Real-time energy monitoring system

• US 20030135338A1
• Filed: 01/11/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gleason, Gerald J., Knaus, Kenneth R., Russell, Paul G.
• Application Number:
  US10/042,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/61
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A real-time energy monitoring system which monitors the energy consumption of a residence or business. The system includes a device located in an interface module for sensing the instantaneous value of the energy being measured by the utility meter. The system also includes a photo-transistor which receives the reflected light from a black stripe on the rotating aluminum disk. The photo-transistor produces a signal corresponding to the instantaneous energy usage. A transmitter is coupled to the phototransistor for encoding and transmitting the digital signal. A receiver receives and decodes the transmitted digital signal. A display unit displays the real-time energy consumption data to a user.

Claims

1. A real-time energy monitoring system operable to monitoring instantaneous energy consumption, the system comprising:

a photo-detector located with a transmitter circuit for producing a signal corresponding to an instantaneous value of energy being measured by a utility meter;

a transmitter coupled to the photo-detector for transmitting the signal corresponding to an instantaneous value of energy; and

a display unit configured to receive and decode the transmitted signal and displays real-time energy consumption data to a user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electric power utility meter having an aluminum disk rotor with a black stripe such that the electric power utility meter is coupled to a power connection and measures the amount of energy used in a predetermined period of time.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a RF modulator which modulates the signal.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source which illuminates the aluminum disk rotor at a predetermined rate;

an oscillator;

an oscillator coupled to the synchronous modulator coupled for modulating the light signal; and

a synchronous demodulator coupled to the detector and the oscillator for removing noise from the detected signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit further comprises:

a power supply for powering the display unit;

an interface circuit for receiving the decoded digital signal, receiving the input power, and transmitting and receiving information to a peripheral device;

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a microprocessor for processing information received by the display unit;

at least one memory device for the storage of data;

a display; and

a plurality of user input buttons which allows the user to configure the display unit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter circuit is physically attached to utility meter in such a way as to not impair the utility meter from being read.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the signal either by infrared, radio, or wire and the receiver receives and decodes the received signal.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the display unit is configured to display information carried by the signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the display unit is capable of storing the received data and communicating the received data to a personal computer at predetermined intervals.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector is a photo-transistor device for producing an analog signal corresponding to an instantaneous value of energy being measured by a utility meter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the detector further comprises:

a light source emitting light on an aluminum rotor disk in the utility meter, and the photo-transistor device receives the light reflected from the armature disk and produces an analog signal which represents the instantaneous energy value.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a RF modulator and radio transmitter for transmitting the signal to the receiver circuit.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmitter circuit is physically attached to the utility meter in such a way as to not impair the utility meter from being read.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the light source, photo-transistor, RF modulator, radio transmitter are housed inside the interface module.

16. A real-time energy monitoring system operable to monitor the energy consumption, the system comprising:

a utility meter coupled to main power connection and measuring the amount of energy used in a predetermined period of time;

a transmitter circuit comprising;

a photo-detector for detecting the instantaneous energy value consumption and generating a corresponding signal;

a radio transmitter circuit coupled to the detector for encoding and transmitting the digital signal;

a receiver which receives and decodes the transmitted digital signal;

a display unit which displays the real-time energy consumption data to a user comprising;

a power supply for powering the display unit;

a power plug for receiving power from an AC wall unit;

a processor circuit for processing information received by the display unit;

at least one memory device for the storage of data;

a liquid crystal display;

a plurality of user input buttons which allows the user to configure the display unit; and

wherein the radio transmitter circuit transmits the digital signal either by infrared, radio or wire and the receiver performs the inverse operation on the received signal;

wherein the transmitter circuit is physically attached to the utility meter in such a way as to not impair the utility meter from being read;

wherein the display unit is capable of translating the received digital signal to the liquid crystal display unit for viewing by the user.

17. The system of claim of claim 16 further comprises:

an oscillator;

a synchronous modulator coupled to the light source; and

a synchronous demodulator coupled to the detector and the oscillator which removes noise from detected signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the detector comprises:

a light source for shining light on an aluminum disk rotor in the utility meter;

a photo-transistor device in an interface module for measuring instantaneous value of the current being output from the utility meter such that the photo-transistor device receives the reflected light from the aluminum disk rotor and produces a signal which represents the instantaneous energy value.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of generating includes a photo-detector device for measuring the instantaneous energy being consumed.

19. A method for providing real-time energy consumption information displayed on an LCD display unit comprising the steps of:

detecting an instantaneous energy value representing the instantaneous energy consumption and generating an signal which corresponds to the instantaneous energy value;

modulating and transmitting the signal to a receiver unit;

processing the received signal at the receiver unit to convert the received signal to energy measurement information; and

displaying the energy measurement information on a display unit.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring the instantaneous energy output from a utility meter; and

receiving the transmitted signal.