Consumer electronic usage monitoring and management

• US 8,090,480 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brumfield, Sara Carlstead, Chen, Xiaoping, Marshburn, Tara Leigh, Tipton, Sandra Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US12/349,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.1, 340/5.1, 340/5.8, 340/310.11, 340/310.16, 340/531, 340/533, 340/538, 340/539.1, 340/539.14, 340/539.22, 340/825.22, 700/286, 700/291, 700295-298, 702/1, 702/57, 702/60
• US Class Current: 700/296
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A mechanism for managing energy consumption of electrical devices within a home or building. Energy usage data is collected for a first electrical outlet connected to an unidentified electrical device in a facility. A pattern of energy usage is determined from the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet. The pattern of energy usage of the first electrical outlet is then compared against known patterns of energy usage for one or more other electrical outlets. Responsive to identifying a match between the pattern of energy usage of the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet and a known pattern of energy usage of a second electrical outlet in the one or more other electrical outlets, the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet is identified as the same electrical device that is associated with the known pattern of energy usage of the second electrical outlet.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing consumption of energy in a facility, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a maximum amount of energy to use to power a plurality of electrical outlets in a facility for a predetermined period of time;

collecting energy usage data for a first electrical outlet in the plurality of electrical outlets in the facility, wherein the first electrical outlet is connected to an unidentified electrical device;

determining a pattern of energy usage from the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet;

comparing the pattern of energy usage of the first electrical outlet against known patterns of energy usage for one or more other electrical outlets; and

responsive to identifying a match between the pattern of energy usage of the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet and a known pattern of energy usage of a second electrical outlet in the one or more other electrical outlets, identifying the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet as a same electrical device associated with the known pattern of energy usage of the second electrical outlet;

determining whether the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets;

responsive to a determination that the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets, disabling a set of the plurality of electrical outlets.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the current energy usage data and identification of the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet to a community web site.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the known patterns of energy usage are obtained from at least one of energy usage data collected at electrical outlets in the facility, baseline energy usage profiles, or the community web site.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the energy usage data and identification of the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet is automatically provided to the community web site on a one time basis or on a reoccurring basis.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an energy usage threshold for the first electrical outlet;

responsive to a determination that the energy usage data of the first electrical outlet meets or exceeds the energy usage threshold, determining if the identified electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet is a critical device; and

responsive to a determination that the identified electrical device is not a critical device, disabling the first electrical outlet.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

collecting updated energy usage data for the first electrical outlet; and

responsive to a determination that the energy usage data of the first electrical outlet does not meet or exceed the energy usage threshold, enabling the first electrical outlet.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the energy usage threshold is one of a passive use threshold or an active use threshold.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an aggregate energy usage threshold for a group of electrical outlets in the facility;

responsive to a determination that the aggregate energy usage data of the group of electrical outlets meets or exceeds the aggregate energy usage threshold, identifying target electrical outlets in the group of electrical outlets that are not connected to a critical device; and

disabling the target electrical outlets.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying electrical outlets in the facility for which energy usage data is not being collected;

generating a report comprising a list of the electrical outlets; and

providing the report to a user.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pattern of energy usage includes at least one of a quantity of energy usage, a rate at which energy is consumed by an electrical outlet, a length of time energy is consumed by the electrical outlet, or times of day energy is consumed by the electrical outlet.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the energy usage data and identification of the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet provided to the community web site comprises at least one of energy usage data at an electrical outlet level, at an electrical device group level, or at a facility level.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the known patterns of energy usage for one or more other electrical outlets in comparable facilities from the community web site;

comparing the known patterns of energy usage in the comparable facilities against the energy usage data collected at the facility;

generating a report comprising the comparison of the known patterns of energy usage for the comparable facilities and the energy usage data collected at the facility; and

providing the report to a user.

13. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

repeating the collecting step for the plurality of electrical outlets in the facility to form first aggregate energy usage data;

identifying second aggregate energy usage data for other facilities that have characteristics similar to the facility; and

generating a report comparing the first aggregate energy usage data to the second aggregate energy usage data.

14. A data processing system for managing consumption of energy in a facility, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to receive a maximum amount of energy to use to power a plurality of electrical outlets in a facility for a predetermined period of time;

collect energy usage data for a first electrical outlet in the plurality of electrical outlets in the facility, wherein the first electrical outlet is connected to an unidentified electrical device;

determine a pattern of energy usage from the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet;

compare the pattern of energy usage of the first electrical outlet against known patterns of energy usage for one or more other electrical outlets;

responsive to identifying a match between the pattern of energy usage of the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet and a known pattern of energy usage of a second electrical outlet in the one or more other electrical outlets, identify the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet as a same electrical device associated with the known pattern of energy usage of the second electrical outlet;

determine whether the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets; and

responsive to a determination that the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets, disable a set of the plurality of electrical outlets.

15. A computer program product for managing consumption of energy in a facility, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for receiving a maximum amount of energy to use to power a plurality of electrical outlets in a facility for a predetermined period of time;

computer usable program code for collecting energy usage data for a first electrical outlet in the plurality of electrical outlets in the facility, wherein the first electrical outlet is connected to an unidentified electrical device;

computer usable program code for determining a pattern of energy usage from the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet;

computer usable program code for comparing the pattern of energy usage of the first electrical outlet against known patterns of energy usage for one or more other electrical outlets; and

computer usable program code for identifying, in response to identifying a match between the pattern of energy usage of the energy usage data collected at the first electrical outlet and a known pattern of energy usage of a second electrical outlet in the one or more other electrical outlets, the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet as a same electrical device associated with the known pattern of energy usage of the second electrical outlet;

computer usable program code for determining whether the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets; and

computer usable program code for, responsive to a determination that the maximum amount of energy for the predetermined period of time has been delivered to the plurality of electrical outlets, disabling a set of the plurality of electrical outlets.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for sending the current energy usage data and identification of the electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet to a community web site.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the known patterns of energy usage are obtained from at least one of energy usage data collected at electrical outlets in the facility, baseline energy usage profiles, or the community web site.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for creating an energy usage threshold for the first electrical outlet;

computer usable program code for determining, in response to a determination that the energy usage data of the first electrical outlet meets or exceeds the energy usage threshold, if the identified electrical device connected to the first electrical outlet is a critical device; and

computer usable program code disabling the first electrical outlet in response to a determination that the identified electrical device is not a critical device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

computer usable program code for collecting updated energy usage data for the first electrical outlet; and

computer usable program code for enabling the first electrical outlet in response to a determination that the energy usage data of the first electrical outlet does not meet or exceed the energy usage threshold.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for creating an aggregate energy usage threshold for a group of electrical outlets in the facility;

computer usable program code for identifying, in response to a determination that the aggregate energy usage data of the group of electrical outlets meets or exceeds the aggregate energy usage threshold, target electrical outlets in the group of electrical outlets that are not connected to a critical device; and

computer usable program code for disabling the target electrical outlets.