an AC power extender, wall-mounted outlet having an AC-to-DC transformer, power strip, portal power supply apparatus, and the like. The common form factors typically involve different sizes of plugs and sockets such as conventional power plug and USB power cord. A problem associated with a conventional power supply is that it only provides one(1) types of power or power level with one type of form factor.
A television set, for example, typically acquires electrical power through a power cord connected to a power source via a wall-mounted socket or a power extender. For a conventional television set to operate, it requires AC power input having 110-120 volts (“V”) at 60 hertz (“Hz”) or with 220-240V at 50 Hz depending on the geographical locations. In addition, different connectors, coupling apparatus, or form factors may be used for television sets and/or commercial electronics requiring DC power supply.
A typical mobile phone, for instance, requires a DC power supply to recharge its internal rechargeable battery for device operating. Since majority of conventional power source over a wall-mounted, extender power supply, or power strip provides AC power, a type of conversion device such as a transformer may be used to convert from AC to DC power before any DC powered devices can operate. In addition, most power outlets (AC or DC) are individually powered without master-slave or power saving controls.
To operate multiple electronic devices having different voltage requirements such as 1.5V and 3.2V, users typically need to bring multiple adapters or transformers containing traditional AC-to-DC conversion capabilities outputting different voltage levels. Different adapters providing different voltage or current outputs have unique configurations of form factors. As such, a device may not be able to operate if its adapter is lost or missing. Also, carrying multiple adapters for different devices can be heavy and bulky.
A Smart Power Portal able to supply electrical power to attached or connected electronic or electrical devices is disclosed. The portal, which can be a power strip or wall-mounted unit, includes a receiver, a transformer, a direct current (“DC”) converter, and a Greeny port. The receiver, in one embodiment, is coupled to an alternating current (“AC”) power source for drawing electricity of AC power, and the transformer is able to convert at least a portion of the AC power to DC power. The DC converter is able to convert the DC power into a grade of DC voltage levels, and the Greeny port is coupled with a removable electronic device. The Greeny port, in one example, is capable of detecting minimal power required to operate the removable electronic device.
Additional features and benefits of the exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description, figures and claims set forth below.
Exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.
Exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention is described herein in the context of a method, system and apparatus of supplying electricity with a grade of multiple power levels including AC and DC powers.
Those of ordinary skills in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiment(s) is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the exemplary embodiment(s) as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “exemplary embodiment,” “one aspect,” “an aspect,” “exemplary aspect,” “various aspects,” et cetera, indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be understood that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be understood that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skills in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In accordance with the embodiment of present invention, the components, process steps, and/or data structures described herein may be implemented using various types of operating systems, computing platforms, computer programs, and/or general purpose machines. In addition, those of ordinary skills in the art will recognize that devices of a less general purpose nature, such as hardwired devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, may also be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Where a method including a series of process steps is implemented by a computer or a machine and those process steps can be stored as a series of instructions readable by the machine, they may be stored on a tangible medium such as a computer memory device (e.g., ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), FLASH Memory, Jump Drive, and the like), magnetic storage medium (e.g., tape, magnetic disk drive, and the like), optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, paper card and paper tape, and the like) and other known types of program memory.
A Smart Power Portal is capable of supplying electrical power to attached or connected electronic or electrical devices. The portal, which can be a power extender, a power strip or wall-mounted unit, includes a receiver, a transformer, a direct current (“DC”) converter, and a Greeny port. The receiver, in one embodiment, is coupled to an alternating current (“AC”) power source for drawing electricity of AC power, and the transformer is able to convert at least a portion of the AC power to DC power. The DC converter is able to convert the DC power into a grade of DC voltage levels, and the Greeny port is coupled with a removable electronic device. The Greeny port, in one example, is capable of detecting minimal power required to operate the removable electronic device.
Smart Power Portal, in one aspect, includes Smart Power Extender or Smart Wall-mounted Power, wherein Smart Power Portal can be incorporated in electrical wiring system for a structure such as a home or an office building. Smart Power Portal devices can reduce or eliminate the need of requiring multiple power adapters for multiple portable electrical/electronic devices. Another advantage of using Smart Power Portal can improve overall efficiency for power consumption.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, the Smart Power Portal. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The Smart Power Extender (“SPE”), which is one form of Smart Power Portal, includes an AC power supply input port wherein AC power is received from an AC power source via the AC power supply input port. In an alternative embodiment, the Smart Power Extender includes a DC power input port wherein DC power is received from DC power source through the DC power supply input port. AC power outlets are used to provide AC power to devices that require AC power to operation. The SPE further includes multiple AC power outlets and/or DC power outlets. DC power outlets are used to provide DC power to devices that require DC power to operation.
In one embodiment, AC power outlets of the SPE are configured to share or distribute AC power received from the AC power supply input port to various AC power outlets. It should be noted that the AC power outlets can be configured to be able to switch on or off by control signal (or switch) controlled by the user. Alternatively, one or more AC power outlets can be switch on/off by a switching signal which could be electrical, radio, or optical signal. The switching signal may be managed or controlled by the user.
The SPE, in one aspect, provides DC power through its DC power outlets capable of connecting to one or more external devices which require DC power to operate. If power supply input port of SPE receives AC power, the AC power is internally converted from AC to DC by an embedded AD-to-DC transformer (or converter) and the converted DC power is subsequently distributed to the DC power outlets. If power supply input port receives DC power, the DC power may be internally divided into several different voltage levels by an embedded DC-to-DC converter with automated voltage and/or current regulation, and the DC power is subsequently distributed to the DC power outlets.
The DC power outlets of the SPE, in one embodiment, supply adjustable DC power based on predetermined or interactive power requirements. When the DC power supply input port does not receive DC power supply, the DC power outlets in the Smart Power Extender receive power from the embedded AC-to-DC transformer through the AC power supply input port. Depending on the applications, specific voltage levels of DC power outlets are determined by an embedded AC-to-DC transformer as well as embedded DC-to-DC converter. The Smart Power Portal further includes an intelligent power saving controller capable of conserving power consumption based upon requirements received from one or more external identifiers which can either be predetermined or interactive manners, such as wireless radio signals, Bluetooth™ signals, optical signals, et cetera.
In an alternative embodiment, when the DC power supply input port of SPE is connected to an external DC power supply source, the DC power outlets of SPE receive power from an embedded DC-to-DC converter which converts and/or divide DC power inputted from the DC power supply input port into multiple voltage levels. The voltage level of DC power received at the DC power supply input port is usually, but not necessary, greater than the voltage level(s) of DC power provided by the DC power outlets of SPE. When required or calibrated voltage level provided by the DC power outlets of SPE is the same as the voltage level of DC power received by the DC power supply input port of SPE, DC to DC conversion, in one aspect, is not necessary and a regulator is used to monitor the power transition. Depending on the applications, specifics of exact voltage level provided by the DC power outlets will be determined by the embedded DC-to-DC converter and/or the voltage level of DC power supply.
The Smart Wall-mounted Power (“SWP”), in one embodiment, is another form of the Smart Power Portal and is able to receive power via a port(s) either from AC power supply or DC power supply through existing home and/or office electric wiring system. The SWP provides the same or similar functions/features as the SPE except that the SWP is fixed while SPE can be portable. Electrical power delivered to home and/or office is generally supplied by a power station via power lines, wherein the power station can be a facility generating and storing power, such as coal generator, nuclear power station, hydro generator, Solar panels, renewable green power generators, power grid at regional power and utility companies, and the like.
Power from solar panels and/or renewable green power generators is, in one example, in a form of DC (or possibly AC) power which is routed and delivered to homes and/or office builds through electrical wiring using one or more the SWP outlets. In one embodiment, the SWP is configured to address, distribute, and route AC power from AC power source to AC power outlets of SWP. Similarly, the SWP is able to route DC power from DC power source to DC power outlets of SWP face plate. When the input power source is AC power only, the SWP employs the similar methods as SPE having embedded AC-to-DC transformer to supply or provide DC power to DC power outlets. An advantage of using the SWP is that it can be installed in a traditional home or office using AC power source to deliver multiple voltage levels of DC power as well as AC power.
In the case where a particular DC power outlet is plugged in with a DC power required device that utilizes a mean of providing PRI, Greeny Port of Smart Power Portal receives, senses, and/or reads the PRI from device and delivers proper voltage and/or current with specific characteristics based on the PRI. Greeny Port, in one embodiment, is configured to identify a requested voltage level in response to the PRI via external protocols/mechanisms. It should be noted that externally defined power requirement protocols can be provided through an external hardware with a protocol which can be either proprietary or IEEE standards defined by means of digital, electrical, or radio frequency signaling. The mechanisms of enquiring power requirement information are implementation specifics. The PRIs are supported by Greeny Ports of Smart Power Portal power.
The PRI mechanism, in one embodiment, resides external to the Smart Power Portal and can be embedded in a connector or cable which connects to Greeny Port of Smart Power Portal. The identification, for example, can be in the forms of electrical switches, electrically defined and/or digitally stored information. The stored information can be subsequently retrieved and processed by the Smart Power Portal for the purpose of determining DC power level or voltage level to a device connected to Greeny Ports.
The PRI includes power information including required voltage and current to operate a particular device. In an alternative embodiment, the PRI includes information other than required voltage and current, such as vendor ID and flags indicating status or behaviors of connected device(s). The composition and utilization of such flags are implementation specifics and they can be various for different applications.
The Smart Power Portal, in one embodiment, includes a chip containing processing controller, communication circuitry, memory and has capabilities to support power requirements from standard protocols. By employing processor or processing functions, the Smart Power Portal is capable to controlling one or more sockets of SWP, such as alarming, on/off switching, port grouping, and/or other intelligent functionalities. It should be noted that SPE may also include processors and communication circuitry to dynamically or statically manage and control power conversion as well as power conservation.
An advantage of employing the Smart Power Portal is to create and/or provide an environmental friendly, energy efficient, adaptability, and cost effective method(s) to deliver power to electrical/electronic devices using AC and DC power with several different voltage levels. The Smart Power Portal with Greeny Power outlets is applicable to homes, offices, as well as airplanes, ships, and trains.
The following detailed description of embodiment(s) of present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the Smart Power Portal. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiment(s) of present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention.
SPE 800 has three (3) AC power outlets, four Type A 810 DC power outlets, and two Type B 820 DC power outlets. The number of power outlets is implementation specific. Type A 810 and Type B 820 DC power outlets can be anything from 3V to 24V. The DC power output voltage levels are also implementation specific. An advantage of providing both the AC and DC power output is to save consumers from using multiple AC-to-DC transformers with a simple cable connection from the SPE to their DC powered electronic devices while at the same time providing the traditional AC power to their AC powered electronic/electrical appliances. As noted, this SPE 800 has an external AC power source 500.
For example, when the requirement of Type A 810 is 5V DC while Type B 820 is 18V DC, then embedded AC-to-DC Transformer 830 is used to transform or convert AC power source 500 to 18V DC power directed by Control Unit with DC-to-DC converter 850, and the output of AC-to-DC Transformer 830 is directly routed to Type B 820 DC power outlets. At the same time, 18V DC is routed to the embedded Control Unit with DC-to-DC converter 850 and the resulting DC output is routed to Type A 810 power outlets such as 5V DC power. In one example, in the absence of Type B 820 DC power outlet and requirement of Type A 810 is 5V, AC-to-DC Transformer 830 transforms AC power source 500 to 5V DC and subsequently routes to 5V DC to Type A 810 power outlets without the use of embedded Control Unit with DC-to-DC converter 850.
Referring to
Referring to
Control Unit with DC-to-DC Converter 850, for example, can selectively switch on/off two of the three AC power ports 210 shown in
From the description given above, one of the ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the design of such power extender and the wall-mounted power reduces a tremendous amount of AC-to-DC transformers required today and helps in maximizing the efficiency of global resource usage. The present design will also improve the convenience of consumers with flexible power sources and outlets that fits various circumstances and conditions without the need of having to have multiple traditional power adapters readily in hand. At the same time, such design helps to reduce the energy loss during the AC-to-DC transformation by routing directly the DC power generated from the Solar panels and other renewable green power to homes and offices.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those of skills in the art that based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention and its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention.
