Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090072985 | Detecting actuation of electrical devices using electrical noise over a power line - Activity sensing in the home has a variety of important applications, including healthcare, entertainment, home automation, energy monitoring and post-occupancy research studies. Many existing systems for detecting occupant activity require large numbers of sensors, invasive vision systems, or extensive installation procedures. Disclosed is an approach that uses a single plug-in sensor to detect a variety of electrical events throughout the home. This sensor detects the electrical noise on residential power lines created by the abrupt switching of electrical devices and the noise created by certain devices while in operation. Machine learning techniques are used to recognize electrically noisy events such as turning on or off a particular light switch, a television set, or an electric stove. The system has been tested to evaluate system performance over time and in different types of houses. Results indicate that various electrical events can be learned and classified with accuracies ranging from 85-90%. | 03-19-2009 |
20100134290 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR RFID TAG PLACEMENT - Systems and methods for placing RFID tags on objects are shown and described. The method includes scanning an object and analyzing one or more reflected signals from the to determine a suggested location for placement of an RFID tag. The scan can be accomplished using a scanning device having an antenna that operates in the near field of the object to measure at least one RF property of the reflected signal from the object. | 06-03-2010 |
20100288468 | Motion Detecting Device, Method of Providing the Same, and Method of Detecting Movement - In some embodiments, a motion detecting device is configured to detect whether one or more movement events have occurred. The motion detecting device can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a computational unit; and (b) a sensing device having: (1) one or more pressure sensors configured to provide two or more pressure measurements; and (2) a transmitter electrically coupled to the one or more pressure sensors and configured to transmit the two or more pressure measurements to the computational unit. The processing module is configured to use the two or more pressure measurements to determine whether the one or more movement events have occurred. The sensing device can be configured to be placed in at least one of ductwork of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system or an air handler of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 11-18-2010 |
20110028093 | Bluetooth Proximity Detection System and Method of Interacting With One or More Bluetooth Devices - Some embodiments teach an apparatus for determining a proximity of one or more first Bluetooth devices. The apparatus can include: (a) at least one Bluetooth base station with (1) a Bluetooth transmitter configured to transmit one or more service discovery requests to the one or more first Bluetooth devices; and (2) a Bluetooth receiver configured to receive one or more responses from the one or more first Bluetooth devices to the one or more service discovery requests; and (b) a computational module configured to run on one or more processors and further configured to determine one or more approximate distances between the at least one Bluetooth base station and the one or more first Bluetooth devices based on the one or more responses from the one or more first Bluetooth devices. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 02-03-2011 |
20110282596 | Apparatus Configured to Detect Gas Usage, Method of Providing Same, and Method of Detecting Gas Usage - In some embodiments, an apparatus can be configured to detect gas usage. The apparatus can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a computational unit; and (b) a sensing unit configured to be coupled to a gas regulator, the sensing unit having: (1) at least one acoustic sensor configured to detect two or more acoustic signals produced by the gas regulator and convert the two or more acoustic signals into one or more first data signals; and (2) a transmitter electrically coupled to the at least one acoustic sensor and configured to transmit the one or more first data signals to the computational unit. The processing module is configured to use the one or more first data signals to determine the gas usage. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 11-17-2011 |
20120068692 | Systems and Methods for Measuring Electrical Power Usage in a Structure and Systems and Methods of Calibrating the Same - Some embodiments can concern a method of using a power consumption measurement device. The power consumption measurement device can be mechanically coupled to a surface of a circuit breaker box overlying at least part of one or more main electrical supply conductors for an electrical power infrastructure of a structure. The method can include: determining one or more first magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; after determining the one or more first magnetic field readings, electrically coupling a first calibration load to the electrical power infrastructure; while the first calibration load remains electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure, determining one or more second magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using the one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; calibrating the power consumption measurement device using at least in part the one or more first magnetic field readings and the one or more second magnetic field readings, after calibrating the power consumption measurement device, determining one or more third magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using the one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; and determining an electrical power used by the electrical power infrastructure of the structure using at least the one or more third magnetic field readings and the one or more calibration coefficients. Calibrating the power consumption measurement device can include determining one or more first calibration coefficients for the power consumption measurement device using at least in part the one or more first magnetic field readings and the one or more second magnetic field readings. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20120072143 | System for Monitoring Electrical Power Usage of a Structure and Method of Same - Some embodiments can teach a system for monitoring usage of electrical power by a structure. The structure can have one or more main electrical power lines that supply the electrical power to a first load in the structure. A portion of the one or more main electrical power lines can run substantially parallel to a first axis. The structure can further have a panel that overlies the portion of the one or more main electrical power lines. The system can include: (a) a current sensor unit configured to be coupled to a portion of a surface of the panel, the current sensor unit having: (a) at least one magnetic field sensor having a length substantially parallel to a second axis, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and the at least one magnetic field sensor is configured to detect a magnetic field generated by the one or more main electrical power lines; and (b) a processing unit configured to run on a processor. The current sensor unit can be configured to produce an output signal based on the magnetic field detected by the at least one magnetic field sensor. The processing unit further can be configured to receive the output signal from the current sensor unit and process the output signal to determine one or more parameters related to the usage of the electrical power by the first load in the structure. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20120092142 | Detecting Actuation of Electrical Devices Using Electrical Noise Over a Power Line - Activity sensing in the home has a variety of important applications, including healthcare, entertainment, home automation, energy monitoring and post-occupancy research studies. Many existing systems for detecting occupant activity require large numbers of sensors, invasive vision systems, or extensive installation procedures. Disclosed is an approach that uses a single plug-in sensor to detect a variety of electrical events throughout the home. This sensor detects the electrical noise on residential power lines created by the abrupt switching of electrical devices and the noise created by certain devices while in operation. Machine learning techniques are used to recognize electrically noisy events such as turning on or off a particular light switch, a television set, or an electric stove. The system has been tested to evaluate system performance over time and in different types of houses. Results indicate that various electrical events can be learned and classified with accuracies ranging from 85-90%. | 04-19-2012 |
20120293153 | ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY AND RELATED METHODS - Some embodiments include an improved electric power supply. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are disclosed. | 11-22-2012 |
20130179124 | ELECTRICAL EVENT DETECTION DEVICE AND METHOD OF DETECTING AND CLASSIFYING ELECTRICAL POWER USAGE - Some embodiments can concern an apparatus configured to detect an electrical state of one or more electrical devices. The one or more electrical devices are coupled to an electrical power infrastructure and generate one or more high-frequency electrical signals on the electrical power infrastructure. The apparatus can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a processor of a computational unit; and (b) a sensing device configured to be coupled to an electrical outlet. The sensing device can have: (a) a data acquisition receiver configured to receive the one or more high-frequency electrical signals via the electrical outlet and convert the one or more high-frequency electrical signals into one or more first data signals when the sensing device is coupled to the electrical outlet. The electrical outlet can be electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure. The sensing device is in communication with the computational unit. The processing module is further configured to identify the electrical state of the one or more electrical devices at least in part using the one or more first data signals. The high-frequency electrical signals comprise electrical signals in the ten kilohertz to three megahertz range. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 07-11-2013 |
20130234536 | METHOD AND SYSTEM TO CONTROL AMBIENT RF ENERGY FOR WIRELESS DEVICES - A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for controlling radio-frequency (RF) energy for wireless devices. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining to increase radio-frequency (RF) energy available to power a wireless tag and controlling the RF energy delivered to the wireless tag to provide tag energy, using one or more of: a) increasing transmission RF power of one or more wireless communication devices, b) increasing a duty cycle associated with wireless transmissions of one or more wireless communication devices, and c) decreasing path loss of the power to the wireless tag. | 09-12-2013 |
20130238265 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING RADIO-FREQUENCY ENERGY - A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for measuring radio-frequency energy. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises one or more antennas, a wideband radio frequency detector (e.g., a logarithmic amplifier (LogAmp)) coupled to the one or more antennas to measure ambient RF energy, wherein the wideband radio frequency detector has an analog output indicative of RF input power received by the one or more antennas, and an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the wideband radio frequency detector to convert the analog output to a digital value, the digital value being applied to a calibration function, to provide a number representing RF energy. | 09-12-2013 |
20130265140 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication are described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: a radio, an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC), a storage unit to store recovered DC power, one or more sensors for sensing and logging data, and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors and the radio, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state and cause the radio to communicate, sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit. | 10-10-2013 |
20130289930 | Motion Detecting Device, Method Of Providing The Same, And Method Of Detecting Movement - In some embodiments, a motion detecting device is configured to detect whether one or more movement events have occurred. The motion detecting device can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a computational unit; and (b) a sensing device having: (1) one or more pressure sensors configured to provide two or more pressure measurements; and (2) a transmitter electrically coupled to the one or more pressure sensors and configured to transmit the two or more pressure measurements to the computational unit. The processing module is configured to use the two or more pressure measurements to determine whether the one or more movement events have occurred. The sensing device can be configured to be placed in at least one of ductwork of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system or an air handler of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 10-31-2013 |
20140062664 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an access point comprising: a first antenna; a first radio coupled to the first antenna; a central processing unit coupled to the first radio; a backscatter adapter coupled to the access point via a wired communication interface, the backscatter adapter comprising a backscatter radio and a second antenna coupled to the backscatter radio for use in communicating with an RF tag in the network via backscatter. | 03-06-2014 |
20140062668 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; one or more sensors for sensing; a backscatter communicator to backscatter energy to communicate; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state and cause the radio to communicate sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit. | 03-06-2014 |
20140062671 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; a passive wakeup pattern detector operable to generate an interrupt in response to detecting a set of one or more subcarriers; one or more sensors for sensing; a communication mechanism; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state in response to the interrupt and cause the communication mechanism to exchange data wirelessly with another while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit. | 03-06-2014 |
20140062672 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an access point coupled to provide access to a network; an RF tag comprising an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; a passive wakeup pattern detector operable to generate an interrupt in response to detecting a set of one or more subcarriers; one or more sensors for sensing; a communication mechanism; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state in response to the interrupt and cause the communication mechanism to exchange data wirelessly with another while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit. | 03-06-2014 |
20140070613 | ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY AND RELATED METHODS - Electric power supplies are described herein. Other examples, systems, and related methods are also disclosed herein. | 03-13-2014 |
20140070940 | SENSOR NODES, APPARATUSES, AND METHODS FOR WIRELESSLY TRANSMITTING DATA TO A POWER INFRASTRUCTURE - Apparatuses, sensor nodes, systems and methods for modulating and transmitting sensor data wirelessly to an existing power line network are described. An apparatus may include a microcontroller having an oscillator and an input/output buffer. The microcontroller may process an electrical signal and the input/output buffer may drive a digital signal. The apparatus may include a transmitter utilizing the oscillator and the input/output buffer of the microcontroller. The transmitter may include a resonator coupled to the oscillator and modulation circuitry coupled to the oscillator and resonator. The resonator may modulate a frequency of the oscillator responsive to a modulation signal based on the processed electrical signal. The transmitter may further include an antenna coupled to the input/output buffer of the microcontroller for transmission of the data, and a resonant tank coupled to an output of the input/output buffer to provide an analog signal to the antenna. | 03-13-2014 |
20140072060 | RECEIVER, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR WIRELESSLY RECEIVING DATA FROM A POWER INFRASTRUCTURE - Apparatuses, receivers, systems and methods for receiving data via a power line infrastructure. An exemplary apparatus includes a base station configured to receive a signal from a power line of a structure by coupling to the power line through an electrical outlet. The base station may include an impedance matching circuit configured to match an impedance of the power line of the structure, and a receiver coupled to the impedance matching circuit. The receiver may be configured to demodulate the signal received from the power line of the structure, convert the demodulated signal into a digital signal, and provide the digital signal to a decoder. | 03-13-2014 |
20140085051 | LOW POWER RADIO FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION - A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an access point comprising: a first antenna; a first radio coupled to the first antenna; a central processing unit coupled to the first radio; a backscatter adapter coupled to the access point via a wired communication interface, the backscatter adapter comprising a backscatter radio and a second antenna coupled to the backscatter radio for use in communicating with an RF tag in the network via backscatter. | 03-27-2014 |