MANAGEMENT CONTROL OF HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES USING RFID COMMUNICATION

• US 20100090806A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• 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: Besore, John K., Vankatakrishnan, Natarajan, Ilickovic, Darko, Schork, Brian Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,704,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• 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

A method and system for communicating with an associated home appliance having a micro-controller includes providing a master device that emits a signal in response to data indicative of energy operational costs. One or more RFID tags receive the master device signal. The RFID tag(s) are connected to the associated home appliance micro-controller to control the operational mode of the home appliance. Preferably, four RFID tags are responsive to four distinct frequency signal emitted by the master device and are representative of different modes of operation for the associated home appliance.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with an associated home appliance having a microcontroller for operating the associated home appliance in a desired mode, the communication method comprising:

providing a master device that emits at least a first signal in response to data indicative of energy operational costs; and

providing at least a first RFID tag that receives the master device signal and the RFID tag connected to the associated home appliance controller to control the operational mode of the associated home appliance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is an active RFID tag having a memory for storing data therein.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising selectively manipulating the data in the active RFID tag by the master device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least a second RFID tag in operative communication with the associated home appliance controller.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the master device emitting signals at first and second different frequencies for communicating with the at least first and second RFID tags, respectively.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing at least third and fourth RFID tags in communication with the associated home appliance controller.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the master device further emitting signals at different, third and fourth frequencies for communicating with the at least third and fourth RFID tags, respectively.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first, second, third and fourth RFID tags are passive tags and resonate in response to a select frequency signal from the master device and representative of low, medium, high and critical modes of operation for the associated home appliance.

9. A system for controlling an associated home appliance having a microcontroller for controlling operational aspects of the home appliance, the system comprising:

a master device adapted to receive data relating to energy cost and for emitting a signal indicative of same;

at least one RFID tag responsive to the signal from the master device and operatively associated with the microcontroller of the associated home appliance such that the microcontroller controls the operational mode of the associated home appliance in accordance with the RFID response to the signal from the master device.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the RFID tag is an active tag having a memory that is selectively altered in response to the signal from the master device.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a passive, second RFID tag operatively associated with the microcontroller.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising passive, third and fourth RFID tags operatively associated with the microcontroller.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the master device emits signals at different first, second, third and fourth frequencies and a respective one of the first, second, third and fourth RFID tags is responsive whereby the associated home appliance is actuated into one of low, medium, high and critical modes of operation.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the master device emits signals at different, first and second frequencies and the RFID tags are responsive to the first and second frequencies for indicating preferred first and second modes of operation, respectively, of the associated home appliance.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first and second modes of operation are different energy saving operational modes.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein multiple first and second RFID tags responsive to the first and second frequencies are operatively associated with respective microcontrollers of first and second associated home appliances such that the first frequency signal from the master device is received by each of the first RFID tags and the second frequency signal is received by each of the second RFID tags.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first and second microcontrollers each prompt a consumer to actuate the respective associated home appliance in one of first and second modes of operation.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first and second modes of operation are different energy saving operational states.