Electrical Receptacle Contact Sensing for Unplugged Power Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Critical equipment may experience power disruptions due to unintentional unplugging, which can go undetected until damage or hazardous outcomes occur, highlighting the need for a method to determine if an electrical plug is unplugged from a receptacle.
Innovation Solution
An electrical receptacle with an in-use contact terminal that makes contact with a hot lead when a power cord is connected, allowing a computing device to obtain an in-use signal and determine the receptacle's state, outputting alerts for plugged-in, unplugged, or transition states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrical receptacles are used without in-use sensing, then the device complexity remains low, but the reliability of power supply to critical equipment deteriorates due to undetected unplugging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the in-use sensing function with the existing electrical receptacle structure by integrating an in-use contact terminal into the hot slot. This merging approach allows the receptacle to simultaneously provide power connection and connection status detection without requiring a separate sensing device, thereby improving reliability while minimizing additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The receptacle is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides electrical power connection through the hot slot and neutral slot, and simultaneously detects whether the plug is properly connected through the in-use contact terminal. This multi-functionality allows a single device to address both power delivery and connection monitoring, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If an in-use contact terminal is added to the receptacle, then the detection capability improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hot slot is segmented into two functional components: the line contact terminal for power connection and the in-use contact terminal for detection. This segmentation allows each terminal to be independently designed and positioned within the hot slot, enabling straightforward manufacturing while achieving improved detection capability. The in-use contact terminal is specifically positioned to contact the hot lead when the plug is properly connected.
3Loss of time
If continuous monitoring of electrical connection status is implemented, then the loss of time for detecting unplugged conditions is reduced, but the use of energy increases due to continuous sensing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing circuit is designed to be self-powered, drawing its operating energy from the electrical connection itself. When the plug is connected, power flows through the hot lead and enables the sensing circuit to detect the connection status. When the plug is disconnected, power flow stops and the sensing circuit automatically detects the disconnection. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate power sources or continuous energy consumption, achieving continuous monitoring with minimal additional energy use.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical receptacle is provided. The electrical receptacle can include a hot slot, a neutral slot, and an in-use contact terminal. The hot slot can include a line contact terminal. The neutral slot can include a neutral contact terminal. The in-use contact terminal can be located within the hot slot. The in-use contact terminal can be adjacent to the line contact terminal and can make contact with a hot lead when a power cord is connected to the electrical receptacle.