ENERGY MANAGEMENT OF HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

• US 20100070091A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bowley, Brice Alan, Thomas, Gregory M., Finch, Micheal F., Besore, John K., Root, Steven Keith, Roetker, John Joseph, Drake, Jeff Donald, Watson, Eric K., Vankatakrishnan, Natarajan
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/278
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/04 Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/66 one of the loads acting as master and the other or others acting as slaves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

An appliance for conditioning air of a room comprises one or more power consuming features/functions including a temperature controlling element for one of heating and cooling air. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state. The controller operates the appliance in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode.

Claims

1. An appliance for conditioning air of an associated room comprising:

one or more power consuming features/functions including a temperature controlling element for one of heating and cooling air; and

a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions, the controller being configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state, the controller operating the appliance in one of a plurality or operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal, the controller being configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the temperature controlling element is a refrigeration system operable in one of a heating and cooling cycle, the refrigeration system including a setpoint temperature, the controller being configured to adjust the setpoint temperature to precipitate less refrigeration system on time in the energy savings mode.

3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to increase the setpoint temperature in a cooling operating condition and decrease the setpoint temperature in a heating operating condition.

4. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the refrigeration system in the energy savings mode.

5. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the refrigeration system includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator in a refrigerant flow relationship, the controller being configured to one of adjust a duty cycle of, reduce the speed of and reduce the capacity of the compressor in the energy savings mode.

6. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the temperature controlling element is an electrically driven heating element for heating air, the controller being configured to one of deactivate, adjust a setpoint temperature of, reduce voltage to and adjust a duty cycle of the heating element in the energy savings mode.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming features/functions further includes a light source for illuminating a user interface, the controller being configured to disable the light source in the energy savings mode.

8. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the utility state has an associated energy cost and wherein the controller is configured to override the operating mode of the appliance based on a user selected targeted energy cost,

wherein if current energy cost exceeds the user selected cost, the controller operates the appliance in the energy savings mode, and

wherein if the current energy cost is less than the user selected cost, the controller operates the appliance in the normal operating mode.

9. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the utility state signal is indicative of a price tier of the supplied energy, the controller being configured to operate the appliance in an operating mode corresponding to the price tier.

10. The appliance of claim 1, further including a user interface operatively connected to the controller, the user interface including a selectable override option providing a user the ability to select which of the one or more power consuming features/functions are adjusted and/or disabled by the controller in the energy savings mode, the user interface further including a display communicating activation of the energy savings mode.

11. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the utility state signal is indicative of the cost of the energy provided when in that state, the appliance further including a display indicative of current cost of energy and current cost of operating the appliance.

12. An air conditioner control method, comprising:

determining a state for an associated energy supplying utility, the utility state being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period;

operating the air conditioner in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

operating the air conditioner in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period;

selectively adjusting and/or deactivating any number of one or more power consuming features/functions of the air conditioner to reduce power consumption of the air conditioner in the energy savings mode, including adjusting a setpoint temperature to precipitate less refrigeration system on time in the energy savings mode; and

returning to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting one of a duty cycle and speed of a compressor of the refrigeration system in the energy savings mode.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising deactivating the refrigeration system in the energy savings mode.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

measuring one of temperature and humidity of outdoor air,

measuring indoor air temperature,

comparing one of the measured temperature and humidity to one of the setpoint temperature and indoor air temperature,

deactivating or reducing power of the refrigeration system during a cooling operating condition if one of the measured temperature and humidity is approximately equal to one of the setpoint temperature and indoor air temperature, and

selectively drawing in outdoor air into an associated room.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more power consuming features/functions further includes a light source for illuminating a user interface, and further comprising disabling the light source in the energy savings mode.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the energy cost associated with the utility demand;

displaying current cost of operating the air conditioner,

displaying current cost of supplied energy, and

alerting a user of a peak demand period.

18. A combination air conditioner and heat pump comprising:

a casing mountable within an associated opening into an associated room, the casing having openings respectively communicating with indoor and outdoor air;

a refrigeration system mounted within the casing, the refrigeration system including a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator in a refrigerant flow relationship;

at least one fan mounted in the casing for selectively drawing one of outdoor air and indoor air to one of the condenser and evaporator; and

a controller configured to receive and process an energy signal, the signal having a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller operating the combination air conditioner and heat pump in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the received signal being in the first and second states respectively,

wherein the controller is configured to one of increase and decrease a setpoint temperature of the refrigeration system and adjust a duty cycle of the compressor to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the combination air conditioner and heat pump is detected.

19. The combination air conditioner and heat pump of claim 18, wherein the at least one fan includes a condenser fan for circulating outdoor air over the condenser and an evaporator fan for circulating indoor air over the evaporator, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the refrigeration system and reduce speed of one of the condenser fan and evaporator fan in the energy savings mode.

20. The combination air conditioner and heat pump of claim 18, further including a sensing device operatively connected to the controller for measuring temperature and humidity of the outdoor air and the temperature of the indoor air, wherein in a cooling mode if the measured temperature and humidity of the outdoor air is less than the setpoint temperature and indoor temperature, the controller is configured to deactivate the refrigeration system and selectively draw in outdoor air to the associated room.

21. The combination air conditioner and heat pump of claim 20, further including a damper for drawing outdoor air into the associated room and a filter for filtering outdoor air.

22. The combination air conditioner and heat pump of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to reduce before peak demand period the setpoint temperature to pre-chill the associated room to a temperature lower than the setpoint temperature and increase the setpoint temperature during peak demand period.

23. The combination air conditioner and heat pump of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to increase before peak demand period the setpoint temperature to pre-heat the associated room to a temperature higher than the setpoint temperature and decrease the setpoint temperature during peak demand period.