SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICES

• US 20110016200A1
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Koch, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

A system for providing demand response services relative to a resource. Demand response information may be conveyed by a provider of the resource to demand-response logic. The logic may translate the demand response information into one of a pre-defined finite amount or number of demand response levels. These levels may be translated to device states, and in turn the device states may be translated to device commands. The translations may be based on rules designed to effect a resource usage scenario. The rules may be easily changed. The commands may be provided to devices at one or more facilities. The devices may control loads, which consume the resource, in accordance with the device commands. The devices may also provide information, such as conditions and resource consumption, relative to the facilities to the provider of the resource. The commands and information may be conveyed via local and wide communication networks.

Claims

1. A demand-response control system comprising:

a logic module for converting resource demand-response information into device commands for devices to control usage of a resource at a facility; and

a communications module for conveying the commands from the logic module to the devices; and

wherein;

the logic module comprises a demand-response information to a demand-response level translator which provides one or more demand-response levels; and

a demand-response level is one of a pre-defined finite set of demand-response levels.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic module further comprises:

a demand-response level to device state translator connected to the demand-response information to demand-response level translator; and

a device state to device command translator connected to the demand-response level to device state translator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein modifiable rules are a basis of the demand response information to the demand-response level translator, the demand-response level to device state translator, and/or the device state to device command translator.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein data of one or more devices of the facility are provided to the demand-response information to a demand-response level translator and/or to the demand-response level to device state translator.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein:

a user defined configuration is provided to the demand-response level to device state translator; and

a type specific device configuration is provided to the device state to device command translator.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the communications module comprises a communications management sub-module and/or a network communications infrastructure; and

one or more device communication configurations are provided to the communications management sub-module.

7. A method for demand-response services comprising:

providing demand-response information from a resource provider and/or facility device information to a demand-response logic module;

translating the demand-response information and/or facility device information into a finite number of demand-response levels;

translating the demand-response levels to device states; and

translating the device states to device commands for one or more devices of a facility; and

wherein;

the demand-response levels comprise a basis for usage of one or more resources; and

the one or more devices control usage of the one or more resources at the facility according to the device commands.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the demand-response levels comprise at least one of a normal level, a moderate level and a high level.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the demand-response levels are determined by a set of rules applied to the demand-response information and/or facility device information at the demand-response logic module.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the demand-response levels are translated to the device states according to a set of rules; and

the device states are translated to the device commands according to a set of rules; and

the sets of rules are designed for one or more scenarios for usage of the one or more resources.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising filtering the finite number of demand-response levels with a constraint demand-response level filter.

12. A system for providing demand response services comprising:

a demand-response logic module; and

wherein;

the demand-response logic module has an input for receiving demand-response information relative to a resource from a provider;

the demand-response logic module has an output for providing command signals to direct usage of the resource by a recipient; and

a basis of the command signals is a pre-defined finite number of demand-response levels.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the command signals are communicated to one or more devices of the recipient; and

the one or more devices control usage of the resource according to the command signals.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the demand-response logic module is for translating demand-response information into one of the pre-defined finite number of demand-response levels.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the resource is electricity.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

a demand-response level of the pre-defined finite number of demand-response levels is determined by a first set of rules applied to demand-response information and data about the devices;

the demand-response level is translated into a device state according to a second set of rules;

the device state is translated into one or more device commands according to a third set of rules; and

the rules are modifiable.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a user preferences module connected to the demand-response logic module; and

a device configurations module connected to the demand-response logic module.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a communications management module connected to the output of the demand-response logic module.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a recipient device data log module connected to the demand-response logic module and the communications management module.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a device communication configurations module connected to the communications management module.