Energy management and home automation system

• US 5,761,083 A
• Filed: 04/17/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James D. Romanowiz, Robert J. Brown Jr
• Original Assignee: James D. Romanowiz, Robert J. Brown Jr
• Inventors: Romanowiz, James D., Brown, Robert J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H.
• Application Number:
  US08/633,677
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 364/140, 364/141, 364/143, 364/145, 364/480, 364/481, 364/483, 364/492, 364/493, 364/556, 364/557, 307/11, 307/38-39, 307/31, 307/35, 307/41, 340/286.01, 340/310.01, 340/825.44, 340/825.47, 340/825.52, 236/46 R, 236/51
• US Class Current: 700/296
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units

Abstract

An energy management and home automation system includes one or more controllers in each facility being managed and one or more energy consuming devices attached to each controller. Each controller responds to digital paging signals from a central command center which establish a schedule of event effecting the operation of each device and the controller schedules each device to be operated pursuant to the programmed schedule. The user of the system, by appropriate communication with the command center, may cause a paging message to be provided at any time changing the pre-programmed schedule. The heating/cooling system is controlled by set-point temperatures. for each of a plurality of different modes of occupancy, whereby the most energy is consumed when the facility is occupied and lesser amounts of energy are consumed when the facility is empty. Intermediate amounts of energy are consumed when the facility is not fully operational because people are asleep or maintenance or cleaning is being done. Prior to a mode change which demands more energy, the controller calculates the time required to bring the facility to the set-points for the new mode and operates the heating/cooling unit at the calculated time prior to the scheduled mode change. The calculation is based upon the time required for the heating/cooling being controlled to change the temperature in the facility being managed. The energy consumption of the facility may also be reduced by paging messages from the utility company as a part of an emergency load reduction program.

Claims

1. A utility commodity load reduction system comprising:

a plurality of controller means, each located within a different one of a plurality of facilities, for controlling the operation of various utility commodity consuming devices within said one facility;

central command means for providing general commands to each of said controllers, each controller responding to said general command by controlling the operation of those devices within the facility in which that controller is located; and

utility command means fbor causing selected utility commands to be provided to selected ones of said controllers for causing selected ones of the devices being controlled by said selected controllers to operate in a manner consuming less of said utility commodity.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein said utility commodity is an energy commodity.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein said controller may be addressed individually or globally by said central command means and regionally by said utility command means.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

one of said devices being controlled by a controller in each facility is a heating/cooling unit; and

said utility command means causes each controller receiving a utility command to control said heating/cooling device so as to heat only to a first temperature and to cool only to a second temperature.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein said utility commodity is an energy commodity.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein said first and second temperatures are less energy consuming than would normally be considered ideally comfortable within a facility.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

each controller means controlling a heating/cooling unit is programmed with a heating and a cooling set-point temperature, said heating set-point temperature being a user selected temperature used to determine the temperature of said facility below which heating is to occur and said cooling set-point temperature being a user selected temperature used to determine the temperature of said facility above which cooling is to occur;

said utility message contains a first set-point temperature manifesting a temperature for heating and a second set-point temperature manifesting a temperature for cooling; and

the receipt of the utility command by each controller controlling a heating/cooling unit results in said first and second temperatures being used determine the temperature of said facility in place of the programmed heating set-point temperature and cooling set-point temperature.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein said selective devices including heating/cooling means.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein said selective devices including heating/cooling means and water heating means.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein said selective devices exclude lights and household appliances.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein each of said controllers is addressable by an address code in contained in said general commands, one of said general commands addressing each controller and causing a multi-digit utility recognition code to be stored therein, said utility command containing a code addressing each of said controllers by the stored utility recognition code, said utility command including wildcard digits to permit said utility command to address a plurality of said controllers.

12. A system for reducing usage energy in participating facilities containing a heating/cooling unit in response to commands from a utility comprising:

a controller in each participating facility for storing certain designated heating and cooling set-point temperatures used in controlling the temperature at which said heating/cooling device heats and cools said facility;

said controller responding to commands provided thereto over a common communications link to effect the control of said heating cooling unit; and

a utility central control center for providing utility commands over said link for causing said controller to lower the heating set-point temperature and to raise the cooling set-point temperature.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein said utility command designates a period of time during which said controller is to lower the heating set-point temperature and to raise the cooling set-point temperature.

14. The system according to claim 12 wherein each controller further stores a multi-digit utility recognition code, said utility command addressing each controller which is to lower the heating set-point temperature and to raise the cooling set-point temperature by its recognition code.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein said utility command includes wildcard digits which address any corresponding digit of the recognition code stored in a controller, whereby a single utility command may globally enable a plurality of controllers to lower the heating set-point temperature and to raise the cooling set-point temperature.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein said utility command designates a period of time during which said controller is to lower the heating set-point temperature and to raise the cooling set-point temperature.

17. The system according to claim 12 wherein each facility further includes other energy consuming devices each coupled to said controller, which manages the energy usage of said other devices by controlling the periods of time during which said other devices are permitted to operate, said utility command further causing controller to disable said other devices from operating during designated portions of a defined time cycle following the provision of said utility command.

18. A method of energy consumption reduction over a wide area by reducing the energy consumption of selective energy consuming units within participating facilities, said method comprising the steps of:

coupling each energy consuming unit to a common controller for a facility;

operating said controller in a manner which enables each device coupled thereto to operate in accordance with a schedule programmed in said controller;

communicating general commands from a central station to said controller to selectively program said schedule pursuant to the needs of the facility; and

communicating a utility command from a utility company to said controller to cause said controller to selectively disable a subset of said devices for periods of time regardless of the prior communications or subsequent communications from said central station during a defined period of time following said utility command, wherein said step of communicating from said utility company includes disabling said subset of devices for portions of said defined Deriod of time.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein said step of communicating from said utility company includes disabling and thereafter permitting operation of said subset of devices during alternating portions of said defined period of time.