Patent ID: 8090550

Claim:
An efficiency monitor for monitoring power transmission by an inductive power outlet, the inductive power outlet comprising at least one primary coil wired to a power supply, for inductively coupling with a secondary coil wired to an electric load, the efficiency monitor comprising: at least one input power monitor for measuring input power delivered to the primary coil; at least one output power monitor for measuring output power received by the secondary coil; at least one processor for determining an index of power-loss; and at least one communication channel for communicating the input power and the output power to the processor; wherein: the output power monitor is incorporated into an inductive power receiver unit comprising at least one signal transmitter for transmitting a signal to a receiver incorporated in the power outlet, the signal carrying data pertaining to the output power; and the transmitter comprises: an ancillary load selectively connectable to the secondary inductive coil, a modulator for modulating a bit-rate signal with an input signal to create a modulated signal, and a switch for intermittently connecting the ancillary load to the secondary inductive coil according to the modulated signal.