U.S. patent application number 12/559597 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-15 for energy management of household appliances.
This patent application is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to John K. Besore, Ashley Wayne Burt, Patrick Ryan Cox, Jeff Donald Drake, Michael F. Finch, Darin Franks, Derrick Douglas Little, Craig Nold, Steven Keith Root, Jeremy Joseph Ryan, Brian M. Steurer, Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, Eric Watson, Jeffrey S. Weber, Timothy Dale Worthington.
Application Number | 20100092625 12/559597 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42005534 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100092625 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Finch; Michael F. ; et
al. |
April 15, 2010 |
ENERGY MANAGEMENT OF HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
Abstract
A cooking appliance comprises one or more power consuming
features/functions including at least one of a cooking cavity
having a heating element and a cooking surface having a surface
heating element. A controller is configured to receive and process
a signal indicative of current state of an associated energy
supplying utility. The controller operates the cooking appliance in
one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal
operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the
received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of
selectively delay, adjust and disable at least one of the one or
more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption
of the cooking appliance in the energy savings mode.
Inventors: |
Finch; Michael F.;
(Louisville, KY) ; Besore; John K.; (Prospect,
KY) ; Worthington; Timothy Dale; (Crestwood, KY)
; Steurer; Brian M.; (Louisville, KY) ; Little;
Derrick Douglas; (Louisville, KY) ; Burt; Ashley
Wayne; (Louisville, KY) ; Cox; Patrick Ryan;
(Louisville, KY) ; Nold; Craig; (Louisville,
KY) ; Drake; Jeff Donald; (Louisville, KY) ;
Ryan; Jeremy Joseph; (Louisville, KY) ; Franks;
Darin; (Lanesville, IN) ; Root; Steven Keith;
(Buckner, KY) ; Venkatakrishnan; Natarajan;
(Louisville, KY) ; Watson; Eric; (Crestwood,
KY) ; Weber; Jeffrey S.; (Cincinnati, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FAY SHARPE LLP
1228 Euclid Avenue, 5th Floor, The Halle Building
Cleveland
OH
44115
US
|
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
|
Family ID: |
42005534 |
Appl. No.: |
12/559597 |
Filed: |
September 15, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61097082 |
Sep 15, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/231 ;
99/325 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02B 70/30 20130101;
Y02B 90/20 20130101; H02J 2310/64 20200101; H02J 13/00004 20200101;
Y04S 40/126 20130101; Y04S 20/244 20130101; H02J 13/00026 20200101;
H02J 3/14 20130101; H02J 13/0075 20130101; Y02B 70/3225 20130101;
H02J 2310/14 20200101; Y04S 50/10 20130101; Y04S 20/242 20130101;
F25D 21/04 20130101; Y04S 20/222 20130101; Y04S 40/124 20130101;
G05B 13/02 20130101; G06Q 50/06 20130101; H02J 13/00024 20200101;
H02J 13/00017 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/231 ;
99/325 |
International
Class: |
H05B 1/02 20060101
H05B001/02; A47J 36/00 20060101 A47J036/00 |
Claims
1. A cooking appliance comprising: one or more power consuming
features/functions including at least one of a cooking cavity
having a heating element and a cooking surface having a surface
heating element; and a controller configured to receive and process
a signal indicative of current state of an associated utility, the
controller operating the cooking appliance in one of a plurality of
operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an
energy savings mode, in response to the received signal, the
controller being configured to at least one of selectively delay,
adjust and disable at least one of the one or more power consuming
features/functions to reduce power consumption of the cooking
appliance in the energy savings mode.
2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is
configured to reduce power of the heating element of the cooking
cavity by selectively adjusting a duty cycle of the heating element
throughout a selected cooking cycle.
3. The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein the cooking cavity has
a maximum setpoint temperature in the normal operating mode, the
controller being configured to reduce the setpoint temperature in
the energy savings mode.
4. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooking surface
having individual surface heating elements, the controller being
configured to at least partially disable at least one surface
heating element in the energy savings mode.
5. The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein each individual
surface heating element has a maximum setpoint temperature in the
normal operating mode, the controller being configured to reduce
the setpoint temperature of at least one activated surface heating
element in the energy savings mode.
6. The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein the controller is
configured to reduce power of an activated surface heating element
by selectively adjusting a duty cycle of the activated heating
element in the energy savings mode.
7. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power
consuming features/functions further includes a pre-heat feature
and a self clean feature, the controller being configured to at
least one of disable the self clean feature and reduce a pre-heat
ramp rate to reduce demand in the energy savings mode.
8. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power
consuming features/functions includes a second cooking cavity
having a heating element, the controller being configured to
disable one of the cooking cavities in the energy savings mode.
9. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power
consuming features/functions further includes a convection fan
operatively associated with the cooking cavity and a light source
for illuminating the cooking cavity, the controller being
configured to at least one of disable or reduce the speed of the
convection fan and disable or reduce the intensity of the light
source in the energy savings mode.
10. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power
consuming features/functions further includes an exhaust hood
having a light source and an exhaust fan, the controller being
configured to at least one of disable or reduce the intensity of
the light source and disable or reduce the speed of the exhaust fan
in the energy savings mode.
11. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power
consuming features/functions further includes a magnetron
operatively associated with the cooking cavity, the controller
being configured to selectively adjust a power level of the
magnetron in the energy savings mode.
12. The cooking appliance of claim 11, wherein the controller is
configured determine a frequency of the energy signal, the
controller at least partially blocking the energy signal when the
magnetron is activated if the determined frequency of the energy
signal is generally harmonic with a frequency of the activated
magnetron.
13. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further including a user
interface operatively connected to the controller, the user
interface including a manual override providing a user the ability
to select which of the one or more power consuming
features/functions are delayed, adjusted and/or disabled by the
controller in the energy savings mode, the user interface further
including a display communicating activation of the energy savings
mode.
14. A cooking appliance control method, comprising: a) determining
a state for an associated energy supplying utility, the utility
state being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an
off-peak demand period; b) operating the cooking appliance in a
normal mode during the off-peak demand period; c) operating the
cooking appliance in an energy savings mode during the peak demand
period; d) at least one of selectively delaying, adjusting and
disabling any number of one or more power consuming
features/functions of the cooking appliance to reduce power
consumption of the cooking appliance in the energy savings mode,
the one or more power consuming features/functions including a
heating element located in a cooking cavity and individual heating
elements located on a cooking surface; and e) returning to the
normal mode after the peak demand period is over.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising reducing a maximum
setpoint temperature of the heating element of the cooking cavity
and at least one heating element of the cooking surface in the
energy savings mode.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: reducing power of
the heating element of the cooking cavity by selectively adjusting
a duty cycle of the heating element throughout a selected cooking
cycle in the energy savings mode, reducing power of at least one
surface heating element by selectively adjusting a duty cycle of
the at least one surface heating element in the energy savings
mode, and disabling at least one surface heating element in the
energy savings mode.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more power consuming
features/functions further includes at least one of a self clean
feature and a pre-heat feature, and further comprising disabling
the self clean feature and reducing a pre-heat ramp rate in the
energy savings mode.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more power consuming
features/functions further includes: a convection fan operatively
associated with the cooking cavity, a light source for illuminating
the cooking cavity, and an exhaust hood having a light source and
an exhaust fan, and further comprising: disabling or reducing the
speed of the convection fan in the energy savings mode, disabling
or reducing the intensity of the cooking cavity light source in the
energy savings mode, disabling or reducing the speed of the exhaust
fan in the energy savings mode, and disabling or reducing the
intensity of the exhaust hood light source in the energy savings
mode.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising: determining energy
cost associated with the utility state; displaying current cost of
operating the cooking appliance, displaying current cost of
supplied energy, and alerting a user of a peak demand period.
20. A cooking appliance comprising: a cooking cavity having a
heating element; a cooking surface having individual surface
heating elements; and a controller configured to receive and
process an energy signal, the signal having a first state
indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state
indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller
operating the cooking appliance in one of an energy savings mode
and a normal operating mode based on the received signal being in
the first and second states respectively, wherein the controller is
configured to reduce the power of the cooking cavity heating
element and reduce the power of at least one of the individual
surface heating elements in the energy savings mode, and wherein
the controller is configured to disable at least one of the
individual surface heating elements in the energy savings mode.
21. The cooking appliance of claim 20, further including a self
clean feature associated with the cooking cavity, the controller
being configured to disable the self clean feature in the energy
savings mode.
22. The cooking appliance of claim 20, wherein the energy signal
has an associated energy cost and wherein the controller is
configured to override the operating mode of the cooking appliance
based on a user selected targeted energy cost, wherein if current
energy cost exceeds the user selected cost, the controller operates
the appliance in the energy savings mode, and wherein if the
current energy cost is less than the user selected cost, the
controller operates the appliance in the normal operating mode.
23. The cooking appliance of claim 20, wherein the energy signal
has an associated energy cost and further including a display
communicating current cost of energy and current cost of operating
the appliance.
24. The cooking appliance of claim 20, further including a display
communicating activation of the energy savings mode.
25. The cooking appliance of claim 24, wherein the energy savings
mode display includes a message selected from the group consisting
of "ECO", "Eco", "EP", "ER", "CP", "CPP", "DR", and "PP".
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/097,082 filed 15 Sep.
2008, now Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009 (Attorney Docket No.
231,308 (GECZ 2 00948)); which provisional patent application is
expressly incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. In
addition, cross-reference is made to commonly owned, copending
application Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009 (Attorney Docket
No. 233326 (GECZ 00989)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(238022 (GECZ 2 00991)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(234622 (GECZ 2 00992)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(234930 (GECZ 2 00993)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(235012 (GECZ 2 00994)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(235215 (GECZ 2 00995)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(238338 (GECZ 2 00997)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(238404 (GECZ 2 00998)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(237845 (GECZ 2 00999)); Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(237898 (GECZ 2 01000)); and Ser. No. ______, filed 15 Sep. 2009
(237900 (GECZ 2 01001)).
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates to energy management, and more
particularly to energy management of household consumer appliances.
The disclosure finds particular application to changing existing
appliances via add-on features or modules, and incorporating new
energy saving features and functions into new appliances.
[0003] Currently utilities charge a flat rate, but with increasing
cost of fuel prices and high energy usage at certain parts of the
day, utilities have to buy more energy to supply customers during
peak demand. Consequently, utilities are charging higher rates
during peak demand. If peak demand can be lowered, then a potential
huge cost savings can be achieved and the peak load that the
utility has to accommodate is lessened.
[0004] One proposed third party solution is to provide a system
where a controller "switches" the actual energy supply to the
appliance or control unit on and off. However, there is no active
control beyond the mere on/off switching. It is believed that
others in the industry cease some operations in a refrigerator
during on-peak time.
[0005] For example, in a refrigerator most energy is consumed to
keep average freezer compartment temperature at a constant level.
Recommended temperature level is based on bacteria multiplication.
Normally recommended freezer temperature for long (1-2 month) food
storage is 0 degrees F. Research shows that bacteria rise is a
linear function of the compartment temperature, i.e., the lower the
temperature the lower the bacteria multiplication. Refrigerator
designers now use this knowledge to prechill a freezer compartment
(and in less degree a refrigerator compartment also) before
defrost, thus keeping an average temperature during time interval
that includes before, during, and after defrost at approximately
the same level (for example, 0 degrees F.).
[0006] There are also currently different methods used to determine
when variable electricity-pricing schemes go into effect. There are
phone lines, schedules, and wireless signals sent by the electrical
company. One difficulty is that no peak shaving method for an
appliance such as a refrigerator will provide a maximal benefit.
Further, different electrical companies use different methods of
communicating periods of high electrical demand to their consumers.
Other electrical companies simply have rate schedules for different
times of day.
[0007] Electrical utilities moving to an Advanced Metering
Infrastructure (AMI) system will need to communicate to appliances,
HVAC, water heaters, etc. in a home or office building. All
electrical utility companies (more than 3,000 in the US) will not
be using the same communication method to signal in the AMI system.
Similarly, known systems do not communicate directly with the
appliance using a variety of communication methods and protocols,
nor is a modular and standard method created for communication
devices to interface and to communicate operational modes to the
main controller of the appliance. Although conventional
WiFi/ZigBee/PLC communication solutions are becoming commonplace,
this disclosure introduces numerous additional lower cost, reliable
solutions to trigger "load shedding" responses in appliances or
other users of power. This system may also utilize the commonplace
solutions as parts of the communication protocols.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0008] According to one aspect, a cooking appliance comprises one
or more power consuming features/functions including at least one
of a cooking cavity having a heating element and a cooking surface
having a surface heating element. A controller is configured to
receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an
associated energy supplying utility. The controller operates the
cooking appliance in one of a plurality of operating modes,
including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings
mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is
configured to at least one of selectively delay, adjust and disable
at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions
to reduce power consumption of the cooking appliance in the energy
savings mode.
[0009] According to another aspect, a cooking appliance control
method is provided. A state for an associated energy supplying
utility is determined. The utility state is indicative of at least
a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period. The cooking
appliance is operated in a normal mode during the off-peak demand
period. The cooking appliance is operated in an energy savings mode
during the peak demand period. Any number of one or more power
consuming features/functions of the cooking appliance is at least
one of selectively delayed, adjusted and disabled to reduce power
consumption of the cooking appliance in the energy savings mode.
The one or more power consuming features/functions includes a
heating element located in a cooking cavity and individual heating
elements located on a cooking surface. The cooking appliance is
returned to the normal mode after the peak demand period is
over.
[0010] According to yet another aspect, a cooking appliance
comprises a cooking cavity having a heating element, and a cooking
surface having individual surface heating elements. A controller is
configured to receive and process an energy signal. The signal has
a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a
second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period. The
controller operates the cooking appliance in one of an energy
savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the received
signal being in the first and second states respectively. The
controller is configured to reduce the power of the cooking cavity
heating element and reduce the power of at least one of the
individual surface heating elements in the energy savings mode. The
controller is configured to disable at least one of the individual
surface heating elements in the energy savings mode.
[0011] The present disclosure reduces power consumption during
on-peak hours by reducing the energy demand on the power generation
facility, and also enabling the user/consumer to pay less to
operate the appliance on an annual basis.
[0012] This disclosure is a low-cost alternative to using expensive
or complicated methods of determining when peak electrical rates
apply. For example, when the refrigerator is in peak shaving mode
(or it could be programmed to do this constantly), an ambient light
sensor determines when it is morning, and then stays in
energy-saving mode for a predetermined number of hours. Preferably,
the system will need a counter to know that the room has been dark
for a predetermined number of hours. When the lights come on for a
certain length of time, then the system knows, for example, that it
is morning.
[0013] This disclosure provides a peak-shaving appliance such as a
refrigerator, including a method to determine when to go into
peak-shaving mode without using additional components, or
components that have another purpose, and provides a high
percentage of the maximum benefit for negligible cost. The two
components needed for this are an ambient light sensor and a timer.
The kitchen will be dark for an extended period of time while
everyone is sleeping. The light sensor and the timer will be used
to determine that it is nighttime and morning can be determined by
the light sensor. When the refrigerator determines it is morning,
the timer will be used to initiate peak shaving mode after some
delay time. For example, peak shaving mode could start three hours
after it is determined morning starts. Similarly, the ambient light
sensor can also be used for dimming the refrigerator lights. This
disclosure advantageously uses ambient light to determine when to
start peak shaving.
[0014] An appliance interface can be provided for all appliances
leaving the module to communicate with the AMI system. The system
provides for appliance sales with a Demand Side Management capable
appliance. The Demand Side Management Module (DSMM) is provided to
control the energy consumption and control functions of an
appliance using a communication method (including but not limited
to PLC, FM, AM SSB, WiFi, ZigBee, Radio Broadcast Data System,
802.11, 802.15.4, etc.). The modular approach will enable an
appliance to match electrical utility communication requirements.
Each electrical utility region may have different communication
methods, protocol methods, etc. This modular approach allows an
appliance to be adapted to a particular geographical area of a
consumer or a particular electrical provider. The module can be
added as a follow on feature and applied after the appliance is
installed. Typical installations could include an integral mounted
module (inside the appliance or unit) or an externally mounted
module (at the wall electrical receptacle or anywhere outside the
appliance or unit). The module in this disclosure provides for 2
way communications if needed, and will provide for several states
of operation--for example, 1) normal operation, 2) operation in low
energy mode (but not off), and 3) operation in lowest energy
mode.
[0015] This module could be powered from the appliance or via a
separate power supply, or with rechargeable batteries. The
rechargeable batteries could be set to charge under off-peak
conditions. With the module powered from the appliance, the
appliance could turn it off until the appliance needed to make a
decision about power usage, eliminating the standby power draw of
the module. If powered separately, the appliance could go to a low
energy state or completely off, while the module continued to
monitor rates.
[0016] Use of RFID tags in one proposed system should offer
significant savings since the RFID tags have become very low cost
due to the proliferation of these devices in retail and will
effectively allow the enabled appliance to effectively communicate
with the utility meter (e.g., receive signals from the utility
meter). This system makes it very easy for a customer to manage
energy usage during peak demand periods and lowers the
inconvenience level to the customer by not shutting off appliances
in the home by the utility. When local storage and local generation
are integrated into the system, then cost savings are seen by the
customer. This system also solves the issue of rolling
brownouts/blackouts caused by excessive power demand by lowering
the overall demand. Also, the system allows the customer to
pre-program choices into the system that will ultimately lower
utility demand as well as save the customer money in the customer's
utility billing. For instance, the customer may choose to disable
the defrost cycle of a refrigerator during peak rate timeframes.
This disclosure provides for the controller to "communicate" with
the internal appliance control board and command the appliance to
execute specific actions with no curtailment in the energy supply.
This disclosure further provides a method of communicating data
between a master device and one or more slave devices using RFID
technology. This can be a number of states or signals, either using
one or more passive RFID tags that resonate at different
frequencies resonated by the master, or one or more active RFID
tags that can store data that can be manipulated by the master
device and read by the slave device(s). The states in either the
passive or active RFID tags can then be read by the microcontroller
on the slave device(s) and appropriate functions/actions can be
taken based upon these signals.
[0017] Another exemplary embodiment uses continuous coded tones
riding on carrier frequencies to transmit intelligence, for
example, when one is merely passing rate information such as rate
1, 2, 3, or 4, using the tones to transmit the signals. One could
further enhance the details of the messaging by assigning a binary
number to a given tone, thus allowing one to "spell out" a message
using binary coding with multiple tones. The appliance
microcomputer would be programmed to respond to a given number that
would arrive in binary format.
[0018] One advantage of this approach is that customers have
complete control of their power. There have been proposals by
utilities to shut off customers if they exceed demand limits or
increase the number of rolling brownouts. This method also gives a
customer finer granulity in their home in terms of control. A
customer does not have to load shed a room just to manage a single
device.
[0019] This disclosure also advantageously provides modes of load
shedding in the appliance, lighting, or HVAC other than "on/off" to
make the situation more acceptable from the perspective of the
customer.
[0020] An advantage of the present disclosure is the ability to
produce appliances with a common interface and let the module deal
with the Demand Side Management.
[0021] Another advantage is the ability to control functions and
features within the appliance and/or unit at various energy levels,
i.e., as opposed to just an on/off function.
[0022] Another advantage is that the consumer can choose the module
or choose not to have the module. If the module is chosen, it can
be matched to the particular electrical utility service provider
communication method of the consumer.
[0023] Another benefit is the increased flexibility with an
associated electrical service provider, and the provision of
several modes of operation (not simply an on/off mode). The module
can be placed or positioned inside or outside the appliance and/or
unit to provide demand side management.
[0024] Still other benefits relate to modularity, the ability to
handle multiple communication methods and protocols without
adversely impacting the cost of the appliance, opening up
appliances to a variety of protocols, enabling demand side
management or energy management, and/or providing for a standard
interface to the appliance (for example, offering prechill and/or
temperature set change during on-peak hours).
[0025] Low cost, reliable RF transmissions within the home, rather
than using industrial solutions such as PLC or Zigbee solutions
which are significantly more costly than the aforementioned
system.
[0026] Still other features and benefits of the present disclosure
will become apparent from reading and understanding the following
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIGS. 1-21 illustrate exemplary embodiments of an energy
management system for household appliances.
[0028] FIG. 22 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary demand
managed cooking appliance.
[0029] FIGS. 23 and 24 are exemplary operational flow charts for
the cooking appliance of FIG. 22.
[0030] FIG. 25 is an exemplary control response for the cooking
appliance of FIG. 22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] In one embodiment, a more advanced system is provided to
handle energy management between the utility and the homeowner's
appliances. The system can include one or more of the following: a
controller, utility meter, communication network, intelligent
appliances, local storage, local generator and/or demand server.
Less advanced systems may actually allow the appliance to
"communicate directly with the utility meter or mesh network
through the DSSM (Demand Side Management Module) (FIG. 1). The
demand server is a computer system that notifies the controller
when the utility is in peak demand and what is the utility's
current demand limit. A utility meter can also provide the
controller the occurrence of peak demand and demand limit. The
demand limit can also be set by the home owner. Additionally, the
homeowner can choose to force various modes in the appliance
control based on the rate the utility is charging at different
times of the day. The controller will look at the energy
consumption currently used by the home via the utility meter and
see if the home is exceeding the demand limit read from the server.
If the demand limit is exceeded, the controller will notify the
intelligent appliances, lighting and thermostat/HVAC (FIG. 2).
[0032] Each intelligent appliance has a communication interface
that links itself to the controller (FIG. 3). This interface can be
power-line carrier, wireless, and/or wired. The controller will
interact with the appliance and lighting controls as well as
thermostat (for HVAC) to execute the users
preferences/settings.
[0033] Enabled appliances receive signals from the utility meter
and help lower the peak load on the utility and lower the amount of
energy that the consumer uses during high energy cost periods of
the day. There are several ways to accomplish this, through
wireless communication (ZigBee, WiFi, etc) or through PLC (power
line carrier) communication. Alternatively, using passive RFID tags
that resonate at different frequencies resonated by the master, or
one or more active RFID tags that can store data that can be
manipulated by the master device and read by the slave devices(s)
is an effective and potentially lower cost communication solution
since there is no protocol. Rather, a pulse of energy at a
particular frequency will allow a low cost method with an open
protocol for transmitting/communicating between a master device and
one or more slave devices, and appropriate functions/actions can be
taken based upon these signals.
[0034] The interaction between controller and appliances can occur
in two ways. For example, in one scenario during a peak demand
period, the controller will receive a demand limit from the
utility, demand server or user. The controller will then allocate
the home's demand based on two factors: priority of the appliance
and energy need level (FIG. 4). The priority dictates which
appliances have higher priority to be in full or partial energy
mode than other appliances. Energy need dictates how much energy is
required for a certain time period in order for that appliance to
function properly. If the appliance's energy need is too low to
function properly, the appliance moves to a normal mode or a higher
energy need level. The energy saving mode is typically a lower
energy usage mode for the appliance such as shutdowns of
compressors and motors, delayed cycles, higher operating
temperatures in summer or lower operating temperatures in winter
until the peak demand period is over. Once the demand limit is
reached, the appliances will stay in their energy mode until peak
demand is over, or a user overrides, or appliance finishes need
cycle or priority changes. The controller constantly receives
status updates from the appliances in order to determine which
state they are in and in order to determine if priorities need to
change to accomplish the system goals.
[0035] In a second scenario, for example, a set point is provided.
During a peak demand period, the controller will tell each
appliance to go into peak demand mode (FIG. 5). The appliance will
then go into a lower energy mode. The customer can disable the
energy savings mode by selecting a feature on the appliance front
end controls (i.e. user interface board) before or during the
appliance use or at the controller. The controller can also
communicate to a local storage or power generation unit. This local
unit is connected to the incoming power supply from the utility.
The controller notifies the storage unit to charge when it is not
in peak demand, if a storage unit is included and available. If the
storage unit has enough energy to supply the appliances during peak
demand, then the controller will switch the home's energy
consumption from the utility to the storage unit. The unit can also
be local generator/storage such as solar, hydrogen fuel cell,
etc.
[0036] The central controller handles energy management between the
utility and home appliances, lighting, thermostat/HVAC, etc. with
customer choices incorporated in the decision making process. The
controller may include notification of an energy saving mode based
on demand limit read from one or more of a utility meter, utility,
demand server or user. An energy savings mode of an appliance can
thereby be controlled or regulated based on priority and energy
need level sent from the controller and/or the customer (FIG. 6).
Likewise, consideration to use of local energy storage and use of a
local generator to offset peak demand limit can be incorporated
into the energy management considerations, or provide the ability
to override mode of energy savings through the controller or at the
appliance, lighting, or thermostat/HVAC (FIGS. 7 and 8).
[0037] The present disclosure has the ability for the home to shed
loads in pending brown-out or black-out situations, yet have
intelligence to prevent an improper action such as shutting down
the refrigerator for extended timeframes that might compromise food
storage safety.
[0038] How much energy the appliance consumes in peak demand is
based on priority of the device and the energy need level. If the
appliance's priority is high, then the appliance will most likely
not go into a saving mode. The energy need level is based on how
little energy the appliance can consume during peak demand and
still provide the function setting it is in (i.e. in a
refrigerator, ensuring that the temperature is cool enough to
prevent spoiling). It will also be appreciated that an appliance
may have multiple energy need levels.
[0039] The controller will be the main product with the
communication and settings control incorporated within future
appliances. Specific meters will be selected so that the controller
can read the demand usage. It is intended that the demand server
will possibly be purchased or leased to the utility.
[0040] A method is provided for constructing an appliance designed
to perform any key function, the appliance comprises of several
mechanical and electrical elements controlled by a main controller.
This main controller has a port for receiving information regarding
the operational state of the appliance. The port also has a user
interface or switch which could be used to override the information
received by the controller through the port. Two-way or one-way
communication devices may be connected to the port. These
communication devices will receive signals from a remote
controller, process those signals and as a result communicate an
operational state to the main controller of the appliance. This
operational state is communicated to the main controller by one or
more remote controllers in a specific format determined by the
appliance. These signals from the remote controller(s) could be
based on a variety of communication methods and associated
protocols. On receiving the operational state signal, the appliance
main controller causes the appliance to run a predetermined
operational mode. These operational modes are designed into the
appliance(s) and result in different resource consumption levels or
patterns, even delaying use. Resources could include energy, water,
air, heat, sunlight, time, etc. In future appliance models, the
consumer might be given the authority to modify the appliance
responses to a given rate signal. The consumer would be presented a
"check box" of potential response modes and allowed to choose
within set parameters. For instance, the consumer might be allowed
to choose the amount of temperature adjustment a refrigerator will
make in response to a high utility rate.
[0041] A method of communicating data between a master device and
one or more slave devices may advantageously use continuous
tone-coded transmission system. This can be a number of states or
signals, either using one or more continuous tones that signify
different rate states coming from the home area network (from
meter) or the utility. Additionally, one could send a combination
of tones to transmit binary messages using a few tones. The slave
devices will incorporate a receiver that receives the carrier
frequency and then decodes the continuous tone which corresponds to
the particular state of the utility rate. Once the "receiver board"
detects the tone, then the downstream circuitry will trigger the
appropriate response in the appliance. The carrier frequency in
this scheme can be numerous spectrums, one being the FM broadcast
band or a specific FM band allocated by the FCC for low level power
output. The advantage of broadcast band FM is the low cost of such
devices and the potential to penetrate walls, etc. within a home
with very low levels of power due to the long wavelength of the
89-106 Mhz carrier. This process is used today in 2-way radio
communications to reduce the annoyance of listening to multiple
users on shared 2-way radio frequencies. The process in these
radios is referred to as CTCSS (continuous tone-coded squelch
system) and would find application in this end use.
[0042] Generally, it is not known to have modular interfaces that
can receive signals from a control source. Also, no prior
arrangements have functioned by addressing the control board of the
appliance with a signal that directs the appliance to respond.
[0043] Thus, by way of example only, the structure and/or operation
of a refrigerator (FIG. 9, although other appliances are also
represented) may be modified or altered by reducing the
temperature, especially in the freezer compartment pre on-peak time
and further temporarily provide a compartment temperature increase
to shave on-peak load. Specifically, defrost operation could be
delayed until off-peak time. Alternatively or conjunctively, the
freezer and refrigerator temperature setpoints may be set to
maintain less compressor on time during on-peak demand times.
Similarly, the refrigerator/freezer could be programmed so that
lights will not be permitted to come on or the lights must be
dimmed lights during on-peak demand times. During on-peak demand
times, the fan operating speeds can be reduced, and/or compressor
operating speed reduced in order to reduce energy consumption.
Still another option is to reduce the delay time for the door alarm
to sound during on-peak time. Other power load reducing measures in
a refrigerator may include (reducing before on-peak hours) the
temperature of the freezer and refrigerator compartments in a
refrigerator (prechill) and slightly increase temperature setting
during on-peak rates. For example, just before peak rate time, the
temperature setting could be decreased by 1-2 degrees (during
off-peak rates). Some communication line with the electrical
company could be established. Thus, the electrical company may be
able to send a signal in advance to prechill the refrigerator (or
in the case of an air conditioner, decrease the room temperature
during off-peak rates as a pre-chill maneuver) and, in turn,
increase the temperature setting during on-peak rates.
[0044] Still other energy consuming practices of the exemplary
refrigerator that may be altered include turning the ice-maker off
during on-peak demand times, or disabling the crushed ice mode
during on-peak demand times. Alternatively, the consumer may be
given the ability to select via a user interface which items are
incorporated into the on-peak demand via an enable/disable menu, or
to provide input selection such as entry of a zip code (FIG. 10) in
order to select the utility company and time of use schedule (FIG.
11), or using a time versus day of the week schedule input method
(FIGS. 12-13).
[0045] The user interface may also incorporate suggested energy
saving tips or show energy usage, or provide an indicator during
on-peak mode, or provide a counter to illustrate the energy impact
of door opening, or showing an energy calculator to the consumer to
serve as a reminder of the impact of certain selections/actions on
energy use or energy conservation (FIGS. 14-19).
[0046] One path that is being pursued from the appliance
perspective is to allow the onboard CPU (microprocessor) of the
appliance to determine how to respond to an incoming signal asking
for a load shedding response. For example, the CPU will turn on,
turn off, throttle, delay, adjust, or modify specific functions and
features in the appliance to provide a turndown in power
consumption (FIG. 20). FIG. 21 defines specifically exemplary modes
of what are possible. The main feature here is the enabling of the
main board microprocessor or CPU to execute actions in the
appliance to deliver load shedding (lowering power consumption at
that instant). The actions available in each appliance are only
limited to the devices that the CPU has control over, which are
nearly all of the electrical consuming devices in an appliance.
This may work better where the appliance has an electronic control
versus an electromechanical control.
[0047] Of course, the above description focuses on the refrigerator
but these concepts are equally applicable to other home appliances
such as dishwashers, water heaters, washing machines, clothes
dryers, televisions (activate a recording feature rather than
turning on the television), etc., and the list is simply
representative and not intended to be all encompassing.
[0048] Likewise, although these concepts have been described with
respect to appliances, they may find application in areas other
than appliances and other than electricity usage. For example, a
controller that acts as an intermediary between the utilities meter
and the appliance interprets the utility signal, processes it and
then submits this signal to the appliance for the prescribed
reaction. In a similar fashion, the controller may find application
to other household utilities, for example, natural gas and water
within the home. One can equip the water and gas meters to measure
flow rates and then drive responses to a gas water heater or gas
furnace precisely like the electrical case. This would assume that
one might experience variable gas and water rates in the future.
Secondly, the flow meters being connected to the controller could
provide a consumer with a warning as to broken or leaking water
lines by comparing the flow rate when a given appliance or
appliances are on to the normal consumption. In cases where safety
is a concern, the system could stop the flow of gas or water based
on the data analysis.
[0049] Another feature might be the incorporation of "remote
subscription" for the utility benefit. In some cases, the utility
will be providing customers discounts/rebates for subscribing to
DSM in their appliances, hot water heaters, etc. The "remote
subscription" feature would allow the utility to send a signal that
would "lockout" the consumer from disabling the feature since they
were on the "rebate" program.
[0050] Another feature that the controller lends itself to is the
inclusion of "Remote diagnostics". This feature would allow the
appliance to send a signal or message to the controller indicating
that something in the appliance was not up to specifications. The
controller could then relay this signal to the utility or to the
appliance manufacturer via the various communication avenues
included into the controller (i.e., WIFI, WIMAX, Broadband, cell
phone, or any other formats that the controller could "speak").
[0051] In the case of a remote subscription, the utilities today
rely on the honesty of their subscribers to leave the DSM system
functional. Some people may receive the discounts/rebate and then
disable the feature that drives the load shedding. With this
system, the utility can ensure that the feature will be enabled and
provide the proper load shedding.
[0052] An exemplary embodiment of a demand managed cooking
appliance 100 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 22. The cooking
appliance 100 comprises one or more power consuming
features/functions and a controller 102 operatively connected to
each of the power consuming features/functions. The controller 102
can include a micro computer on a printed circuit board which is
programmed to selectively control the energization of the power
consuming features/functions. The controller 102 is configured to
receive and process a signal 106 indicative of a utility state, for
example, availability and/or current cost of supplied energy. The
energy signal may be generated by a utility provider, such as a
power company, and can be transmitted via a power line, as a radio
frequency signal, or by any other means for transmitting a signal
when the utility provider desires to reduce demand for its
resources. The cost can be indicative of the state of the demand
for the utility's energy, for example a relatively high price or
cost of supplied energy is typically associated with a peak demand
state or period and a relative low price or cost is typically
associated with an off-peak demand state or period.
[0053] The controller 102 can operate the cooking appliance 100 in
one of a plurality of operating modes, including a normal operating
mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received
signal. Specifically, the cooking appliance 100 can be operated in
the normal mode in response to a signal indicating an off-peak
demand state or period and can be operated in an energy savings
mode in response to a signal indicating a peak demand state or
period. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the
controller 102 is configured to at least one of selectively delay,
adjust and disable at least one of the one or more power consuming
features/functions to reduce power consumption of the cooking
appliance 100 in the energy savings mode.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 22, the cooking appliance 100 is in the
form of a free standing range 110 having a top cooking surface 114.
Although, it should be appreciated that the cooking appliance 100
can be any suitable cooking appliance including, without
limitation, counter top cooking appliances, built-in cooking
appliances and multiple fuel cooking appliances. Therefore, the
range 110 is provided by way of illustration rather than
limitation, and accordingly there is no intention to limit
application of the present disclosure to any particular cooking
appliance.
[0055] The depicted exemplary range 110 includes an outer body or
cabinet 112 with the top cooking surface 114 having at least one
individual surface heating element. In the depicted embodiment, the
top cooking surface 114 includes four individual surface heating
elements, namely, a left front heating element 120, a right front
heating element 122, a left rear heating element 124, and a right
rear heating element 126. It should be apparent to those skilled in
the art that top cooking surface 114 may include any suitable
number of heating elements, any suitable type of heating elements
(i.e., single, double or triple element which operates in different
modes) and/or any suitable arrangement of the heating elements.
[0056] The exemplary range 110 includes an oven 130 positioned
within the cabinet 112 and below cooking surface 114. The oven 130
defines a cooking chamber or cavity 132, which has a maximum
setpoint temperature in the normal operating mode. A drop door (not
shown) sealingly closes a front opening of the oven during a
cooking process. A door latch is configured to lock the door in a
closed position during the cooking process and/or during a
self-cleaning operation. The cooking cavity 132 is configured to
receive and support a food item during the cooking process. The
cooking cavity can be provided with at least one heating element
140. For example, the cooking cavity can be provided with an upper
heating element, such as a broil heating element, and a lower
heating element, such as a bake heating element. The cooking cavity
132 can also be provided with a convection fan 142 operatively
associated with the cooking cavity for circulating heated air
within the cooking cavity and a light source 146 for illuminating
the cooking cavity.
[0057] According to one exemplary embodiment, range 110 can include
more than one cooking chamber or cavity. For example, the exemplary
range 110 can includes a second oven 150 having a second cooking
chamber or cavity 152. The second cooking cavity may be configured
substantially similar to first cooking cavity 132 or may be
configured differently. Additionally, the second cooking cavity 152
may be substantially similar in size to first cooking cavity 132 or
may be larger or smaller than first cooking cavity 132. A drop door
(not shown) sealingly closes a front opening of the second cooking
chamber during the cooking process. Further, the second cooking
chamber 152 is equipped with one or more suitable heating elements
156, such as an heating element and a lower heating element, as
described above in reference to the cooking cavity 132.
[0058] According to another exemplary embodiment, the range 110 can
further comprise an RF generation module including a magnetron 160
located on a side or top of the cooking cavity 132. The magnetron
can be mounted to a magnetron mount on a surface of the cooking
cavity. The magnetron is configured to deliver microwave energy
into the cooking cavity 132. A range backsplash (not shown) can
extend upward of a rear edge of top cooking surface 114 and can
include, for example, a user interface 172, a control display and
control selectors for user manipulation for facilitating selecting
operative oven features, cooking timers, time and/or temperature
displays. An exhaust hood 180 can be provided above the range 110.
The exhaust hood can be operatively connected to the controller 102
and can include an exhaust fan 182 and a light source 184 for
illuminating the top cooking surface 114.
[0059] In the normal operating mode, for use of the oven 130, a
user generally inputs a desired temperature and time at which the
food item placed in the cooking cavity 132 is to be cooked through
at least one input selector. The controller 102 then initiates the
cooking cycle. In one exemplary embodiment, the controller 102 is
configured to cyclically energize and de-energize the heating
element 140 and, if provided, in some cooking cycles, the magnetron
160 to heat the air and radiate energy directly to the food item.
The duty cycle for the heating element 140 and magnetron 160, that
is, the percent on time for the heating element and magnetron in a
control time period, can depend on at least one of a pre-programmed
cooking algorithm and a user selected operation mode. The length of
time each component is on during a particular control period varies
depending on the power level selected. The duty cycle, or ratio of
the on time, can be precisely controlled and is pre-determined by
the operating parameters selected by the user. Different foods will
cook best with different ratios. The oven 130 allows control of
these power levels through both pre-programmed cooking algorithms
and through user-customizable manual cooking. Energization of the
heating element 140 during pre-heat depends on the target
temperature corresponding to the cooking temperature selected by a
user and the temperature of the cooking cavity 132 upon initiation
of the oven 130.
[0060] In the normal operating mode, the heating element 140 can
have associated with it, a steady state reference temperature. If a
target temperature is below the steady state reference temperature,
the controller 102 is configured to energize the heating element
140 at 100% duty cycle to the target temperature and then
cyclically energize the heating element 140 at the target
temperature for the remainder a programmed cooking time.
[0061] In order to prevent overheating of the oven 130, the
controller 102 can adjusts the power level of the heating element
140 and, if provided, the magnetron 160 to a first power level
after a first period of time, and if the first power level is above
a threshold power level for the heating element and magnetron, the
controller adjusts the first power level to a second lower power
level after a second period of time. By way of example, the heating
element 140 can be energized to any combination of power levels
(e.g., from 0 (not energized) to 10 (energized at 100%)). To
prevent overheating, if the heating element 140 is energized at
power level ten (10), after a first period of time, for example 10
minutes, the heating element 140 is reduced to 70% of the set power
level. If the reduced power level is still higher than the
threshold power level, after a second period of time, for example
20 minutes, the heating element 140 is reduced to 50% of the set
power level.
[0062] Similarly, in using the one of the heating elements 120,
122, 124, 126 of the top cooking surface 114, a user sets the
temperature of the heating element through a control selector. Each
individual surface heating element has a maximum setpoint
temperature in the normal operating mode. The controller 102
controls the temperature of the surface heating element 120, 122,
124, 126 by, for example, duty cycling the heating element.
[0063] If the controller 102 receives and processes an energy
signal indicative of a peak demand period at any time during
operation of the appliance 100, the controller makes a
determination of whether one or more of the power consuming
features/functions should be operated in the energy savings mode
and if so, it signals the appropriate features/functions of the
appliance 100 to begin operating in the energy savings mode in
order to reduce the instantaneous amount of energy being consumed
by the appliance. The controller 102 determines what
features/functions should be operated at a lower consumption level
and what that lower consumption level should be, rather than an
uncontrolled immediate termination of the operation of specific
features/functions.
[0064] In order to reduce the peak energy consumed by the cooking
appliance 100, the controller 102 is configured to at least one of
selectively delay, adjust and disable at least one of the one or
more above described power consuming features/functions to reduce
power consumption of the cooking appliance 100 in the energy
savings mode. Reducing total energy consumed also encompasses
reducing the energy consumed at peak times and/or reducing the
overall electricity demands. Electricity demands can be defined as
average watts over a short period of time, typically 5-60 minutes.
Off peak demand periods correspond to periods during which lower
cost energy is being supplied by the utility relative to peak
demand periods. Operational adjustments that result in functional
energy savings will be described in detail hereinafter.
[0065] The cooking cavity 132 has a maximum setpoint temperature in
the normal operating mode. To reduce the power consumption of the
oven 130 in the energy savings mode, the controller 102 is
configured to reduce the setpoint temperature in the energy savings
mode. To this extent, the power of the heating element 140 of the
cooking cavity 132 can be reduced by selectively adjusting the duty
cycle of the heating element throughout a selected cooking cycle.
The controller can disable or reduce the speed of the convection
fan 142 and can disable or reduce the intensity of the light source
146.
[0066] If the range 110 includes the magnetron 160, in some
instances, the frequency of the energy signal can be impacted by
the fundamental frequency of the magnetron 160. A typical microwave
oven uses between 500 and 1000 W of microwave energy at 2.45 GHz to
heat the food. There may be a high likelihood that the frequency
bands of microwave signals generated by the magnetron create
interference with frequency bands used for Wibro communication,
HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), wireless LAN (Local Area
Network. IEEE 802.22 standards), Zigbee (IEEE802.15 standards),
Bluetooth (IEEE802.15 standards) and RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification). If the controller 102 determines that the
frequency of the incoming energy signal 106 is generally harmonic
with the frequency of the activated magnetron (i.e., the energy
signal is impacted or degraded by the magnetron frequency), the
controller can at least temporarily block communication with the
energy signal to prevent unreliable communications during operation
of the magnetron. Alternatively, the controller 102 can temporarily
block communication during activation of the magnetron 160
regardless of the frequency if the energy signal 106. The energy
signal can be queued in a memory 174. After deactivation of the
magnetron, the controller can review and process the queued energy
signal stored in the memory to at least partially determine the
operating mode for the appliance 100. If the appliance is to
operate in the energy savings mode, the power level of the
magnetron can be selectively adjusted to reduce the power consumed
by the magnetron during subsequent operation.
[0067] During the energy savings mode, a pre-heat ramp rate is
reduced to reduce demand. The controller 102 can also selectively
disable the self clean feature in the energy savings mode. However,
if the self clean feature was activated in the normal operating
mode and the controller determines based on the cost of supplied
energy that the cooking appliance 100 should operate in the energy
savings mode, in the illustrative embodiment, the controller 102
will finish the self clean cycle in the energy savings mode.
Alternatively, the controller could be configured to immediately
interrupt the self-clean mode upon determining the appliance should
operate in the energy savings mode and repeat the self-clean cycle
after the energy signal signifies an off-peak period or the
controller otherwise determines operation in the energy savings
mode is no longer desired. As indicated above, the range 110 can
include the second oven 150 having the second cooking cavity 152.
With this setup, the controller 102 is configured to disable one of
the cooking cavities 132, 152, particularly the second cooking
cavity, in the energy savings mode.
[0068] Regarding the top cooking surface 114, each individual
surface heating element 120, 122, 124, 126 has a maximum setpoint
temperature in the normal operating mode. To reduce power of the
top cooking surface 114, the controller 102 can limit the number of
surface heating elements that can be energized and is configured to
reduce the setpoint temperature of at least one activated
temperature controlled surface heating element in the energy
savings mode. The controller can also reduce power of an activated
open loop surface heating element by selectively adjusting the duty
cycle of the activated heating element. Further, in the energy
savings mode, at least one surface heating element 120, 122, 124,
126 can be at least partially disabled.
[0069] To further reduce the power consumption of the appliance 100
in the energy savings mode, the controller 102 is configured to
disable or reduce the speed of the exhaust fan 182 of the exhaust
hood 180. The light source 184 can also be disabled or the
intensity of the light source can be reduced.
[0070] The determination of which power consuming
features/functions are operated in a energy savings mode may depend
on whether the appliance 100 is currently operating. In one
embodiment, the controller 102 includes functionality to determine
whether activation of the energy savings mode for any power
consuming features/functions would potentially cause damage to any
feature/function of the appliance 100 itself or would cause the
appliance to fail to perform its intended function, such as a
complete cooking of food in the cooking cavity 132 of the oven 130.
If the controller determines that an unacceptable consequence may
occur by performing an energy saving action, such as deactivating
or curtailing the operation of a power consuming feature/function
in the appliance 100, the controller may opt-out of performing that
specific energy saving action or may institute or extend other
procedures. For example, the controller 102 may determine that the
deactivation or limitation of the operation of the convection fan
142 may result in overheating of the heating element 140 which has
not yet been deactivated or limited. As a result, the controller
prevents the appliance from being damaged.
[0071] The controller may also determine whether deactivation or
curtailment of a power consuming feature/function would prevent the
appliance from performing its desired function. For example, if the
controller 102 determines that deactivation or curtailment of the
heating element 140 would result in under-cooked food in the oven
130, the controller 102 may opt-out of performing that specific
energy savings action or may increase the time that a function is
performed, such as a length of cooking.
[0072] With reference to FIG. 23, a control method for the cooking
appliance 100 in accordance with the present disclosure comprises
receiving and processing the signal indicative of cost of supplied
energy (S200), determining a state for an associated energy
supplying utility, such as a cost of supplying energy from the
associated utility (S202), the utility state being indicative of at
least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period, operating
the appliance 100 in a normal mode during the off-peak demand
period (S204), operating the appliance in an energy savings during
the peak demand period (S206), scheduling, delaying, adjusting
and/or selectively deactivating any number of one or more power
consuming features/functions of the appliance 100 described above
to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings
mode (S208), and returning to the normal mode after the peak demand
period is over (S210).
[0073] With reference to FIG. 24, if the cooking appliance 100
includes the magnetron 160, the control method can further comprise
temporarily blocking the communication with the associated utility
during operating of the magnetron 160 if the frequency of the
energy signal is impacted by the magnetron to prevent unreliable
communications (S212), queuing the communication with the
associated utility during operating of the magnetron (S214), and
processing the queue after operation of the magnetron for at least
partially determining current operating mode for the cooking
appliance (S216).
[0074] As indicated previously, the control panel or user interface
172 can include a display and control buttons for making various
operational selections. The display can be configured to
communicate active, real-time feedback to the user on the cost of
operating the appliance 100. The costs associated with using the
appliance 100 are generally based on the current operating and
usage patterns and energy consumption costs, such as the cost per
kilowatt hour charged by the corresponding utility. The controller
102 is configured to gather information and data related to current
usage patterns and as well as current power costs. This information
can be used to determine current energy usage and cost associated
with using the appliance 100 in one of the energy savings mode and
normal mode. This real-time information (i.e., current usage
patterns, current power cost and current energy usage/cost) can be
presented to the user via the display.
[0075] It is to be appreciated that a manual or selectable override
can be provided on the user interface 172 providing a user the
ability to select which of the one or more power consuming
features/functions are delayed, adjusted and/or disabled by the
controller in the energy savings mode. The user can override any
adjustments, whether time related or function related, to any of
the power consuming functions. Further, the user can override the
current operating mode of the appliance 100. Particularly, as shown
in FIG. 23, if the utility state has an associated energy cost, the
user can base operation of the appliance on a user selected
targeted energy cost, such a selected pricing tier or cost per
kilowatt hour charged by the corresponding utility (S220). If the
current cost exceeds the user selected cost, the controller 104
will operate the appliance 100 in the energy savings mode (S222).
If the current cost is less than the user selected cost, the
controller 104 will operate the appliance 100 in the normal mode
(S222). This operation based on a user selected targeted energy
cost is regardless of the current energy cost being indicative of
one of a peak demand period and an off-peak demand period.
[0076] The operational adjustments, particularly an energy savings
operation can be accompanied by a display on the control panel
which communicates activation of the energy savings mode. The
energy savings mode display can include a display of "ECO", "Eco",
"EP", "ER", "CP", "CPP", "DR", or "PP" on the appliance display
panel in cases where the display is limited to three characters. In
cases with displays having additional characters available,
messaging can be enhanced accordingly. Additionally, an audible
signal can be provided to alert the user of the appliance operating
in the energy savings mode.
[0077] The duration of time that the appliance 100 operates in the
energy savings mode may be determined by information in the energy
signal. For example, the energy signal may inform the appliance 100
to operate in the energy savings mode for a few minutes or for one
hour, at which time the appliance returns to normal operation.
Alternatively, the energy signal may be continuously transmitted by
the utility provider, or other signal generating system, as long as
it is determined that instantaneous load reduction is necessary.
Once transmission of the signal has ceased, the appliance 100
returns to normal operating mode. In yet another embodiment, an
energy signal may be transmitted to the appliance to signal the
appliance to operate in the energy savings mode. A normal operation
signal may then be later transmitted to the appliance to signal the
appliance to return to the normal operating mode.
[0078] The operation of the appliance 100 may vary as a function of
a characteristic of the utility state and/or supplied energy, e.g.,
availability and/or price. Because some energy suppliers offer what
is known as time-of-day pricing in their tariffs, price points
could be tied directly to the tariff structure for the energy
supplier. If real time pricing is offered by the energy supplier
serving the site, this variance could be utilized to generate
savings and reduce chain demand. Another load management program
offered by energy supplier utilizes price tiers which the utility
manages dynamically to reflect the total cost of energy delivery to
its customers. These tiers provide the customer a relative
indicator of the price of energy and are usually defined as being
LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH and CRITICAL. The controller 102 is configured to
operate the appliance in an operating mode corresponding to one of
the price tiers. For example, the controller is configured to
operate the cooking appliance 100 in the normal operating mode
during each of the low and medium price tier and is configured to
operate the appliance in the energy savings mode during each of the
high and critical price tier. These tiers are shown in the chart of
FIG. 25 to partially illustrate operation of the appliance 100 in
each pricing tier. In the illustrative embodiment the appliance
control response to the LOW and MEDIUM tiers is the same namely the
appliance remains in the normal operating mode. Likewise the
response to the HIGH and CRITICAL tiers is the same, namely
operating the appliance in the energy saving mode. However, it will
be appreciated that the controller could be configured to implement
a unique operating mode for each tier which provides a desired
balance between compromised performance and cost savings/energy
savings. If the utility offers more than two rate/cost conditions,
different combinations of energy saving control steps may be
programmed to provide satisfactory cost savings/performance
tradeoff.
[0079] It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed
and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be
desirably combined into many other different systems or
applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or
unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or
improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in
the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following
claims.
* * * * *