Circuit Breaker with Integrated Sensor for Tenant Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial buildings with multiple tenants face challenges in accurately billing electrical consumption due to periodic changes in tenant spaces and branch circuits, requiring costly and disruptive modifications to the electrical distribution system.
Innovation Solution
A system where circuit breakers with integrated sensors and transmitters monitor and report electrical consumption data, linking it to a unique tenant identifier, allowing for remote billing calculations regardless of circuit breaker location, enabling seamless billing adjustments during tenant space changes without significant physical modifications to the electrical infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual meters and distribution panels are installed for each tenant to enable accurate billing, then billing accuracy is improved, but device complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breaker is designed to perform multiple functions: traditional circuit protection plus electrical consumption measurement and wireless data transmission. This eliminates the need for separate meters and distribution panels for each tenant, reducing system complexity while maintaining billing accuracy through the integrated measurement and reporting capabilities of the circuit breaker
2Adaptability or versatility
If branch circuits are re-routed or modified to accommodate tenant space changes, then adaptability to tenant changes is improved, but construction cost and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical reconfiguration approach with an information-based approach. Circuit breakers with unique identifiers and wireless transmission capabilities enable the system to adapt to tenant changes by updating billing associations through data communication rather than physical circuit re-routing, eliminating construction costs and operational disruptions
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static physical configuration to a dynamic information-based configuration. The circuit breakers continuously report consumption data and tenant associations can be updated remotely, allowing the billing system to dynamically adapt to tenant space changes without physical modifications to the electrical infrastructure
3Adaptability or versatility
If circuit breakers are distributed across multiple panels to serve different tenants, then system flexibility is improved, but tracking consumption data to the correct tenant becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Circuit breakers continuously report consumption data back to the central billing system through wireless transmission. Each circuit breaker includes a unique identifier that enables the system to track and associate consumption data with the correct tenant regardless of which distribution panel the circuit breaker is located in, preventing information loss across distributed panels
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit breaker having internal power monitoring and data signal generating apparatus, and a system for utilizing such a circuit breaker in a facility having a plurality of tenants served by branch circuits from a plurality of distribution panels. The circuit breaker radiates signals indicative of power consumption of the branch circuit protected thereby, together with a unique address identifier tied to one tenant. Electrical billings are based on summing all signals for each tenant. Changes to branch circuits during tenancy will not disturb correct billings since individual circuit breakers are associated with that tenant using power supplied by each branch circuit. Hence changes to branch circuits may be limited to modify building space locations served by the modified branch circuit, and need not be further modified to maintain correct billing in light of the circuit changes.