Automatic transfer plug

An automatic transfer plug (ATP 140) configured for use in an environment in which micro-grids (100) are coupled to a utility grid (200) as a main source of electrical power, the micro-grids (100) configured to provide power from the utility grid to loads within a home, office, building, or other structure via a panel box (210) and wall outlets (110) fed power by the utility grid, wherein the panel box contains circuit breakers (220) each disposed between the utility grid and a respective one of the micro-grids (100) and configured to provide power to the respective one of the micro-grids, a first wall outlet (110b) of a first micro-grid (100) configured to mate with a connector of a load and to power the load via the utility grid and the respective one of the circuit breakers disposed between the utility grid and the first micro-grid, the ATP comprising:

• an electrical cord having first and second ends;
• a first connector disposed at the first end of the electrical cord and configured to mate with the first wall outlet (110b) while the connector of the load is unmated with the first wall outlet;
• a second connector disposed at the second end of the electrical cord and configured to mate with a third connector of a secondary power supply (130) that includes at least one battery;
• and
• a microcontroller (142) configured:
• to detect an interruption in the utility grid,
• to allow the secondary power supply to deliver power to the first micro-grid via the first connector and the first wall outlet to power only one or more loads connected to the first micro-grid in response to detecting the interruption,
• to detect that the utility grid is operational, and
• to charge the at least one battery from the utility grid via the respective circuit breaker, the first wall outlet, and the first connector in response to detecting that the utility grid is operational.

A system including an automatic transfer plug configured for use in an environment in which micro-grids are coupled to a utility grid as a main source of electrical power, the micro-grids configured to provide power from the utility grid to loads within a home, office, building, or other structure via a panel box and wall outlets fed power by the utility grid, wherein the panel box contains circuit breakers each disposed between the utility grid and a respective one of the microgrids and configured to provide power to the respective one of the micro-grids, a first wall outlet of a first micro-grid configured to mate with a connector of a load and to power the load via the utility grid and the respective one of the circuit breakers disposed between the utility grid and the first microgrid, the system comprising:

• a backup power source;
• a sensor configured to detect that utility grid has ceased supplying power to the micro-grids;
• and
• a microprocessor configured, in response to the sensor detecting that the utility grid has ceased supplying power to the micro-grids:
• to disconnect the first micro-grid from the utility grid by opening the respective one of the circuit breakers,
• to enable power transfer from the backup power source to the first micro-grid via the first wall outlet,
• to detect that the utility grid is operational, and
• in response to detecting that the utility grid is operational,
• to disable power transfer from the backup power source to the first micro-grid, and
• to close the respective one of the circuit breakers to connect the first micro-grid to the utility grid.

A method for using an automatic transfer plug configured for use in an environment in which micro-grids are coupled to a utility grid as a main source of electrical power, the micro-grids configured to provide power from the utility grid to loads within a home, office, building, or other structure via a panel box and wall outlets fed power by the utility grid, wherein the panel box contains circuit breakers each disposed between the utility grid and a respective one of the microgrids and configured to provide power to the respective one of the micro-grids, a first wall outlet of a first micro-grid configured to mate with a connector of a load and to power the load via the utility grid and the respective one of the circuit breakers disposed between the utility grid and the first microgrid, the method comprising:

• detecting that the utility grid has ceased supplying power to the micro-grids;
• disconnecting the utility grid from the first micro-grid by opening the respective one of the circuit breakers in response to detecting that utility grid has ceased supplying power to the micro-grids;
• enabling power transfer from a backup power source to the first micro-grid via the first wall outlet in response to:
• detecting that the utility grid has ceased supplying power to the micro-grids, and
• disconnecting the utility grid from the first micro-grid;
• detecting that the utility grid has commenced generating power;
• and
• in response to detecting that the utility grid has commenced generating power,
• disabling power transfer from the backup power source to the first micro-grid, and
• reconnecting the first micro-grid to the utility grid by closing the respective one of the circuit breakers in response to the disabling.

An automatic transfer plug configured for use in an environment in which micro-grids are coupled to a utility grid as a main source of electrical power, the micro-grids configured to provide power from the utility grid to loads within a home, office, building, or other structure via a panel box and wall outlets fed power by the utility grid, wherein the panel box contains circuit breakers each disposed between the utility grid and a respective one of the microgrids and configured to provide power to the respective one of the micro-grids, a first wall outlet of a first micro-grid configured to mate with a connector of a load and to power the load via the utility grid and the respective one of the circuit breakers disposed between the utility grid and the first microgrid, the automatic transfer plug, comprising:

• an electrical cord having first and second ends;
• a first connector disposed at the first end of the electrical cord and configured to mate with the first wall outlet;
• a second connector disposed at the second end of the electrical cord and configured to mate with a third connector of a secondary power supply;
• and
• a controller configured
• to detect an interruption in the utility grid,
• to determine, in response to detecting the interruption, whether the respective one of the circuit breakers is disconnecting the first micro-grid from the utility grid,
• to couple, in response to determining that the respective one of the circuit breakers is disconnecting the first micro-grid from the utility grid, the secondary power supply to the first micro-grid via the first wall outlet,
• to detect that the utility grid has commenced generating power, and
• in response to detecting that the utility grid has commenced generating power,
• to disable power transfer from the secondary power supply the first wall outlet,
• to determine whether the respective one of the circuit breakers is connecting the first micro-grid to the utility grid, and
• in response to the disabling and determining that the respective one of the circuit breakers is connecting the first micro-grid to the utility grid, to charge at least one battery of the secondary power supply from the utility grid via the respective one of the circuit breakers, the first outlet, the first connector, the second connector, and the third connector.