Power management and automation system

• US 5,323,307 A
• Filed: 11/29/1990
• Issued: 06/21/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Wolf, Robert L., Brooks, Stanley J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US07/620,237
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 364/140, 364/141, 364/483, 364/492, 361/166-169.1, 361/189-193
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

An automation and energy management system includes an automation panel box which may be positioned adjacent to a circuit breaker panel box. The automation panel box includes one or more circuit breaker control modules, one or more device control modules and a power module for providing power to the control modules. The circuit breaker control module provides signals to operate motorized circuit breakers, so as to turn on or off the power to a device being managed and the device control module provides signals to control individual appliances. Each of the two control modules is capable of controlling up to eight different circuit breakers or eight different individual devices and each includes a manual override button for each breaker or device controlled, which override button can be manually pressed by a person desiring to override the automation and energy management control. Each control module includes a counting circuit which sequentially enables one of several toggle circuits that sustains the state of each circuit breaker (or appliance switch). A facility computer generally communicates with the modules over a bus and issues commands to cause certain automatic functions of energy management to occur.

Claims

1. A module, which is responsive to a central controller in an energy management system, for providing command signals to control power to a plurality of appliance switches comprising:

a plurality of toggle circuits, each respectively connected to one of the appliance switches for toggling the respective switch and each responsive to a signal provided by the central controller;

a counting circuit which sequentially enables each one of the toggle circuits; and

manual switch means, coupled to control the toggle circuits, for providing an override command signal to override at least one of the command signals provided by the central controller.

2. A module, according to claim 1, further including an LED which responds to both the signal provided by the central controller and the manual switch to indicate one of at least three states.

3. A module, according to claim 1, further including a plurality of said modules synchronously arranged so that control is provided to sets of appliance switches, wherein only one appliance switch is engaged at a time.

4. A module, according to claim 1, further including a reset circuit which resets the counting circuit in response to one of the toggling circuits toggling the switch means.

5. A module, according to claim 4, wherein the reset circuit is also responsive to an associated one of the command signals sent from the central controller.

6. A module, which is responsive to a central controller in an energy management system, for providing command signals to control power to a plurality of appliance switches comprising:

a plurality of toggle circuits, each respectively connected to one of the appliance switches for toggling the respective switch and each responsive to a signal provided by the central controller;

a counting circuit which sequentially enables each one of the toggle circuits; and

a plurality of manual switches, each of which is respectively associated with one of the toggle circuits and each configured with the respective toggle circuit to override at least one of the signals provided by the central controller.

7. A module, according to claim 6, further including a reset circuit which resets the counting circuit in response to one of the manual switches toggling the switch means.

8. A module, according to claim 6, further including a reset circuit which resets the counting circuit in response to one of the command signals sent from the central controller toggling the switch means.

9. A module, according to claim 6, further including a reset circuit having a signal transient detection circuit which detects a signal level change in one of the command signals sent from the central controller and which responds to an associated one of manual switches.

10. A module for providing command signals to a plurality of appliance switches, each of which is arranged to control at least one associated appliance in an energy management system, the module comprising:

a central controller for generating command signals for controlling power to the respective appliances;

a plurality of toggle circuits, each respectively connected to one of the appliance switches for toggling the respective switch in response to one of the command signals provided by the central controller;

a counting circuit which sequentially enables each one of the toggle circuits;

a plurality of manual switches, each of which is respectively associated with one of the toggle circuits and each configured with the respective toggle circuit to override at least one of the signals provided by the central controller; and

counting circuit reset means, responsive to a signal level change in one of the command signals sent from the central controller and the manual switches, for resetting the counting circuit.

11. A power management and automation system for controlling power to a plurality of appliances in a facility, comprising:

a circuit breaker arrangement, responsive to a circuit breaker control signal, including a plurality of power switches through which power is provided to a plurality of associated appliances;

a central controller for generating commands signals to indicate when power to respective ones of the plurality of appliances should be provided;

a circuit breaker control module, responsive to the central controller, for generating the circuit breaker control signal, and including

a plurality of toggle circuits, each respectively connected to one of the power switches for toggling the respective switch and each responsive to the circuit breaker control signal; and

a counting circuit which sequentially enables each one of the toggle circuits; and

manual switch means, coupled to control the toggle circuits, for providing an override command signal to override at least one of the command signals provided by the central controller.

12. A power management and automation system, according to claim 11, wherein the circuit breaker control module further includes an LED which responds to both the signals provided by the central controller and the manual switch means to indicate one of at least three states.

13. A power management and automation system, according to claim 12, wherein said three states include a first state indicating that an associated power switch is not engaged and a second state indicating that said associated power switch is engaged.

14. A power management and automation system, according to claim 13, wherein said three states include a third state which indicates that said associated power switch has been manually overridden using said manual switch means.

15. A power management and automation system, according to claim 12, wherein said three states include a state which indicates that an associated power switch has been manually overridden using the manual switch means.

16. A power management and automation system, according to claim 11, further including a plurality of said control modules synchronously arranged so that control is provided to sets of power switches, wherein only one power switch of all sets is engaged at a time.