Smart Power Strips Support Home Automation

PowerUSB was launched as a consumer product using the same technology used in Industrial application by its parent company iMetrix Technology. With more than ten year experience in industrial automation and machine vision, the product was designed to help end users implement home automation. The four outlet power strip is designed for end users in mind for automation, power saving and remote computer monitoring. The three of the four outlets are controlled through the software. In addition to conserving power, the unit allows users to control devices, appliances and lights through their computer.

The PowerUSB has built in current sensor, making it a Power Meter to measure the power consumed by the attached devices. The PowerUSB is designed to be used with computer to control power to peripheral electronics. The power strip has four outlets out of which one is always on and can be used to power computer. The other three outlets can be controlled through software to power on external devices. The unit is connected to computer thorough provided USB cable. The provided software in the computer controls the state of the three controlled power outlets. One of the outlets can be connected to monitor, another one to printer and the last one could power scanner, speaker, modem, lights etc.

The current sensing feature of the PowerUSB will let the user know how much power is consumed by the PowerUSB at a given instance and over a period of time. The power measurement feature also provides software based overload protection in addition to the fused power switch. One of the controlled outlets has solid state relay that can be normally on or off. The second controlled outlet has an electro mechanical relay (EMR) that is normally off and can power devices that are normally off. The third controlled outlet contains EMR that is normally on and can power devices that are normally on such as modem.

The PowerUSB can be configured to have the default power up state of controlled outlets as ON or OFF. In ON state, the control ports will power on when the computer is powered on and power off when computer is off. In the OFF state, the control ports will be always off and are powered on by the software running in the computer. The software will be running as a service in the background. User can switch on the devices by using a dialog box or though global hot keys. The printer outlet can be configured to switch on the printer automatically when a printout is given from any application in the computer. This feature helps in saving vampire power from printer and increasing the printer life when the printer is used infrequently.

The digital IO version of the power strip adds the input/output option to the basic model. The input from sensors can be programmed to switch on a motor or a light through the controlled power outlet. The output can be programmed to generate a clock pulse or switch on digital devices programmatically. The attached computer sees the digital input/output through the USB interface.

The watchdog version PowerUSB-watchdog monitors the attached computer/router for a timed "heartbeat." This heartbeat is sent from an application in the computer. When the computer locks up for any reason the heartbeat sent from the computer will stop. At this time the PowerUSB switches off and power resets the computer thus rebooting the computer/router. This feature is useful for remote computers and servers that need to be available on continuous basis.

The smart standalone model offers the functionality of power control without tied to the computer. The standalone power strip can be programmed by connecting to computer. The on times can be programmed for daily or weekly times. The attached peripherals can be switched off during non-working hours. The LCD display shows the power consumed through the power strip.