MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING DEVICES USING MODULATED ELECTRICITY

• US 20160011575A1
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: LIU, Jie, JANOUS, Brian, MCKNIGHT, Gregory Joseph, JAMES, Sean, BIANCHINI, Ricardo
• Granted Patent: US 10,234,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/02 using a single network for simultaneous distribution of power at different frequencies; using a single network for simultaneous distribution of ac power and of dc power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

This document relates to management of computing devices using modulated electricity. One example includes assigning a set of time slices to a computing device for drawing electricity and subsequently causing the computing device to adjust consumption of the electricity by assigning a different set of time slices to the computing device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a filter configured to;

receive modulated electricity having at least two different alternating current frequencies over an electrical line, the at least two different alternating current frequencies including a first alternating current frequency and a second alternating current frequency, and

attenuate the second alternating current frequency of the modulated electricity to obtain filtered modulated electricity that is predominantly of the first alternating current frequency;

a computing device powered by the filtered modulated electricity.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second filter configured to;

receive the modulated electricity having the at least two different alternating current frequencies over the electrical line, and

attenuate the first alternating current frequency of the modulated electricity to obtain second filtered modulated electricity that is predominantly of the second alternating current frequency; and

a second computing device powered by the second filtered modulated electricity.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a processor configured to cap energy usage of the first alternating current frequency differently than the second alternating current frequency.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to stop the first computing device from drawing power via the first alternating current frequency while allowing the second computing device to continue drawing power via the second alternating current frequency.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the modulated electricity comprises green power that is produced by a renewable energy source and modulated at the first alternating current frequency and brown power that is produced by a fossil fuel energy source and modulated at the second alternating current frequency.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a processor configured to separately track usage of the green power and the brown power.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising a local power source and electrical hardware configured to modulate local power from the local power source into the first alternating current frequency.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising an electrical line carrying the local power at the first alternating current frequency and other power provided by an electrical grid at the second alternating current frequency.

9. A method comprising:

assigning a set of time slices to a computing device for drawing electricity; and

subsequently causing the computing device to adjust consumption of the electricity by assigning a different set of time slices to the computing device.

10. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing availability of electrical power; and

determining the different set of time slices based on the analyzing the availability of the electrical power.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

causing the computing device to reduce consumption of the electricity by reducing a number of time slices assigned to the computing device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

causing the computing device to increase consumption of the electricity by increasing a number of time slices assigned to the computing device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending an instruction to the computing device or electrical equipment used to power the computing device, the instruction identifying the different time slices.

14. The method of claim 14, wherein the instruction is sent to a switch that controls charging of a battery that powers the computing device.

15. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

electrical hardware configured to;

selectively draw electricity during assigned time periods; and

power the computing device using the electricity that is selectively drawn during the assigned time periods.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising an energy storage device, wherein the electrical hardware is configured to power the computing device by charging the energy storage device during the assigned time periods.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electrical hardware is configured to convert the electrical energy from alternating current to direct current to charge the energy storage device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a processor configured to receive a time slice assignment identifying the assigned time periods over a computer network or over an electrical line.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the electrical hardware comprises a switch and the processor is configured to control the switch to present high resistance during unassigned time slices and low resistance during the assigned time slices.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect a packet on the computer network or the electrical line, the packet comprising the time slice assignment; and

determine that the packet indicates that the time slice assignment is for powering the computing device.