Energy information system and sub-measurement board for use therewith

• US 6,728,646 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Enerwise Global Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Enerwise Global Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Tamagni, Armand J. Jr., Blevins, Frank Oakley, Howell, Donald Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US09/940,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 702/57, 702/60-62, 702/64, 702/65, 702/122, 702/124, 702/126, 702/182, 702/183, 702/188, 702/189, 702/187, 702/198, 702/FOR.103, 702/FOR.104, 702/FOR.106, 702/FOR.111, 702/FOR.112, 702/FOR.134, 702/FOR.170, 702/FOR.171, 324/140.R, 324/141, 324/142, 324/116, 700/286, 700/291, 700/292, 700/295-298, 340/870-1-8, 340/870.05, 340/870.06, 340/870.12, 340/870.13, 340/870.21, 705/412, 379/106.03, 379/106.06, 379/106.07, 379/106.08, 307/38, 307/39, 307/41, 307/112, 307/113, 307/125, 307/126, 307/130, 307/131
• US Class Current: 702/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/16 Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation

Abstract

An energy information system and sub-measurement board for use therewith allows and energy information service provider to measure energy usage at a customer location. The sub-measurement board is connected to an energy distribution panel located at the customer location and measures energy usage of individual circuits of the distribution panel. The sub-measurement board outputs a load profile of the energy usage and transmits the load profile to the energy information service provider via a wide area network (WAN). The load profile is processed by the energy service provider and posted on a server for access by the customer. Voltages and currents are input into a microprocessor circuit, which compares the currents one at a time to the voltages to match the current with the voltage of the same individual circuit and to calculate the load profile of the individual circuit.

Claims

1. An energy information system which allows an energy information service provider to measure energy usage by a customer at a location, said system comprising:

a sub-measurement board which receives voltage and current signals representative of energy usage at the location, said sub-measurement board outputs a load profile of said energy usage, wherein the sub-measurement board is connected to an energy distribution panel located at the location and receives at least three voltage signals and at least nine current signals from said energy distribution panel;

a wide area communications network connected directly to the sub-measurement board which transfers the load profile to the energy information service provider;

a processor located at the enery information service provider which processes the load profile; and

wherein said load profile is accessible for remote viewing by the customer.

2. The system defined in claim 1 further including a current transformer circuit for transforming the current signals into voltage signals which are representative of said at least nine current signals.

3. A method of calculating energy information of individual circuits of an energy distribution panel, said method including the steps of:

inputting a voltage signal from one of a plurality of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel into a sub-measurement board;

inputting a current signal from one of the plurality of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel into the sub-measurement board;

comparing the voltage signal to the current signal to determine whether the voltage signal is connected to the same individual circuit of the energy distribution panel as the current signal;

calculating the energy information of the same individual circuit of the energy distribution panel when the voltage signal and the current signal are connected to said same individual circuit; and

outputting the energy information of the same individual circuit to an energy service provider through a wide area network.

4. The method defined in claim 3 further including the step of inputting a plurality of voltage and current signals into the sub-measurement board.

5. The method defined in claim 4 further including the step of inputting each voltage signal of the plurality of voltage signals into a microprocessor circuit of the sub-measurement board;

cycling through the plurality of current signals alternately inputting one current signal at a time into the microprocessor circuit; and

comparing the one current signal to each voltage signal to determine which of the voltage signals is connected to the same individual circuit as the one current signal.

6. The method defined in claim 3 further including the step of converting the voltage signal into a digital voltage signal and converting the current signal into a digital current signal.

7. The method defined in claim 6 further including the step of inputting the digital current signal and the digital voltage signal into a microprocessor, said microprocessor compares the digital voltage signal to the digital current signal to determine whether the voltage signal is connected to the same individual circuit of the energy distribution panel as the current signal.

8. The method defined in claim 7 further including the step of amplifying the voltage signal prior to converting the voltage signal into the digital voltage signal by inputting the voltage signal into a voltage amplifier circuit.

9. The method defined in claim 8 further including the step of amplifying the current signal prior to converting the current signal into the digital current signal by inputting the current signal into a current amplifier circuit.

10. The method defined in claim 7 further including the step of storing the digital current signal, the digital voltage signal and the energy information in a memory circuit.

11. The method defined in claim 3 further including the step of outputting the energy information to a display.

12. A sub-measurement board for calculating load data of individual circuits of an energy distribution panel, said sub-measurement board including:

a voltage amplifying circuit connected to a voltage terminal of the energy distribution panel for receiving an input voltage signal, said voltage amplifying circuit amplifies the input voltage signal and outputs an amplified voltage signal;

a current amplifying circuit connected to a current terminal of the energy distribution panel for receiving an input current signal, said current amplifying circuit amplifies the input current signal and outputs an amplified current signal;

a switching circuit connected to the current amplifying circuit for receiving the amplified current signal, said switching circuit outputs a switched amplified current signal;

an analog to digital converter connected to the voltage amplifying circuit and the switching circuit for converting the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal and for converting the switched amplified current signal to a digital current signal;

a memory circuit for storing the digital voltage signal and the digital current signal;

a microprocessor connected to the memory circuit for receiving the stored digital voltage signal and digital current signal, said microprocessor calculates the load data of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel; and

a display connected to the microprocessor for displaying the calculated load data of the individual circuits of the energy distribution panel,

wherein the voltage amplifying circuit is connected to a plurality of voltage terminals of the energy distribution panel for receiving a plurality of input voltage signals, said voltage amplifying circuit amplifies the plurality of input voltage signals and outputs a plurality of amplified voltage signals,

wherein the current amplifying circuit is connected to a plurality of current terminals of the energy distribution panel for receiving a plurality of input current signals, said current amplifying circuit amplifies the plurality of input current signals and outputs a plurality of amplified current signals, and

wherein the plurality of amplified current signals are input into the switching circuit, said switching circuit cycles through the plurality of amplified current signals to alternately output one amplified current signal of the plurality of amplified current signals to the analog-to-digital converter during each cycle.

13. A sub-measurement board for calculating load data of individual circuits of an energy distribution panel, said sub-measurement board including:

a voltage amplifying circuit connected to a voltage terminal of the energy distribution panel for receiving an input voltage signal, said voltage amplifying circuit amplifies the input voltage signal and outputs an amplified voltage signal;

a current amplifying circuit connected to a current terminal of the energy distribution panel for receiving an input current signal, said current amplifying circuit amplifies the input current signal and outputs an amplified current signal;

a switching circuit connected to the current amplifying circuit for receiving the amplified current signal, said switching circuit outputs a switched amplified current signal;

an analog to digital converter connected to the voltage amplifying circuit and the switching circuit for converting the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal and for converting the switched amplified current signal to a digital current signal;

a memory circuit for storing the digital voltage signal and the digital current signal;

a microprocessor connected to the memory circuit for receiving the stored digital voltage signal and digital current signal, said microprocessor calculates the load data of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel;

a first memory circuit connected to the microprocessor, said first memory circuit stores computer instructions which are loaded into the microprocessor and which instruct the microprocessor to compare the digital current signal to the digital voltage signal and determine whether the digital current signal and digital voltage signals are input into the sub-measurement board from a common individual circuit of the energy distribution panel; and

a display connected to the microprocessor for displaying the calculated load data of the individual circuits of the energy distribution panel.

14. The sub-measurement board defined in claim 13 further including a second memory circuit connected to the microprocessor for storing the digital voltage signal, the digital current signal and the calculated load data.

15. A method of calculating energy information of individual circuits of an energy distribution panel, said method including the steps of:

inputting a voltage signal from one individual circuit of a plurality of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel into a sub-measurement board;

inputting a current signal from one individual circuit of the plurality of individual circuits of the energy distribution panel into the sub-measurement board;

comparing the voltage signal to the current signal to determine whether the voltage signal is connected to the same individual circuit of the energy distribution panel as the current signal;

calculating the energy information of the same individual circuit of the energy distribution panel when the voltage signal and the current signal are connected to said same individual circuit; and

outputting the energy information of the same individual circuit to a display.

16. An energy information system which allows an energy information service provider to measure energy usage by a customer at a location, said system comprising:

a sub-measurement board which is connected to an energy distribution panel located at the location and receives at least three voltage signals and at least nine current signals representative of energy usage at the location from said energy distribution panel, said sub-measurement board outputs a load profile of said energy usage;

a wide area communications network connected directly to the sub-measurement board which transfers the load profile to the energy information service provider;

a processor located at the energy information service provider which processes the load profile; and

wherein said load profile is accessible for remote viewing by the customer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sub-measurement board includes a microprocessor which calculates the energy usage of individual circuits of an energy distribution panel at the location.