Summary:
Italian inventors have patented an innovative technology to prevent disconnection due to electric power overload. Unlike the state of the art, the device will be easy to install and usable by all types of users and doesn't require significant economic investments. Inventors seek technological partners to complete the development of the technology (concept state at the moment) and enter the market with the final product, under license, manufacturing and research cooperation agreements.
Description:
Today, the widespread use of electrical / electronic devices within common households highlights the problem of untimely detachment due to excess power consumption. The use of home automation, or the intelligent management of electrical systems, in residential environments, has made it possible over the last few years to manage some critical situations by providing better management and efficiency, in order to ensure comfort for users.
In a home automation type electrical system, it is usual to prevent overload situations, through the use of a device capable of checking the current absorption and to signal to the home automation system the exceeding of the maximum allowable current threshold. However, this plant solution (home automation) is still a prerogative for users who have a propensity to use technological systems which consequently require significant economic investments.
There are also simpler devices that, through a relay, allow overloading to be prevented, in the same way these methods of prevention and management of overload have the defect of being invasive (new installations, wiring, system modifications) and require a qualified expert for their installation, as well as a cost that is not exactly negligible.
The Italian inventors have patented an electric / electronic device consisting of two parts, the first to be applied to modular magnetothermic switches for domestic use, the second to be applied to electrical loads that can be interrupted by the user, in order to avoid disconnection of the power supply of domestic utilities, due to a power overload. The device will be easy to install and usable by all types of users.
The device provided by the Italian inventors consisting of two parts: an intelligent temperature / current reader that can be safely applied on the plastic casing of the modular magnetothermic general switch ("part A") and a smart plug ("part B") to be applied as an interface between the electrical network and a generic interruptible load (eg hairdryer, or more generally plug-in electrical loads with significant absorption).
The device will allow generating acoustic and visual alarms with variable frequency and intensity, addressed to the user who uses it, if the total electrical load absorbed instantly by the household user (detected by "part A" positioned on the general user magnetothermic switch) is exceeding the threshold of allowable overload when using the load on which the smart plug is mounted (“part B”). The overload thresholds imposed by the general magnetothermic switch and / or by the electricity supply service manager, which limits, by means of the "Pod" energy meter, the power that can be drawn from the user (if this threshold is not exceeded, blackout is avoided).
If the user does not intervene promptly, the smart plug will automatically disconnect the electrical load to which it is attached thanks to a circuit opening device placed inside it. This operation can be replicated even in the presence of a greater number of smart plugs, operating in "satellite" mode.
The device has the purpose of alerting the user if, due to an overload, there is a risk of disconnection of the utility due to the intervention of the general user magnetothermic switch and / or due to exceeding the contractual power, thus causing a disservice to the user itself with the disconnection of all connected loads.
Inventors seek technological / industrial partners to complete the development of the technology (concept state at the moment) and enter the market with the final product. The collaborations will take place under license, manufacturing and research cooperation agreements.
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought:
The partner sought by the Italian inventors will have two roles:
- carry out research and development activities;
- subsequently industrialize the product.
In the first phase, the partner will manage the research activity in the scientific and technological fields. The partner sought must have skills in the field of technical physics / electrotechnics and electronics / information technology. The goal of this phase is to develop a prototype of the device.
In a second phase, the partner sought will carry out the activities to produce at an industrial level and access the market with the final product.
Patent holders will offer their know-how to set strategies and control process progress.
The partner sought will bear all the expenses related to the production process (personnel costs, general expenses, expenses for tools and equipment, experimentation activities…).
Subject to the approval of the inventors, the partner sought may enter into commercial agreements with third parties to carry out certain activities of device development and marketing.
The inventors are willing to enter into agreements with industrial partners for the development of new devices that incorporate the technology and innovation covered by the patent. Legal fees will be borne by the licensee.
Stage of Development:
Concept stage
IPR Status:
Patents granted
External code:
TOIT20210310002
