PROCESS FOR MANAGING AND CURTAILING POWER DEMAND OF APPLIANCES AND COMPONENTS THEREOF, AND SYSTEM USING SUCH PROCESS

• US 20100262311A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Arione, Ettore, Petrigliano, Rocco, Santinato, Matteo, Santacatterina, Gianpiero
• Application Number:
  US12/821,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A system and process for managing power demand of appliances. The process includes forecasting for each of the appliances a future energy consumption profile corresponding to its setting, summing the future energy consumption profiles, determining if the sum indicates one or more peaks in power demand, and providing a new energy consumption profile to one or more of the appliances to level the total power consumed by the appliances in the future.

Claims

1. A process for managing power demand of appliances, the process comprising:

forecasting for each of the appliances a future energy consumption profile corresponding to its setting;

summing the future energy consumption profiles;

determining if the sum indicates one or more peaks in power demand; and

providing a new energy consumption profile to one or more of the appliances to level the total power consumed by the appliances in the future.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the appliances are controlled through on-off switching and wherein the appliances are synchronized for organizing the on-off switching of the appliances or components in the appliances in order to limit peaks of power demand in the future.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein each on-off switching is based on a duty cycle and wherein a synchronizer puts in a sequence all the different duty cycles starting with the duty cycle having a load with the highest power level, then organizes them inside a selected period of control, each duty cycle being placed in a precise position inside the period of control avoiding unnecessary simultaneous activation of loads in the future.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the new energy consumption profiles is based on a delayed switching on of one of the appliances or components thereof.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein on the basis of the new leveled energy consumption profiles provided to the one or more appliances, a signal is provided to a control unit, which supervises more appliances on a main and where the signal is used by the control unit to have a forecast for future total energy consumption on the main.

6. A system for managing and curtailing power demand of appliances, each appliance having a user interface connected to a control unit for setting working parameters of the appliance, wherein the control unit is adapted to forecast, for each appliance, a future energy consumption profile corresponding to its setting, the control unit being adapted to sum the future energy consumption profiles and determine if the sum indicates one or more peaks in power demand and to provide a new energy consumption profile to level or reduce the total power absorbed by the appliances in the future.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the appliances are controlled through on-off switching and the system further comprises a control circuit adapted to synchronize the appliances for organizing the on-off switching of the appliances in order to limit peaks of power demand in the future.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein each on-off switching is based on a duty cycle and wherein to synchronize the appliances the control circuit puts all the different duty cycles in a sequence starting from the one related to a load with a highest power level, and the control circuit is adapted to organize them inside a selected period of control, each duty cycle being placed in a precise position inside the period of control to avoid unnecessary simultaneous activation of loads.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide one or more new energy consumption profiles based on a delayed switching on of one of the appliances or components thereof.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the control unit is adapted to provide, on the basis of the new leveled energy consumption profiles provided to the one or more appliances, a signal and such signal is adapted to be used by a control unit supervising more appliances on a main in order to have a forecast for future total energy consumption on the mains.