APPLIANCE DEMAND RESPONSE RANDOMIZATION AFTER DEMAND RESPONSE EVENT

• US 20110148199A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Newton, William, Spicer, Lucas Bryant, Franks, Darin, Finch, Michael F., Besore, John K., Drake, Jeff Donald, Worthington, Timothy Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/41
• 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
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

An energy management system and method for one or more appliances includes a controller for managing power consumption within a household. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of one or more energy parameters of an associated energy supplying utility, including at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period. The controller is configured to at least one of communicate to, control and operate one or more appliances in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The one or more appliances operate in the normal operating mode during the off-peak demand period and operate in the energy savings mode during the peak demand period. The controller is configured to control the return of the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode after the peak demand period is over to prevent an energy surge for the associated energy supplying utility.

Claims

1. An energy management system and method for one or more appliances, comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption within a household, the controller being configured to receive and process a signal indicative of one or more energy parameters of an associated energy supplying utility, including at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period, the controller being configured to at least one of communicate to, control and operate one or more appliances in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal, wherein the one or more appliances operate in the normal operating mode during the off-peak demand period and operate in the energy savings mode during the peak demand period, wherein the controller is configured to control the return of the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode after the peak demand period is over to prevent an energy surge for the associated energy supplying utility.

2. The energy management system and method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to randomize the return of the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode.

3. The energy management system and method of claim 2, wherein each appliance of the one or more appliances includes a serial number, the randomization being based at least partially on the serial number of each appliance.

4. The energy management system and method of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to create a randomization timeframe for returning of the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode, the randomization timeframe being at least partially based on the last character of the serial number of each appliance.

5. The energy management system and method of claim 4, wherein the randomization timeframe is a fixed value of a predetermined number of minutes based on the serial number.

6. The energy management system and method of claim 4, wherein the randomization timeframe is from 0 to 9 minutes using the last character of the serial number.

7. The energy management system and method of claim 4, wherein the randomization timeframe is at least partially based on the last two characters of the serial number of each appliance.

8. The energy management system and method of claim 7, wherein the randomization timeframe is from 0 to 99 minutes using the last two characters of the serial number.

9. The energy management system and method of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the randomization timeframe by dividing the last two characters of the serial number by a predetermined integer and then rounding to the nearest whole number.

10. The energy management system and method of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to utilize the assigned characters of the serial number of each appliance and then prescribe a randomization timeframe for returning each appliance to the normal operating mode after the peak demand period is over.

11. The energy management system and method of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to alert a user of the timeframe for returning each appliance to the normal operating mode.

12. The energy management system and method of claim 1, wherein at least one appliance of the one or more appliances includes a refrigeration system having a setpoint temperature, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the setpoint temperature to an adjusted temperature in the energy savings mode, wherein the controller is configured to return to the setpoint temperature from the adjusted temperature over a predetermined timeframe.

13. The energy management system and method of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to incrementally adjust the temperature back to the setpoint temperature over the predetermined timeframe.

14. The energy management system and method of claim 13, wherein the incremental adjustment of the temperature is at least partially based on a serial number of the at least one appliance.

15. The energy management system and method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined timeframe is at least partially based on a serial number of the at least one appliance.

16. An energy management control method for one or more appliances, comprising:

determining a state for an associated energy supplying utility, the utility state being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period;

operating the one or more appliances in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

operating the one or more appliances in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period; and

randomizing the return of the one or more appliances to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over to prevent an energy surge for the associated energy supplying utility.

17. The energy management control method of claim 16, wherein the randomizing comprises utilizing at least one character of a serial number of each of the one or more appliances and prescribing a randomization timeframe associated with the at least one character for returning to the normal mode.

18. The energy management control method of claim 17, further including creating a randomization timeframe of a fixed number of minutes based upon any number of characters of the serial number.

19. The energy management control method of claim 18, further including creating a randomization timeframe from 0 to 9 minutes using the last character of the serial number.

20. The energy management control method of claim 18, further including creating a randomization timeframe from 0 to 99 minutes using the last two character of the serial number.

21. The energy management control method of claim 20, further including reducing the randomization timeframe by dividing the last two characters of the serial number by a predetermined integer and then rounding to the nearest whole number.

22. An energy management system and method for one or more appliances, comprising:

a controller for managing power consumption within a household, the controller being configured to receive and process an energy signal, the signal having a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller at least one of communicating to, controlling and operating one or more appliances in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the received signal being in the first and second states respectively, wherein the controller is configured to control the return the one or more appliances to the normal operating mode to prevent an energy surge for the associated energy supplying utility by utilizing at least one character of a serial number of each of the one or more appliances and prescribing a randomization timeframe associated with the at least one character for returning to the normal mode.

23. The energy management system and method of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to utilize the assigned characters of the serial number of each appliance and then mathematically develop the randomization timeframe for returning each appliance to the normal operating mode after the peak demand period is over.

24. The energy management system and method of claim 22, wherein the randomization timeframe is from 0 to 9 minutes using the last character of the serial number.

25. The energy management system and method of claim 22, wherein the randomization timeframe is from 0 to 99 minutes using the last two characters of the serial number.