USE OF ONE LED TO REPRESENT VARIOUS UTILITY RATES AND SYSTEM STATUS BY VARYING FREQUENCY AND/OR DUTY CYCLE OF LED

• US 20110140906A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kobraei, Henry, Finch, Michael F., Besore, John K., Drake, Jeff Donald
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading

Abstract

A demand supply management system for an appliance receives information related to cost of energy use and communicates data to the associated appliance in response thereto. A single chip, light emitting diode (LED) device is preferably associated with a module or portion of the home appliance. The LED device conveys information relating to at least two of cost of energy use, signal strength, and module status. The LED device is preferably a single chip, single color solid-state LED device that is selectively actuated between “illuminated” and “non-illuminated” states, steady on, slow flash, fast flash, varying duration, intermittent “illuminated” and “non-illuminated”, etc. to convey information to the user.

Claims

1. A demand supply system for an associated appliance comprising:

a module adapted to receive information relating to cost of energy use and communicate data to the associated appliance in response thereto; and

a light source operatively associated with the module, the light source conveying information relating to at least two of cost of energy use, signal strength, and module status.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source is a single LED device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the LED device is a single chip.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein illuminated/non-illuminated states of the light source vary in response to different data received from the module.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the illuminated/non-illuminated states include

(a) a “

steady illuminated”

state,

(b) a “

slow flash”

state,

(c) a “

fast flash”

state;

or

(d) combinations of one or more of “

steady illuminated”

, “

slow flash”

, or “

fast flash”

states.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the module includes a controller that actuates the light source to emit light from a constant “

illuminated”

state to an intermittent “

illuminated”

state.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller actuates the light source to a periodic intermittent “

illuminated”

state.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the controller actuates the light source such that first time periods of the “

illuminated”

states of the light source are substantially equal to second time periods of the “

non-illuminated”

states of the light source.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source is mounted on an external surface of an associated appliance.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein a duration of the light source is varied to convey information.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the module cycles through a first mode indicative of cost of energy use, a second mode indicative of signal strength, and a third mode indicative of module status.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the module has a default mode for the light source.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the light source is capable of different “

illuminated”

/“

non-illuminated”

states in each of the modes.

14. A method of displaying system information relating to an associated appliance comprising:

providing a light emitting diode (LED) device for displaying information relating to cost of energy use, signal strength, and status; and

actuating the LED device in response to cost of energy use for operating the associated appliance.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the providing step includes using a single chip LED device for displaying the information relating to cost of energy use, signal strength, and status.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the actuating step includes periodically flashing the LED device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the flashing step includes altering a flash rate as the energy use cost changes.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising cycling between a first mode representative of cost of energy use, a second mode representative of signal strength, and a third mode representative of operating status.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the actuating step includes providing a “

steady illuminated”

state, providing a “

slow flash”

state, and providing a “

fast flash”

state in response to different levels of activity in the first, second, and third modes of operation.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising varying a duration of “

illuminated” and

“

non-illuminated”

states of the LED device.