Vertical-mount electrical power distribution plugstrip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9450386-B2
Application number	US-201414273358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 1996
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A vertical-mount electrical power distribution plugstrip comprises a long, thin plugstrip body with several power outlet plugs distributed along the length of one face. A power input cord is provided at one end, and this supplies operating power to each of the power outlet plugs through individual relay control.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electrical power distribution system of the type being connectable to one or more electrical loads in an electrical equipment rack, the power distribution system comprising:
a power distribution unit enclosure comprising a long, thin, vertical plug-strip body mountable in a vertical orientation in a back portion of the electrical equipment rack;
a power input penetrating the power distribution unit enclosure;
a plurality of power outputs disposed in the power distribution unit enclosure, wherein each of the plurality of power outputs is connectable to a corresponding one of the one or more electrical loads;
a controllable power section in communication with each of the plurality of power outputs and an adjustable alarm system, the controllable power section disposed in the power distribution unit enclosure and communicably connectable to a communications network external to the power distribution unit enclosure;
a remote power manager application communicable with the controllable power section through the communications network, the remote power manager application having an adjustable alarm threshold parameter communicable through the remote power manager application to the controllable power section; and
a plurality of remotely-controllable switches in communication with the controllable power section, each switch establishing an interruptible connection between one of the power outputs and the power input, wherein the controllable power section interrupts the connection when the adjustable alarm threshold parameter is exceeded.

2. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the alarm threshold parameter is user-adjustable.

3. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the remote power manager application is communicable with a remote site through the communications network.

4. The electrical power distribution system of claim 3 , wherein alarm information can be transmitted from the remote power manager application to the remote site through the communications network.

5. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage sensor communicable with the remote power manager application.

6. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 , further comprising a current sensor communicable with the remote power manager application.

7. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor communicable with the remote power manager application.

8. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 wherein the remotely-controllable switches comprise relays.

9. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 wherein the controllable power section comprises a plurality of intelligent power modules each containing a microcontroller.

10. The electrical power distribution system of claim 9 wherein the microcontrollers comprise serial communication controllers.

11. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 and further comprising an alpha-numeric current display on a face of the power distribution unit enclosure.

12. The electrical power distribution system of claim 11 wherein the current display is switchable among the power input and various ones of the power outputs.

13. The electrical power distribution system of claim 11 wherein the power outputs are disposed in the same face of the power distribution unit enclosure as the current display.

14. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 wherein the remote power manager application comprises a web browser having an agent in the power distribution unit enclosure.

15. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 and further comprising a communication bus disposed in the power distribution unit enclosure in electrical communication with the controllable power section.

16. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 and further comprising a plurality of current sensors each in electrical communication with one of the power outputs and with the controllable power section.

17. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1 and further comprising a personality module disposed in the power distribution unit housing and in electrical communication with the controllable power section, the personality module comprising a microcontroller.

Assignees

• Server Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ewing Carrel W
• Auclair Brian P
• Cleveland Andrew J
• Maskaly James P
• Mcglumphy Dennis W
• Bigler Mark J

Classifications

• H02J13/1321

  using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus · CPC title

• H02J13/38

  the equipment being power outlets · CPC title

• H02J13/14

  the power network being locally controlled, e.g. home energy management systems [HEMS] · CPC title

• H02J2105/12

  supplying households or buildings · CPC title

• G06F1/3246

  by software initiated power-off · CPC title