APPLIANCE HAVING A USER GRACE PERIOD FOR REINITIATING OPERATING WHEN IN DEMAND RESPONSE ENERGY MODE

• US 20110148390A1
• 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: Weber, Jeffrey S., Gawron, Gregory F., Burt, Ashley Wayne, Finch, Michael F., Johnson, Mark Davis
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/318
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0266 Cooktops
• 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

An energy consuming device comprises a power consuming feature/function and a controller operatively connected to the power consuming feature/function. The controller is configured to operate the device including the power consuming feature/function in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode during an associated off-peak demand period of an associated energy supplying utility and an energy savings mode during an associated peak demand period of the associated energy supplying utility. The controller is configured to provide a user a grace period during the associated peak demand period to allow the user to change the operating mode of the power consuming feature/function from the energy savings mode to another operating mode including the normal operating mode thereby allowing additional use of the power consuming feature/function during the associated peak demand period.

Claims

1. An energy consuming device comprising:

a power consuming feature/function;

a controller operatively connected to the power consuming feature/function, the controller being configured to operate the device including the power consuming feature/function in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode during an associated off-peak demand period of an associated energy supplying utility and an energy savings mode during an associated peak demand period of the associated energy supplying utility,

wherein the controller is configured to provide a user a grace period during the associated peak demand period to allow the user to change the operating mode of the power consuming feature/function from the energy savings mode to another operating mode including the normal operating mode thereby allowing additional use of the power consuming feature/function during the associated peak demand period.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein to controller is configured to allow the power consuming feature/function to maintain its current consumption but not increase its current consumption in the energy savings mode, wherein if the user takes an initial action to decrease the current consumption during the energy savings mode the grace period allows the user to take a second action to increase the current consumption back to the amount of current consumption prior to the initial action.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second power consuming feature/function operatively connected to the controller, the controller being configured to operate the second power consuming feature/function in a normal operating mode during the associated off-peak demand period and an energy savings mode during the associated peak demand period, wherein the controller is configured to prevent the user from changing the operating mode of the second power consuming feature/function during the associated peak demand period.

4. The device of claim 1, further including a user interface operatively associated with the controller, the user interface including a user control associated with the power consuming feature/function, the user control having a first mode for controlling the operation of the power consuming feature/function and a second mode for selectively changing the operating mode of the power consuming feature/function.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the length of the grace period is adjustable by the user.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the length of the grace period is variable, the length being at least partially based on operation of the power consuming feature/function prior to the device switching to the energy savings mode.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to limit the available operating modes of the power consuming feature/function that the power consuming feature/function can switch to in the energy savings mode.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the operating mode that the power consuming feature/function can switch to during the associated peak demand period is limited to the inverse of the operation of the power consuming feature/function in the energy savings mode.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a cooking appliance and the power consuming feature/function is a cooking surface having individual surface heating elements, the controller being configured to at least partially disable one of the surface heating elements in the energy savings mode, wherein if that surface heating element to be disabled is activated as the cooking appliance switches to the energy savings mode and the user then deactivates that surface heating element, the controller is configured to allow the user to reactivate that surface heating element during the grace period and then continue full use of that surface heating element in the energy saving mode.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein each individual surface heating element has a maximum setpoint temperature in the normal operating mode, the controller being configured to reduce the setpoint temperature of an activated surface heating element in the energy savings mode, wherein the controller is configured to allow the user to increase the setpoint temperature of that activated surface heating element during the grace period and then continue full use of that surface heating element in the energy saving mode.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to reduce power of an activated surface heating element by selectively adjusting a duty cycle of the activated heating element in the energy savings mode, wherein the controller is configured to allow the user to increase the power of that activated surface heating element during the grace period and then continue full use of that surface heating element in the energy saving mode.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a cooking appliance and the first power consuming feature/function is a cooking cavity having a cavity heating element, the controller being configured to at least partially disable the cavity heating elements in the energy savings mode, wherein if the cavity heating element is activated as the cooking appliance switches to the energy savings mode and the user then deactivates the cavity heating element, the controller is configured to allow the user to reactivate the cavity heating element during the grace period and then continue full use of the cavity heating element in the energy saving mode.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein if the cavity heating element is activated as the cooking appliance switches to the energy savings mode the controller is configured to reduce power of the cavity heating element in the energy savings mode, wherein the controller is configured to allow the user to increase the power of the cavity heating element during the grace period and then continue full use of the cavity heating element in the energy saving mode.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is an exhaust device for a cooking appliance and the first power consuming feature/function is a light source and an exhaust fan, the controller being configured to disable or reduce the intensity of the light source and disable or reduce the speed of the exhaust fan in the energy savings mode, wherein the controller is configured to allow the user to reactivate or increase the intensity of the light source and reactivate or increase the speed of the fan during the grace period and then continue full use of the light source and exhaust fan in the energy saving mode.

15. An appliance comprising:

a power consuming feature/function; and

a controller operatively connected to the power consuming feature/function, the controller being configured to receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an associated utility, the controller operating the appliance in at least one of a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal, the controller being configured to at least one of selectively adjust and disable the power consuming feature/function to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode,

wherein if the power consuming feature/function is activated and the appliance switches from the normal operating mode to the energy savings mode and a user then disables the power consuming feature/function, the controller is configured to provide a period of time for the user to reactive the power consuming feature/function and continue normal operation of the power consuming feature/function in the energy savings mode, or

wherein if the power consuming feature/function is activated and the appliance switches from the normal operating mode to the energy savings mode and the power consuming feature/function is adjusted to reduce power consumption, the controller is configured to provide a period of time for the user to override the adjustment and continue normal operation of the power consuming feature/function in the energy savings mode.

16. The appliance of claim 15, further comprising a user interface operatively associated with the controller, the user interface including a user control having a first mode for controlling the operation of the power consuming feature/function and a second mode for selecting the operating mode of the first power consuming feature/function.

17. The appliance of claim 15, wherein the period of time is adjustable by the user.

18. The appliance of claim 15, wherein the period of time is variable and is at least partially based on operation of the power consuming feature/function prior to the appliance switching to the energy savings mode.

19. An appliance control method, 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 appliance in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

operating the appliance in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period;

at least one of selectively adjusting and disabling any number of one or more power consuming features/functions of the appliance to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode;

providing a grace period in the energy savings mode to allow a user to continue operation of at least one power consuming feature/function in the normal mode; and

returning to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over.

20. The appliance control method of claim 19, further including alerting a user of a peak demand period.

21. An appliance comprising:

one or more power consuming features/functions; and

a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions, the controller being configured to receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an associated utility, including at least one of a critical state and high demand state, the controller operating the appliance 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 controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and disable at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode during the critical state or high demand state,

wherein prior to the at least one power consuming feature/function being at least one of selectively adjusted and disabled in the energy savings mode, the controller provides a finite period of time for a user to select to continue operation of the at least one power consuming feature/function in its current operating mode.