Method and system for power load management

• US 8,232,684 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Ko, Horng-Shinn, Hung, Wen-Te, Yeh, Tung-Jung, Peng, Sheng-Hsuan
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/204,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 307/31, 307/34, 307/126, 307/38, 700/291, 700/295, 700/22, 700/276
• US Class Current: 307/126
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• 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 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• 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 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method for power load management is provided in the present invention, wherein two different standard values are determined to be a basis for regulating power consumption. When power consumption exceeds a first standard value, a monitoring procedure is started to monitor consumption status. If the power consumption exceeds a second standard value, an unloading procedure is processed to reduce the power consumption of electrical devices under operation. In another embodiment, the present invention also provides a system for power load management comprising a control unit coupled to at least one electrical device and a power meter. By means of real-time recording of power consumption in the power meter, the control unit is capable of determining the power consumption status and determining whether it is necessary to unload or reload the at least one electrical device.

Claims

1. A system for power load management, comprising:

a power meter, coupled to a power source to record a power consumption status;

a control unit, communicatively coupled to the power meter for determining unloading and reloading by using a first standard value and a second standard value different from the first standard value, and a first monitoring value and a second monitoring value corresponding to the first standard value and the second standard value, respectively, so as to issue an unloading signal or a reloading signal, wherein each of the first standard value and the second standard value comprises a consumed power limit determined according to a contract capacity, and wherein the first monitoring value comprises a continuously moving average of current power consumption per a first period of time, and the second monitoring value comprises a continuously moving average of the current power consumption per a second period of time, and wherein the durations of the first period of time and the second period of time are at least ten minutes different from one another;

at least an electrical device, coupled the control unit to receive the unloading signal or the reloading signal to be unloaded or reloaded; and

an alarm module communicatively coupled to the electrical device and the control unit, configured such that

when the first monitoring value is smaller than or equal to the first standard value, the alarm module is off; and

when the first monitoring value is larger than the first standard value, the alarm module is turned on to alert a monitoring staff that the current power consumption has exceeded a predetermined level, wherein when the second monitoring value is smaller than the second standard value, no unloading procedure is performed, and wherein when the second monitoring value is larger than the second standard value, a first unloading procedure is performed.

2. The system for power load management as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrical device comprises:

a chiller; and

a logic control module, capable of receiving the unloading signal or the reloading signal to issue an operation signal to the chiller.

3. The system for power load management as recited in claim 2, wherein the chiller is an air conditioner.

4. The system for power load management as recited in claim 2, wherein the logic control module comprises:

an unloading relay module, electrically coupled to the chiller, the unloading relay module being capable of transmitting the operation signal to the chiller; and

a logic control unit, coupled to the unloading relay module, the logic control unit being capable of controlling the unloading relay module according to the unloading signal or the reloading signal.

5. The system for power load management as recited in claim 4, wherein the unloading relay module further comprises a plurality of relays.

6. The system for power load management as recited in claim 4, wherein the logic control unit is capable of switching between an automatic mode and a local mode.

7. The system for power load management as recited in claim 4, wherein the control unit is further connected to an information display unit.

8. The system for power load management as recited in claim 4, wherein the logic control unit further comprises a power supply and an arithmetic unit.

9. The system for power load management as recited in claim 1, wherein the control unit communicates with the at least an electrical device and the power meter via a wired network or a wireless network.