Integrated systems for miniature circuit breaker load centers

摘要

An energy monitoring system for retrofitting a miniature circuit breaker load center 100, comprises energy monitoring module 120, data bus 140, and main controller 110. The energy monitoring module attaches onto miniature circuit breaker 130, forming a combined shape that fits into a branch circuit space of the load center. An attachment connector 320 electrically and mechanically connects the energy monitoring module to load terminal 318 of the circuit breaker. An energy sensing circuit 314 in the energy monitoring module senses energy passing through the circuit breaker and transmits data signals over the data bus to the main controller. The main controller has a shape that fits into another branch circuit space of the load center. The main controller wirelessly transmits to a network, information based on the data signals received on the data bus. The main controller provides operating power via the data bus, to the energy monitoring module.

主权项

1. An energy monitoring system for retrofitting a miniature circuit breaker load center, comprising:
an energy monitoring module configured to attach onto an end of a plug-on miniature circuit breaker; the circuit breaker and energy monitoring module, when attached together, having a shape capable of fitting into a branch circuit space of the load center; the energy monitoring module including an attachment connector configured to electrically and mechanically connect to a load terminal of the circuit breaker accessible at the end of the circuit breaker; the energy monitoring module including its own load terminal electrically connected to the attachment connector and configured to connect to a branch circuit load wire; the circuit breaker including a plug-on line connector configured to plug-on to a position-alignment connector of a main power bus in the load center; the energy monitoring module including an energy sensing circuit configured to sense energy conducted from the load terminal of the circuit breaker through the attachment connector to the load terminal of the energy monitoring module, the energy sensing circuit being configured to transmit a data signal characterizing the energy sensed by the energy sensing circuit, the energy monitoring module including a data connector having a data signal connection to the energy sensing circuit; a data bus in the load center, the data bus including a data connection socket being configured to connect to the data connector of the energy monitoring module, the data connector and data connection socket being configured to pass the data signal transmitted from the energy sensing circuit to the data bus; and a main controller having a plug-on line connector configured to plug-on to another position-alignment connector of the main power bus in the load center, the main controller having a shape capable of fitting into a branch circuit space of the load center, the main controller including a data connector configured to connect to another data connection socket of the data bus in the load center, the main controller including electronics configured to obtain operating power from the plug-on line connector of the main controller, the electronics having a data signal connection to the data connector of the main controller, the electronics being configured to receive from the data bus, via the data connector of the main controller and the another data socket, the data signal from the energy sensing circuit of the energy monitoring module, the electronics being configured to monitor the data signal received from the energy monitoring module, the electronics being configured to wirelessly transmit information related to energy consumption, based on the data signal received from the energy sensing circuit of the energy monitoring module, the main controller being further configured to provide operating power via the data bus, to the energy monitoring module.