Method, apparatus and computer program product for reporting energy consumption

• US 7,376,631 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peterson, Robert R., King, Jennifer E., Richter, Jon F., Ulerich, Rhys, Spivey, Ian P., Stading, Tyron Jerrod
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ERB, NATHAN
• Application Number:
  US11/138,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 705/412
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

Energy consumption meters are associated with owners who hold accounts with a power supplier. The meters are assigned meter identifiers and identifiers for their respective owners. Such a meter may be a parent meter having associated submeters. In response to being plugged into a power source from the power supplier, such a meter reports its owner identifier and meter identifier to the supplier. Also, in response to being plugged into a power source supplied by one of the parent meters, a meter communicates with the parent meter. This establishes that the parent meter is associated with the submeter. The submeter measures energy delivered reports this to the power supplier. Also, the indicated association of the submeter to the parent meter is reported to the power supplier. The receipt of this information enables the power supplier to debit and credit owner accounts in a manner permitting temporary associations of meters.

Claims

1. A method for providing power consumption measurement and identity information from power consumption meters to a power supplier in order to permit the power supplier to post power consumption measurements to owner accounts, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that a first power consumption meter at a public recharging location for a vehicle has a parent relationship to a second power consumption meter for the vehicle, so that the second meter is a submeter to the first meter, such that according to the parent relationship the second meter is supplying at least part of an energy load supplied by the first meter, wherein determining the parent relationship includes a relationship determining communication between the first and second meters without involving the power supplier in that relationship determining communication, and wherein the relationship determining communication includes;

i) sending an identification by the first meter periodically for receipt by any submeter, or ii) sending a request by the second meter to the first meter for identification of the first meter, the request by the second meter being initiated by the second meter in response to the second meter being supplied energy by the first meter; and

the second meter receiving from the first meter an identifier for the first meter; and

wherein the method further includes;

measuring, by the first meter, energy delivered by the first meter;

measuring, by the second meter, energy delivered by the second meter;

reporting, by at least one of the first and second meters to the power supplier, the respective amounts of energy measured by the meters;

reporting, by at least one of the first and second power consumption meters to the power supplier, respective meter identifiers, wherein the power supplier has accounts and each owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts; and

reporting the parent relationship to the power supplier, wherein the reporting of the parent relationship includes the second meter reporting the first meter'"'"'s identifier to the power supplier as a parent meter identifier, so that the power supplier is able to post the reported respective amounts of energy to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the first meter to the second meter.

2. The method of claim 1, including the steps of:

receiving such reporting from the meters; and

debiting the second meter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to an account of the second meter'"'"'s owner and crediting the second meter'"'"'s reported energy measurement to an account of the first meter'"'"'s owner if the first meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the second meter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the first meter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the second meter'"'"'s owner identifier, debiting only one of the reported energy measurements from the first and second meters to an account of the first and second meters'"'"' owner.

3. The method of claim 2, including the steps of:

determining whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes the first meter'"'"'s identifier as a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

looking up the owner identifier for the first meter if the received reporting includes the first meter'"'"'s identifier as a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and comparing the first meter'"'"'s owner identifier to the second meter'"'"'s owner identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein such reporting from a reporting one of the meters is relayed by a transceiver from the reporting meter to the power supplier.

5. A computer program product for enabling a power supplier to post power consumption measurements to owner accounts, wherein the computer program product resides on a computer readable medium having computer readable program code, the program code comprising:

a) program code for a plurality of power consumption meters for reporting power consumption measurements and identity information to the power supplier, wherein the power consumption meter program code for the meters comprises;

first instructions for causing any computer of a particular meter to receive a meter identifier for an owner of the particular meter, wherein the power supplier has accounts and an owner identifier for the particular meter, wherein the particular meter'"'"'s owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts;

second instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to send a report from the particular meter to the power supplier, including the particular meter'"'"'s meter identifier;

third instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to determine that the particular meter has a relation with another meter, wherein one of the meters in the relation is a parent meter at a public recharging location for vehicles and one of the meters is a submeter for a vehicle, such that according to the parent relationship the submeter is supplying at least part of an energy load supplied by the parent meter, wherein determining the relationship includes a relationship determining communication between the parent meter and submeter without involving the power supplier in that relationship determining communication, and wherein the relationship determining communication includes;

i) sending an identification by the parent meter periodically for receipt by any submeter, or ii) sending a request by the submeter to the parent meter for identification of the parent meter, the request by the submeter being initiated by the submeter in response to the submeter being supplied energy by the parent meter; and

the submeter receiving from the parent meter an identifier for the parent meter;

fourth instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to measure an amount of energy delivered to a load by the particular meter;

fifth instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to report to the power supplier the amount of energy delivered by the particular meter; and

sixth instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to report to the power supplier the relation of the meters, wherein the reporting of the parent relationship includes the submeter reporting the parent meter'"'"'s identifier to the power supplier as a parent meter identifier; and

b) power consumption accounting program code for the power supplier, comprising;

instructions for causing any computer for the power supplier to receive reports of the meter relations, relation, identifiers and measured amounts from the power consumption meters; and

instructions for causing any computer for the power supplier to post the reported measured amounts of energy to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the parent meter to the submeter.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to determine the meter relations include instructions for causing any computer of the particular meter to communicate between parent meter and submeter.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter is in response to the submeter being supplied power by the parent meter.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the communicating between the meters includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier by the submeter, and wherein receiving the reports of the meter relations includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier from the submeter.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for causing any computer for the power supplier to debit the submeter'"'"'s reported measured amount of energy to an account of the submeter'"'"'s owner and credit the submeter'"'"'s reported measured amount of energy to an account of the parent meter'"'"'s owner if the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier, debit only one of the reported measured amounts of enemy from the parent meter and submeter to an account of the meters'"'"' owner.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the power consumption accounting program code includes:

instructions for causing any computer for the power supplier to determine whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

instructions for causing any computer for the power supplier to look up the owner identifier for the parent meter if the received reporting includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and compare the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier to the reporting meter'"'"'s owner identifier.

11. A system for providing information to a power supplier, the system comprising:

a) a plurality of power consumption meters, each particular power consumption meter including logic operable to

     1) receive a meter identifier and an owner identifier for an owner of the particular meter, wherein the power supplier has accounts and the particular meter'"'"'s owner identifier identifies a holder of one of the accounts;

     2) send a report from the particular meter to the power supplier, including the particular meter'"'"'s meter identifier;

     3) determine that the particular meter has a relation with another meter, wherein one of the meters in the relation is a parent meter at a public recharging location for vehicles and one of the meters is a submeter for a vehicle, such that according to the parent relationship the submeter is supplying at least part of an energy load supplied by the parent meter, wherein determining the parent relationship includes a relationship determining communication between the parent meter and submeter without involving the power supplier in that relationship determining communication, and wherein the relationship determining communication includes;

i) sending an identification by the parent meter periodically for receipt by any submeter, or ii) sending a request by the submeter to the parent meter for identification of the parent meter, the request by the submeter being initiated by the submeter in response to the submeter being supplied energy by the parent meter; and

the submeter receiving from the parent meter an identifier for the parent meter;

     4) measure an amount of energy delivered to a load by the particular meter;

     5) report to the power supplier the amount of energy delivered by the particular meter, and

     6) report to the power supplier the relation of the meters, wherein the reporting of the parent relationship includes the submeter reporting the parent meter'"'"'s identifier to the power supplier as a parent meter identifier; and

b) a power consumption accounting system including an accounting system processor and an accounting system storage device connected thereto, wherein the accounting system storage device has stored therein a power consumption accounting program for controlling the accounting system processor, the power consumption accounting program comprising;

instructions for causing the accounting system to receive reports of the meter relations, relation, identifiers and measured amounts from the power consumption meters; and

instructions for causing the accounting system to post the reported measured amounts of energy to corresponding owner accounts in response to the information received from the meters, including selectively posting a credit to an account for power delivered by the parent meter to the submeter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic operable to determine the meter relations includes logic operable to communicate between parent meter and submeter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter is in response to the submeter being supplied power by the parent meter.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the communicating between parent meter and submeter includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier by the submeter, and wherein receiving the reports of the meter relations includes receiving the parent meter'"'"'s identifier from the submeter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the power consumption accounting program instructions include:

instructions for causing the accounting system to debit the submeter'"'"'s reported measured amount of energy to an account of the submeter'"'"'s owner and credit the submeter'"'"'s reported measured amount of energy to an account of the parent meter'"'"'s owner if the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier is not the same as the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier, and, if the submeter'"'"'s owner identifier is the same as the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier, debit only one of the reported measured amounts of energy from the parent meter and submeter to an account of the meters'"'"' owner.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the power consumption accounting program instructions include:

instructions for causing the accounting system to determine whether the received reporting from a reporting one of the meters includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier; and

instructions for causing the accounting system to look up the owner identifier for the parent meter if the received reporting includes a parent meter identifier in addition to the reporting meter'"'"'s own meter identifier, and compare the parent meter'"'"'s owner identifier to the reporting meter'"'"'s owner identifier.

17. The system of claim 11, including a transceiver for relaying such reporting from a reporting one of the meters to the power supplier.