Effectuating energization and reactivation of particular circuits through rules-based smart nodes

Abstract

Systems for reducing power usage and/or wastage use sensors to gather information about a circuit and its usage. Triggers are identified based on the information from the sensors, and subsequently used to control power delivery by reversibly effectuating energization and deactivation of particular circuits through smart nodes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electrical system that controls power delivery from a power supply to one or more loads, the electrical system comprising:
 storage that stores processor-executable instructions;   a processor that executes the processor-executable instructions;   a first circuit of the one or more of circuits, the first circuit comprising:
 a first node that controls an amount of power from a power supply delivered to a first load in accordance with control signals from the processor; and 
 a first sensor that monitors power delivery to the first load via the first node; and 
   a first enclosure configured to be mounted in a circuit breaker panel, the first node and the first sensor packaged in the first enclosure;   wherein the processor-executable instructions configure the processor to:
 receive first information from the first sensor related to power delivered to the first load; 
 analyze power usage of the one or more circuits to determine power usage patterns of the one or more circuits, based at least in part on the first information from the first sensor, and 
 create new rules and/or adapt existing rules based on the determined power usage patterns of the one or more circuits, wherein a first rule is created and/or adapted based on a power usage pattern of the first circuit; 
 identify trigger events, wherein the trigger events comprise a first trigger event identified based on application of the first rule, and 
 transmit the control signals based on the trigger events, wherein the control signals convey a first instruction to the first node to control the amount of power delivered to the first load based on the first trigger event. 
   
     
     
         2 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises one or more of a voltage sensing circuit, a current sensing circuit, a frequency sensing circuit, a power monitoring circuit, an energy usage monitoring circuit, and a power quality monitoring circuit. 
     
     
         3 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first circuit further comprises a circuit breaker connected in series between the first node and the first load, the first enclosure also packaging the circuit breaker. 
     
     
         4 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein controlling the amount of power comprises raising or lowering potential, current, and/or total power delivered to the first load. 
     
     
         5 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein controlling the amount of power comprises reversibly coupling and decoupling the first load to the power supply. 
     
     
         6 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first node comprises a relay. 
     
     
         7 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second circuit of the one or more circuits, the second circuit comprising:
 a second node that controls an amount of power from the power supply delivered to a second load in accordance with the control signals from the processor; and 
 a second sensor that monitors power delivery to the second load via the second node; and 
   a second enclosure configured to be mounted in the circuit breaker panel, the second node and the second sensor packaged in the second enclosure;   wherein the processor further analyzes power usage based on second information from the second sensor, and   the first rule is created and/or adapted further based on the power usage of the second circuit.   
     
     
         8 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further configure the processor to:
 output power information to a display, the power information related to power delivered from the power supply via the one or more circuits, based at least in part on the first information from the first sensor;   receive a command via a user interface; and   generate a second trigger event based on the command,   wherein the control signals further convey a second instruction to the first node to control the amount of power delivered to the first load based on the second trigger event.   
     
     
         9 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further configure the processor to:
 receive a command via a user interface to override the first instruction to the first node; add occurrence of the override to a prediction model used by the processor to analyze the power usage of the one or more circuits to determine the usage patterns; and   adjust the first trigger event, based on the prediction model after adding the occurrence of the override.   
     
     
         10 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to identify trigger events further configure the processor to identify a second trigger event based on a power usage threshold for power delivered from the power supply to the first circuit. 
     
     
         11 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor-executable instructions to identify trigger events further configure the processor to identify a second trigger event based on detection of an event external to the electrical system. 
     
     
         12 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first instruction to the first node to control the amount of power delivered to the first load is based on the first trigger event in combination with a schedule-based trigger. 
     
     
         13 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first enclosure is configured to fit in a slot for a circuit breaker in the circuit breaker panel, the circuit breaker panel being of a standards-based design for mounting circuit breakers. 
     
     
         14 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor communicates with the first circuit using a wireless communication protocol. 
     
     
         15 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first circuit is an alternating current (AC) circuit. 
     
     
         16 . The electrical system of  claim 1 , wherein the first circuit is a direct current (DC) circuit.