Programmable safety electrical socket controller

Programmable safety electrical socket controller apparatus for use with an electrical socket, said apparatus comprising:

• means connected to the electrical socket for measuring, in a standby mode, a set of electrical characteristics associated with a load connected to the socket;
• means for converting said set of electrical characteristics to a group of data values;
• processor means for receiving and examining said group of data values and, in response thereto, generating a switching signal corresponding to an energization mode;
• and
• power switching means responsive to said switching signal for applying electrical power to the electrical socket for use by said load in said energization mode,
• said processor means being programmed so as to generate said switching signal for controlling a transition of said power switching means between said standby and energization modes depending upon whether said group of data values indicates a presence of electrical characteristics consistent with those of an actual electrical load.

A method of applying power to a load connected at a safety electrical socket, said method comprising the steps of:

• measuring, in a standby mode, a set of electrical characteristics associated with the load;
• converting said set of electrical characteristics to a group of data values;
• receiving and examining said group of data values and, in response thereto, generating a switching signal corresponding to an energization mode;
• and
• applying electrical power to the load in said energization mode in response to said switching signal,
• wherein said switching signal, in response to whether said group of data values indicates a presence of electrical characteristics consistent with those of an actual electrical load, causes a transition between said standby and energization modes.

Apparatus for an electrical socket comprising:

• a socket;
• means for electrically linking a load to the socket;
• means, operative in response to a switching signal, for switchably applying power to said linking means and therethrough to said load;
• means connected to said linking means for measuring at least one electrical characteristic associated with said load while an appreciable amount of said power is not being applied by said applying means to said linking means and, in response thereto, forming a plurality of measured data values;
• and
• control means, responsive to said measured data values, for producing said switching signal and for determining whether said measured data values indicate that said load is an actual electrical load and, in response therto, for changing said switching signal from a first to a second state such that whenever said measured data values are not inconsistent with corresponding pre-defined values of said characteristic for the actual electrical load said applying means switchably applies an appreciable amount of electrical power to said linking means for application therethrough to said load.

A method of operating an electrical safety socket having a socket, means for electrically linking a load to the socket and means, operative in response to a switching signal, for switchably applying power to said linking means and therethrough to said load, said method comprising the steps of:

• measuring at least one electrical characteristic associated with said load while an appreciable amount of said power is not being applied by said applying means to said linking means;
• forming, in response to said measuring step, a plurality of measured data values;
• determining, in response to said measured data values, whether said load is an actual electrical load;
• and
• changing, in response to said determining step, said switching signal from a first to a second state such that whenever said measured data values are not inconsistent with corresponding pre-defined values of said characteristic for the actual electrical load an appreciable amount of electrical power is switchably applied, in response to said switching signal, through said applying means to said linking means for application therethrough to said load.

Apparatus for detecting whether an object in contact with at least two electrical connections is a living human being, said apparatus comprising:

• means for applying a pre-defined excitation pulse across the electrical connections;
• means for measuring a residual voltage appearing across said connections after a sufficient pre-defined amount of time has elapsed so as to allow a substantial portion of any expected stored energy, which results from said excitation pulse and is contained within an electrical load whenevr that load appears as said object, and which produces a discharge voltage across said connections to dissipate, whether said discharge voltage decreases to approximately zero;
• means for determining whether said measured residual voltage is non-zero with a magnitude approximately equal to that of a voltage produced by electrolytic action of living human body tissue;
• and
• means, responsive to said determining means, for producing an indication as to whether said object is or is not a human body.

In apparatus for detecting whether an object in contact with at least two electrical connections is a living human being, a method comprising the steps of:

• applying a pre-defined excitation pulse across the electrical connections;
• measuring a residual voltage appearing across said connections after a sufficient pre-defined amount of time has elapsed so as to allow a substantial portion of any expected stored energy, which results from said excitation pulse and is contained within an electrical load whenever that load appears as said object and which produces a discharge voltage across said connections, to dissipate, whereby said discharge voltage decreases to approximately zero;
• determining whether said measured residual voltage is non-zero with a magnitude approximately equal to that of a voltage produced by electrolytic action of living human body tissue;
• and
• producing, in response to said determining step, an indication as to whether said object is or is not a human body.