Patent ID: 9170625
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: G05B,G06F,H02J,Y02B,Y02D,Y04S

Abstract:
1. An environmental monitoring device, comprising: a first electrical-connection node configured to electrically couple to an electronic device; a second electrical-connection node configured to electrically couple to a second electronic device; a switching mechanism, electrically coupled to the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, configured to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node; a control mechanism, electrically coupled to the switching mechanism, configured to provide a control signal to the switching mechanism to selectively electrically couple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node based on one or more measurements of an environmental condition in an external environment that includes the environmental monitoring device; an override mechanism configured to specify an electrical coupling state of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, wherein the electrical coupling state specified by the override mechanism supersedes the selective electrical coupling specified by the control signal; and a safety mechanism configured to detect a safety condition and to decouple the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node, wherein the safety mechanism includes an insertion sensor with pairs of springs in each of at least a first hole and a second hole in a socket associated with at least one of the first electrical-connection node and the second electrical-connection node; and wherein the insertion sensor is configured to determine an object other than a plug has been inserted into the socket based on detecting, using the pairs of springs, insertion of the object into the first hole without detecting insertion of the object into the second hole within a predetermined time interval for detecting the insertion of the object into the second hole after detecting the insertion of the object into the first hole.