Systems and methods for modifying power usage
First Claim
1. A system for managing energy usage of an appliance, comprising:
- a wide-area wireless communication system comprising a plurality of transmitters configured to redundantly broadcast one or more wireless signals, wherein each said wireless signal in said one or more wireless signals comprises energy tariff information;
a receiver assembly in electrical communication with said appliance, said receiver assembly comprising a microcontroller;
a receiving interface in electrical communication with said microcontroller for receiving said tariff information broadcast by said wide-area wireless communication system;
a display in electrical communication with said microcontroller for notifying a user of said tariff information; and
an input interface in electrical communication with said microcontroller for receiving instructions from said user on whether to alter said energy usage of said appliance after notifying said user of said tariff information using said display.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for providing energy management utilize wireless wide-area network broadcast signals and a decentralized receiver architecture to allow customers to make informed choices with regard to energy consumption and load shedding for particular appliances. A receiver assembly embedded within an appliance receives a broadcast signal, e.g., an FM subcarrier signal, including tariff data and other electrical grid data. A processor coupled with the receiver controls the appliance in accordance with the received data and in accordance with user-defined preferences. In some embodiments, a transceiver assembly is embedded in one or more appliances in a household. Each transceiver is configured to receive broadcast signals regarding grid data, and to communicate with other appliances and/or a usage meter over a wireless personal area network. Meter data from one or more households may be aggregated and uplinked back to the energy provider or other entities.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A system for managing energy usage of an appliance, comprising:
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a wide-area wireless communication system comprising a plurality of transmitters configured to redundantly broadcast one or more wireless signals, wherein each said wireless signal in said one or more wireless signals comprises energy tariff information; a receiver assembly in electrical communication with said appliance, said receiver assembly comprising a microcontroller; a receiving interface in electrical communication with said microcontroller for receiving said tariff information broadcast by said wide-area wireless communication system; a display in electrical communication with said microcontroller for notifying a user of said tariff information; and an input interface in electrical communication with said microcontroller for receiving instructions from said user on whether to alter said energy usage of said appliance after notifying said user of said tariff information using said display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A receiver assembly for managing energy usage of an appliance, comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive a signal from a wide-area wireless communication system comprising a plurality of transmitters configured to redundantly broadcast one or more wireless signals, wherein said each wireless signal in said one or more wireless signals comprises energy tariff information; a processor in electrical communication with said receiver and an appliance, said processor configured to control the appliance as a function of the energy tariff information; a display in electrical communication with said processor for notifying a user of said tariff information; and an input interface in electrical communication with said processor for receiving instructions from said user on whether to alter said energy usage of said appliance after notifying said user of said tariff information using said display. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A household electrical apparatus comprising:
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(a) a transceiver wherein the transceiver comprises (i) a receiver; and (ii) a transmitter; (b) a microprocessor; and (c) a memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions for using the microprocessor to; receive, via the receiver, broadcasted radio signals that include electrical grid data; communicate, via the transmitter, information about an electrical load of the household electrical apparatus; display, via a display device, said electrical grid data; receive, via an input interface, instructions from said user on whether to alter an energy usage of an appliance after notifying said user of said electrical grid data using said display device. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification