U.S. patent application number 14/551439 was filed with the patent office on 2015-03-19 for lighting performance power monitoring system and method with optional integrated light control.
The applicant listed for this patent is ADMMicro Properties, LLC. Invention is credited to Frank O. BLEVINS, Michael L. CAMPBELL, Donald W. HOWELL, Armand J. TAMAGNI, Mark W. VINSON.
Application Number | 20150077015 14/551439 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38656446 |
Filed Date | 2015-03-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150077015 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HOWELL; Donald W. ; et
al. |
March 19, 2015 |
LIGHTING PERFORMANCE POWER MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH
OPTIONAL INTEGRATED LIGHT CONTROL
Abstract
A light performance monitoring device and optionally integrated
controller includes a monitor module that directly monitors energy
usage of at least one energy load to generate at least one
measurement of energy usage; a storage module stores a series of
baseline values of energy usage of the energy load, a comparator
module compares energy measurements made at predetermined intervals
with the baseline values, and a notification module notifies a
designated recipient that there is a deviation from the baseline
values consistent with a burned out or non-operational light
fixture, including but not limited to light bulbs or ballast
devices. A control module optionally integrated with the light
performance monitoring device can be operatively coupled to the
monitor module to control energy usage by the at least one energy
load via a data link in a pre-determined manner that is based on
the at least one measurement of energy usage.
Inventors: |
HOWELL; Donald W.;
(Troutville, VA) ; VINSON; Mark W.; (Roanoke,
VA) ; BLEVINS; Frank O.; (Salem, VA) ;
TAMAGNI; Armand J.; (Troutville, VA) ; CAMPBELL;
Michael L.; (Roanoke, VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ADMMicro Properties, LLC |
Arlington |
VA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
38656446 |
Appl. No.: |
14/551439 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12512470 |
Jul 30, 2009 |
8898026 |
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14551439 |
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11741744 |
Apr 28, 2007 |
7571063 |
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12512470 |
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60795644 |
Apr 28, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
315/294 ;
702/62 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01R 22/10 20130101;
G01R 21/133 20130101; G01R 31/44 20130101; G01R 19/2513 20130101;
H05B 47/10 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
315/294 ;
702/62 |
International
Class: |
H05B 37/02 20060101
H05B037/02; G01R 21/133 20060101 G01R021/133; G01R 31/44 20060101
G01R031/44 |
Claims
1. An energy performance monitoring device, comprising: a monitor
module for directly monitoring energy usage as a form of power of
at least one energy load by generating at least one measurement of
energy usage of said at least one energy load at predetermined
intervals; and a storage module for storing a baseline value of
energy usage of said at least one energy load at one or more of
said predetermined intervals; a comparator module for comparing
said at least one measurement of energy usage generated by the
monitor module that monitors said at least one energy load with the
baseline value of energy usage to determine whether a predetermined
threshold has been reached; said predetermined threshold associated
with a power usage when one or more energy loads malfunction or are
not operational, and a notification module for providing
notification that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned
during use or is not operational based on a change in energy
usage.
2. The energy performance monitoring device according to claim 1,
wherein the comparator compares the energy measurement with a
baseline value dynamically upon generation of the energy
measurement by the monitor module.
3. The energy performance monitoring device according to claim 1,
wherein the storage module comprises storage selected from the
group consisting of cache storage, secondary storage, and tertiary
storage.
4. The energy performance monitoring device according to claim 1,
wherein the notification module sends at least one of an email, rf
message, text message, and an alarm message to a recipient remote
from said device.
5. The energy performance monitoring device according to claim 1,
wherein said at least one energy load includes at least one
lighting device.
6. An integrated light performance monitoring device and
controller, comprising: a monitor module for directly monitoring
energy usage as a form of power of at least one energy load by
generating at least one measurement of energy usage of said at
least one energy load at predetermined intervals; and a storage
module for storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at
least one energy load at a one or more of said predetermined
intervals; a comparator module for comparing said at least one
measurement of energy usage of said at least one energy load being
generated by the monitor module with a baseline value of energy
usage to determine whether a predetermined threshold has been
reached; said predetermined threshold associated with a power usage
when said at least one energy load malfunctions or is not
operational, and a notification module for providing notification
that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned during use or
is not operational based on a change in energy usage; and a control
module operatively coupled to the monitor module for controlling
energy usage by the at least one energy load according to said at
least one measurement of energy usage, wherein said control module
controls said at least one energy load via a data link.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein said control module includes at
least one locally stored software and/or firmware executed by said
control module for controlling said at least one energy load
according to said at least one measurement of energy usage.
8. A light performance monitoring and control system, comprising: a
plurality of light performance monitoring devices including: (i) a
monitor module for directly monitoring energy usage as a form of
power of at least one energy load by generating at least one
measurement of energy usage of said at least one energy load at
predetermined intervals; and (ii) networking means resident in each
of said plurality for communicating among said plurality of light
performance monitoring devices; a controller device including: a
storage module for storing a baseline value of energy usage of said
at least one energy load at a one or more of said predetermined
intervals; a comparator module for comparing said at least one
measurement of energy usage generated by the monitor module that
monitors said at least one energy load with the baseline value of
energy usage to determine whether a predetermined threshold has
been reached; said predetermined threshold associated with a power
usage when said at least one energy load has malfunctioned or is
not operational; a control module operatively coupled to the
monitor module for controlling energy usage by the at least one
energy load according to said at least one measurement of energy
usage, wherein said control module controls said at least one
energy load via a data link.
9. A method for light performance monitoring, comprising:
monitoring energy usage directly as a form of power of at least one
energy load and generating at least one measurement of energy usage
by said at least one energy load at predetermined intervals; and
storing a baseline value of energy usage of said at least one
energy load at one or more of said predetermined intervals;
comparing a measurement of energy usage with the baseline value and
determining whether a predetermined threshold has been reached,
wherein said predetermined threshold is associated with a power
usage when said at least one energy load has malfunctioned or is
not operational, and providing notification that an energy load has
malfunctioned during use or is not operational based on a change in
energy usage.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the comparing of the
energy measurement with the baseline value is performed dynamically
upon generating said energy measurement.
11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the baseline value is
stored in one of cache storage, secondary storage, and tertiary
storage.
12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the comparing of the
energy measurement with the baseline value is performed by a
comparator module.
13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising providing
notification that said at least one energy load has malfunctioned
or is not operational.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising
controlling energy usage of said at least one energy load according
to said energy measurement.
15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said at least one
energy load includes at least one lighting device.
16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of
monitoring energy usage is performed by a monitor module, and the
step of controlling said at least one energy load is performed by a
control module operatively coupled to the monitor module.
17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the
sub-step of said control module controlling energy usage by said at
least one energy load via a data link.
18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising monitoring
energy usage directly as a form of power of a plurality of energy
loads by a plurality of respective monitor modules.
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein communicating among
the plurality of monitor modules occurs over a network.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the control module
communicates with the plurality of monitor modules to control a
plurality of energy loads.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
provisional patent application No. 60/795,644, filed Apr. 28, 2006,
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to monitoring systems and
methods for detecting power usage and control of lighting systems.
More particularly, the present invention provides an automated
notification system that a light monitoring system requires
replacement of items such as bulbs, ballasts, which may or may not
be integrated with a lighting control/actuation system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Maintaining adequate interior and exterior lighting levels
is a significant endeavor for many building facility operators.
Maintaining proper light intensity is considered to be an important
factor for various building usages, including:
[0004] (a) Facilitating retail sales from display floor areas;
retail store operators have disclosed that there is a correlation
with the amount of light used to illuminate products and the store
aisles, and the length of time a consumer will remain in a store
purchasing items;
[0005] (b) Providing adequate egress lighting, particularly during
emergency conditions such as loss of normal electrical power;
recent power outages due to severe storms and/or terrorist
incidents have a number of military and civilian personnel
disclosing that lighting was insufficient in emergency exit areas
in places open to the public; and
[0006] (c) Providing adequate workspace lighting for various human
work activities. For example, there are some studies showing that
overall moods of employees and their productivity are impacted by
the amount of lighting in the workplace.
[0007] There are a number of lighting control and monitoring
systems used to turn on and off lights in stores, malls, parking
lots, etc. These systems sometimes include power management to make
the power usage as efficient as possible.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,391 to Salas et al., which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a power
management control system comprising a computer (server) having
standard RS485 interface cards and adapters installed in its I/O
slots defining multiple industry standard Modbus RTU networks and
Ethernet TCP/IP networks and the computer contains software for
monitoring and controlling power usage/consumption captured by
remotely controlled devices (Abstract). There is no on-board or
downloadable capability for software/firmware power management or
for direct device-to-device communication.
[0009] US Patent Application 2004/0024483 A1 to Holcombe, which is
hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a
system, method and article of manufacture for monitoring and
optimizing utility usage in an entity. Paragraph 0069 at page 4
discloses as an option a central control unit may interact with
appliances or interface modules for altering their cycle as needed
or turn them on or turn them off at different times.
[0010] US Patent Application 2003/0050737 A1 to Osann, Jr., which
is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses an
energy-smart home system (see FIG. 1) that requires energy
monitoring and control points installed at switches, plugs, and
other points of energy use and communication with a power line data
link to a centrally located intelligent device such as a PC,
residential gateway, and the like for viewing and energy control
functions. A separate electrical breaker box supplements the
distributed energy monitoring and control points. The energy-smart
system of Osann, Jr. provides internet access to the centrally
located intelligent device, utility company, and other service
providers (e.g., security) as well as a utility company power
meter. Subloads controlled can include direct wired subloads, such
as an air-conditioner or furnace.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,233 to Leyde, which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a power
monitoring and regulating circuit and method having an analog input
representing power delivery rate and a digital output for
controlling the on/off states of a plurality of loads (see column
2, lines 37 to 67; claim 1). This invention contemplates the use of
a settable set point which through circuitry and not firmware the
invention seeks to attain to regulating the number of loads
connected to the power source.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,679 to Leyde, et al., which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses floating set
point control circuit and method for use with electrical load
control systems. Column 1, lines 1-36 and claims 1, 8 and 16
disclose an electrical load control systems that continuously
measures the rate of power delivered to a plurality of loads and
when a predetermined rate, termed a set point, is exceeded or
conversely, then one or more of the plurality of loads is
disconnected (shed) or connected (added).
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,162 to Hammer, et al., which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a method and
apparatus for load-shedding duty cycling that overrides a normal
thermostat control (see claim 1). A signal from a power utility
company is received to the thermostat, such as a radio signal. This
invention does not measure power use and controls a single
load.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,985 to O'Donnell et al., which is hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a load shed
module for use in a power distribution system that includes
facility for delivering both electrical power and electrical power
rate information from a utility supplier. This invention is
physically placed between and interfaces to a utility power source
and a load and requires manually setting a rotary switch on the to
a threshold rate. The setting of the rotary switch is compared by
the invention with a rate received from a utility supplier. If the
received rate exceeds the manually set rate the invention
disconnects a load from the power source.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,527 B1 to Butland, et al., which is
hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a
Utilities Communications Architecture (UCA) compliant power
management control system. Column 2, lines 9-25, discloses first
and second intelligent electronic devices communicating over a
first and second network with first and second servers that process
data received from first and second intelligent electronic devices
to manage power use. TCP/IP and RS-485 protocol are supported
(claims 2, 8, and 10) as well as other protocols. This invention
envisions software loaded into computers and servers to provide
access to and control of power management data and functions,
respectively, of intelligent electronic power management and
control devices of an electrical distribution system.
[0016] Dencor Inc., Denver, Colo., US (http://www.dencorinc.com)
provides an expansion module for controlling multiple loads via a
single unit in order to reduce energy consumption. Reliable
Controls, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
(http://www.reliablecontrols.com) provides a MACH-Global Controller
that provides LAN communication through nine ports to 128 universal
input-output hard points, and a MACH1 and MACH2 controller each
supporting communication ports and eight inputs and outputs as well
as up to three expansion cards by the MACH2. These systems are
described as providing cost effective management of power
consumption, e.g., [0017] "The Reliable Controls.RTM. MACH-System
is a computer-based system of hardware and software products
designed to control the comfort and manage the energy consumption
of the environment with commercial buildings. The system consists
of: programmable controllers which have inputs and outputs that are
connected to sensors and actuators used to measure and control the
environment; network communications to network the controllers to
facilitate sharing data and archiving data; PCs to run the various
software programs used to program, operate and backup the system."
(from web-site FAQ)
[0018] However, there is no enabling description of a system that
is used for automatic detection that elements of a lighting system
(e.g. bulbs, ballasts) require maintenance based on measured
values. Nor is the technology employed to manage energy consumption
provided on either web-site. The Reliable Controls products do not
address non-commercial applications.
[0019] The above referenced Web pages primarily describe individual
control devices and do not offer any type of integrated power
monitoring and control device, nor do they disclose or suggest a
device that monitors and alerts when components such as bulbs and
ballasts need replacement.
[0020] Thus, multi-load self-contained power management devices and
power management systems including a remote control PC or Server
system therefor are old in the art. Prior art power management
devices perform fixed functions and devices exist that can respond
to remote control over hardwired networks. None provide an
interfaced control component local to and combined with a
monitoring device and none include on-board control
software/firmware to capture power measurements and use these
measurements to manage multiple loads according to algorithms.
Further, none comprise on-board, downloadable software/firmware
interfaced with a power monitoring unit or integrated with a power
monitor in a single electronic unit and that can be directly
networked with like devices to manage power for single or multiple
site configurations of loads.
[0021] Nor do any of the above-discussed patents disclose a system
that monitors when components such as bulbs and ballasts require
maintenance, so that the lighting system provides the light at the
predetermined power level that it was intended for normal
operation.
[0022] Also, repair activities must be occasionally undertaken to
maintain lighting systems at desired and appropriate levels of
light intensity. Light bulb and ballast technologies, as typically
employed today, only provide a relatively short service life--much
shorter than what is expected from the overall building lighting
system. Today, such repair activities are generally inefficient
labor-intensive processes characterized by periodic manual visual
inspections--or driven by complaints from building occupants after
prolonged periods of inadequate lighting. Both of these repair
activities are not very different from the activities of
maintenance personnel from almost 100 years ago when electric
lighting was first installed in office buildings. Egress lighting
deficiencies are frequently discovered as a result of risk to human
safety during emergency conditions, often where evacuees later
complained. Thus there is a need both from at least an efficiency
standpoint and from a safety standpoint to improve on the method of
monitoring lighting systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] A first aspect of the invention is to provide system and a
method for "as-needed" proactive maintenance of lighting systems
through continuous monitoring of the electric power characteristics
of lighting circuits. This monitoring is used to automatically
determine when lighting systems are not performing adequately.
[0024] This invention also provides a system and method for
integration of electric power monitoring into lighting control
devices such that the equipment which turns lights on and off
(based on building occupancy, hour of the day, etc.) can also
provide the continuous monitoring required to automatically
identify deficiencies in the lighting system.
[0025] Another aspect of the invention provides a lighting
performance monitoring system and method via electric power
monitoring. As lighting system components fail, such as bulbs and
ballasts, the electric power consumption of the lighting system
changes characteristics. This invention provides for continuous
monitoring of the lighting system electric power consumption such
that failure of system components can be automatically detected at
the time when such failures occur. This invention also provides a
mechanism through which the type of the failed component may be
automatically identified--such as bulb or ballast. This capability
requires that the power consumption characteristics of individual
system components are known for their various failure modes. This
invention also provides for the transmission of automatic
notifications to appropriate maintenance personnel, based on the
above continuous monitoring.
[0026] The lighting performance power monitoring system
continuously monitors the electrical load characteristics of
lighting circuits. This is accomplished by electronic sampling of
the voltage (1) and current (2) waveforms associated with lighting
circuits, and using these values to calculate the required
electrical load properties such as real power (watts), reactive
power (vars), and apparent power (va). The desired electrical load
properties may vary, depending upon the type of lighting
fixtures.
[0027] In addition, the lighting performance power monitoring
system continuously compares the present electrical load
characteristics of lighting circuits to one or more baseline
values. The baseline values are established through a calibration
process that is executed when the lighting circuits are known to be
performing at full capability. When the present electrical load
characteristics deviate from baseline values by more than a
predefined delta, the lighting circuit is considered to be
performing inadequately and an automatic electronic notification
may be sent to maintenance personnel at predefined electronic
addresses. The automatic notification may include information
concerning the probable type of component (bulb, ballast, etc.)
that has failed, based on the magnitude of change in one or more
electrical load properties (watts, vars, etc.).
[0028] The invention can also be incorporated into a system which
integrates lighting performance monitoring, as discussed above, and
lighting control. Electrical load switching devices are normally
provided so that building lights can be turned on or off based on
building occupancy. This is done to conserve energy and to inform
the public when facilities are open business. Such load switching
capability may be provided through lighting control units that are
designed to serve multiple lighting circuits under the control of
timers, daylight sensors (photocells, etc.), or more sophisticated
energy management systems. This embodiment provides for the
integration of lighting performance monitoring with lighting
control units to reduce over-all material and labor costs as well
as physical space requirements.
[0029] For example, the invention may employ an integrated unit
which provides both lighting load switching devices and electrical
load power monitoring to continuously monitor lighting performance.
This embodiment could employ a lighting controller and performance
monitor unit which has an electronic sub-assembly that serves
multiple purposes including: Automated control of lighting circuit
load switching devices through a two-way data link with an energy
management system or through control algorithms stored locally
within the Lighting Controller and Performance Monitor; Automated
lighting performance monitoring as described above; and Automated
notification of maintenance personnel via a connected energy
management system or through a dedicated data link.
[0030] A typical device that may be employed for the combination
lighting control and performance monitoring may be a power
management device, including: a monitor module that directly
monitors energy usage of at least one energy load to generate at
least one measurement of energy usage by the at least one energy
load; and, if desired, a control module operatively coupled to the
monitor module to control energy usage by the at least one energy
load in a pre-determined manner that is based on the at least one
measurement of energy usage, wherein the control module controls
the at least one energy load via a data link.
[0031] By monitor module is meant any component(s) that directly
monitors energy usage of at least one energy load to generate at
least one measurement of energy usage by the at least one energy
load.
[0032] By control module is meant any component(s) that control
energy usage by the at least one energy load in a pre-determined
manner that is based on the at least one measurement of energy
usage. The monitor module may have separate hardware/software
components from the control module, or the monitor module may share
some or all of its hardware/software components with the control
module.
[0033] The control module is optional for the aspect of the present
invention involving monitoring the electric power characteristics
of lighting circuits to determine when maintenance is needed. For
example, a monitor module with a capability to transmit
notifications to appropriate maintenance personnel based on the
monitoring may suffice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1a illustrates an embodiment of lighting performance
power monitor according to the present invention that detects and
notifies maintenance personnel.
[0035] FIG. 1b is a flowchart presenting the operational steps
performed by the device in FIG. 1a.
[0036] FIG. 1c illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention integrated package that combines integrated lighting
control and performance monitoring functioning that includes
notification of bulb and ballast outages.
[0037] FIG. 1d illustrates an overview schematic a system including
a monitor/controller device for performing the present
invention.
[0038] FIG. 1e illustrates an interfaced embodiment of the present
invention having separate interfaced control and monitoring
components.
[0039] FIG. 1f illustrates an integrated embodiment of the present
invention having on board control integrated in the monitoring
component.
[0040] FIG. 2 illustrates an electrical distribution panel diagram
configured according with a device according to the present
invention to control multiple subloads.
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates multiple sites communicating with one
another to accomplish management and control according to the
present invention.
[0042] FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c illustrate a flow diagram of control
software/firmware for the monitor/controller embodiment of FIG.
1d.
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates the components and interfaces of a
tightly integrated combination monitor/controller according to the
present invention.
[0044] FIGS. 6A, B, C, D(a), D(b), E, F, G, H, I, J and K are
combined and detailed views of a wiring diagram of another
preferred embodiment of a combination monitor/controller for use in
the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 6A illustrates a schematic diagram of a preferred
embodiment of the combination monitor-controller illustrated in
FIG. 5.
[0046] FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate enlarged views of a current
monitoring interface of the combination monitor-controller
illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0047] FIG. 6D(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a local control
interface, and a direct current power supply of the combination
monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0048] FIG. 6D(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a voltage
monitoring interface of the combination monitor-controller
illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0049] FIGS. 6E and 6F illustrate enlarged views of portions of an
analog-to-digital converter of the combination monitor-controller
illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0050] FIG. 6G illustrates an enlarged view of a high voltage
opto-isolator and a portion of a data flow controller of the
combination monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0051] FIG. 6H illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of the
data flow controller not illustrated in FIG. 6G.
[0052] FIGS. 6I and 6J illustrate enlarged views of a remote
communication interface of the combination monitor-controller
illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0053] FIG. 6K illustrates an enlarged view another local interface
of the combination monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0054] FIG. 7 is a prior art power management system including a
host server as a controller.
[0055] FIG. 8 is the system of FIG. 7 modified according to the
present invention.
[0056] FIGS. 9 and 10 show photographs of an ADM-3311 Multi-Circuit
Power Monitor, available from ADMMicro, LLC, Roanoke, Va., suitable
for containing firmware according to the present invention.
[0057] FIGS. 11 and 12 show photographs of an ADM-1204
Multi-Circuit Power Monitor, available from ADMMicro, LLC, Roanoke,
Va., suitable for containing firmware according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0058] In the following discussions for purposes of clarity with
respect to explaining the current invention, common components are
numbered according to their first appearance in a drawing and
well-known components are to be interpreted according to the
understanding of a person ordinarily skilled in the art, e.g., wide
area network (WAN) and Bluetooth are well-known in the art and are
not described but given their well-known meanings
Lighting Performance Monitor
[0059] FIG. 1a is a schematic of an embodiment of a lighting
performance monitor according to the present invention. As shown in
the drawing, the lighting performance power monitor 1000 includes
voltage measurement inputs 1010 and current transformer inputs
1020. There is a power panel 1030 from which a plurality of
circuits light up different zones, (e.g. areas) of a particular
retail establishment, office, etc. Both the voltage and the current
waveforms are sampled to calculate the electrical load, such as
power (watts), reactive power (vars), and apparent power (va). The
properties of the load may vary, of course, depending on the type
of lighting fixtures.
[0060] FIG. 1b provides a flowchart that shows the operational
steps that a system as in the present invention can operate. This
flowchart is shown for purposes of illustration and does not limit
the invention to the types of measurements shown or the specific
steps that are described.
[0061] Referring to FIGS. 1a and 1b, at step 1100 the lighting
performance monitor (and Controller) simultaneously samples voltage
and current waveforms, with the voltage measurement in this case
being provided at input 1010 (shown in FIG. 1a) and the current
input 1020 from current transformer 1040. The light fixtures
(bulbs, ballast, etc) 1050 (shown in FIG. 1a) all draw a certain
amount of power while operational. Thus a baseline should be
established with all of the lights being operational, and there can
be variances (such as also establishing a baseline with 50% of the
lights being operational, 25%, etc) and these values are
recorded.
[0062] The Lighting Performance Power Monitor 1000 continuously
compares the present electrical load characteristics of lighting
circuits to one or more baseline values. Baseline values are
established through a calibration process that is executed when the
lighting circuits are known to be performing at full
capability.
[0063] At step 1110, the present power values are calculated. At
step 1120, these values are compared with the baseline values. At
step 1130 it is determined whether the present values differ from
the baseline values by more than the predefined values. If no, the
operation of simultaneous measurement starts at step 1100 again.
However, when the present values differ from the baseline values by
more than a predetermined amount, at step 1140, notification is
sent to maintenance personnel. and/or whomever is designated to be
a recipient of these messages. When the deviation of the electrical
load characteristics deviate from baseline values by more than a
predefined delta, the maintenance person will presumably go on site
with the replacement equipment, or possibly request or perform a
visual inspection to locate the light fixture that is not operating
properly. The performance monitor can, for example, identify the
malfunctioning individual circuit and the zone that requires
attention. Essentially, if a light burns out, the amount of power
drawn should decrease by a mount in the area of the predetermined
delta. In fact, in the case of multiple failures the lighting
performance monitor could issue an alert that more than one light
fixture is malfunctioning, based on the amount of deviation from
the baseline (e.g. three light fixtures malfunctioning would caused
the measured values to deviate from the baseline more than if one
light fixture malfunctions. Again, whether the power reading is
peak-to-peak watts, rms, ears, etc., is a selection according to
the type of lighting used. However, in virtually all cases, there
will be a change in the baseline values if one or more light
fixtures malfunctions.
[0064] The method of notification can be email via broadband, via
telco, wireless, or virtually any form of wire or wireless
communication, and may use the Internet, or a private network. In
any event, the goal is that the maintenance person can receive,
possible even a message on his telephone, a notification that at
least one light appears to be malfunctioning based on the
characteristics.
Integrated Lighting Performance Monitor and Controller
[0065] FIG. 1 c shows another embodiment of the present invention.
In this case, there is an integrated package of the lighting
performance monitor, and a lighting controller 1090, the controller
being a device that monitors usage and turns lights on or off
according to certain criteria, such as time of day, day of week,
etc. Electrical load switching devices are normally provided so
that building lights can be turned on or off based on building
occupancy. This is done to conserve energy and to inform the public
when facilities are open for business. Such load switching
capability may be provided through lighting control units that are
designed to serve multiple lighting circuits under the control of
timers, daylight sensors (photocells, etc.), or more sophisticated
energy management systems. This embodiment provides for the
integration of lighting performance monitoring with lighting
control units to reduce over-all material and labor costs as well
as physical space requirements.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 1c, there are controllable load switching
devices, so the light fixtures can be switched on or off, or
possibly even dimmed to a degree at certain hours. These different
states can all be recorded in the baseline values so that the
proper comparison is made. For example, if the store closes early
on a Sunday, the lights may be turned off, or dimmed at an earlier
hour than normal. Thus, the baseline value comparison should be
with the ideal desired state of lighting on a Sunday at a certain
hour of the day or evening. Thus, not only are power costs saved,
but maintenance is improved by the integrated package. It is within
the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims to
monitor certain zones, and if there is an indication of a
malfunction, turn on alternative lighting in the same zone, row,
nearby zones, rows, etc.
[0067] The monitoring and controller functions can be performed by
software, hardware, firmware, and/or combinations of the above. In
a preferred embodiment, microprocessor chips have these functions
programmed in (and/or burnt in), but there is also a possibility
that software could be provided, and thus a computer might be an
integral part of the controller/monitor. Updates might be easier on
one system versus another, but in any case the invention provides
an automated monitoring (and optionally control) of light fixtures
and lighting systems.
[0068] FIG. 1c shows an integrated unit which provides both
lighting load switching devices and electrical load power
monitoring to continuously monitor lighting performance. The
Lighting Controller and Performance Monitor is an electronic
sub-assembly that serves multiple purposes including:
[0069] Automated control of lighting circuit load switching devices
through a two-way data link with an energy management system or
through control algorithms stored locally within the Lighting
Controller and Performance Monitor;
[0070] Automated lighting performance monitoring as described
above;
[0071] Automated notification of maintenance personnel via a
connected energy management system or through a dedicated data
link.
[0072] FIG. 1 d illustrates a high level block diagram of an
embodiment of the remote/local combined power
monitoring/controlling device that can be employed to perform the
present invention. Remote access to a combined monitor/controller
212 according to the current invention is provided via at least one
of a communication line, a wide area network (WAN), and a wired
and/or wireless local area network (LAN) 101. The combined
monitor/controller 212 typically is a combination of a single
controller unit 212a interfaced to a single monitor unit 212b (see,
e.g., FIG. 1b) and preferably is a single integrated electrical
unit 212c (see, e.g., FIG. 1c) that monitors and controls the
electrical usage of multiple thermostats 102 and multiple light
circuits 103, all supplied power by a common power source 105.
Based on measured power consumption and at least one pre-determined
algorithm stored onboard, the monitor/controller 212 of the present
invention controls the settings of the plurality of thermostats 102
(when and at what temperatures they turn on and off) as well as
turning on/off each of the plurality of light circuits 103.
[0073] To perform monitoring/controlling functions the present
invention preferably performs one or more of the following
functions within an interfaced control unit 212a or preferably
within a single integrated electronic unit 212c:
[0074] Directly monitors at least one electrical load;
[0075] Directly monitors at least one environmental variable;
[0076] Provides a selectable local display of the at least one
electrical load;
[0077] Provides a selectable local display of the
monitored/controlled at least one environmental variable;
[0078] Indirectly monitors other energy loads and variables through
electronic interfaces with external monitors;
[0079] Executes at least one embedded control algorithm to
automatically determine a control setting for the at least one
electrical loads;
[0080] Executes at least one embedded control algorithm to
automatically determine a control setting for the at least one
environmental variable;
[0081] Control algorithms are downloadable and have downloadable
parameters for update and tuning;
[0082] Indirectly controls at least one energy load through
communication with at least one external control device
(thermostats, relays, etc.);
[0083] Indirectly controls at least one environmental variable
through communication with at least one external control device
(thermostats, relays, etc.); and
[0084] Communicates with end-users, computers, and external
monitoring and control devices through at least one communication
media including Token Ring, Internet, Ethernet, modem, and serial
data links.
[0085] Thus, the system and method of the present invention may
employ a single compact electronic device interfacing/integrating
robust communications capabilities and management (control)
functions for at least one of [0086] at least one energy load; and
[0087] at least one environmental variable.
[0088] In one aspect, the present invention typically comprises
downloadable software, preferably firmware, containing the at least
one control algorithm.
[0089] In another aspect, the present invention typically comprises
at least multiple analog-to-digital input channels, and optionally
comprises at least one of a current input, an optical circuit, an
RS-485 output, an RS-232 output, a wireless network interface, and
a wired network interface.
[0090] In another aspect, the present invention typically comprises
a persistent store for retaining historical data for each monitored
load and environmental variable. Retention and purging of these
historical data can be controlled remotely and these historical
data can be locally displayed.
[0091] The present invention typically multiplexes subloads at a
single site across a maximum power usage (pre-set or
algorithmically determined) as well as multiplexes loads across
multiple networked sites. Wired and wireless network protocols are
supported to provide inter-site and intra-site connectivity as well
as to provide remote control of devices using standard messaging
such as e-mail.
[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 7, systems 700 including single
circuit monitors and at least one server 701 that monitor and
control multiple electrical loads are well known in the art. Such
prior art systems 700 include a plurality of single-circuit (single
and poly phase circuits) power monitoring devices (meters) which
are periodically interrogated by a host server. The host server 701
uses data from the many power monitoring devices 702 to calculate
target setpoints for multiple electrical loads 703 and communicates
with a plurality of electrical load control devices 704 to
implement the target setpoints (control loads according to the
algorithms).
[0093] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the present invention preferably
takes advantage of the fact that the power supply for the multiple
lighting loads normally comes through a few common power
distribution panels 210 (such as circuit breaker panels). The many
single-circuit power monitoring devices (traditional approach) are
replaced with a few, or just one, multiple-circuit power monitoring
controlling device(s) 212 which can significantly reduce the cost,
complexity, and physical footprint for the power monitoring
component of the energy management system. To this point, most of
the energy management systems in use today do not include basic
power monitoring due to the cost, complexity, and physical
footprint associated with installing multiple single-circuit power
monitoring devices (considered too expense to install). As a
result, traditional energy management systems cannot make optimal
automatic and dynamic control decisions because they do not have
real-time power usage data available--resulting in simplistic
energy management algorithms that do not realize a significant
portion of the potential savings. The preferred advantages of the
present invention are significantly based on including an
onboard/local multiple circuit power monitoring capability. For
example, the present invention may employ a multi-circuit
monitor.
[0094] The present invention takes advantage of the low-cost,
high-performance microprocessors that are readily available today
by embedding control algorithms in software locally resident on the
device, preferably firmware, directly interfaced with
multiple-circuit power monitoring electronics. A device typically
is a collection of components in close proximity to each other,
e.g., within a single housing or within 5 or less feet apart or
within 24 or 12 or less inches apart or within two or more adjacent
housings. Traditional energy management systems employ more complex
workstation or server class computers and implement the control
algorithms in software. These traditional energy management "host"
servers are significantly more costly to purchase and operate, are
less environmentally rugged, and are subject to many
Internet-related security vulnerabilities.
[0095] Although the present device may communicate with a server,
typically each device has local processing and memory for
implementing one or more control algorithms, rather than using the
server for implementing the one or more control algorithms.
Combined Monitor/Controller
[0096] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 5, a system with embedded
control algorithms, that may be employed in an embodiment of the
present invention, monitors and controls multiple electrical loads
of various configurations 510 511 515 516--including both single
204 and poly-phase applications 203. At least some of the
electrical loads are lighting loads. The single monitor/controller
212 is simply wired 209 to common voltages at an electrical
distribution panel 210 and can be connected to remote current
sensing units 515 to accept power variable measurements. In a
preferred embodiment, the monitor/controller 212 of the present
invention includes at least one an on-board control algorithm 504
having at least one pre-determined, settable goal. A
settable/downloadable threshold is an example of one such goal. The
at least one algorithm accepts power 515 and environmental variable
516 measurements as inputs and determines how to control the power
consumers 510 and other devices 511 being monitored to achieve at
least one goal of the at least one algorithm.
[0097] The combined monitor/controller 212 provides advanced
sampling, including multiple analog-to-digital converters for fast
waveform sampling. All channels (the 12 shown in FIG. 2 are an
example only and are not limiting in any sense) 211 are sampled
simultaneously so that there is no phase delay introduced as in
other systems utilizing sequential sampling techniques. Thus, the
monitor/controller 212 of the present invention provides ANSI
certified accuracies with harmonic capture and analysis
capabilities.
[0098] FIG. 6A illustrates a schematic diagram of a preferred
embodiment of the combination monitor-controller 212 illustrated in
FIG. 5.
[0099] Monitor/controller 212 includes a current monitoring
interface 610, a voltage monitoring interface 620, an
analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 631 (having parts 630 and 634), a
high voltage opto-isolator 640, a data flow controller 650, a
remote communication interface 660, local control interfaces 670
(FIG. 6D(a)) and 675 (FIG. 6K), and a direct current (dc) power
supply 680. Together, these components, in cooperation with
external devices, provide a capability to monitor and manage the
energy supplied to loads by multiple power circuits.
[0100] Current monitoring interface 610 provides a twelve-channel
interface between the power circuits being monitored and electrical
A/D converter 631.
[0101] FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate enlarged views of portions of the
current monitoring interface 610 of the combination
monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A including low-pass
filters 612 A-F shown in FIG. 6B and low-pass filters 612 G-L shown
in FIG. 6C.
[0102] Each of the twelve channels is connected to a separate power
circuit to monitor the flow of current through the circuit. The
connection is made with a current tap at both a supply (i.e., hot)
line and a return (i.e., neutral) line of the power circuit using a
current transformer. Each current tap provides a waveform signal
that is representative of the current flow at the tap point.
Together, the supply and return line waveforms of the power circuit
provide a differential signal pair representing the current flow
through the power circuit and this pair is provided to one channel
of current monitoring interface 610. Use of the differential signal
waveform is preferred to the use of either one of the individual
waveform signals because the individual waveform signals usually
have the same noise components superimposed on them and these noise
components can be largely eliminated by measuring the differential
amplitude between the two individual waveforms.
[0103] For each of the monitored power circuits, the corresponding
supply and return waveform signals are filtered and impedance
buffered by a low-pass filter 612.
[0104] Thereafter, each of the filtered and buffered differential
signal pairs is provided to a separate one of twelve corresponding
channels of A/D converter section 631. FIG. 6A illustrates
analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 631 having portions 630 and
634.
[0105] FIG. 6E illustrates an enlarged view of portion 630 of the
analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 631.
[0106] FIG. 6F illustrates an enlarged view of portion 634 of the
analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 631. In particular, FIG. 6F
illustrates an enlarged view of an analog-to-digital (A/D)
converter 634.
[0107] Accordingly, each one of the twelve A/D converter channels
has first and second inputs that respectively receive the filtered
and buffered supply and return line waveform signals of the
differential signal pair corresponding to one of the twelve power
circuits being monitored.
[0108] FIG. 6D(b) illustrates an enlarged view of a voltage
monitoring interface 620 of the combination monitor-controller
illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0109] Voltage monitoring interface 620 provides a three-phase
interface to a power line supplying power to each of the power
circuits being monitored. For each phase of the power line, a
voltage tap is provided to communicate a voltage waveform,
representing the voltage changes occurring on the phase, to a
separate one of three low-pass filters 622. Low-pass filters 622
filter and impedance buffer their respectively received phase
voltage waveforms. Thereafter, each of the filtered and buffered
phase voltage waveforms is provided to a separate channel of A/D
converter 631 shown in FIG. 6E.
[0110] A/D converter 631 has three sample and hold (S/H) A/D
converters (S/H converters), namely, S/H converters 632-633 shown
in FIG. 6E and S/H converter 634 shown in FIG. 6F.
[0111] Each of the S/H converters 632-634 is capable of
simultaneously determining six differential analog values and
converting these analog values to a digital representation of these
values. Each differential value is determined by the amplitude
difference between two analog signals provided to the inputs of a
channel of S/H converter 632-634. As each of S/H converters 632-634
has six individual channels, a combined total of eighteen
differential analog values can be simultaneously determined and
converted to digital representations by A/D converter 630.
[0112] Each of the twelve differential signal pairs provided by
current monitoring interface 610 is provided to a separate channel
of S/H converters 632 and 633. S/H converters 632 and 633 generate
digital representations of the waveform differences existing at the
pair of current taps for each of the twelve power circuits
monitored.
[0113] S/H converter 634 receives each of the three phase voltage
waveforms provided by voltage monitoring interface 620 at a
separate channel and determines a difference between each phase
voltage waveform and a reference waveform. The determined
difference for each channel is converted to a digital
representation that reflects the voltage detected at the
corresponding phase tap.
[0114] More specifically, S/H converters 632 and 633 receive the
filtered and impedance buffered differential signal pairs,
representing the supply and return current waveforms, for each of
the twelve power circuits interfaced to monitor/controller 212 by
current monitoring interface 610. For each of their respective six
channels, S/H converters 632 and 633 detect the analog amplitude
difference between the channel's corresponding pair of differential
signals and convert this difference to a digital value representing
the difference. S/H converters 632 and 633 perform this detection
and conversion process repeatedly so that the sequence of digital
values produced for each channel provides a representation of the
current flow through the corresponding power circuit.
[0115] Similarly, S/H converter 634 receives the filtered and
impedance buffered phase voltage waveforms representing the voltage
waveforms of the three-phase power line. S/H converter 634 detects
the analog amplitude difference of each phase voltage waveform,
with respect to a reference waveform, at a point in time and
converts this amplitude difference to a digital representation of
the difference. S/H converter 634 performs this detection and
conversion process repeatedly so that the sequence of digital
values produced for each channel provides a representation of the
voltage waveform at the corresponding phase of the power line.
[0116] High voltage opto-isolator 640 receives and buffers the
digital values produced by S/H converter 634 and communicates the
buffered digital values as data to other components of
monitor/controller 212, through optically-coupled data line drivers
642.
[0117] FIG. 6G illustrates an enlarged view of a portion 640 of the
combination monitor-controller 212 illustrated in FIG. 6A including
the high voltage opto-isolator and a portion of a data flow
controller.
[0118] FIG. 6H illustrates an enlarged view of a portion 650 of the
data flow controller not illustrated in FIG. 6G. FIG. 6H
illustrates an enlarged view another local interface 650 of the
combination monitor-controller 212.
[0119] The electrical signal isolation provided by line drivers 642
(FIG. 6G) is desirable for electrically isolating
monitor/controller 212's low-voltage components, which receive the
digital data representing the phase voltage waveforms, from the
components that may directly or indirectly receive the high voltage
present at the phase taps of the high voltage (e.g., 480 VAC) power
line.
[0120] The data flow controller controls the flow of specific data
and control signals among the components of monitor/controller 212
and between these components and external devices. This control is
provided by an address decoder 652 (FIG. 6H) and several bus
buffers/line drivers 654 (FIGS. 6G and 6H).
[0121] Address decoder 652 decodes a three-bit encoded value
provided by an address bus and selects one of eight prospective
addresses identified by the encoded value. The selected address is
communicated internally within monitor/controller 212 and
externally, as necessary, to control the flow of specific data and
control signals within monitor/controller 212. Bus buffers/line
drivers 654 cooperate with address decoder 652 and other components
of monitor/controller 212 to receive or transmit the specific data
and control signals.
[0122] External devices (illustrated in FIG. 5) that communicate
data or control signals to components of monitor/controller 212 may
include a touchscreen device 517, a microprocessor 518, a
communication modem 514, and environmental monitoring and control
devices 511 516. The optional touchscreen device 517 displays
specific data and control signals communicated through
monitor/controller 212 and conveys user commands to
monitor/controller 212. The microprocessor 518 provides the
processing capability to determine operational characteristics of
the monitored power line and each of the monitored power circuits,
based on the data generated by A/D converter 630. Additionally, the
microprocessor 518 provides general control and communication
functionality for monitor/controller 212 and the external devices
to which it is connected. The communication modem 514 supports
communication between the microprocessor 518 and remotely located
devices. The environmental monitoring and control devices 511 516
monitor and control environmental systems that may affect the
operational characteristics of the power line or its associated
power circuits.
[0123] FIGS. 6I and 6J illustrate enlarged views of portions 660a
and 660b of a remote communication interface 660 of the combination
monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0124] Remote communication interface 660 provides an interface for
modem, RS-232, and RS-485 communications between external devices
that are connected to monitor/controller 212. RS-485 transceivers
662 and 663 (FIG. 6J) receive and drive communication signals in
accordance with RS-485 specifications. Similarly, RS-232
transceiver 664 (FIG. 6I) receives and drives communication signals
in accordance with RS-232 specifications. Octal buffer/line drivers
665 (FIG. 6I) and 666 (FIG. 6J) buffer and drive specific data and
control signals conveyed through communication section 660.
[0125] FIG. 6D(a) illustrates an enlarged view of a local control
interface 670, and a direct current power supply 680 of the
combination monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0126] Local control interface 670 provides an opto-isolated
communication interface between local environmental devices and
monitor/controller 212. Local control interface 685 provides a 5
Vdc switched output to an external device and is preferably used to
operate a display light of the touchscreen device 517.
[0127] Power supply 680 receives energy from an alternating current
source and converts this energy for provision within
monitor/controller 212 by regulated 5 Vdc and 3.3 Vdc sources.
[0128] FIG. 6K illustrates an enlarged view another local interface
675 of the combination monitor-controller illustrated in FIG. 6A.
Local interface 675 communicates with portion 650 of the data flow
controller.
[0129] In a preferred embodiment, the current inputs 202 are
designed with instrumentation amplifiers. Full differential inputs
are utilized to achieve the best signal conditions and noise
rejection.
[0130] In a preferred embodiment, the potential inputs employ
optical circuitry to provide high accuracy and isolation. The
monitor/controller 212 accepts polyphase inputs including at least
one of 120/277 volts (3 phase/4 wire) and 480 volts (3 phase/3
wire) 203. Single phase inputs to 480 volts 209 are acceptable.
[0131] In a preferred embodiment, the monitor/controller 212
comprises a plurality of digital inputs and outputs, serial ports
and can be configured for a plurality of communication protocols.
The plurality of serial ports further comprises at least two RS-485
ports and at least one RS-232 port. The plurality of protocols
includes ModBus TCP/IP ASCII/RTU, 514
[0132] In an embodiment, the monitor/controller 212 manages HVAC
and the at least one algorithm comprises "setback" scheduling 512.
Environmental measurements 516 include trending temperatures
through at least one of a thermostat and at least one wireless
sensor. The at least one algorithm further provides demand control
of a plurality of sub-loads. Wireless sensor measurements include
ambient, freezer/cooler and HVAC duct temperatures. Monitoring and
control variables 516 for HVAC include temperature and humidity. A
persistent store 503 is provided for long term storage of
measurements (e.g., load profiles) and optionally downloadable
firmware/software executed by a microprocessor 518. In an
alternative embodiment, the downloadable firmware is stored in a
microprocessor 518. A listing of typical firmware/software is
included in Appendix A. Typically, storage comprises at least one
of SRAM and flash memory and at least 128 Kb of SRAM and 256 Kb of
flash memory is provided.
[0133] In a preferred embodiment the monitor/controller 212 is
configured to count pulses, sense contact status, and provide
output alarming notification 513 on at least one input
(pre-determined and downloadable) threshold 512 and the at least
one input threshold 512 can be reset from a remote location 205 206
using the at least one communication media 514. The communication
media 514 provide the monitor/controller 212 with the ability to
poll different devices 205, log data and transmit data to other
systems under the direction of downloadable software that is
executed by the monitor/controller 212 to capture data, e.g., as
input to algorithms executed by the monitor/controller 212. The
captured data is maintained on-board for extended periods of time
in a persistent store 503 to provide historical load profile data
and is remotely retrievable by other devices 205 and a facility
manager/operator 206 using any of a plurality of included
communication protocols 514.
[0134] In a preferred embodiment, referring now to FIG. 5, the
monitor/controller 212 can be configured via an embedded Web
server, or a PC/laptop running configuration software by a facility
manager/operator 206 or by an inter-connected device 205. The
configuration can be accomplished via local downloads via an at
least one RS-232 port or remotely via downloads using a modem or
network 514. Communication features 514 of the monitor/controller
212 include on-board Ethernet, embedded Web server, Embedded e-mail
client, at least one serial data port, on-board modem, Modbus/485
and Modbus/IP, Xmodem file transfer.
[0135] In an embodiment, a local display that is preferably a touch
screen 517 provides local viewing of at least one of energy data,
waveforms, and configuration parameters.
[0136] The system and method of the present invention thus supports
on-board advanced control algorithms for energy management, e.g.,
demand control, and provides interfaces to load control devices
such as communicating thermostats.
Multi-Site Embodiment
[0137] In one aspect, referring again to FIGS. 3 and 5, an
inter-connected embodiment (e.g., wide-area connectivity 207) of
the present invention serves to permit remote management 512 of a
plurality of monitor/controllers 212 and facilitates timely
delivery of alarm/alert type reports 513.
[0138] Further, multiple-site connectivity allows at least one
designated remote site to be designated a master site 212 and be
able to retrieve data from many other sites 212 for centralized
analysis and reporting (processing that requires more processing
resources than practical to include at each site). The master site
designation can be done dynamically and made dependent on
conditions of the plurality of such sites, their usage of power,
and any other pre-determined criteria.
[0139] Centralized analysis allows predictive/preventive
maintenance. Centralized reporting provides operational data
summaries for the many sites 212 within one report. WAN
connectivity is only one example of the connectivity possible and
is intended to aid discussion rather than limit the present
invention. Among other possible connectivity modalities are wired
and wireless networks including IEEE 802.11, LANs, and, depending
on the distance between monitor/controllers, may include localized
wireless networks such as Bluetooth. Any protocol can be supported
since the procedures needed to accommodate a protocol can be
downloaded to each affected monitor/controller 212 and therefore
can be updated as needed. This flexibility to change and update the
software/firmware executed by a monitor/controller 212 is a key
distinguishing feature of the system and method of the present
invention and contributes to robustness, longevity and
applicability of the present invention to a broad spectrum of power
management and control scenarios.
[0140] As illustrated in FIG. 3, a plurality of power distribution
panels 210 each having at least one controllable load 308, are
inter-connected by and coupled to a monitor/controller 212 to
monitor and control major loads 202 and perform direct bus voltage
measurements 209. As also illustrated in FIG. 3, each
monitor/controller 212 comprises embedded firmware (including
control algorithms) and are further each coupled to a data link 206
208 for inter-connectivity and centralized control/monitoring 207.
Major loads 202 comprise controllable loads 308 and include at
least devices such as heating/cooling devices, lighting, fans,
humidifiers/dehumidifiers, and motors, compressors, production line
drives.
[0141] In another aspect, the present invention employs at least
one energy management strategy that further leverages having
multiple sites 212 in an inter-connected system 207. For purposes
of example and discussion only, in a wide area network, such a
management strategy may include the following options:
[0142] (1) Using aggregated load data from total electrical load
measurements at each monitored/controlled facility to negotiate
with electric utility companies using the aggregated power grid 301
load instead of the many smaller constituent loads, i.e., to secure
more favorable rates as a larger load customer; and
[0143] (2) Using inter-connectivity 207 to curtail designated
interruptible loads in each facility (such as pre-determined
fraction of a facility's lighting) during periods of peak
electrical demand on the utility power grid--thus taking advantage
of lower electricity rates that may be associated with
interruptible tariffs.
[0144] While availability of the foregoing strategies depends upon
the particular electric utility serving the sites, and the "state"
of electric power industry deregulation at a point in time, the
system and method of the present invention includes flexible, e.g.,
downloadable over the inter-connectivity means 207, data gathering
and control functions for accomplishing energy management
strategies. In situations where option (1) above can be applied
(getting the utility to accept and treat the aggregated impact of
many small loads as a single large load), the system and method of
the present invention then minimizes the peak demand of that single
large load by "multiplexing" across sites 212 to significantly
reduce energy cost--much like the multiplexing within a given site
accomplished by a single monitor/controller 212 for local
sub-loads.
Onboard Algorithms
[0145] The following algorithms comprise the embedded control
algorithms of each power monitor and management device 212. These
algorithms are presented for discussion only and not in any
limiting sense. They are examples only of the types of embedded
algorithms suited for monitoring and control but one skilled in the
art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to
the following algorithm example discussions.
1. Waveform Sampling and Power Calculations
[0146] In a preferred embodiment, all voltage (x3) and current (x12
or x33) waveforms are simultaneously and continuously sampled to
collect and store a plurality of M samples (M typically is 64) over
one full power grid sinusoidal waveform cycle (typically a time
period of 16.67 milliseconds for a 60 Hz power system). Voltage
waveforms are then additionally sampled to collect a total of N
samples (N typically is 80) over one plus X sinusoidal waveform
cycles (X typically is 1/4). Various electrical power data values
are then calculated using the previously collected samples as
follows: [0147] 1.1 Calculated per cycle RMS (root mean squared)
un-scaled values: [0148] 1.1.1. Voltage phase to neutral (x3)
[0149] 1.1.2. Voltage phase to phase (x3) [0150] 1.1.3. Per phase
load current (x12 or x33) [0151] 1.1.4. Per phase real power
(watts--x12 or x33) [0152] 1.1.5. Per phase reactive power
(vars--x12 or x33). Reactive power is calculated using voltage and
current samples that are offset in time by the equivalent of 90
degrees phase angle, thus the need for additional voltage waveform
samples (80 versus 64).
[0153] The above sampling and calculation process is repeated at
least K times per second (K typically is 7), with the results of
each repetition used to derive one second average values.
[0154] A one second average derived from the above per cycle RMS
values are scaled to appropriate engineering units and used to
further derive one second values for per phase apparent power (VA)
and per phase power factor (PF), resulting in the following: [0155]
1.2 Calculated one second RMS scaled values: [0156] 1.2.1 All above
per cycle values [0157] 1.2.2 Virtual load real power
(virtual=summations of 1.1.4 above) [0158] 1.2.3 Virtual load
reactive power (summations of 1.1.5 above) [0159] 1.2.4 Per phase
and fixed three phase total load apparent power (VA) [0160] 1.2.5
Per phase and fixed three phase total load power factor (PF)
[0161] Stored un-scaled waveform values (1.1 above) are also used
to derive the following total harmonic distortion data:
1.3 Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) Values:
[0162] 1.3.1 Voltage phase to neutral (x3) [0163] 1.3.2 Per phase
load current (x12 or x33)
[0164] One cycle THD values are derived for each of the above
values approximately once every Y seconds (Y typically is 2).
2. Peak Electrical Demand Control
[0165] Electric power control routines are available to limit peak
electrical demand (kw), including the following:
[0166] 2.1 Evening Light Load Demand Control
[0167] This algorithm limits the total electrical demand for a
facility by limiting the load associated with heating/cooling
during evening periods when lighting load is significantly
increased by the addition of parking lot and building signage
lights. This algorithm is applicable to facilities where
heating/cooling is handled by multiple individually controllable
heating/cooling units--typically referred to as roof top units
(RTUs), e.g., air conditioners, and any other type of electrical
load that is suitable for control such as fans and motors.
[0168] For periods of time during which additional evening lighting
is required, at least one RTU that has been identified as an at
least one lowest priority unit (least critical to maintaining
environmental comfort), is automatically switched off for the
reminder of the evening lighting time period (7:00 PM to facility
e.g., a predetermined interval of, say 15, 30, or 60 minutes,
depending upon the specific utility tariff) is predicted to exceed
the highest peak demand for any previous demand interval during
that day, additional RTUs can be temporarily switched off for the
remainder of each demand interval as required to keep the peak
demand from exceeding the previous peak for that day. RTUs can be
prioritized such that units of lesser importance are switched off
first. Critical RTUs may not be included in the demand limiting
control scheme.
[0169] 2.2 RTU Multiplexing Demand Control
[0170] This algorithm is applicable to facilities where
heating/cooling is handled by multiple individually controllable
roof top units (RTUs), and can be used in conjunction with the
algorithm of 2.1 above for evening light load demand control. This
algorithm continuously limits the total electrical demand for a
facility by coordinating the operation of all RTUs such that only a
limited number of RTUs are drawing full load at any point in time,
while allowing all RTUs to operate periodically. This is in
contrast to multiplexing where each RTU would take its turn
operating.
[0171] With this algorithm, RTUs can be grouped for time-shared
operation (multiplexing). Each group is allowed to operate at
normal setpoint targets for a limited period of time, followed by a
period during which the setpoint target is significantly raised
such that RTUs in this group do not draw full electrical load under
normal conditions. Groups are coordinated in operation such that
one group is operating at normal setpoint targets while other
groups are operating with temporarily raised setpoints.
[0172] For example, consider a facility with six RTUs. With this
control scheme, two RTUs might be identified as highly important to
environmental comfort, and are allowed to always operate at the
facility's target temperature for cooling, such as 74 degrees F.
The other four RTUs are divided into two groups of two RTUs,
referred to as Group 1 and Group 2. Each group alternates between
20 minute periods of operation at the normal setpoint of 74
degrees, and 20 minute periods of operation at a raised setpoint of
77 degrees. Group 1 operates normally while Group 2 operates at a
raised setpoint, and then groups alternate setpoint positions. As a
result, only four of six RTUs operate at full load at any moment in
time.
[0173] This technique can be used to limit RTU operation in any
combination that is determined to be appropriate for a given
facility.
3. Solar Calculator for Lighting Control with Photo Sensor
Override
[0174] This algorithm uses the geographical latitude and longitude
of a facility to automatically calculate the sunrise and sunset
time for a particular calendar day--to determine when external
lighting should be switched on and off. Input from a photo sensor
is also used to automatically turn lights on and off in response to
unexpected darkness.
4. Instantaneous Power Derived from Energy Pulses
[0175] This algorithm measures the time duration between energy
pulses (kwh) from traditional electric power meters to determine
instantaneous power (kw). Instantaneous power values are needed for
real time control algorithms such as the foregoing. This algorithm
allows existing electric meters equipped with pulse outputs to be
used in such control schemes, thus leveraging a facility's
installed power management and control infrastructure.
5. Firmware Program Flow Descriprion
[0176] The algorithms are part of the software/firmware that
determines the operation of a monitor/controller 212 according to
the present invention.
[0177] Referring now to FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, at the highest level,
the firmware processing/logic flow is a main program loop [while
(1) program loop within main( )] that executes continuously, except
when execution is preempted by the following hardware-based
interrupt service routines: [0178] Periodically by hardware timer
interrupt timerb_isr, which primarily handles analog to digital
conversion processing at the chip level (read_ads7864 and
read_sb)--reads and stores raw A/D values for processing by other
routines. [0179] Periodically by hardware timer interrupt
app_timer_interrupt, which primarily handles the following
processing: [0180] 1. Modem ring detect [0181] 2. Modbus protocol
timer [0182] 3. Lighting control protocol timer [0183] 4. Reading
hardware status inputs [0184] 5. File transfer timer [0185]
Asynchronously by various serial data port hardware interrupts to
process incoming and outgoing characters on these ports.
6. Firmware Overview
[0186] Referring now to FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c, an example of a
downloaded software/firmware begins by initialized memory and
hardware, including hardware interrupts at step 401. Once the
processing is initialized at step 401, the process returns to step
402 at which the central ongoing housekeeping functions are
performed: [0187] the onboard heartbeat is toggled; [0188]
time-of-day events are handled as required, e.g., detecting changes
in daylight savings time (DST) and making adjustments accordingly;
[0189] compensation is made for drift of the onboard clock; [0190]
modem and Modbus timers are processed; and [0191] regularly
scheduled e-mail reports are generated.
[0192] Next, at step 403 end-of-interval processing is
accomplished, e.g., by calling the appropriate routines in a load
profile library (lp.lib). Then, cycle data and per second scaled
data is calculated by invoking routines in the adm7864 library at
steps 404 and 405, respectively. Total harmonic distortion is
calculated at step 406.
[0193] Next, power is determined from the timing of energy pulses
coming from external meters (if any) at step 407, and any requests
from ModBus external masters are processed at step 408.
[0194] Then, if Ethernet support is enabled socket-level processing
is performed comprising for at least two Telnet sessions, Modbus
over TCP/IP, and an embedded Web server at step 409. At step 450,
if Web server support is also enabled, HTTP requests/responses are
processed, and at step 451 web_server_loop is called to store new
date and time values for use within web pages. If e-mail support is
enabled then e-mail is processed at step 452. E-mail processing
includes a) accessing the designated POP3 server to check for new
incoming messages, b) interpreting the content of any new messages
to queue up response report generation, c) building any e-mail
reports that are queue up for processing, and d) accessing the
designated SMTP server to send any reply messages that are ready
for transmission.
[0195] At step 453, RS-232 port processing is performed to process
incoming maintenance port request message strings, and prepare
appropriate response message strings.
[0196] At step 454 any enabled modem support is performed. This
support includes handling of modem connection and processing
request and response message strings.
[0197] If there is a touch screen 517 it is services by calling
lcdtick at step 455 to look for input from the touch screen
(operator touch) and to update the touch screen graphical display
517 as necessary.
[0198] If there are thermostats being managed then they are
serviced by calling Tstats at step 456 to read environmental
variables and thermostat settings, and to update thermostat
setpoints as dictated by various control algorithms.
[0199] Finally, any required lighting control support is performed
by calling controlfunction within contol.lib at step 457 to turn on
or off multiple lighting zones as dictated by various control
algorithms.
[0200] The processing loops around to step 402, performing this
loop of steps continuously unless interrupted by a higher priority
task. After servicing the higher priority task, control is returned
to the interrupted step until another higher priority task needs
servicing by the processor.
[0201] FIGS. 9 and 10 show photographs of an ADM-3311 Multi-Circuit
Power Monitor, available from ADMMicro, LLC, Roanoke, Va., suitable
for containing firmware according to the present invention.
[0202] FIGS. 11 and 12 show photographs of an ADM-1204
Multi-Circuit Power Monitor, available from ADMMicro, LLC, Roanoke,
Va., suitable for containing firmware according to the present
invention.
[0203] While preferred embodiments have been shown and described,
various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention is limited to the scope of the
appended claims, and the present invention has been described by
way of illustrations and not limitations.
* * * * *
References