Electrical wiring device for delivering power to multiple mobile devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11539306-B2
Application number	US-202117222367-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2021
Priority date	Apr 3, 2020
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

An electrical wiring device for delivering power to multiple mobile devices including: a housing having a faceplate; a first power delivery port accessible through the faceplate; a second power delivery accessible through the faceplate; an AC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive an AC signal from a connection to a source of AC mains power and to output a DC signal; a first DC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive the DC signal and provide a first DC output signal having a first power to a first power delivery port; a second DC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive the DC signal and provide a second DC output signal having a second power to a second power delivery port; wherein the first DC output signal is different from the second DC output signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical wiring device for delivering power to multiple mobile devices, comprising:
a housing having a faceplate;
a first power delivery port accessible through the faceplate;
a second power delivery accessible through the faceplate;
an AC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive an AC signal from a connection to a source of AC mains power and to output a DC signal;
a first DC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive the DC signal and provide a first DC output signal having a first power to a first power delivery port;
a second DC/DC converter disposed in the housing and configured to receive the DC signal and provide a second DC output signal having a second power to a second power delivery port wherein the first DC output signal is different from the second DC output signal;
a first source controller configured to control the first DC/DC converter to vary the DC output signal and
a second source controller configured to control the second DC/DC converter to vary the second DC output signal, wherein the first source controller is configured to negotiate a first power contract with a first device connected to the first power delivery port, wherein the second source controller is configured notify the first source controller of a power requirement of a second device connected to the first power delivery port, wherein the first source controller is configured to renegotiate the first power contract with the first device to a lower power upon determining that a sum of the first power contract and the power requirement of the second device exceed a maximum power suppliable by the AC/DC converter.

2. The electrical wiring device of claim 1 , wherein the first power delivery port is a first USB port, wherein the second power delivery port is a second USB port.

3. An electrical wiring device, comprising:
a USB port accessible through a faceplate of the electrical wiring device, wherein the USB port is configured to provide a charging current to a device connected to the USB port;
a current sensor configured to generate a current sense signal representative of an amount of the charging current drawn by the device connected to the USB port;
a controller operably connected to the current sensor to receive the current sense signal, the controller being configured to operate at least one LED to indicate that the device connected to the USB port has reached a predetermined charge when the current sense signal indicates that an amount of the charging current drawn by the device connected to the USB port is below a predetermined threshold;
a second USB port accessible through the faceplate of the electrical wiring device, wherein the second USB port is configured to provide a second charging current to a second device connected to the second USB port; and
a second current sensor configured to generate a second current sense signal representative of an amount of the second charging current drawn by the second device connected to the second USB port, wherein the controller is operably connected to the second current sensor to receive the second current sense signal, the controller being configured to operate at least one second LED to indicate that the second device connected to the second USB port has reached a predetermined charge when the second current sense signal indicates that an amount of the second charging current drawn by the second device connected to the second USB port is below a second predetermined threshold.

4. The electrical wiring device of claim 3 , wherein the current sensor is a current sense resistor disposed in series with the USB port.

5. The electrical wiring device of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined threshold is 500 mA.

6. The electrical wiring device of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined threshold is the same as the second predetermined threshold.

7. The electrical wiring device of claim 3 , wherein the controller comprises a first source controller and a second source controller, wherein the first source controller is configured to adjust a DC voltage output from a first DC/DC converter to the USB port, wherein the second source controller is configured to adjust a second DC voltage output from a second DC/DC converter to the second USB port.

8. An electrical wiring device, comprising:
a USB port accessible through a faceplate of the electrical wiring device;
a controller configured to determine a power level to provide to the USB port; and
a thermistor disposed in proximity to the USB port such that a resistance of the thermistor changes in response to a temperature change of the USB port, wherein the controller is configured to detect a value representative of the resistance of the thermistor and to change the power level provided to the USB port when the value representative of the resistance of the thermistor reaches a threshold, wherein the thermistor receives at a first terminal an applied voltage that is applied to the voltage divider and at a second terminal a resistor of the voltage divider.

9. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a second USB port accessible through the faceplate of the electrical wiring device;
a second controller configured to determine a power level to provide to the second USB port; and
a second thermistor disposed in proximity to the second USB port such that a resistance of the second thermistor changes in response to a temperature change of the USB port, wherein the second controller is configured to detect a value representative of the resistance of the second thermistor and to change the power level provided to the second USB port when value representative of the resistance of the second thermistor reaches a second threshold.

10. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein the controller applies to the voltage divider the applied voltage.

11. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein the value representative of the resistance is a voltage.

12. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein the thermistor is an NTC.

13. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein the thermistor is a PTC.

14. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein changing the power level comprises ceasing to provide power to the USB port.

15. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein changing the power level comprises reducing power to the USB port.

16. The electrical wiring device of claim 8 , wherein changing the power level comprises renegotiating a power level with a mobile device connected to the USB port.

17. An electrical wiring device, comprising:
a USB port accessible through a faceplate of the electrical wiring device;
a controller configured to determine a power level to provide to the USB port; and
a thermistor disposed in proximity to the USB port such that a resistance of the thermistor changes in response to a temperature change of the USB port, wherein the controller is configured to detect a value representative of the resistance of the thermistor and to change the power level provided to the USB port when the value representative of the resistance of the thermistor reaches a threshold, wherein the thermistor is disposed in series between a resistor of the voltage divider and ground.

Assignees

• Pass & Seymour Inc

Inventors

• Richards Jeffrey C
• Richards Collin C
• Murphy Patrick J

Classifications

• H02J7/06 Primary

  using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H02M1/10

  Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from AC or DC · CPC title

• H02M1/008

  Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators · CPC title

• H02M1/08

  Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters · CPC title

• H02M3/155

  using semiconductor devices only · CPC title