ENERGY CONSUMPTION MEASUREMENT

• US 20100188262A1
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Clark, David George, Reymann, Steffen, Simons, Paul Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,378,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.20
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• 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 system for measuring energy consumption comprises a plurality of devices (DEi) of which at least a subset comprises a communication unit (CUi) for supplying operating status information (OSi) indicating an actual operating status with respect to an actual energy consumption of the associated one of the plurality of devices (DEi). A meter (EM) measures a total energy consumption (TEC) of the plurality of devices (DEi). A controller (CO) calculates an individual energy consumption (IEC) of a particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi) from a change of the total energy consumption (TEC) occurring at a change of the operating status of the particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi).

Claims

1. A system for measuring energy consumption, the system comprises:

a plurality of devices (DEi) of which at least a subset comprises a communication unit (CUi) for supplying operating status information (OSi) indicating an actual operating status with respect to an actual energy consumption of the associated one of the plurality of devices (DEi),

a meter (EM) for measuring a total energy consumption (TEC) of the plurality of devices (DEi), and

a controller (CO) for calculating an individual energy consumption (IEC) of a particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi) from a change of the total energy consumption (TEC) occurring at a change of the operating status of the particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi).

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit (CUi) is constructed for supplying an identifier (IDi) uniquely identifying the associated one of the plurality of devices (DEi).

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller (CO) is mechanically integrated with the meter (EM).

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a consumer apparatus (CA) being one of the plurality of the devices (DEi), and wherein the controller (CO) is mechanically integrated with the consumer apparatus (CA).

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the consumer apparatus (CA) comprises a display (DI) for displaying information based on the individual energy consumption (IEC).

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a consumer apparatus (CA), and the controller (CO) is an add on to a power plug (PP) of the consumer apparatus (CA).

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit (CUi) is constructed for wireless transmission of the operating status (OSi), and the controller (CO) is constructed for wireless reception of the operating status (OSi).

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the communication unit (CUi) is constructed for wireless transmission of the identifier (IDi), and the controller (CO) is constructed for wireless reception of the identifier (IDi).

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication unit (CUi) is constructed for transmission of the operating status (OSi) via the mains power lines (LPL) interconnecting the plurality of devices (DEi) and the controller (CO), and wherein the controller (CO) is constructed for reception of the operating status (OSi) via the mains power lines (LPL).

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller (CO) has a communication unit (CCU2) for communicating with a central unit (ECU) of an energy supplier.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy is electrical energy supplied by an AC mains voltage, and wherein at least one of the plurality of devices (DEi) comprises a AC mains plug comprising:

a voltage carrying pin (PIV) for receiving the AC mains voltage, and a return pin (PIR) for providing a return path for a current drawn by the one of the plurality of devices (DEi) via the voltage carrying pin (PIV), a current sensing circuitry comprising an annular ring (MR) of magnetic permeable material and surrounding the voltage carrying pin (PIV) or the return pin (PIR), and a coil (CC) wound around the ring (MR), to obtain the operating status information (OSi) providing a status change information indicating a change of energy consumed, and/or an indication of the energy consumed after the status change and/or an actual power consumption or an average power consumption of the device (DEi).

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller (CO) further comprises a user interface (UI) for receiving user input (UC), and wherein the controller (CO) is constructed for performing a setup phase wherein a user manually informs the controller (CO) about a change of the operating status (OSi) of a device (DEi) not having an unique identifier (ID), and the controller (CO) determines the individual energy consumption (IEC) of this device (DEi) from the change of total energy consumption (TEC) occurring in response to the change of the operating status (OSi).

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a energy generating device (DEi), wherein the total energy consumption (TEC) of the plurality of devices (DEi) also includes the generated energy, and wherein the controller (CO) for calculating the individual energy consumption (IEC) of a particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi) also calculates the energy generated by the energy generating device (DEi) the from the change of the total energy consumption (TEC) occurring at a change of an operating status of the energy generating device (DEi).

14. A controller (CO) for calculating an individual energy consumption (IEC) of a particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi) for use in the system as claimed in claim 1.

15. A method of measuring energy consumption in a system comprising:

a plurality of devices (DEi) comprising a communication unit (CUi) for supplying operating status information (OSi) indicating an actual operating status with respect to an actual energy consumption of the associated one of the plurality of devices (DEi), and

an electricity meter (EM) for measuring a total energy consumption (TEC) of the plurality of devices (DEi), the method comprising

calculating (CO) an individual energy consumption (IEC) of a particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi) from a change of the total energy consumption (TEC) occurring at a change of the operating status of the particular one of the plurality of devices (DEi).