Appliance incorporating load selectivity without employment of smart meters

• US 8,170,695 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Spicer, Lucas Bryant, Besore, John K.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/837,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/90, 700/286, 700/295, 700/296, 235/61.R, 708/200, 708/250, 708/490, 708/504, 708/505, 708/650, 708/651, 708/670, 708/680
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

Methods and a system are disclosed for one or more appliances including a controller for managing power consumption within a household. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of one or more energy parameters of an associated energy utility, including at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period. A generated serial number is obtained from an original serial number of the appliance or controller, which is configured for a signal to communicate to the appliance within a population and command the appliance to operate in an energy savings mode and a normal mode at various time periods. The generated serial number (GSN) is used to segregate a total population into segments to provide granularity in assigning DR activations and deactivations based upon the GSN.

Claims

1. A method for a demand response system to control load shedding and payback spiking in a population of energy consuming devices by producing generated serial numbers from original serial numbers of at least one device, executed via a controller with at least one memory storing executable instructions for the method, comprising:

obtaining an original serial number to generate a generated serial number from the device or a device microcontroller;

generating a replacing number for a first number to be replaced in the original serial number;

replacing the first number to be replaced with the replacing number if the replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the replacing number that is not divisible by 10, if the replacing number is greater than nine;

generating a first additional replacing number for each number at a higher place holder than the first number to be replaced in the original serial number;

replacing each number in the original serial number at the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced with the first additional replacing number if the first additional replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the first additional replacing number that is not divisible by 10, if the first additional replacing number is greater than nine;

generating a second additional replacing number for a second number from a last number in the original serial number to replace the second number;

replacing the second number from the last number with the second additional replacing number if the second additional replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the second additional replacing number that is not divisible by 10 if the second additional replacing number is great than nine to form a generated number; and

adding the original serial number to the generated number except for the last number in the original serial number to generate the generated serial number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a generated value from the generated serial number by dividing the generated serial number by a largest whole number possible using the number of digits in the generated serial number; and

segregating the population of devices into specific segments by assigning segments according to the generated value for that device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instigating demand response events in the energy consuming devices by selectively imposing energy saving modes and normal operating modes to select segregations at different times via the generated serial number of respective devices or microcontrollers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the original serial number to the generated number comprises not adding values that are carried over in addition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the replacing number for the first number to be replaced comprises:

adding one to the first number to be replaced and to each number at a lower place holder in the original serial number than the first number to be replaced; and

summing each number with the one added thereto to get the replacing number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first additional replacing number for each number at the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced comprises:

adding one to each number at and below the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced; and

summing each number with the one added thereto.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the second additional replacing number for the second number from the last number to replace the second number, comprises:

adding one to each number at each place holder;

summing each number with one added thereto to generate the replacing number for the second number from the last number, wherein the second number with one added thereto is first multiplied by two or added twice.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated serial numbers are evenly distributed across a total range of possible values of numbers that comprise the same number of digits respectively as the original serial numbers for the population.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated serial numbers are non-random and deterministically generated based on the original serial number assigned to the appliance and/or a microcontroller of the appliance.

10. A method for an appliance to control load shedding and payback spiking in a population by producing generated serial numbers from original serial numbers, executed via a controller with at least one memory storing executable instructions for the method, comprising:

obtaining an original serial number from the appliance to generate a generated serial number therefrom;

generating a replacing number for a first number of the original serial number to be replaced;

substituting the number to be replaced with the replacing number if the replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the replacing number that is not divisible by 10, if the replacing number is greater than nine;

generating a first additional replacing number for each number at a higher place holder than the first number to be replaced;

replacing each number at the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced with the first additional replacing number if the first additional replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the first additional replacing number that is not divisible by 10, if the first additional replacing number is greater than nine;

generating a second additional replacing number for a second number from a last number to replace the second number;

replacing the second number from the last number with the second additional replacing number if the second additional replacing number is less than ten, or with a remainder of the second additional replacing number that is not divisible by 10 if the second additional replacing number is great than nine to form a generated number;

adding the original serial number to the generated number except for the last number to generate the generated serial number; and

altering variables of the appliance that affect payback load spikes in the population by using the generated serial number to obtain a communication to the appliance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the variables comprise a run time, a temperature set point, a price control and a population assignor configured to designate a particular subset population the appliance belongs to in the population.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication is a one-way communication configured for communicating with the appliance with the generated serial number.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein adding the original serial number to the generated number comprises not adding values that are carried over in addition.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the replacing number for the first number to be replaced comprises:

adding one to the first number to be replaced and to each number at a lower place holder in the original serial number than the first number to be replaced; and

summing each number with the one added thereto to get the replacing number;

wherein generating the first additional replacing number for each number at the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced comprises;

adding one to each number at and below the higher place holder than the first number to be replaced; and

summing each number with the one added thereto; and

wherein generating the second additional replacing number for the second number from the last number to replace the second number, comprises;

adding one to each number at each place holder;

summing each number with one added thereto to generate the replacing number for the second number from the last number, wherein the second number with one added thereto is first multiplied by two or added twice.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication is a two-way communication configured for communicating with the appliance with the generated serial number.