TalkingPlug RFID electrical socket identifies the inserted electrical appliances and controls the use of electrical energy
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Zerofootprint, a Toronto company specializing in software-based carbon management solutions, has developed an RFID system to monitor and manage household electrical usage-TalkingPlug. The system is based on an RFID electrical socket and plug system that can track the electrical usage of household appliances or equipment.
Zerofootprint founder and president Ron Dembo said the company will launch the system tomorrow spring.
Zerofootprint and 2D2C formed a joint venture to jointly develop the TalkingPlug system. 2D2C is a manufacturer of safe electrical socket systems. TalkingPlug socket-can be plugged into a wall power socket-contains two small 13.56 MHz RFID readers that meet the ISO 14443 standard-two sockets correspond to one. The user sticks the passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag on the plug of the device or electrical appliance, avoiding the tines of the plug. In order to protect the label from the influence of external force when the plug is inserted into the socket, the label is coated with a layer of epoxy (chemical)
The TalkingPlug plug contains an embedded RFID reader, which can identify the home appliance inserted
The label issued by the industry organization RightPlug Alliance contains an RFID chip that complies with the ISO 14443 standard. The tag memory is programmed with a unique identification code. The socket contains a radio that conforms to the IEEE 802.15.4 mesh communication system, which can communicate with each other and with the central gateway. The gateway can be an independent device that conforms to the 802.15.4 specification, such as a network router, a flash drive inserted into a PC, or a temperature change automatic opening and closing device or a smart meter that conforms to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.
Consumers can use TalkingPlug’s web-based Velo software to obtain the data collected by the gateway from the socket. Every time a new device or home appliance is plugged into TalkingPlug, the user uses Velo software to program a unique ID code into the RFID tag on the device plug. In this way, the tag ID code will always correspond to the attached device or home appliance, even if it is removed from the TalkingPlug power socket and reinserted into another socket (as long as it is located in the United States).
When the home appliance or device is activated, TalkingPlug socket measures the power consumption time of the plug. Users can use Velo software to set specific home appliances, such as turning off the device at a certain time of day according to actual usage. If the charge of the user’s power supply organization changes, the software can obtain this information through the Internet, and the user can view the charge per kilowatt of electricity.
If the power supply organization provides demand response items, the user can set up Velo and communicate with TalkingPlugs to supply power to specific appliances only when the power demand of the power plant is low (low electricity bills). Moreover, understanding the electricity consumption of various household appliances can help consumers decide whether to replace old household appliances with new, more energy-efficient household appliances. Finally, the software can set power consumption benchmarks to help families set and adhere to energy-efficiency goals.
The RFID reader embedded in the TalkingPlug socket can be set to start powering only when the labeling plug is inserted. This is the safety function of the 2D2C flag product SafePlug (based on TalkingPlug). SafePlug is designed to prevent fire and vibration, and uses Overload Circuit Failure (OFCI) technology to detect high-risk resistance connections, high-voltage lines, and equipment overload. TalkingPlug sockets are similar to SafePlug sockets, except for the addition of a set of ISO 802.15.4 radios for networking sockets and gateways
The RightPlug tag contains a passive 13.56 MHZ RFID inlay that complies with the ISO 14443 standard, according to Steve Montgomery, executive director of 2D2C. The reading distance of the label is designed to be only 3/8 inch, so that the embedded reader of each socket only reads the plug that is inserted, not the plug of the adjacent socket. Moreover, the air protocol for tag reader communication uses a special algorithm to identify RightPlug tags, so that home appliance manufacturers can integrate tags into products, and TalkingPlug can identify whether the products are counterfeit.
RightPlug Alliance and 2D2C have been developing SafePlug and RightPlug for the past 5 years, Montgomery said, the company began to market the device.
The use of RFID distinguishes the TalkingPlug system from other home power management systems. Some non-RFID systems can monitor individual outlets, Montgomery said, but they cannot identify home appliances and understand the power consumption of individual home appliances; when an appliance is switched from one outlet to another, it cannot track the device.
However, the TalkingPlug system is more expensive than similar power management systems. A two-plug socket will cost US$50 at the beginning. Dembo told reporters at a press conference on Monday that the company hopes to reduce the price of sockets to $35 by cooperating with power supply agencies or home appliance manufacturers. The label cost is relatively low-10 cents per label, Dembo said, the gateway price is about $20-$30. However, users can also use existing smart meters as a gateway for TalkingPlug data, and use Velo software to obtain power usage information through local power stations.
The TalkingPlug system allows local taxpayers to participate in demand response projects, even if they do not have smart meters installed in their homes. The more requests from participating households are received by the response project, the better the power supply organization can reduce the demand for electricity during peak electricity consumption.
“We are looking for technology partners to reduce product costs,” Dembo said. “We are discussing the initial application of the system with some consumer electronics manufacturers and power supply bureaus.” Electronic product manufacturers can obtain TalkingPlug data of their products through the Internet. He added that they understand the reasons for the obstacles of specific devices, such as whether they have not obtained the appropriate current.
For consumers, in theory, plug investment returns can be obtained by saving electricity bills.
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