Universal power supply

A connector assembly for transferring power-related signals, which is configurable for managing power resources at one of a network of local power supplies, each local network node comprising:

• a battery electrically coupled to a first set of contacts being, by a dielectric element, electrically isolated from a supplied device previously electrically coupled to said battery;
• a first set of conductors of the connector assembly electrically connected to the first set of contacts;
• a plurality of electrical devices;
• a plurality of conductors not associated with the connector assembly, including a conductor set for electrically coupling each of the plurality of electrical devices to outputs of a power supply;
• a battery-powered supplied device electrically coupled to a second set of contacts being, by said dielectric element, electrically isolated from the battery previously electrically coupled to said supplied device;
• a second set of conductors of the connector assembly electrically connected to the second set of contacts;
• a power supply having a plurality of outputs for powering the electrical devices,
• said power supply also including a configurable regulator electrically accessible at a third set of conductors of the connector assembly;
• a processor and software for receiving a power-related signal from the battery to control the output of the configurable regulator,
• a controller means of said processor, accessible to the connector assembly for manipulating a selective activation of at least one set of conductors of the connector assembly;
• a power-load sensing means accessible by said processor, for monitoring available power resources of the power supply;
• and
• whereby first the controller means manipulates the activation of the first and third set of conductors at the connector assembly for transferring a power-related signal from the battery to the processor, and further
• whereby second the processor uses the power related signal from the battery to control the configurable output of the power supply, and further
• whereby third the controller means further manipulates the activation of the third set of conductors to the second set of conductors at the connector assembly for transferring the configured power output of the power supply to the supplied device, and further
• whereby fourth the power-load sensing means indicates at the processor an excessive use of power resources of the power supply, and further
• whereby fifth the controller means further manipulates the activation of the first set of conductors to the second set of conductors at the connector, assembly to electrically connect the battery to said supplied device for said battery temporarily powering the supplied device, instead of the power supply,
• thereby managing available power resources by reducing the power load at the power supply.

A system for power managing a plurality of inter-connected local power supplies, wherein a power supply delivering power to a variety of local supplied devices requires sharing power resources with an interconnected power supply, comprising:

• A source of power delivery to a network of conductors in a multi-node power grid for distributing power to a plurality of interconnected local power supplies;
• said network of conductors further interconnecting a local power supply to at least one other local power supply on the power grid;
• a local power supply capable of outputting a plurality of power signals, including a pre-set power signal to a local supplied device;
• said outputting of power signals further including a power signal configurable to the input power requirements of a local supplied device;
• a processor for transferring data accessible at a local power supply,
• said processor also providing a source of logic for configuring the output power signal of a local power supply;
• a local analog-to-digital converter accessible by the processor for measuring an electrical load of a plurality of powered local supplied devices;
• software for analyzing said load for adjusting the configurable power-output signal;
• a plurality of conductors for transferring power signals between a local power supply and a plurality of local supplied devices,
• said conductors also delivering power to a power outlet for temporarily electrically attaching a battery-powered supplied device;
• a connector assembly comprising:
• a first set of electrical contacts electrically coupled to a battery of the supplied device;
• a first set of conductors electrically connected to the first set of contacts;
• a second set of contacts electrically coupled to the supplied device, said contacts electrically isolated by a dielectric element from the first set of contacts;
• a second set of conductors electrically connected to the second set of contacts;
• a third set of conductors, for accessing said power supply;
• and
• said processor also providing a controller means accessible to the connector assembly for manipulating at least one selective activation of said electrical conductors;
• and
• a master control unit accessible to all networked local power supplies, including
• a processor for transferring power-related data among other processors in the network;
• whereby information about measuring a local electrical load by a local analog-to-digital converter is transferred among all network processors, so that any local power supply is configured by its processor to turn off so as to manage network power grid resources, and further
• whereby a local power supply delivering power to a temporarily-connected battery-powered supplied device reduces its total electrical load by said processor manipulating the conductors to access the battery as a shared source of power.