UNIVERSAL ENERGY INTERNET OF THINGS APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20140292533A1
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MelRok, LLC
• Original Assignee: Expanergy, LLC
• Inventors: Kamel, Michel Roger, Donahue, Paul W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/32 comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 50/00 Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/34 Smart metering supporting the carbon neutral operation of end-user applications in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 : Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 : Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/18 : using switches, relays or circuit breakers, e.g. intelligent electronic devices [IED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 : State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 : Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/128 : involving the use of Internet protocol

Abstract

A system to aggregate, filter, and share energy data for analysis receives first data associated with a first electrical circuit where the first data has a first protocol. The system samples the first data at a first sampling rate to generate first digital data where the first sampling rate is substantially continuous. Further, the system transmits at a reporting rate that is decoupled from the first sampling rate at least the first digital data over a network having a third protocol that is different from the first protocol. The network can be accessed by wired or wireless access and includes one or more servers in cloud configuration.

Claims

1. A method to aggregate, filter, and share energy data for analysis, the method comprising:

receiving first data associated with a first electrical circuit, the first data having a first protocol;

sampling the first data at a first sampling rate to generate first digital data, wherein the first sampling rate is substantially continuous; and

transmitting reporting digital data over a network having a network protocol different from the first protocol, the reporting digital data comprising at least the first digital data, wherein the reporting digital data is transmitted at a reporting rate that is decoupled from the first sampling rate.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving second data associated with a second electrical circuit, the second data having a second protocol different from the first protocol; and

sampling the second data at a second sampling rate to generate second digital data, wherein the second sampling rate is substantially continuous;

wherein the network protocol is different from the first protocol and the second protocol, wherein the reporting digital data comprises at least one of the first digital data and the second digital data, and wherein the reporting digital data is transmitted at the reporting rate that is decoupled from the first sampling rate and the second sampling rate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the reporting rate is substantially continuous.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

validating the first digital data and the second digital data to remove erroneous data points and to provide validated data;

removing redundant data points from the validated data to provide reduced data; and

transmitting messages based at least in part on the reduced data over the network.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising analyzing the first data and the second data and transmitting messages comprising control signals for load control of at least one of the first and the second electrical circuits based on the analysis of the first data and the second data.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving control signals for load control of at least one of the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the network comprises the Internet, wherein the network is accessed by one or more of wired access and wireless access.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network comprises one or more servers in a cloud configuration.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising storing at least one of the first digital data, the second digital data, and the reporting digital data until confirmation that the third digital data is successfully transmitted over the network.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the first electrical signal comprises receiving at least one of amplitude, phase, voltage, current, fundamental energy component, harmonic energy components, intermodulation energy components, and transient energy components associated with the first electrical signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first sampling rate is between approximately once every 15 minutes to approximately 1 MHz.

12. An apparatus to aggregate, filter, and share energy data for analysis, the apparatus comprising:

a first input configured to receive first data associated with a first electrical circuit, the first data having a first protocol;

first circuitry configured to sample the first data at a first sampling rate to generate first digital data, wherein the first sampling rate is substantially continuous; and

a communication port configured to transmit reporting digital data over a network having a network protocol different from the first protocol, the reporting digital data comprising at least the first digital data, wherein the reporting digital data is transmitted at a reporting rate that is decoupled from the first sampling rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a second input configured to receive second data associated with a second electrical circuit, the second data having a second protocol different from the first protocol; and

second circuitry configured to sample the second data at a second sampling rate to generate second digital data, wherein the second sampling rate is substantially continuous;

wherein the communication port is further configured to transmit the reporting digital data over the network having the network protocol different from the first protocol and the second protocol, the reporting digital data comprising at least one of the first digital data and the second digital data, and wherein the reporting digital data is transmitted at the reporting rate that is decoupled from the first sampling rate and the second sampling rate.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the reporting rate is substantially continuous.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

computer hardware configured to validate the first digital data and the second digital data to remove erroneous data points and to provide validated data; and

computer hardware configured to remove redundant data points from the validated data to provide reduced data;

wherein the communication port is further configured to transmit messages based at least in part on the reduced data over the network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising computer hardware configured to perform energy calculations on the reduced data to provide calculated energy data, wherein the computer hardware comprises cloud-based servers.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the calculated energy data comprises at least one of line-to-line and line-to-current voltage, total power, active power, reactive power, line-to-line and line-to-neutral current, power factor, fundamental and harmonic total energy per phase, fundamental and harmonic total energy for the sum of phases, fundamental and harmonic active energy per phase, fundamental and harmonic active energy for the sum of phases, fundamental and harmonic reactive energy per phase, fundamental and harmonic reactive energy for the sum of phases, frequency, harmonic frequency, gas usage, chilled water usage, hot water usage, and total energy usage.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising analytics configured to analyze the first data and the second data and to provide messages comprising control signals for load control of at least one of the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit based on the analysis of the first data and the second data.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the communication port is further configured to receive control signals for load control of at least one of the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the network comprises the Internet, and wherein the network is accessed by one or more of wired access and wireless access.

21. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the network comprises one or more servers in a cloud configuration.

22. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising memory configured to store at least one of the first digital data, the second digital data, and the reporting digital data until confirmation that the reporting digital data is successfully transmitted over the network.

23. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first electrical signal comprises at least one of amplitude, phase, voltage, current, fundamental energy component, harmonic energy components, intermodulation energy components, and transient energy components associated with first electrical signal.

24. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first sampling rate is between approximately once every 15 minutes to approximately 1 MHz.