U.S. patent application number 12/853342 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-18 for sub-metering hardware for measuring energy data of an energy consuming device.
This patent application is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to John Besore, Robert Bultman, Jeff Drake, Michael F. Finch, Henry Kobraei, Timothy Worthington.
Application Number | 20110202194 12/853342 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44370209 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110202194 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kobraei; Henry ; et
al. |
August 18, 2011 |
SUB-METERING HARDWARE FOR MEASURING ENERGY DATA OF AN ENERGY
CONSUMING DEVICE
Abstract
A sub-meter device for use in a home energy management (HEM)
network. The sub-meter device measure power characteristics related
to usage of an appliance (or other device) within a HEM network and
provides such data to a home energy controller or the like. The
sub-meter device can include one or more sensors, such as a current
transformer, Rogowski coil, shunt resistor, or hall effect sensor,
for collecting data relating to at least one of real power
consumption, reactive power consumption, line frequency, line
voltage, power factor, leading/lagging voltage-current comparison,
and apparent power, etc.
Inventors: |
Kobraei; Henry; (Louisville,
KY) ; Besore; John; (Prospect, KY) ; Bultman;
Robert; (Louisville, KY) ; Worthington; Timothy;
(Crestwood, KY) ; Finch; Michael F.; (Louisville,
KY) ; Drake; Jeff; (Louisville, KY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
|
Family ID: |
44370209 |
Appl. No.: |
12/853342 |
Filed: |
August 10, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61304712 |
Feb 15, 2010 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
700/295 ;
702/62 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20130101;
H02J 2310/12 20200101; G06Q 50/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/295 ;
702/62 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/26 20060101
G06F001/26; G01R 21/00 20060101 G01R021/00; G06F 19/00 20110101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. An energy consuming device comprising; at least one energy
consuming component; a sensor for collecting data from a power
supplying conductor delivering power to the device, the sensor
configured to collect data relating to electrical usage of the at
least one component and/or properties of power provided to the
device via the power supplying conductor; and a communication
interface for communicating the data.
2. An energy consuming device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
sensor collects data relating to at least one of real power
consumption, reactive power consumption, line frequency, line
voltage, power factor, leading/lagging voltage-current comparison,
and apparent power.
3. An enemy consuming device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
sensor and communication interface are included in a sub-meter
module.
4. An energy consuming device as out forth in claim 1, wherein the
sensor includes at least one of a current transformer, Rogowski
coil, shunt resistor, or hall effect sensor.
5. An energy consuming device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
communication interface further comprises a display for displaying
the collected data to a user.
6. An energy consuming device as set forth in claim 1, further
comprising a control board for controlling at least one aspect of
operation of the energy consuming device, wherein the sensor is
included on the control board, or as a daughter board in
communication with the control board.
7. An energy consuming device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
energy consuming device is at least one of a washer, a dryer, a
refrigerator, a freezer, a cooking product, range, a water heater,
dishwasher, dehumidifier, and HVAC equipment.
8. A sub-meter device for monitoring usage of an energy consuming
device in a residential energy management system comprising: a
sensor for collecting data from a dedicated power supplying
conductor delivering power directly to the energy consuming device;
and a communication interface for communicating the data to a
remote energy management system device; wherein the sensor is
configured to collect data relating to electrical usage of the
device and/or properties of power provided to the device via the
power supplying conductor.
9. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the sensor
collects data relating to at least one of real power consumption,
reactive power consumption, line frequency, line voltage, power
factor, leading/lagging voltage-current comparison, and apparent
power.
10. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the at
least one sensor and communication interface are contained in a
common housing.
11. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, further comprising
a second communication interface for communicating with the energy
consuming device.
12. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the sensor
and communication interface are contained in a modular housing
having at least two prongs designed to be plugged into a wall
outlet for receiving power, and having a socket for receiving the
power supplying conductor for transmitting power to the energy
consuming device, whereby the common housing can be plugged into a
wall socket and the energy consuming device can be plugged into the
socket of the housing.
13. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the sensor
includes at least one of a current transformer, Rogowski coil,
shunt resistor, or hall effect sensor.
14. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, further comprising
a display for displaying the collected data to a user.
15. A sub-meter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the sensor
is integrated into a power supply cord of the energy consuming
device.
16. A residential energy management system comprising: an energy
consuming device; a power supplying conductor connected to the
energy consuming device for delivering power thereto; a sub-meter
device as set forth in claim 8; an energy management controller
configured to control at least one aspect of operation of the
energy consuming device; wherein the at least one sub-meter device
includes a communication interface for communicating the collected
data to the energy management controller for use by the energy
management controller in controlling the energy consuming
device.
17. A residential energy management system as set forth in claim
16, wherein the energy consuming device is an appliance, and the
sub-meter device is integral with the appliance.
18. An energy management controller for a residential energy
management system comprising: a processor; and a communication
interface for communicating with a sub-meter device as set forth in
claim 8.
19. An energy management controller as set forth in claim 18,
wherein the processor is configured to control at least one aspect
of operation of the energy consuming device in response to data
received from the sub-meter device.
20. A method of managing a residential energy consuming device
comprising: using a sensor to collect data from a power supplying
conductor delivering power to the energy consuming device;
communicating the collected data to an energy manage ent controller
remote from the sensor; and controlling at least one aspect of the
operation of the energy consuming device in response to the
collected data; wherein the sensor is configured to collect data
relating to electrical usage of the device and/or properties of
power provided to the device via the power supplying conductor.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/304,712, filed on, Feb. 15, 2010, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The following disclosure relates to energy management, and
more particularly to energy management of household consumer
appliances, as well as other energy consuming devices and/or
systems found in the home. The present disclosure finds particular
application to a device which controls operation of consumer
appliances, as well as other energy consuming devices and/or
systems, and acts as a gateway between a Utility company network
and the consumer appliances, as well as other energy consuming
devices and/or systems. The controller/gateway device to be
discussed below is at times called herein a Home Energy Gateway
(HEG).
[0003] Currently Utility companies commonly charge a flat rate for
energy, but with the increasing cost of fuel prices and high energy
usage during certain parts of the day, Utility companies have to
buy more energy to supply customers during peak demand.
Consequently, Utility companies are beginning to charge higher
rates during peak demand. If peak demand can be lowered, then a
potential cost savings can be achieved and the peak load that the
Utility company 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 of certain appliances
during on-peak time.
[0005] Additionally, some electrical Utility companies are moving
to an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system which needs to
communicate with 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.
[0006] Home energy management (HEM) systems are becoming a key to
reducing energy consumption in homes and buildings, in a consumer
friendly manner. Existing HEMs are commonly placed in one of two
general categories: [0007] In the first category, the HEM is in the
form of a special custom configured computer with an integrated
display, which communicates to devices in the home and stores data,
and also has simple algorithms to enable energy reduction. This
type of device may also include a keypad for data entry or the
display may be a touch screen. In either arrangement, the display,
computer and key pad (if used) are formed as a single unit. This
single unit is either integrated in a unitary housing, or if the
display is not in the same housing, the display and computer are
otherwise connected/associated upon delivery from the factory
and/or synchronized or tuned to work as a single unit. [0008] In
the second category, the HEM is in the form of a low cost
router/gateway device in a home that collects information from
devices within the home and sends it to a remote server and in
return receives control commands from the remote server and
transmits it to energy consuming devices in the home. In this
category, again, as in the first, the HEM may be a custom
configured device including a computer and integrated/associated
display (and keypad, if used) designed as a single unit.
Alternately, the HEM maybe implemented as home computer such as lap
top or desk top operating software to customize the home computer
this use.
[0009] Both of the current existing types have significant
disadvantages due to higher consumer cost, low flexibility and
increased system complexity.
[0010] The first category requires a large upfront cost to the
consumer, because the cost of providing an integrated display on
the HEM very expensive. In addition, the electronics required to
drive the display is complex and expensive. Further, from a
consumer point of view, they are forced to add one more display
screen to their home in addition to the home computer, smart
phones, televisions and the displays on pre-existing home devices
such as thermostats, appliance displays etc.
[0011] The second category of HEM involves a substantial cost to
provide the server infrastructure and data transfer. In addition,
this type of HEM must be connected continuously with a remote
server otherwise energy data logging and energy saving commands for
the devices in the home will be lost during service disruptions. In
addition, this configuration requires connection to the Internet to
access and view data. Therefore this second configuration is very
limiting in areas where Internet penetration is very low
[0012] To be commercially practical a HEM should result in a
payback of less than a year for the consumer through energy
savings. Current HEM systems result in payback of about 3-5 years
at best. Therefore, since the standard life of an electronic device
is about 5 years, the consumer is never paid back for their
investment; as they will need to procure a new device before the
investment payback period is reached.
[0013] Key functions of a HEM include: [0014] Creates a network of
energy consuming devices within the home, [0015] Measures the
consumption of the whole home/building or individual devices,
[0016] Records and stores energy consumption information in a
database, and [0017] Enables consumer interface with all energy
consuming devices in a home to: [0018] view consumption data of
individual devices [0019] set preferences for operation of energy
consuming devices at different times [0020] during the day or at
different energy pricing levels [0021] control/program energy
consuming devices.
[0022] For a HEM to achieve its intended function, all energy
consuming, energy generating and energy measuring devices must
communicate with the HEM through a network. The network of energy
consuming devices usually employs a communication design which has
very low power and low energy with a high degree of reliability.
The data bandwidth required to support a network of energy
consuming devices is much smaller than the data bandwidth required
for the networking of consumer electronics products, which is
usually high bandwidth and high speed. The networking standards,
including the physical layer, networking layer and application
layers are optimized for the end use.
[0023] Consumers want to view and control energy consumption
information available thru the HEM, through a variety of consumer
electronic devices available in the home. To enable this it is
required that energy consumption and control information must be
easily transferrable from the networks of energy consuming devices
to networks of consumer electronics devices. In addition, consumers
are more used to interacting with consumer electronics devices. So
the consumer interaction data on a consumer electronics device
should be able to flow into the network for energy consuming
devices and to enable command and control of the energy consuming
devices.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0024] The device disclosed herein is a home energy gateway (HEG)
that enables all the key functions of the HEM described above, and
enables the flow of data between networks having different
physical, link, network, transport and/or application layers,
provides a lowest cost product to the consumer with the flexibility
to interface with the HEM from any consumer electronics product
already available in the home and/or replace any HEM in a home
energy management network.
[0025] The HEG is a single board computer with a variety of
communication interfaces combined with sufficient memory and
computing resources to enable energy management of a home or
building. This device does not have a dedicated display either on
the device or in the system. It transmits the data stored within
its memory to other display devices, to enable a consumer interface
to the HEG.
[0026] In one embodiment, the HEG hardware comprises of a single
board computer with the following specification: [0027] Samsung
S3C2450 32 bit RISC Miuoproccssor ARM926EJS, 400 MH [0028] DDR2
SDRAM (32 MB) [0029] NAND Flash Memory for Embedded Linux & HEG
Software B) [0030] NAND Flash Memory for Database Storage (16
MB)
[0031] The single board computer has three co unication interfaces
with different physical, networking and application layers.
[0032] The HEG it has an Ethernet and Wifi interface with the
following specification: [0033] IEEE 802.11 big Wi-Fi [0034] WPA,
WPA2, WEP-40, WEP-104, 802.1x, PEAP, LEAP, TLS, TTLS, FAST [0035]
MAC Address Filtering [0036] 1011 00 Base-T Ethernet Connectivity
This interface is referred to as the first interface or first
network throughout this document.
[0037] The HEG of one embodiment also has two Zigbee Interfaces of
the following specification: [0038] IEEE 802.15.4 Compliant 2.4 GHz
Wireless Interface [0039] Smart Energy Profile, Home Automation
Profile [0040] Transmit Power: 20 dBm, Receive Sensitivity.
0.about.-100 dBm [0041] AES 128-bit Encryption [0042] Install Code
using 128-bit Oseas Hash Function [0043] ECC Key Exchange using
Certicom Certificates [0044] SEP 1.0 Security Requirements [0045]
CBKE ZigBee Link Key Security [0046] ZigBee Pro Feature Set
[0047] Two Zigbee communication interfaces are provided so that HEG
can talk to two separate energy networks.
[0048] Using one Zigbee interface, (referred to as the second
interface or second network) the HEG communicates with the smart
meter network. This interface reads the smart meter, an
energy-metering device, and records the data in the database of the
HEG.
[0049] The HEG communicates to the devices within the home using
the other Zigbee communication interface (referred to as the third
interface or third network). Using this interface, the HEG reads
the consumption of the individual energy consuming devices and
records it in the database.
[0050] Utility communications such as price signals, demand
response signals and text messages are received through the second
interface, recorded in the database, and communicated to the
devices in the home through the third interface. The command and
control information of the energy consuming devices and their
response to Utility signals is received through the third
communication interface, recorded in a database, and communicated
to the Utility company via the second interface, the communication
being routed through the Utility smart meter.
[0051] The HEG can also be programmed to vary the response of
energy consuming devices to utility communication based on consumer
preferences. The consumer may, if desired, program the schedule,
mode of operation and create unique device response to utility
messages. This programming is communicated through the first
interface.
[0052] The stored events, energy data, utility messages and
consumer setting preferences are accessed also accessed through the
first communication interface, which operates at a higher bandwidth
and uses a consumer electronics friendly communication protocol.
For example, in some embodiments this communication could be over
Wifi or Ethernet.
[0053] The user interface is an application that resides in one of
the consumer electronics products in a home or the home computer.
These home devices communicate to the HEG through a predefined
communication protocol. The user interface may request specific
data from the HEG like historical electricity consumption
information and the HEG can push information to devices in the
Local Area Network (LAN), like price changes or utility messages,
with all communication exchanges occurring thru commands based on
this communication protocol. In addition, the energy consuming
devices can be controlled or interfaced through the HEG, the user
interface communicating with the HEG using this communication
protocol over the first interface and the HEG communicating with
the energy consuming devices with a low bandwidth protocol using a
different physical communication layer.
[0054] The term communication protocol refers to three aspects
language, transport, and session. The term language is defined as
what is used to communicate data or commands such as XML, JSON-RPC,
XML-RPC, SOAP, bit stream, or line terminated string. The term
transport is defined as the protocol used to deliver the data or
commands such as UDP, TCP, HTTP. Session is defined as terms such
as, the Device pushing data via a socket based connection, or the
Device sending data in response to being polled. Examples of data
being pushed are TCP socket streams, and examples of polling are
the restful create, read, update, and delete methods.
[0055] The HEG plays a key role for the Utility company in
registering and communicating with devices within the home. Typical
devices that have to work with the smart grid thru the smart meter
need to be registered with the smart meter. This means that for
every energy consuming device that is installed in a consumer's
home, the consumer has to contact the Utility and provide them an
install code to register the device, which requires time and
resources for both the Utility Company and the consumer. Once the
HEG is registered to the smart meter, the HEG then acts as a single
point gateway for the Utility Company. In this way all other
devices in the home are registered with the HEG and communicate
with the HEG. The HEG then summarizes device actions, responses and
status and communicates a single message to the Utility Company.
This saves resources and infrastructure for the Utility Company's
meter system as there is only one device communicating from the
home, rather than 10 to 15 devices receiving messages, which would
otherwise require a large amount of bandwidth.
[0056] With communication protocols in a home converging to common
standards, the HEG can also be used to network other devices within
the home and store data. For example it could monitor the health of
consumers living in a home. A bathroom weighing scale can be
enabled with a communication interface, and the weight of a person
can be automatically read off the HEG and stored in the data base
with a time stamp, every time a person steps on the scale. The
device could similarly read other health parameters like blood
pressure, glucose, temperature etc.
[0057] In the same way, energy and water consumption in a home is
an indicator of daily life in a home. It can indicate activity in a
home, the number of people in a home, the health of people in a
home, safety and intrusion in a home.
[0058] The HEG could also operate with home automation and home
security systems over open standards. This would coordinate the
devices trying to control lighting, pool pumps, and other devices.
They could also share information in new ways. The appliances could
act as additional occupancy or intruder detection systems. For
example, if the home security is in the away mode, and the
refrigerator door opens, this could be passed to the security
system, just like a motion sensor.
[0059] In accordance with another aspect, an energy consuming
device comprises at least one energy consuming component, a sensor
for collecting data from a power supplying conductor delivering
power to the device, the sensor configured to collect data relating
to electrical usage of the at least one component and/or properties
of power provided to the device via the power supplying conductor,
and a communication interface for communicating the data (e.g., to
a remote energy management system device). The sensor can collect
data relating to at least one of real power consumption, reactive
power consumption, line frequency, line voltage, power factor,
leading/lagging voltage-current comparison, and apparent power. The
sensor can include at least one of a current transformer, Rogowski
coil, shunt resistor, or hall effect sensor. The communication
interface can include a display for displaying the collected data
to user, and a control board for controlling at least one aspect of
operation of the energy consuming device. The sensor can be
included on the control board. The energy consuming device can be
at least one of a washer, a dryer, a refrigerator, a cooking
product, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, and HVAC equipment.
[0060] In accordance with yet another aspect, a sub-meter device
for monitoring usage of an energy consuming device in a residential
energy management system comprises a sensor for collecting data
from a power supplying conductor delivering power directly to the
energy consuming device, and a communication interface for
communicating the data to a remote energy management system device.
The sensor is configured to collect data relating to electrical
usage of the device and/or properties of power provided to the
device via the power supplying conductor.
[0061] The sensor can collect data relating to at least one of real
power consumption, reactive power consumption, line frequency, line
voltage, power factor, leading/lagging voltage-current comparison,
and apparent power. The at least one sensor and communication
interface can be contained in a common housing. The sub-meter
device can further comprise a second communication interface for
communicating with the energy consuming device. The sensor and
communication interface can be contained in a modular housing
having at least two prongs designed to be plugged into a wall
outlet for receiving power, and having a socket for receiving the
power supplying conductor for transmitting power to the energy
consuming device, whereby the common housing can be plugged into a
wall socket and the energy consuming device can be plugged into the
socket of the housing. The sensor can include at least one of a
current transformer, Rogowski coil, shunt resistor, and/or hall
effect sensor. The sub-meter can include a display for displaying
the collected data to a user. The sensor can be integrated into a
power supply cord of the energy consuming device.
[0062] In accordance with still another aspect a residential energy
management system comprises an energy consuming device, a power
supplying conductor connected to the energy consuming device for
delivering power thereto, a sub-meter device, and an energy
management controller configured to control at least one aspect of
operation of the energy consuming device. The at least one
sub-meter device includes a communication interface for
communicating the collected data to the energy management
controller for use by the energy management controller in
controlling the energy consuming device.
[0063] In accordance with still yet another aspect, an energy
management controller for a residential energy management system
comprises a processor, and a communication interface for
communicating with the sub-meter device.
[0064] In accordance with another aspect, a method of managing a
residential energy consuming device comprises using a sensor to
collect data from a power supplying conductor delivering power to
the energy consuming device, communicating the collected data to an
energy management controller remote from the sensor, and
controlling at least one aspect of the operation of the energy
consuming device in response to the collected data, wherein the
sensor is configured to collect data relating to electrical usage
of the device and/or properties of power provided to the device via
the power supplying conductor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0065] FIG. 1 illustrates a system in which the concepts of the
present application are implemented.
[0066] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a Home Energy Gateway (HE of
the present application.
[0067] FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the HEG.
[0068] FIGS. 4A-4P illustrates views of the physical HEG
device.
[0069] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram or connecting the HEG.
[0070] FIG. 6 is a graphical illustration of a step in setting up
the HEG.
[0071] FIG. 7 is a graphical illustration of a step of connecting
the HEG to a WiFi access point.
[0072] FIG. 8 is a graphical illustration of a step of connecting
the HEG to the Internet.
[0073] FIG. 9 is a graphical illustration of a step of connecting
the HEG and a smart meter.
[0074] FIG. 10 is a graphical illustration of a step of making
connections to appliances.
[0075] FIG. 11 illustrates remote agent data access.
[0076] FIG. 12 is an example message payload to update a
schedule.
[0077] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a home energy management
system including an exemplary sub-meter for measuring power
properties of an associated device.
[0078] FIG. 14 is another block diagram a home energy management
system including another exemplary sub-meter integrated into an
energy consuming device.
[0079] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating the details of an
exemplary sub-meter device.
[0080] FIG. 16 is a flow chart us rating a method of performing
diagnostics on an energy consuming device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0081] FIG. 1 is an exemplary implementation of the energy
management system 100 according to the present application.
[0082] The main source of information flow for the home is shown as
smart electric meter 102 acting as trust center, coordinator,
and/or and energy service portal (ESP), and which is configured to
communicate with a home energy gateway (HEG) 104.
[0083] It is well known that these functions of smart meter 102 may
be separated into different devices. For example, if the home does
not have a smart meter 102--so the electric meter functions only as
a meter to provide consumption information--other components can be
used to provide the additional capabilities. For example, homes
without smart meter 102, can have the metering functionality of
smart meter 102 replaced with a simple radio and CT configuration.
Also, there are devices that can be placed on the outside of the
meter to communicate its consumption by reading pulse counts or the
rotating disk of the meter. In this embodiment, smart meter 102 is
shown with an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) radio, but the meter could
also communicate by a number of other standards such as IEEE 1901
(Home Plug Green Phy or Home Plug A V), among others.
[0084] FIG. 1 is a computer 106 (such as a desk top, lap top of
other computing device) attached to a modem/router 108, a common
manner of attaching computers to the internet 110. In FIG. 1, a
computer connected to the router by a wired IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet)
connection 111. However, it is to be appreciated the connection
could be made by other known connections such as an IEEE 802.11
(Witi) connection, power line communication or power line carrier
(PLC) connection, among others. In one embodiment, the PLC
connection is made using an adaptor such as sold by Netgear or
other manufacturer for that purpose. Although a modem/router
arrangement is shown in system 100, it is not essential, and the
system would function for its primary purpose of monitoring and
displaying energy consumption information without them. In that
case computer 106 would connect directly to HEG 104 via a wired or
wireless connection.
[0085] A web enabled smart phone 112 is configured to connect to
HEG 104 for displaying data and configuring accessories (such as
home appliances 114a-114k), except that only a wireless connection
is available.
[0086] Accessories 114a-114k fall into two categories sensors and
devices (where, depending on how they are used, some accessories
fall into both categories). Examples of sensors include solar
meters 114a, gas meters 114b, temperature sensors 114c, motion
sensors 114d, and appliances reporting their power consumption
(such as dishwashers 114e, refrigerators 114f, stoves 114g,
washers/dryers 114h, etc.). Devices include thermostats 114i,
alarms 114j and simple switches 114k, along with the appliances
(e.g., dishwashers 114e, etc.), when performing their normal
functions. The foregoing are just some examples of accessories to
which the concepts of the present application will apply.
[0087] The HEG 102 is constructed with computational capabilities
and multiple communication technologies. In contrast to existing
controllers (such as an HEM) used in home energy systems, the
special purpose HEG 102 is significantly smaller, cheaper, and
consumes less power. The HEG 102 also has the capability of
operating over multiple communication networks, which allows HEG
102 to acquire and manipulate data of one communication network
(e.g., that which monitors/controls the home appliances) and to
supply that manipulated data to another communication network
(e.g., to the consumer electronics network, such as to a home
computer, smart phone, web-enabled TV, etc.), even though these
networks are not generally compatible. As another example, the HEG
102 is connected to system loads (e.g., the home appliances, etc.)
over one type of communication network, to the Utility company over
a different communication network, and to a display over a third
different communication network.
[0088] In one particular embodiment connection to the display is
via a WiFi communication network, connection to the Utility Company
(over the meter) is via a ZigBee communication network, and
connection to the home device/appliance network is over the third.
Alternatively, in a home where the devices and Utility Company's
rules are different, the data could be structured differently. For
example, the whole home consumption could be available over the
Internet (as it is in Allentown, Pa. pilot project), or via a
ZigBee meter on the second network. Further, in addition to the
display, several home automation devices including pool
controllers, emergency generators, and storage batteries are
designed to be accessed over Ethernet using Internet Protocol
(IP).
[0089] Turning to FIG. 2 depicted is a block diagram 200
illustrating one embodiment of the HEG 102. On the left hand side
of the figure outside of block diagram 200 is remote configuration
and data acquisition block 202 (which is not part of HEG block
diagram 200). The external data and remote configuration requests
are received into block 200 via WiFi radio block 204, which in turn
accesses energy and event database 206. The external data and
remote configuration requests of block 202 could also enter block
diagram 200 via Ethernet port 208 in order to access the energy and
event database 206. In still a further embodiment a power line
communication (PLC) adapter 210 (dotted lines) may be used with or
as an alternative to the Ethernet port 208, in order to input the
external data and remote configuration requests 202 into the energy
and event database 206.
[0090] On the right hand side of FIG. 2 is a first data interface
block 212 (such as a 802.15.4 Zigbee radio) and a second data
interface block 214 (such as a 802.15.4 Zigbee radio). The first
data interface block 214 is configured to send and receive data and
configuration messages to/from utility meter Zigbee network 216,
and second data interface block 214 is configured to send and
receive data and configuration messages to/from the internal HAN
(e.g., data from appliances in the system) 218. The data and
messages from these sources also connect to the energy and event
database 206, via internal HAN smart energy block 220. The database
functions will be covered in more detail later. In still a further
embodiment power line interfaces 222, 224 (dotted lines) may be
included with or as an alternative to the interfaces 212, 218.
[0091] FIG. 3 shows a more detailed hardware block diagram 300 of
HEG 102. Of specific interest is input/output (I/O) block 302 at
the bottom of the figure. The I/O block 302 consists of chip LEDs
304,306, and 308 which are used to convey network status for the
three individual networks of the HEG 102. The LEDs convey status
from off (no network), flashing (network available), to solid lit
(joined network) for each network. Optionally an additional LED
(not shown) may be provided to identify power availability. Also if
additional networks are incorporated into the HEG 102 an additional
LED may be add for the additional communication network. These
simple status lights allow a user to confirm the HEG is working. By
this design if there is an issue, a user may connect with an
display device for more detailed investigation of the problem and
to correct the Issue. Also depicted is a reset push button 312
which (as will be shown below) may be assessed by a user externally
on the HEG unit itself.
[0092] FIGS. 4A-4P illustrates various views of HEG 102. Not
requiring a display or input keys on HEG 102 allows the HEG 102 to
be configured in a very compact design. In one embodiment, this
results in the HEG having dimensions of
53(W).times.72(H).times.55(D) mm
(2.09(W).times.2.83(H).times.2.16(D) inches). With a depth (D) of
37 mm (1.45 inches) minus the prongs of the plug. The volume of the
HEG being 160 cm 3 and the weight of the HEG being 100 g. It is
therefore small enough to be plugged into a standard wall outlet,
and does not need space on a counter, tabletop and does not need to
be attached to a wall or other surface with screws or adhesive.
Because it does not have a separate display or keyboard, there are
no wires to add to clutter or get caught on items. Having the power
supply embedded and/or integrated in the HEG helps keep it small.
It also allows access to the power lines for PLC communication. A
small power supply can also be tuned to exactly the needs of the
HEG, instead of selecting from a standard plug transformer, and
avoid the risk of a consumer plugging in the wrong wall adaptor.
The design also includes additional flame retardant materials in
the housing, and securely attaches the outlet prongs to the
housing.
[0093] FIG. 4C shows reset button 400 (corresponding to block 312
of FIG. 3) and Ethernet input 402 (e.g., 208 of FIG. 3).
[0094] Turning now to the setup of the HEG, the consumer will need
to configure HEG 102 to monitor energy consumption. Prior to
starting to commission the HEG, the consumer will need to load
specific Client Application Software (CAS) onto his computer or
smartphone. Typically this software would be downloaded over the
Internet or purchased from the phone provider. The software may be
a general purpose Java application that will run on any PC, or it
may be tailored specifically to the physical limitations and
operating system of the device, which is common in the cellular
phone business. Alternatively a Web CAS could also be used.
[0095] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram 500 which illustrates, for one
embodiment, the steps undertaken to achieve such configuration. An
expanded discussion of FIG. 5 is set forth in later sections of
this disclosure. After starting 502, a user connects to the HEG 504
by providing the HEG with power (e.g., plugging it into a home
outlet) and accessing the HEG via the CAS. The CAS allows the user
to provide the HEG with a name so it may be identified in the
network (see FIG. 6). Once connected, if there is a home wireless
network (such as WiFi) 506, the user may optionally connect the HEG
to that network 508 (see FIG. 7). Next, if the user has a home
Internet connection 510, the HEG can be connected to this network
512 (see FIG. 8). Once these steps are accomplished, the user
connects the HEG to the energy supplier (e.g., Utility company)
network 514 (see FIG. 9). Finally, the user connects the appliances
(and other systems) to the HEG 516 (see FIG. 10).
1. Connecting to the Device. (FIG. 6)
[0096] Turning now to FIG. 6, as mentioned above, a particular
beneficial aspect of the HEG 102 is the value and flexibility
obtained by not having a dedicated, integrated user interface
display. Not having such a display does require initial steps in
the configuration of the HEG into the home energy network (or HAN)
in order to connect the HEG to the network. These steps include:
[0097] a. Connect the HEG to its power source (e.g., a common home
power outlet). This will power the LEDs (304-308) causing them to
light. [0098] b. Connect an Ethernet cable from computer to device
to Ethernet input (208), or attempt peer-to-peer wireless
connection (e.g., wireless input 204). [0099] c. Install software
on a smart phone, computer or other device capable of operating
software. [0100] d. Use the software which employs
zero-configuration networking (such as the Apple Corps Bonjour from
Apple Corp) to detect the HEG. Once the HEG is detected, the user
provides the HEG with a name and password to prevent others from
modifying their personal settings.
2. Connecting to Home Network (FIG. 7)
[0101] As mentioned above, step 508 of FIG. 5 is optional. However,
for homes with WiFi network and where the HEG is attached via an
Ethernet connection, step 508 is available. In this case, the
Ethernet cable would be disconnected and the HEG moved to an out of
the way home electrical outlet. By this action the consumer will
still have access to the HEG over their home network but the HEG
would not need a prime electrical outlet. If the HEG is replacing
an HEM or other type of controller which has a built in or
otherwise connected display and is therefore mounted on a wall for
viewing of the display, the HEG in the wireless environment would
of course not be mounted on a wall and could, again be, located in
an out of the way electrical outlet. If the consumer does not have
a home wireless network, they may continue to have the HEG
connected to a router to share their Internet connection or remain
directly connected to their computer if they do not have an
Internet connection. If connected over WiFi the WiFi LED on the HEG
will illuminate.
3. Connecting to Home Internet (FIG. 8)
[0102] This step is also optional, and is not required for the
device to work. No special configuration is required on the HEG.
Depending on the security implemented on the consumer's Internet
connection, some modification to their router and/or firewall may
be required. In some instances the use of the HEG may be
advantageous over a "Cloud Computing" model for home energy
control, as that the data storage for the HEG is local.
4. Connecting to Energy Supplier Network (FIG. 9)
[0103] Connection steps for connecting in a typical smart meter
environment and for connecting in an Internet environment are now
described.
[0104] a. The following describes the steps to take for a typical
smart meter application. [0105] i. For a smart meter, either wired
or wireless, the HEG will connect to the smart meter over a second
network, The customer locates their install code that is displayed
in their CAS. Alternatively the install code can be written on the
HEG or supplied with its documentation. The customer then takes
that install code and depending on their Utility either enters the
install code into a browser window or they call their Utility's
Customer Service Center. [0106] ii. Also they will add identifying
information on the home that the HEG is in. Depending on the
sophistication of the utility network, they may need to enter their
address, account number off their bill, or they may need to call
and get a special code to identify them. [0107] iii. Once this is
complete, a command is sent from the CAS (e.g., of the software
added to the homeowner's computing device) to the HEG over the IP
Network to have the HEG start the joining process on the Utility
network. [0108] iv. Once the appropriate security has been
negotiated, the HEG will send a confirmation back to the CAS over
the first IP network to indicate that the connection has been made.
[0109] v. The HEG will also turn the Utility Network LED ON to
notify the customer that it is connected. This allows for the
customer to determine the state of the network just by glancing at
the HEG, without connecting an I/O device. [0110] vi. The HEM will
determine which of the devices on the Utility network is the homes
billing meter. Multiple devices could say that they are a meter.
[0111] 1. This is simplest if there is only one meter on the
Utility network, but there may be more (i.e., there may be
sub-meters). [0112] 2. Typically if there is a single device that
is a meter and a Utility Services Interface (USI), the source of
energy information (price load control commands etc.). That is the
billing meter, although in some areas there is a separate device
that acts as the Utility Services Interface (USI). [0113] 3. If
there are two devices that both are meters and neither is the USI,
the HEG has to dig deeper. For example a plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle (PHEV) charger could be on the Utility network as a meter
and as a load control device, so it could be turned off during a
grid emergency. Then the HEG would assign the one that is not a
load control device as the Utility meter. It is noted some meters
have disconnect switches installed inside of them, even in this
case, the utility typically does not provide control of that switch
to the HAN, but only on its backhaul network. [0114] vii. Any
devices that are found by the HEG that are not the Utilities
(revenue) meter are saved for configuring as part of the home
network.
[0115] b. For Internet based energy supplier information. [0116] i.
In this case the install code will typically not be required, since
the Utility network is not being used. The customer will start by
entering identifying information on the home that the HEG is in
into a CAS window. Depending on the sophistication of the utility
network, they may need to enter their address, account number off
their bill, or they may need to call and get a special code to
identify them. The may also have to enter a specific URI that
indicates where to get the pricing information. [0117] ii. Once
this is complete, an XML message command will be sent from the CAS
to the HEG over the IP Network to have the HEG contact the utility
information page over the internet. [0118] iii. Once the
appropriate security has been negotiated, the HEG will send a
confirmation back to the CAS over the first IP network to indicate
that the connection has been made.
5. Connecting Appliances to Network. (FIG. 10)
[0119] Typically appliances will be installed on a second network
that is entirely maintained by the homeowner. The ZigBee network is
used for this purpose in the exemplar, but that is not critical to
the invention. Some devices, such as a Thermostat, or PHEV charger
may be tied directly to the Utility network in the same manner as
the HEG, if for instance, the PHEV qualifies for a different rate
or the customer is getting a credit for allowing the Utility to
control their HVAC. In this case the consumer can skip directly to
step vi. [0120] i. The customer will enter the install code of the
device into a CAS window: the CAS will then transfer this message
to the HEG over the first IP network. [0121] ii. The HEG will
create the third network and look for a device that is attempting
to join. The third (3.sup.rd) network LED will flash. [0122] iii.
The customer will then be asked to press a button or take similar
action on the device to tell it to join the network. The precise
action to take is dependent on the devices instructions. [0123] iv.
The HEG will exchange security information over the third network
with the device and compare it with the information received over
the first network. If the information indicated the device is to be
trusted, it is let onto the network. In this case the third
(3.sup.rd) network LED will be lit. [0124] v. The HEM will detect
that there is a device on the network and will gain basic
information about the device. The device will provide some
configuration data, for example that it is a washer, a water
heater, or that it is a load control device or a meter. [0125] vi.
The HEM will bring up a list of devices that it has found. For ease
of identifying the devices, it is easiest if the consumer adds all
the devices individually and fills in the identifying information
on each as it is found. The consumer can also add a user-friendly
name to his device at this time to make it easier to identify in
the future. [0126] 1. For a device with a device type of appliance,
the consumer may need to add a name like refrigerator, or dryer.
[0127] 2. If there are multiple thermostats, the consumer may label
one as upstairs and one as downstairs so that they can control them
independently. [0128] 3. Some devices will be added just as a
meter. For example one such device may be a meter on a solar or
wind generation panel. The customer will have the opportunity to
select the identity of the device from a list. Based on this
selection the HEG will identify the device as a load or source.
This is important later when creating reports, because loads are a
subset of the revenue meter, but the sources are additions to the
revenue meter. [0129] 4. Storage batteries will need to be
identified as such so that the HEM can read a field to indicate
direction of power flow. While current standards have this field as
optional, it is assumed that a storage device would support it.
[0130] vii. The above steps can be completed as many times as the
consumer desires, to add all of the devices they desire to the
network. In addition to devices mentioned above, a whole host of
home automation devices can be added, including but not being
limited to motion sensors, door sensors, lighting controls,
switches, smart plugs, bathroom scales. Anything which can function
by turning on/off, adjusting up or down, or provides information on
the amount of something can be easily integrated into the data
structures of the HEG.
6. Connecting to an External Server.
[0131] Just because the consumer does not have to use a
cloud-computing device, does not mean that it cannot be done. For
example, Google Inc. has a Google Power Meter (GPM) service. On the
consumers CAS, they could select connect to GPM, and the data could
be ported to the cloud server. Either the consumer or the cloud
server may select only to accept a portion of the data. For
example, the consumer may select to pass the utility power meter to
the cloud server, so he can access it from work, or the cloud
server may limit the consumer to two devices with 15 minute
increments between points.
7. Connecting Zigbee Device
[0132] Numerous commercial devices are available for measuring and
controlling plug loads and larger loads, as well as ZigBee home
automation for controlling lights, security and comfort. One such
example is the ZBLC30-Dual (30/15A) Relay with energy meter. This
ZigBee 110/220V Dual-relay (30/15A) describes itself as a
controller with energy meter which remotely controls high current
heavy loads such as water heaters, pool pumps, pool heaters,
electric vehicle charges, air conditioners, etc. Using the wireless
ZigBee protocol allows the switch to constantly measure the power
delivered to the load and report various parameters such as real
and apparent power based on high accuracy industry standards. This
makes possible the intelligent management of large appliances.
Provided with both normally open (NO) and normally closed (NC)
contacts for maximum flexibility including fail-safe
configurations.
8. Connecting an External Device.
[0133] There are numerous devices available to consumers which have
Ethernet or WiFi capabilities. For example a Pentair pool
controller from Pentair Water Pool and Spa, or an alarm system
controller from Smart Home, are just two examples.
[0134] By use of a special purpose application program "APP" these
and other such devices can communicate with the consumer's energy
management system so that they can make adjustments to all of the
systems in one place and set their own priorities. These apps are
loaded by the same update program which manages the HEG
software.
[0135] Turning now to the operation of the HEG, set out below are
examples of various data flows which can be obtained by use of the
HEG.
1. Power Consumption Data from Meter to Database. [0136] a. HEG
sets up a timer. [0137] b. Periodically pings meter for consumption
on 2nd network. [0138] c. Stores consumption data in data base.
2. Price Signal to an Appliance Using.
[0138] [0139] a. HEG receives a price schedule or price change from
Utility over 2nd network. [0140] b. HEG stores price data in table
in memory for future use in calculating cost reports. [0141] c. HEG
reviews scheduling priorities received from consumer over 1st
interface. [0142] d. HEG sends load shed command to appliance or
system (e.g, pool pump disconnect box) over 3rd network.
3. Utility Direct Load Control Command to Load Control Box on a
Pool Pump.
[0142] [0143] a. HEG receives a price schedule or price change from
Utility over 2nd network. [0144] b. HEG reviews scheduling
priorities received from consumer over 1st interface. [0145] c. HEG
sends load shed command to pool pump disconnect box over 3.sup.rd
network. 4. Power Consumption from a Smart Appliance to Database a.
HEG sets up a timer. [0146] b. Periodically pings meter for
consumption on 2nd network. [0147] c. Stores consumption data in
data base.
5. Daily Power Consumption Cost Chart to Hand Held Device. (FIG.
11)
[0147] [0148] a. Handheld contacts HEG over 1st Interface (WiFi),
sending scripted request for data. [0149] b. HEG reviews database
and assembles data requested. Either the HEG could retain cost data
in a single table, or it could pull consumption and price data from
separate tables and combine into cost data. [0150] c. HEG formats
data for report using open scripting commands such as XML [0151] d.
HEG sends requested information to Handheld over 1st interface. 6.
Power Consumption Data from HEG to External Server. [0152] a.
Consumer sets up conditions for transmitting data to external
server over 1st interface. [0153] i. Consumer selects server from
list or types in URL [0154] ii. Consumer selects how frequently
data is to be ported [0155] iii. Consumer selects which data is to
be ported [0156] b. HEG sets up timer to meet consumer's request.
[0157] c. HEG assembles the subset of data requested by the
consumer and formats for transmission on Internet. [0158] d. HEG
posts data to webserver that consumer has selected. 7. Message from
Utility to Computer Display. [0159] a. HEG receives text message
from Utility over 2nd interface. [0160] b. HEG reviews instructions
from consumer on where Utility messages should go (Computer screen,
They inostat Screen, TV Set, Hand Held, Dedicated energy display)
received over 1st interface. [0161] c. HEG formats message
appropriately for Interface and pushes message to appropriate
display device.
[0162] Once the consumer has the HEG connected to meters and
devices and collecting data they can start to take advantage of its
capabilities. A particular benefit of this system, which uses the
HEG without a dedicated or integrated display, is the ability to
use a high quality display to view data and interact with
appliances without having to pay for it separately. Many consumers
already have large displays of 17'', 35'', even 52'' diagonals that
they use for entertainment systems. Many of these devices already
are provided with Web CASs. Accessing the electricity consumption
of a home on a TV screen will provide a more readable display of
their consumption habits to the consumer than the small monochrome
in-home displays that Utilities have been using in pilots. In
addition being able to look at the change in energy consumption
when you turn on a range or dryer, the present design provides
consumers with an increased awareness of where there energy dollar
is going. Because the consumer displays (e.g., TVs, computers,
smart phones) are adapted to graphical display, they are well
suited to display this type of information.
[0163] This improved interface also allows the consumer to fine
tune their response for different appliances with more detail than
was possible over a typical appliance control screen. This
customization can be done either in conjunction with energy prices,
weather information, time of day, occupancy or other external
parameter, or just as a user defined rule without any outside
parameters.
A First Example
[0164] A dishwasher cycle is delayed because of high energy costs.
However the water heater is not heating either. The HEG provides
the consumer with the option of waiting until the water heater has
caught up before starting the dishwasher.
[0165] Another dishwasher option: The consumer can determine to not
allow (or always require) heated dry, extra pre-washes, or extra
heat on a dishwasher at any time, despite what is selected at the
controls of the dishwasher. This feature may be valuable for people
whose children are assisting with meal clean up.
A Second Example
[0166] The consumer starts their dryer in a delay start mode, but
before the delay time is completed energy price goes up. The
consumer will be asked if they still want the dryer to start when
scheduled.
[0167] An additional dryer example is to limit the maximum heat
regardless of the energy level selected. This balance of saving
energy at the expense of drying time could be made at any time, or
could be done to prevent children or spouse from damaging garments
by drying at too high a temperature.
[0168] An example of using weather is to prohibit dryer operation
when the external temperature was above 80 degrees to avoid
competing with the air conditioning, or to prohibit dryer use if
the sun was shining and line-dry clothes instead.
A Third Example
[0169] The consumer can automate the decision for which of various
modes he would like his water heater to operate in. Depending on
the water heater, the modes that can be selected from include:
Electric Resistive Heaters Cal Rod, Electric Heat Pump, Gas, Solar,
and Off. He can use electric price, weather, gas price and home
occupancy to select from.
[0170] A washing machine example. The consumer could use this
feature to control which temperatures can be selected, or prohibit
using the washer at certain electric costs.
[0171] The improved user interface is also an advantage when
programming devices. Programmable thermostats are often hard to
program via their limited user interfaces. For example, you have to
push the menu button twice, then the left button, then the down
button to set the hour, then the left button, until a full schedule
of 7 days with 4-6 events per day have been loaded. The user
interface on the HEG with a computer or smartphone can display it
graphically. Because the consumer is familiar with the interface,
the commands are more intuitive. They can drag and drop changes of
times, and copy and paste of one days schedule to a different day.
Once they are happy with the schedule, they can save the whole
schedule and then send it to the HEG over a high data rate
Ethernet/WiFi connection. The HEG will save the schedule
internally. A customer can build a number of schedules. Winter
(Heating), Summer (Cooling), Summer Vacation (Home empty, cool just
slightly, circulate outside air at night); Summer Kids Home (Cool
During the day) etc. After the customer selects one to load, the
BEG loads the schedule to the thermostat. Thereafter the customer
can change schedules and return to the original schedule without
needing to reenter information.
[0172] Turning now to FIG. 12 shown is an example of the data
portion of a message payload that could be used to send a schedule
to a thermostat. Appropriate headers and checksum fields can be
added based on the exact communication protocol established.
[0173] The row Bytes is the size of the field. The Data Type and
Field Name describe the type of data in each field. The schedule
consists of a series of Transition times, high set points, and low
set points. Each set point is scheduled to be in effect until the
next transition. The variable field can contain multiple
transitions until a final (nth) transition for a given day. At
midnight the schedule will continue the prior days last transition
until the first transition of the new day. The Day of Week field
identities the day that is being scheduled. Where Day 0 is Sunday,
Day 1 is Monday, Day 2 is Tuesday etc. Alternatively a bitmap field
could be used to set the same schedule into multiple days
simultaneously. The variable field can contain repeated
Transitions.
[0174] The example of a thermostat programming is not limited to a
thermostat, but could be included with anything that normally runs
on a schedule. A different example could be a pool pump and spa
controller, where high set point is spa temp and low set point is
the pool temp.
[0175] Another application is setting pool pump run times, where
the high and low set points can be set at 0 and 100 to control off
and on. A variable speed controller could use 1-99 to indicate a
percentage of full run.
[0176] This on off scheduling could also be used with a water
heater controller so it would not maintain water temperature when
the homeowner is scheduled to be at work.
[0177] The HEG relies on a number of different software sets. There
is software on the HEG itself. There is a second piece of software
on the desktop or laptop computer used to configure the HEG and
gather data from it. There is a third piece of software on the
smart phone. The phone and computer may be further defined by the
operating system, or may take advantage of a platform like Java
that allows the programs to operate on multiple operating systems.
Each of these can be upgraded independently of each other. The
desktop (or laptop) and smart phone Apps also have a service for
the HEG. They can ping a server (e.g., if from General Electric, a
GE server) every day checking for the latest software release. As
new software becomes available, either to correct issues or add
features, they can down load the newest HEG software and the push
it down to the HEG. This way the software sets can be upgraded
independently of each other.
[0178] Once the HEG knows which appliances are on the network, it
can also check the server for updates for those devices, and
download that software if needed.
[0179] In addition, the present system allows for provisioning
(i.e., preparing the system to accept new services) whereby special
purpose software can be downloaded. When the customer buys a new
washer, and enters its model. The software can contact the GE
server, and be given an app to download. This app allows the
consumer to set more detailed control of the appliance. It would
know for instance this particular washer has five wash
temperatures. It would then provide the customer with the
opportunity to customize their wash experience. For example the
customer could set the washer to not ever allow sanitation cycles
and only allow hot wash when electric prices are at or below a
threshold price (e.g., <$0.15 a kWhr). Alternatively the
customer may decide that since they are on a gas water heater, the
HEG should not control water temp when electric price changes.
Another function that the washer could have is a delayed start
feature. If the washer is in the delayed start, the customer could
(through the HEG) either tell the washer to start now, or to delay
its start even longer.
[0180] Another specific example of software that can be downloaded
is monitoring software. This software could be loaded as part of
registering the appliance, or the consumer could download and run
as part of troubleshooting an issue before deciding to schedule a
service call. Either on a preventative basis or in response to a
service issue, specific software could be used that checks for
issues in the appliance. A fairly simple implementation would be to
have the software check for service error codes and present them.
Most major appliances with electronic controls have fault code
embedded. Fault codes can include things like "excessive fill time"
on a clothes washer, "detergent tank empty" on a dishwasher,
etc.
[0181] A more elaborate appliance can be provided with power
monitoring features that would have the appliance check different
components and determine if the power draw characteristics are
correct. Such power monitoring could be performed by a sub-meter
device having a sensor for collecting data from a power supplying
conductor delivering power to the appliance. The sensor can be
configured to collect data relating to electrical usage of the
appliances components and/or properties of the power provided to
the device via the power supplying conductor.
[0182] With reference to FIG. 13, a home energy management system
700 includes an energy consuming device, in the form of an
appliance 702, a sub-meter device 704 and an HEG 706. Power is
supplied to the appliance 702 via a power supplying conductor 710
that delivers power from a power source 712, such as a residential
distribution panel (for hardwired appliances) or an electrical
outlet, for example. Each of the components can be configured to
communicate with the HEG 706 as described previously. As will be
appreciated, the power supplying conductor 710 supplies power
directly to the appliance 702 and is an end-of-line (i.e.,
terminal) conductor such that power delivered by the power
supplying conductor 710 is only used by the appliance 702 (in
atypical installation). In FIG. 13, the sub-meter device 704 is a
module that can be added to a home energy management network. In
this regard, the sub-meter 704 can be a plug module (e.g., a
wall-wort) that plugs into a wall outlet and includes an outlet for
receiving a plug from the appliance (or other device.)
Alternatively, the sub-meter can be included as part of a device's
power supply cord, or as a stand-alone unit. With further reference
to FIG. 14, the sub-meter 704 can also be integrated into a control
panel 716 of the appliance 702, or provided on a daughter panel
acting as a slave to the control panel.
[0183] Turning now to FIG. 15, the details of the exemplary
sub-meter 704 will be described. The sub-meter device 704 includes
at least one sensor 724 for collecting data relating regarding the
supply of power delivered to the appliance/energy consuming
components, including real power consumption, reactive power
consumption, line frequency, line voltage, power factor,
leading/lagging voltage-current comparison, and apparent power. The
sensor 724 can be at least one of a current transformer, Rogowski
coil, shunt resistor, or hall effect sensor, for example. The data
collected by the sensor 724 is read by a processor 728 which is
configured to then display the information on a display 734 of the
device 704 and/or communicate the data via a communication
interface 738 to another device (typically the HEG) for use by that
device in connection with the control of the appliance within the
home energy management system. As will be appreciated, the
sub-meter 704 may also include additional hardware such as memory,
additional communication interfaces (e.g., wi-fi, Bluetooth,
Ethernet, etc) for communicating with additional devices or the
appliance itself, a controller, etc.
[0184] Since the sub-meter 704 can collect real-time data relating
to the operation of the appliance, it is uniquely positioned to
perform diagnostics on the appliance or other device to which it is
attached. For example a refrigerator "knows" that it has a 600 W
defrost heater. During defrost, the sub-meter measures the power
consumption of just the defrost circuit and reads 0 watts. This
would be an indication that potentially the defrost heater had
failed open. The sub-meter could similarly be configured to measure
operation of various energy consuming components and/or functions
of the refrigerator (e.g., lights, icemaker, ice crusher, etc.) to
detect other potential problems with the unit.
[0185] As will be appreciated, rather than measuring each circuit
within the refrigerator, another method would be to install a
sub-meter that measures only the entire circuit of the appliance. A
reading of 620 W could be interpreted as normal, a reading of 800 W
could indicate that the defrost heater was on and the compressor
was running, a condition that should not occur under normal
operation. A reading of 800 W could also indicate that the wrong
heater (e.g., from a different model) was installed. While a
sub-meter that could monitor each circuit within the refrigerator
could distinguish between these two possibilities, since the end
result is a service technician needs to visit the machine it may be
an appropriate cost trade off.
[0186] An appliance could also rely on the network for these power
consumption measurement. For example the appliance (or appliance
communication module) could ask the meter (or the HEG) for the
whole home power consumption before starting the cycle. Again after
the motor has started, and then again when the heater was turned
on. If it received 2.03 kW, 2.67 kW, 6.72 kW it could assume that
everything was OK. Other devices in the house transitioning at the
same time would influence this measurement, for example a 5.1 kW,
5.7 kW, 6.7 kW could either mean that the heater was only drawing 1
kW or that it was drawing the correct 4 kW, but that the 3 kW air
conditioner shut off at the same time. Repeated measurements over
multiple cycles would be necessary to check this.
[0187] By sending the data from the sub-meter to the HEG, the HEG
can perform such calculations. Performing the calculations in the
HEG would provide an additional benefit in that if it is tracking
the thermostat (which control HVAC on/off), dryer, range, and
electric water heater, for example, it would be able to resolve
more easily the situation where multiple devices come on and
off.
[0188] Turning to FIG. 16, a flow chart illustrating an exemplary
method of performing diagnostics using the sub-meter 704 (or other
sensor) is illustrated. The method begins with process step 802
wherein a function of the device that draws an electrical load is
activated. Activating a function of the device can include
switching the device on, varying a speed, varying an intensity,
varying a brightness, and varying a duty cycle, etc. This step can
be performed by a controller associated with the device, or can be
the result of a user being prompted to activate the feature (e.g.,
opening a refrigerator door). In process step 804, the electrical
load is measured with the sub-meter device. In process step 806,
the measured electrical load is then compared to a predetermined
value corresponding to normal operation of the function of the
device to determine if the device is operating normally. If the
difference between the measured load and the predetermined value is
greater than a prescribed amount, a report identifying the device
and/or function, etc., is generated in process step 808. Otherwise,
the method terminates. As will be appreciated, the process may
repeat until all functions are tested.
[0189] For major appliance, the predetermined value can be stored
in memory for each component or state of each component of the
appliance. For a complex device, such as an inverter, the
predetermined value can be calculated continually based on RPM,
Phase angles, drive voltages, frequencies and other parameters
which are well known to an inverter designer. Such method works
well for devices with a fixed number of configurations that ship
from the factory. For a thermostat that can control a number of
different HVAC units, or a pool controller that can control a
number of different pumps, the most effective solution may be to
load the model number of the power-consuming device into the HEG.
The HEG can then use its Wifi or Ethernet interface to download the
expected wattage from a remote database over the internet.
[0190] For some devices such as fans, pumps, and compressors, the
expected value is even more difficult to obtain. These devices,
among others, are affected by their ambient environment. Fans and
pumps are impacted by the head losses or pressure drops in the
system. A washer pumping to an 8' standpipe draws more current than
a washer pumping into a 4' standpipe. A clothes dryer attached
directly to an outside wall has very low losses and is pushing a
lot of air, generating a high power draw, while one with an
extended duct has more losses and lower airflow resulting in a
lower current draw. To some degree this change in power also
depends on the design of the motor. For compressors, the power draw
is dependent on the temperatures of the evaporator and
condenser.
[0191] For a pool pump, in addition to the nameplate the pipe size
is important. After the pump is installed, the HEG and/or sub-meter
can measure a number of pump on/off cycles and determine a baseline
power draw. As the filter gathers debris, the flow rate will
decrease and the power consumption will change in predictable way.
When the power consumption has changed enough, the consumer can be
given an indication to backwash their filter or change the filter
element. Over time the HEG can monitor the health of the
appliances, either passively by looking at performance or actively
by getting health, maintenance, and diagnostic info from the
appliance.
[0192] An example of passive operation is the monitoring a dryer.
The HEG can notice that the dryer says it is in high heat, but
never goes over 3 kW. If this occurs on a single occasion this may
be a loading or airflow condition, but if it happens repeatedly, it
may be a failed open heater. In a more active role, the HEG could
ping a dishwasher, and ask it for all of its error codes. The HEG
can then send that information to the dishwasher manufacturer,
either automatically or upon the customer's request, or make it
available to the customer on a display when they call for service,
thereby assisting the manufacturer in troubleshooting the unit.
Alternatively, the customer could download more detailed analytical
software if they were having issues with a specific appliance that
could run diagnostics on the appliance and sends the results back
to the manufacturer so the technician could arrive with the correct
part.
[0193] In addition to monitoring for service, the monitoring
software can also keep the consumer up to date on the status of
their home. For example the time remaining on an oven self-clean,
the end of cycle on a dishwasher, or the current hot water tank
temperatures could be communicated to the HEG by appliances over a
the low bandwidth third network. This info can then be sent to the
consumer via the first interface to a WiFi enabled smart phone or
Web enabled television, or possibly a Bluetooth device. It could
also be sent to him outside of the hoe by email, SMS text message
or similar method.
[0194] Another option during provisioning is to download a software
set that customizes the display so that it essentially duplicates
the features of the appliance, but uses large font and improved
colors for people with poor visual acuity. People with vision
impairment could use a 17'' screen with black numbers on a yellow
background to set the temperatures on the refrigerator or schedule
the self clean on an oven.
[0195] Other special purpose software may be offered in conjunction
with a Utility company. The customer may have a special code from
their Utility company which downloads a software set that tracks
air conditioner thermostat setpoints and passes that information
back to a Utility company server. The customer then gets a bonus
for maintaining certain target temps, and by not overriding
setpoint changes during grid emergencies.
[0196] Another set of specialty software is for commercially
available devices. If the customer buys a device from a third
party, they can log on and download the software that blends that
device into their network. It may be lighting controls, the pool
controller mentioned earlier, or a third party thermostat.
[0197] As mentioned in the foregoing discussion, the HEG of the
present application is particularly useful in a home energy
management network and may receive communication from existing
controllers (such as HEMs) and/or replace the controllers (HEMS) in
such networks. For example in the following Exhibit A (U.S. Ser.
No. 12/559,703), which is considered part of this disclosure,
describes a home energy management system having a controller which
may be replaced by the HEG described above.
[0198] The foregoing discussion has described various aspects of
the software set-up of the HEG and various operations related
thereto, as for example set out in connection with the text
associated with FIGS. 5-12. Exhibit B, which is considered part of
this disclosure continues and expands upon that discussion.
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