System for controlling power consumption at a user of electric power

• US 6,772,052 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2003
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IT & Process AS
• Original Assignee: IT & Process AS
• Inventors: Amundsen, Joe, Teigen, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, DOUGLAS S
• Application Number:
  US09/647,873
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/297, 307/35, 307/38, 307/39, 307/126
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• 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: 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 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling power consumption at a user of electric power, especially a dwelling supplies with power from a power plant. The invention is characterized in that the control unit is a main unit arranged to control the power consumption also based on an estimate of a historical consumption pattern at the user, so that the instantaneous consumption is reduced both in the periods in which the power load at the user is highest, and in the periods in which the historical consumption pattern of the user dictates that there is a high load, and that the main unit user is arranged to distribute the power consumption by means of a random function distributing the connection of the power consuming units over a given time interval, the random function being independent of energy plants and other users.

Claims

1. An electronic system for controlling power consumption at a user of electric power, especially a dwelling or household supplied with power from a power plant, comprising a control unit (10) installed at the user and having a programmable memory (16) for storage of data for controlling the power consumption, parameter-sensing sensors (1, 2, 3, . . . ) for the supply of input signals to the control unit, an electric meter (11) communicating with the control unit (10) for measuring the total instantaneous consumption of the user, and a number of addressable function nodes (4, 5, 6) connected between the control unit (10) and the various loads (12) and being in both-way communication with the control unit, for connection and disconnection of power-consuming units under the control thereof, the memory (16) of the control unit (10) containing a program for controlling the power consumption based on an estimate of the instantaneous consumption, and the control unit (10) being arranged to transmit addressed messages to the function nodes (4, 5, 6), so that only the nodes with the correct address receive the current messages and execute load-affecting actions based on the message content, to thereby reduce the instantaneous consumption, CHARACTERIZED IN that the control unit (10) is a main unit arranged to control the power consumption also based on an estimate of a historical consumption pattern at the user, so that the instantaneous consumption is reduced both in the periods in which the power load at the user is highest, and in the periods in which the historical consumption pattern of the user dictates that there is a high load, and that the main unit (10) is arranged to distribute the power consumption by means of a random function distributing the connection of the power-consuming units (12) over a given time interval, the random function being independent of energy plants and other users.

2. A system according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that the main unit (10) is arranged to control connection and disconnection of power-consuming units (12) in chosen intervals according to accidental circumstances when the power consumption is normal.

3. A system according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that the main unit (10), when a power-consuming unit (12) is connected under high load, provides for direct disconnection of another unit under given circumstances.

4. A system according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that the main unit (10) and the function nodes (4, 5, 6) are arranged to carry out connection and disconnection of the power-consuming units (12) in dependence on different priority levels.

5. A system according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that the main unit (10) is arranged to receive external signals as additional parameters for control of the system.