ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION CONTROL

• US 20100204849A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steffes Corporation
• Original Assignee: Steffes Corporation
• Inventors: Steffes, Paul J., Steffes, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/296
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy

Abstract

An electrical appliance configured to receive power and a power consumption signal from an electrical power distribution system comprises an energy storage device and a controller. The energy storage device includes a heat storage medium and a heater. The heater is configured to heat the heat storage medium at a heating rate. The controller adjusts the heating rate based on the power consumption signal.

Claims

1. An electrical appliance configured to receive power and a power consumption signal from an electrical power distribution system, the appliance comprising:

an energy storage device comprising;

a heat storage medium; and

a heater configured to heat the heat storage medium at a heating rate; and

a controller that adjusts the heating rate based on the power consumption signal.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the heating rate is dependent on a power supply signal to the heater; and

the controller adjusts a duty cycle of the power supply signal based on the power consumption signal.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the heater comprises two or more heating elements; and

the controller selectively activates or deactivates a subset of the two or more heating elements based on the power consumption signal.

4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the energy storage device comprises a remaining energy storage capacity; and

the controller produces an output signal indicative of the remaining energy storage capacity.

5. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the energy storage device comprises a target temperature indicative of a desired temperature of the medium and a temperature sensor having a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the medium; and

the controller adjusts the heating rate responsive to the target temperature, the temperature signal and the power consumption signal.

6. The appliance of claim 1, wherein:

the power consumption signal indicates a value within a predefined range of values; and

the controller adjusts the heating rate responsive to the value.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts the heating rate to one of a plurality of preset heating rates responsive to the power consumption signal.

8. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the heat storage medium comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a solid material, a ceramic brick, a liquid and water.

9. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the energy storage device is selected from the group consisting of a water heater and a space heater.

10. A power control system configured to receive power and a power consumption signal from an electrical power distribution system, the system comprising:

a plurality of electrical appliances each comprising an energy storage device comprising;

a heat storage medium;

a heater configured to heat the heat storage medium at a heating rate; and

a temperature sensor that produces a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the heat storage medium; and

a controller that sets the heating rate of each energy storage device based on the power consumption signal and the temperature signal corresponding to the device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein:

each of the plurality of energy storage devices comprises a target temperature indicative of a desired temperature for the medium; and

the controller sets each of the heating rates based on the target temperature corresponding to the device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

each energy storage device has a heat deficit that is based on a difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the heat storage medium; and

the controller sets higher heating rates for the energy storage devices having higher heat deficits than the heating rates of the energy storage devices having lower heat deficits.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the heating rate of each of the energy storage devices is dependent on a power supply signal to the heater; and

the controller sets a duty cycle of the power supply signal to each of the energy storage devices based on the power consumption signal and the temperature signal corresponding to the device.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the heaters comprise two or more heating elements; and

a subset of the two or more heating elements of each heater are activated or deactivated based on the power consumption signal and the temperature signal corresponding to the device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller sets higher heating rates for the energy storage devices having lower temperature heat storage mediums than the heating rates of the energy storage devices having higher temperature heat storage mediums.

17. A method of controlling the consumption of power from an electrical power distribution system by one or more energy storage devices, the method comprising:

providing one or more energy storage devices each comprising;

a heat storage medium; and

a heater configured to heat the heat storage medium at a heating rate;

providing a controller;

receiving a power consumption signal from the electrical power distribution system, using the controller; and

adjusting the heating rate for each of the one or more energy storage devices based on the power consumption signal, using the controller.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the method comprises sensing a temperature of the heat storage medium of each of the one or more energy storage devices;

receiving a target temperature for each of the one or more energy storage devices, which is indicative of a desired temperature of the heat storage medium; and

adjusting the heating rate for each of the one or more energy storage devices is further based on the sensed temperature and the target temperature of the corresponding heat storage medium.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

providing one or more energy storage devices comprises providing a plurality of the energy storage devices;

calculating a heat deficit for each of the one or more energy storage devices comprising calculating a difference between the sensed temperature and the target temperature for the heat storage medium; and

adjusting the heating rate comprises adjusting the heating rates of the plurality of energy storage devices based on the calculated heat deficits.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting the heating rate for each of the one or more energy storage devices comprises one of:

adjusting a duty cycle of a power supply signal to the heaters of the one or more energy storage devices; and

selectively activating or deactivating one or more heating elements of the heaters of the one or more energy storage devices.