METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING POWER CONSUMPTION USING GEOLOCATION INFORMATION

• US 20110153525A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Beck, Patricica S., Benco, David S.
• Application Number:
  US12/642,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153525A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00018 using phone lines
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units

Abstract

A method of controlling power consumption comprising defining a boundary region surrounding a power-consuming structure and obtaining geolocations for one or more mobile terminals over a telecommunications network. The method also comprises determining whether or not the one or more mobile terminals are located inside or outside of said boundary region and changing a power mode of the power-consuming structure. The power mode is changed to a low-power consumption mode when the geolocations of each of the mobile terminals are outside of the boundary region. Or, the power mode is changed to a high-power consumption mode when the geolocation of at least one of the mobile terminals is inside the boundary region.

Claims

1. A method of controlling power consumption, comprising:

defining a boundary region surrounding a power-consuming structure;

obtaining geolocations for one or more mobile terminals over a telecommunications network;

determining whether or not said one or more mobile terminals are located inside or outside of said boundary region;

changing a power mode of said power-consuming structure to;

a low-power consumption mode when said geolocations of each of said mobile terminals are outside of said boundary region, or,

a high-power consumption mode when said geolocation of at least one of said mobile terminals is inside said boundary region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said boundary region includes defining an irregularly-shaped region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining said boundary region includes defining an exit boundary region and defining an entry boundary region, and, wherein said power mode of said power-consuming structure is changed to said low-power consumption mode when each of said mobile terminals moves from inside said exit boundary region to outside of said exit boundary region, and, said power-consuming structure is changed to said high-power consumption mode when at least one of said mobile terminals move from outside of said entry boundary region to inside of said entry boundary region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said exit boundary region is smaller in area than said entry boundary region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said geolocation information includes polling each one of said mobile terminals to transmit location information over said wireless telecommunication network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said geolocation information includes each one of said mobile terminals transmitting location information over said wireless telecommunication network whenever one of said mobile terminals changes from one defined geographic cell location to another geographic cell location of said wireless telecommunication network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said geolocation information includes periodically transmitting location information over said wireless telecommunication network information from each of said mobile terminals after a defined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining further includes:

calculating distances between each of said geolocations of said mobile terminals and a geolocation of said power-consuming structure; and

comparing said calculated distances to a boundary radius for a circularly-shaped boundary region, wherein;

said power-consuming structure is changed to said low-power consumption mode when each of said calculated distances are equal to or greater than said boundary radius, or

said power-consuming structure is changed to said high-power consumption mode when at least one of said calculated distances are less than said boundary radius.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein changing said power mode includes communicating a signal to a thermostat controlling a HVAC system of said power-consuming structure to initiate one of two set-points associated with one of said low-power consumption mode or said high-power consumption mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said predefined set-points are also entries in a time-based power temperature management program of said thermostat.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, changing said power mode includes communicating a signal to a power-management device configured to regulate power used by said power-consuming structure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said power-management device is programmed with predefined set-points associated with said high-power consumption mode and said low-power consumption mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said power-management device performs power regulation of said power-consuming structure according to a smart-metering program controlled by a power utility provider.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said smart-metering program calculates a billing plan for said power-consuming structure, based upon said power regulation.

20. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the method steps of claim 1.

15. A system for controlling power consumption, comprising:

a geolocation server, said geolocation server configured to;

store a virtual representation of a boundary region surrounding a power-consuming structure,

receive geolocation information from one or more mobile terminals, and

determine whether or not said one or more mobile terminals are located inside or outside of said boundary region;

a power-adjusting device in communication with said geolocation server, and, configured to change a power mode of said power-consuming structure to;

a low-power consumption mode when said geolocations of each of said mobile terminals are outside of said boundary region, or,

a high-power consumption mode when said geolocation of at least one of said mobile terminals is inside said boundary region.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said boundary region includes an exit boundary region and an entry boundary region, and, wherein:

said power-adjusting device is configured to change said power-consuming structure to said low-power consumption mode when each of said mobile terminals have moved from inside said exit boundary region to outside of said exit boundary region, and

said power-adjusting device is configured to change said power-consuming structure to said high-power consumption mode when at least one of said mobile terminals has moved from outside of said entry boundary region to inside of said entry boundary region.

17. The system of claim 15, further including a telecommunications network configured to carry communications between said one or more mobile terminals and said geolocation server.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said geolocation server is configured to communicate with a utility provider server, wherein communication between said geolocation server and said utility provider server includes:

instructions from said utility provider server to adopt a power management protocol defined by a utility provider, and

information sent from said geolocation server, said information including changes in said power mode of said power consuming structure.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said geolocation server is configured to communicate with a user-controlled computer, said geolocation server including:

a power management protocol downloadable from said geolocation server to said user-controlled computer, or

a user-defined power management protocol uploaded from said user-controlled computer to said geolocation server.