Invented by Matthew Wootton, John Wootton, Justin McKinney, Lloyd Herbert King, Jr., Ivani LLC
Reconfigurable power control systems are highly flexible and adaptable, allowing them to be customized to meet the specific needs of different applications. They can be used in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and residential buildings.
One of the key drivers of the market for reconfigurable power control systems is the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. These sources of energy are highly variable and require sophisticated control systems to manage their output and ensure a stable supply of electricity.
Another factor driving the market is the need for more efficient and reliable power distribution networks. Reconfigurable power control systems can help to reduce energy losses and improve the overall efficiency of the grid, resulting in lower costs and improved reliability.
The market for reconfigurable power control systems is also being driven by the increasing focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. These systems can help to reduce carbon emissions and promote the use of renewable energy sources, making them an attractive option for companies looking to reduce their environmental impact.
In terms of technology, the market for reconfigurable power control systems is highly competitive, with a range of companies offering innovative solutions. Some of the key players in the market include ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric, and General Electric.
Overall, the market for reconfigurable power control systems is expected to continue to grow in the coming years as the demand for efficient and reliable energy management solutions increases. With the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources and the need for more efficient power distribution networks, these systems are likely to become an increasingly important part of the energy landscape.
The Ivani LLC invention works as follows
Systems and methods to create a centrally controlled DC/AC power rail system within a structure. To allow power to be distributed in the rails, a centralized controller is used with multiple distributed controllers. This allows power to be distributed to users without the use of hardwired switches. Instead, they can instead use generally wireless switch modules that may be implemented in software or hardware to control outlets. This allows devices that use DC power to be supplied directly from the DC power rail, without the need for additional AC-DC converters.
Background for Reconfigurable power control systems
1. “1.
This disclosure relates to a controller for power systems within a structure, such as a residence and business. The control system is primarily used to control power distribution for both AC and DC circuits that are wired into the structure.
2. “2.
Energy efficiency is a growing concern, not only for individuals and companies, who are energy consumers but also for energy providers. This is especially true when it comes to electrical energy. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), approximately 461 billion kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity was consumed in the USA in 2011. This includes both residential and commercial sectors. The 17% electricity used for lighting was equal in both sectors to the total electricity consumption. The USA’s residential lighting consumption was approximately 186 Billion kWh, or 13% of total residential electricity consumption. Lighting consumed approximately 275 Billion kWh or 21% of all electricity in the commercial sector.
This high electricity consumption for lighting has resulted in governmental regulation to use more efficient lighting devices and to the manufacture of the incandescent bulbs (e.g. The original U.S. Patent design for the lightbulb No. No. 223,898 to Edison) has been effectively halted. Instead, lighting is now being supplied by compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), halogen bulbs, and, in an increasing number, light emitting diode bulbs (LED).
As the number of new homes increases, energy consumption will continue to rise, with lighting being the most prominent component. This is despite the fact that there has been little to no transition to more efficient lighting sources. For the same amount of lumen light emission that an incandescent bulbs, LEDs can use as little as one-sixth to one-tenth the power of an incandescent. If used regularly, LED technology can be used to lighten homes and reduce electrical energy consumption by up to 10%. The market has seen a lot of LED-based light bulbs and fixtures.
The LED fixtures and bulbs that are currently available can be interfaced into existing fixtures using an Edison screw connector in the United States or a universal bayonet format in many European countries. These LED fixtures can replace incandescent bulbs that are already installed in older structures. These are LED light bulbs that contain the LEDs and control electronics. They can be easily attached to the structure’s internal AC wiring as an incandescent bulb.
The ?light bulb? The LEDs that are carried will be designed to interface with existing residential or commercial AC supplies (normally 110 V 60Hz in the US). They will also need to supply all the necessary components to enable the LED device to function with a simple wired connection to an AC source. However, LEDs are solid state devices that are direct current (DC), and are also low voltage DC devices. Today, each LED bulb is a?LED bulb. Each LED bulb must have its own AC-DC conversion electronics in order to receive power from the AC-based wiring infrastructure. They also need to have electronics to cut off excess wattage so that the LEDs are not using too much power.
This increases the cost of the bulbs as the electronics must be attached to each one and then thrown away when they are replaced. This also reduces the overall reliability of an LED bulb as it has more electronic components that could fail. LEDs are 40 times more reliable than filaments made of incandescent bulbs, but they generally have a lower reliability. Individual control electronics can also decrease the efficiency of an LED lighting system. The AC power must be converted to DC power at various points, resulting in the creation of heat.
The heat created by this conversion can cause problems. Some LED bulbs cannot be installed in certain orientations to avoid potential fire hazards. Additionally, heat generated from this conversion can cause heat damage and further reliability problems. While retrofit LED lighting has significantly reduced power consumption in structures that use it consistently, it is evident that they still work very inefficiently and cost more than their inherent capabilities.
If it was possible to supply DC current directly to lighting systems, the price of bulbs could drop dramatically. Many of these problems could also be avoided. Control electronics could be removed from LED bulbs so that they only need to include basic LEDs and DC handling components. A DC power rail inside a structure is safer than an AC train. Because DC power has very little effect on electromechanics, it is usually difficult to cause serious damage to the human body. But, almost every structure that has been constructed or modified since the beginning of the electrical era around 100 years ago was built with AC power rails. The vast majority of power grids in the world are AC power grids.
Some structures are now able to benefit from the advantages of LED lighting directly. They have installed LED lighting that uses batteries and is connected to the AC grid. Or they can direct the energy to solar panels, which produce DC power. This is a viable solution but it can also be very inefficient. Even though LEDs can last for years on batteries, the arrangement can produce a lot of battery waste, and direct energy sources such as solar panels can only be used in certain situations.
The creation of a DC power train within a commercial or residential building can drastically change the equation. The first case eliminates the need to convert each light or fixture individually from AC to DC. This reduces costs and increases reliability. In the event of an AC outage, a simple backup battery or fuel cell can be used to maintain lighting and other infrastructure. Moreover, you can add electricity generation systems such as solar panels to generate DC power that can be fed directly to the rail. This is not possible with existing lighting systems.
The cost of wiring in a new structure, independent of fixture costs, generally has two components. First, the cost for the wire and secondly the cost for the labor required to install it. The labor is the main driver in residential homes, but it is also important at 20-30% of the total cost. For devices like outlets or lights that have one light, one switch controls all of the lights, wiring residential or commercial lighting is easy. There are instances, however, when a light can be controlled from more than one location, such as in a hallway or stairwell or rooms with multiple exits or entrances. Fans and plug outlets can also be controlled from multiple locations.
These types of arrangements require significantly more labor time, more specialized components and more wire to connect the operation. If a system is wired in a way that the wires connect to the outlet directly from both switches, it will require one to turn off both switches to turn off the outlet. However, any switch being on will turn off the power. This doesn’t allow for free toggling. To wire a single bulb with two switches that allow for free toggling (where a change in either switch toggles the light status), you will need to replace the two-way standard switches used in lighting applications by three-way switches or an equivalent circuit, wired in a specific pattern. Three-way and four way switches are required for three-way or more switches. These switches are more complex and require additional wiring and labor to be installed correctly.
The reason for this problem is that the functionality of the switch’s operation is physically tied to it. A light switch acts literally as an electrical switch to control or prevent electric flow. It is possible to toggle power freely from each switch without adding more paths that connect the flow.
One problem with all electrical wiring systems is the fact that an electrician wires the system during construction. This is usually when the skeleton of the structure is not present and it is easier to build things that will eventually be inside walls. The only way to modify the system is to physically rewire the system. This can involve re-running wires and making changes to switches. This can be very expensive as it may require the removal of walls (usually drywall), or the use of sophisticated tools to thread the new wires through passageways that are difficult to reach (and sometimes even impossible to see).
The following provides a brief overview of the invention to help you understand some of its aspects. This summary does not identify the key elements or define the scope of the invention. This section serves as a summary of some concepts of the invention, which will be presented in greater detail later.
Because these and other problems in art, described herein are systems and methods to create a centrally controlled DC/AC power rail system within an structure. To allow power to be distributed in the rails, a centralized controller is used with multiple distributed controllers. This allows power to be distributed to users without the use of hardwired switches. Instead, they can instead use generally wireless switch modules that may be implemented in software or hardware to control outlets. This allows devices that use DC power to be supplied directly from the DC power rail, without the need for additional AC-DC converters.
Described herein is a power control scheme for a structure. It includes: a central regulator electrically connected: to an AC distributed controller via alternating current power; and to a DC distributed controller via a wire carrying DC power. A main breaker connecting said controller to an AC source. The central controller also contains: an AC-DC power converter; and an instruction. This instruction is sent to the central controller to be transmitted to the outlet to which said outlet is attached. Power to said outlet then changes from its current state to become a binary.
In an embodiment the power control system, the AC source comprises a municipal electricity grid.
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