RESOURCE METERING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING SUCH A SYSTEM FOR SMART ENERGY CONSUMPTION

• US 20130297087A1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Koster, Robert Paul, Kursawe, Klaus, Bruekers, Alphons Antonius Maria Lambertus, Gorissen, Paulus Mathias Hubertus Mechtildis anton, Buhan, Ileana, Lenoir, Petrus Johannes, Keoh, Sye Loong
• Granted Patent: US 10,545,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

The resource metering system comprises: an end-point device (25) consuming a resource, in particular for usage in a building (2) or in an outdoor lighting system, said device comprising a detection unit that produces status information and an indicator of usefulness; a smart meter (20) comprising: a communication circuitry provided with an interface adapted for receiving from said device status information and said indicator of usefulness; a metrology device connected to a medium (17) that provides the resource to said device; and a control circuitry connected to the metrology device for collecting resource consumption data, the control circuitry being connected to the communication circuitry and adapted to produce monitoring data to be securely transmitted to a server (10) after processing the status information and said indicator. Monitoring data are used when determining consumption tariffs, so as to encourage energy efficient usage of the device.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting to a server monitoring data concerning usage by a consumer of at least one end-point device consuming at least one resource, the method comprising the steps of:

associating said end-point device to a smart meter by interfacing said end-point device with a communication circuitry of the smart meter;

collecting by the smart meter resource consumption data representative of the resource consumed by said end-point device;

collecting status information and at least one indicator of usefulness from said end-point device by the smart meter, said indicator of usefulness being distinct from resource consumption data;

processing both the status information and said indicator of usefulness to produce the said monitoring data; and

transmitting, by said smart meter, the resource consumption data and the monitoring data to the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring data in the step of transmitting the monitoring data to the server by said smart meter, represents data about usefulness of the consumed resource for said end-point device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said indicator of usefulness of said end-point device and the corresponding information status are processed by the smart meter to determine if said end-point device is used in an resource saving manner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein resource consumption rate characteristics and time information about said end-point device are used for estimation of resource consumption related to said end-point device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a higher priority is associated to at least one end-point device and a lower priority is associated to another end-point device, a control signal from the server 44) being received by the smart meter and converted into at least one of:

a resource consumption reduction recommendation, and

a resource consumption reduction command,

for reducing resource consumption of the end-point device having the lower priority.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a hierarchy between the priorities is dependent on the monitoring data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein status information and said indicator of usefulness are transmitted to the communication circuitry of the smart meter by a communication module of the end-point device, the signals transmitted between the communication module and the communication circuitry containing identification information, so as to ensure correct billing to the right user.

12. The method of claim 1, further using said indicator of usefulness to determine that a resource is consumed in excess for said end-point device.

13. The method of claim 12, including notifying the consumer, by an interface of one of the smart meter -(204 and said end-point device, of an amount of resource consumed in excess.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the consumer is notified said amount of resource consumed in excess in association with a date and a time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a report session is started between said end-point device and the smart meter after transmission by said end-point device to the smart meter of data reflecting a capability to report usefulness.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said end-point device starts to be powered when a response from the server in reply to a request from the smart meter is received by the smart meter, said request being automatically transmitted after a command input of a user on an interface of said end-point device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein end-point devices associated to different consumers are respectively interfaced with said communication circuitry of the smart meter, distinct identification information being used for the different consumers for communication with the smart meter, whereby the server associates only one of said consumers to the monitoring data related to one given end-point device of said end-point devices.

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

18. A resource metering system adapted for communication with a server, comprising:

a smart meter;

at least end-point device consuming a resource;

said end-point device comprising;

a detection unit adapted to produce data about the end-point device, said data including status information and an indicator of usefulness; and

a communication module for transmitting to said smart meter data produced by the detection unit;

the smart meter comprising;

a communication circuitry comprising a first interface for interfacing with a server and a second interface for interfacing with said end-point device, the second interface being adapted for receiving from said end-point device status information and at least one indicator of usefulness of said end-point device, the first interface being adapted for transmitting data to a server;

a metrology device connected to a medium that provides the resource to said end-point device; and

a control circuitry connected to the metrology device -030 for collecting resource consumption data representative of the amount of resource consumed by said end-point device, the control circuitry being connected to the communication circuitry and adapted to produce monitoring data to be transmitted to the server after processing the status information and said indicator of usefulness.

19. (canceled)

20. An electrically powered lamp adapted for communication with a smart meter, the lamp comprising:

at least one light source for outputting light;

a detection unit that comprises a sensor for measuring physical data representative of usefulness of light output by the lamp and a module for generating status information about the lamp and an indicator of usefulness based on the measured physical data;

a communication module adapted to transmit to said smart meter said status information and said indicator, so that the smart meter sends monitoring data obtained after processing the status information and said indicator of usefulness together with the resource consumption data to a server for billing purposes.