ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION CONTROL

• US 20170097620A1
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steffes Corporation
• Original Assignee: Steffes Corporation
• Inventors: Steffes, Paul J., Steffes, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,791,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy

Abstract

A power control system includes at least one energy storage device each having a heat storage medium, a heater configured to heat the heat storage medium, a temperature sensor, a maximum temperature operating parameter of the device, a user-adjustable target temperature setting, which indicates a desired temperature of the heat storage medium and is less than the maximum temperature, and a controller that controls electrical energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device to heat the heat storage medium to a temperature that exceeds the target temperature setting and is below the maximum temperature.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A power control system configured to receive electrical energy from an electrical power distribution system, the system comprising:

at least one energy storage device, each energy storage device comprising;

a heat storage medium;

a heater configured to heat the heat storage medium;

a temperature sensor that produces a temperature signal indicative of a temperature of the heat storage medium;

a maximum temperature operating parameter of the device; and

a user-adjustable target temperature setting, which indicates a desired temperature of the heat storage medium and is less than the maximum temperature; and

a controller controls electrical energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device to heat the heat storage medium to a temperature that exceeds the target temperature setting and is below the maximum temperature.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the maximum temperature of each of the at least one storage device is stored in memory that is accessible by the controller.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the controller controls the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on a remaining heat capacity of the energy storage device, the remaining heat capacity of each device is a difference between the maximum temperature for the device and the temperature of the heat storage medium of the device.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein:

the at least one energy storage device comprises a plurality of energy storage devices; and

the controller controls the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on a difference between the remaining heat capacity of the energy storage device and the remaining heat capacity of at least one other energy storage device.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the controller controls the energy storage devices having higher remaining heat capacities to consume more energy than the energy storage devices having lower remaining heat capacities.

26. The system according to claim 22, wherein the controller controls the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on a power consumption signal received from the electrical power distribution system, the power consumption signal indicative of a desire for energy to be consumed.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein:

the power consumption signal indicates a value; and

the controller controls the electrical energy consumption of the at least one energy storage device based on the value.

28. The system according to claim 26, wherein at least a portion of the electrical energy is generated using a renewable energy source.

29. A method of controlling consumption of electrical energy from a power distribution system by at least one energy storage device, each energy storage device including a heater that heats a heat storage medium, a user-adjustable target temperature setting, and a maximum temperature operating parameter, the method comprising:

accessing a current temperature of the heat storage medium of each energy storage device;

accessing the maximum temperature operating parameter for each energy storage device from a memory; and

controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device to heat the heat storage medium to a temperature that exceeds the target temperature and is below the maximum temperature based on the power consumption signal using a controller.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein accessing a current temperature comprises receiving a temperature signal from a temperature sensor.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein accessing a current temperature comprises accessing the current temperature from memory.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein:

controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device comprises controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on a remaining heat capacity of the energy storage device, using the controller; and

the remaining heat capacity of each device is a difference between the maximum temperature for the device and the temperature of the heat storage medium of the device.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein:

the at least one energy storage device comprises a plurality of energy storage devices; and

controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device comprises controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on a difference between the remaining heat capacity of the energy storage device and the remaining heat capacity of at least one other energy storage device, using the controller.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device comprises controlling the energy storage devices having higher remaining heat capacities to consume more energy than the energy storage devices having lower remaining heat capacities.

35. The method according to claim 29, wherein controlling the energy consumption of the at least one energy storage device includes controlling the at least one energy storage device to consume electrical energy generated from a renewable energy source.

36. The method according to claim 29, wherein:

the method includes receiving a power consumption signal from the electrical power distribution system, the power consumption signal indicative of a desire for electrical energy to be consumed, using the controller; and

controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device comprises controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on the power consumption signal.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein:

the power consumption signal indicates a value; and

controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device comprises controlling the energy consumption of each of the at least one energy storage device based on the value.