System and Method for the Multi-Dimensional Representation of Energy Control

• US 20130013124A1
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NantEnergy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Daniel J., Owen, James E., Mansfield, Carl, Elrod, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/296
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A multi-dimensional energy control system is provided with an energy management software application that organizes the consumption of energy by a device as an n-dimensional energy space, where n is an integer greater than 2, and each axis in the energy space represents an energy consumption characteristic. The energy management application generates instructions for a device in response to calculating a compromise operating point in the energy space. A user interface (UI) connected to the energy management application has a display to receive a graphical representation of the energy space and compromise operating point, and an input to receive user commands for moving the represented compromise operating point in the represented energy space. The energy management application calculates the compromise operating point in the energy space to match the displayed compromise operating point.

Claims

1. A multi-dimensional energy control system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an energy management application enabled as a sequence of software instructions stored in the memory and executed by the processor;

wherein the energy management application organizes the consumption of energy by a device as an n-dimensional energy space, where n is an integer greater than 2, and each axis in the energy space represents an energy consumption characteristic, and wherein the energy management application generates instructions for a device in response to calculating a compromise operating point in the energy space.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a user interface (UI) connected to the energy management application having a display to receive a graphical representation of the energy space and compromise operating point, and an input to receive user commands for moving the represented compromise operating point in the represented energy space; and

,

wherein the energy management application calculates the compromise operating point in the energy space to match the displayed compromise operating point.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display presents the energy space as a two-dimensional polygon with n vertices, where each vertex is associated with a corresponding energy consumption characteristic.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the energy management application organizes the consumption of energy by the device as a three-dimensional energy space;

and,

wherein the UI display represents the energy space as a triangle.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the UI display presents each triangle vertex as being associated with a color.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the compromise operating point is represented as a blend of the triangle vertices colors.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the UI display presents a default triangle with initial condition settings for each vertex, the UI further presenting a set of menu-driven prompts to accept user commands for modifying the initial condition settings;

wherein the energy management application modifies weighting of energy characteristics of a default initial condition energy space, creating a sub-energy space inside the default initial condition energy space; and

,

wherein the UI display, in response to sub-energy space, represents a user-customized triangle with each vertex located inside the default triangle.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the energy management application organizes the consumption of energy for a plurality of devices in a corresponding plurality of three-dimensional energy spaces;

and,

wherein the UI display represents each energy space with a corresponding triangle.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the energy management application energy consumption characteristics are selected from a group consisting of user comfort, user economy, ecology, community need, and device lifetime.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display represents the energy space as n selectively variable, but interdependent indicators, where a change in a first indicator causes a change in a second indicator.

11. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display represents the energy space as a two-dimensional polygon with n vertices, where each vertex is associated with a corresponding energy consumption characteristic, and wherein the UI display additional represents each vertex as a selectively variable, but interdependent indicator.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein the energy management application accepts inputs selected from a group consisting of time, time varying user preferences, external environmental conditions, device feedback, and energy costs, and modifies weighting of energy characteristics of the energy space;

and,

wherein the UI display represents a triangle where the relationship between vertices changes in response to modifications in the weighting of the energy space energy characteristics.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the energy management application maintains a constant compromise operating point in response to modifications in the weighting of the energy space energy characteristics;

and,

wherein the UI display represents a constant compromise operating point despite changes in the relationship between the triangle vertices.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the energy management application maintains a constant first energy space energy characteristic value despite modifications in the weighting of the energy space energy characteristics.

15. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display presents a sequence of menu-driven user prompts for defining components for each energy space energy characteristic, and the weighting of each defined component.

16. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display presents the energy space as a three-dimensional polygon with n vertices, where each vertex is associated with a corresponding energy consumption characteristic.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein the UI display presents the polygon in a perspective view with at least one representation of a curved line connecting two vertices.

18. A multi-dimensional energy control graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a display;

an energy management GUI application enabled as a sequence of software instructions stored in the memory and executed by the processor;

wherein the energy management GUI application presents device energy consumption on the display as a two-dimensional polygon representing an energy space of n interdependent energy characteristics, where n is an integer value greater than 2, and where each energy characteristic is associated with a corresponding vertex of the polygon.

19. The GUI of claim 18 wherein the energy management GUI application represents the device energy consumption on the display as a triangle, where the triangle vertices represent the energy characteristics of user comfort, user economy, and ecology.

20. A method for controlling a multi-dimensional energy control system, the method comprising:

an energy management application, enabled as a sequence of software instructions stored in a memory and executed by a processor, organizing energy consumption by a device as an energy space with n energy characteristic axes, where n is an integer greater than 2;

a display presenting a graphical representation of the energy space as a two-dimensional polygon, where each polygon vertex is associated with a corresponding energy space energy characteristic;

accepting user commands for moving a displayed compromise operating point inside the displayed polygon;

calculating a compromise operating point in the energy space matching the displayed compromise operating point; and

,

generating instructions for a device in response to calculating the energy space compromise operating point.