Square D Company

Robert L Wolf

Dennis William Fleege

Jeffrey O Sharp

Stanley J Brooks

Scott C Jordan

An automation and energy management system includes an automation panel box which may be positioned adjacent to a circuit breaker panel box. The automation panel box includes one or more circuit breaker control modules, one or more device control modules and a power module for providing power to the control modules. The circuit breaker control module provides signals to operate motorized circuit breakers, so as to turn on or off the power to a device being managed and the device control module provides signals to control individual appliances. Each of the two control modules is capable of controlling up to eight different circuit breakers or eight different individual devices and each includes a manual override button for each breaker or device controlled, which override button can be manually pressed by a person desiring to override the automation and energy management control. Each control module includes a counting circuit which sequentially enables one of several toggle circuits that sustains the state of each circuit breaker (or appliance switch). A facility computer generally communicates with the modules over a bus and issues commands to cause certain automatic functions of energy management to occur.

Power management and automation system

A modular energy management circuit breaker (EMCB) system is adapted for installation with existing panelboards. It comprises a bus way that includes a connector that is coupled to an interface module connector. The interface module, which extends across the panelboard, makes connection with the power bus and is connected to the panelboard by snap-in means. A control module is adapted to interengage with another connector in the interface module and to control a plurality of EMCBs. A bus way includes a plurality of connectors adjacent a plurality of circuit breaker positions which are connected to suitable circuits in the control module for controlling the drivers for the EMCBs. A terminal box is formed at the end of the control module and has provision for connecting a plurality of control wires to suitable terminating devices for interfacing external controlling devices to the control module. The bus way is supported adjacent the panelboard solely by means of the connectors connecting it to the interface module and to one or more EMCBs. All wiring to the energy management system is via printed circuit boards in the modules and interconnecting connectors.

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Winchester, KY, United States of America

Robert L Wolf