Operationalizing a power usage monitoring system

• US 20100256828A1
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: People Power Co.
• Original Assignee: People Power Co.
• Inventors: Wang, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0005 the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2834 Switching of information between an external network and a home network access arrangements H04L12/2856
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• 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 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A monitoring system capable of being operationalized. Power consumption is electrical devices is monitored by the use of new and innovative consumption power monitoring device in accordance with the present invention. Power consumption information is collected by an intelligent power hub that is communicatively coupled to a remote server that presents overall power usage displays. A method of operationalizing a power usage monitoring system comprises powering up an energy pump device when the energy pump device is plugged into a first power socket, setting the energy pump device automatically to a SET mode to acquire new monitoring devices, and discovering the presence of a power consumption monitoring device.

Claims

1. A method of operationalizing a power usage monitoring system, the method comprising:

powering a power hub when the power hub is electrically coupled to a power socket associated with a powerline in a premises;

scanning, by the power hub to determine an actual list of active power usage monitoring devices available in the premises, wherein the actual list of active power usage monitoring devices are communicatively coupled to the power hub when they are powered up;

registering, the actual list of power usage monitoring devices available in the premises with a remote server communicatively coupled to the power hub; and

reporting power usage information collected by the power usage monitoring devices to the remote server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein scanning comprises:

noting, an initial list of power usage monitoring devices that are encountered prior to the powering of any of an actual set of power usage monitoring devices associated with the user;

determining a reported set of power usage monitoring devices as they are powered up; and

eliminating the initial list of power usage monitoring devices from the reported set of power usage monitoring devices thereby creating the actual list of power usage monitoring devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining comprises:

capturing a GID from each of the reported set of power usage monitoring devices as those devices are powered up; and

storing the captured GID from each of the reported set of power usage monitoring devices in a nonvolatile memory associated with the power hub.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein capturing comprises:

broadcasting, by each of the reported set of power usage monitoring devices, a device code indicating that it is a new device;

handshaking, by each of the reported set of power usage monitoring devices, with the power hub; and

becoming operational to push watt hours data to the remote server, by each of the reported set of power usage monitoring devices.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein reporting comprises:

setting the state of the power hub to a SET mode initially;

changing the state of the power hub to a RUN mode either automatically or upon user action; and

communicating, by the power hub, the power usage information for each of the actual list of power usage monitoring devices to the remote server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, by the power hub, the actual list of power usage monitoring devices and their associated power consumption information; and

scrolling the display, by the power hub, upon user scroll action.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

switching mode, by the power hub, from a RUN mode to a SET mode when the user activates a mode change;

recognizing the presence and availability of additional monitoring devices by the power hub; and

incorporating the additional monitoring devices by the power hub to create an updated actual list of power monitoring devices, by the power hub.

8. A monitoring system with a monitoring device that can be operationalized, the monitoring system comprising:

an intelligent power hub communicatively coupled the monitoring device and to a remote server; and

the monitoring device capable of measuring energy consumed by an appliance within a premises, the monitoring device comprising;

a processing circuitry;

a non-volatile memory;

a unique identification programmed into the nonvolatile memory that is human readable when displayed or printed;

the monitoring device measuring the energy consumed by the appliance that the monitoring device is electrically coupled to; and

the monitoring device communicating the energy consumed to a power hub along with the unique identification.

9. The monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the unique identification is a green identification (GID) that is at least unique within the premises.

10. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the GID is displayed on a sticker affixed to one side of the monitoring device.

11. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein a 2D machine readable barcode containing the GID is displayed on a surface of the monitoring device.

12. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the GID comprises a checksum that enables validation, the monitoring device further comprising:

a registration module in the intelligent power hub that registers the GID and associates it with the monitoring device;

the intelligent power hub validating the GID when a user enters a GID during a manual registration operation employing the intelligent power hub; and

the intelligent power hub validating the GID of the monitoring device when the monitoring device communicates a power usage data associated with the appliance.

13. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein a firmware version is associated with the monitoring device and wherein a range of GID numbers, assigned to a device type and a manufacturer identification, is mapped to the firmware version.

14. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the monitoring device further comprises:

a plastic based housing that houses the monitoring device; and

a pair of electrical sockets labeled A and B on a plastic based housing.

15. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the monitoring device further comprises:

a plastic based housing that houses the monitoring device; and

wherein the monitoring device is an energy efficient power usage monitoring power strip with sockets labeled A, B, C, D, E, F on the plastic based housing, the sockets disposed on one side of the energy efficient power usage monitoring power strip.

16. The monitoring system of claim 9 wherein the intelligent power hub comprises:

a second processing circuitry;

a display circuitry for displaying a list comprising the monitoring device identification; and

a navigation and selection buttons comprising at least the buttons from the group of buttons;

Up, Down, Left, Right and Enter.

17. A method of operationalizing a power usage monitoring system, the method comprising:

powering up an energy pump device when the energy pump device is plugged into a first power socket, wherein the first power socket is electrically coupled to a powerline in a premises and wherein the energy pump device is supplied electrical power from the powerline via the first power socket;

setting the energy pump device automatically to a SET mode to acquire new monitoring devices when the energy pump device is initially supplied electrical power from the powerline;

discovering the presence of a power consumption monitoring device when the power consumption monitoring device is plugged in to the powerline via a second power socket, after the energy pump device is plugged into the first power socket;

capturing, by the energy pump device, a GID from the power consumption monitoring device; and

storing, by the energy pump device, the captured GID in a local non-volatile memory available in the energy pump device.

18. The method of operationalizing from claim 17 wherein the power consumption monitoring device is capable of monitoring power consumption by a plurality of appliances electrically coupled to the power consumption monitoring device, the method further comprising:

displaying a list of the plurality of appliances on a display module provided by the energy pump device; and

showing the power usage computation for the plurality of appliances on the display module.

19. The method of operationalizing from claim 18, the method further comprising:

searching automatically, by the energy pump device, for a WiFi connection to communicate over Internet;

connecting automatically with a selected WiFi access point based on signal strength and optional security parameters; and

uploading the captured GID, the power usage computation for the plurality of appliances and related data to a remote server for processing and web display.

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

registering, by the remote server, a user employing the user'"'"'s email address, a password and a supplied GID;

associating, by the remote server, the user with the energy pump device, the captured GID, the power usage computation for the plurality of appliances and related data;

computing, by the remote server, a user'"'"'s tariff plan and a user'"'"'s current daily energy consumption baseline; and

presenting, by the remote server, an energy saved data, a money saved data and a energy efficiency model to the user, at least partially based on the user'"'"'s tariff plan and the user'"'"'s current daily energy consumption baseline.