Energy management of household appliances

• US 8,474,279 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Besore, John K., DeVos, Richard, Drake, Jeff Donald, Finch, Michael F., Foster, Ronald Gary, Franks, Darin, Newton, William, Root, Steven Keith, Venkatakrishnan, Natarajan, Watson, Eric K., Worthington, Timothy Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US12/559,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20100101254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 621/51, 621/57, 621/58, 622/281, 622/30, 622/31, 622/33, 700/276, 340/870.17
• US Class Current: 62/157
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 21/04 Preventing the formation of frost or condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• 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 2310/66 one of the loads acting as master and the other or others acting as slaves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A refrigerator comprises a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment and one or more power consuming features/functions including a refrigeration system for cooling the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of current state of an associated energy supplying utility. The controller operates the refrigerator in one of plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode, in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively schedule, delay, adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the refrigerator in the energy savings mode.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising:

a fresh food compartment;

a freezer compartment;

one or more power consuming devices including a refrigeration system for cooling the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment, the refrigeration system including a compressor; and

a controller operatively connected to the one or more power consuming devices, the controller being configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a current state of an associated energy supplying utility, the controller operating the refrigerator in one of plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy saving mode, in response to the received signal, the controller being configured to at least one of selectively schedule, delay, adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming devices to reduce power consumption of the refrigerator in the energy savings mode,

wherein the refrigeration system being configured to cool the freezer compartment to a targeted setpoint temperature of the freezer compartment, and the controller is further configured to increase the targeted setpoint temperature of the freezer compartment to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the refrigeration system is adapted to cool the fresh food compartment to a targeted setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment, and the controller is further configured to increase the targeted setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode.

3. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes at least one of:

a cooling bin located in the fresh food compartment and having a fast cool feature for quickly cooling a consumer product located in the cooling bin to a predetermined temperature,

a beverage bin located in the fresh food compartment and having, a beverage cool feature for maintaining the beverage bin at a predetermined temperature generally lower than a setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment, and

a fast freeze bin located in the freezer compartment and having a fast freeze feature for fast freezing a consumer product located in the fast freeze bin,

wherein the controller is configured to selectively deactivate at least one of the fast cool feature, the beverage cool feature and the fast freeze feature in the energy savings mode.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate each of the fast cool feature, the beverage cool feature and the fast freeze feature in the energy savings mode.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes an ice and water dispenser, and an icemaker, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively deactivate one of the dispenser and the icemaker in the energy savings mode.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes a first light source for illuminating the fresh food compartment and a second light source for illuminating the freezer compartment, wherein the controller is further configured to one of deactivate and dim one of the first light source and the second light source in the energy savings mode.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes at least one electrically driven anti-sweat heater for preventing exterior condensation, wherein the controller is further configured to one of deactivate, reduce voltage to and duty cycle the at least one anti-sweat heater in the energy savings mode.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices includes an automatic defrost cycle having a scheduled activation time, wherein if the scheduled activation time occurs while operating in the energy savings mode the controller is further configured to delay the defrost cycle until the energy savings mode ceases unless performance degradation of the refrigerator is detected.

9. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming devices includes an automatic defrost cycle having a scheduled activation time, wherein while operating in the normal operating mode the controller is further configured to initiate the defrost cycle prior to the scheduled activation time if the controller determines that the scheduled activation time will occur in the energy savings mode.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the signal is further indicative of a price tier of the supplied energy, the price tier being one of low, medium, high and critical, wherein the controller is configured to operate the refrigerator in an operating mode corresponding to the price tier.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, further including a user interface operatively connected to the controller, the user interface including a selectable override option providing a user the ability to select which of the one or more power consuming devices are delayed, adjusted and/or disabled by the controller in the energy savings mode, the user interface further including a display communicating activation of the energy savings mode.

12. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the energy savings mode display includes a display selected from the group consisting of “

ECO”

, “

Eco”

, “

EP”

, “

ER”

, “

CP”

, “

CPP”

, “

DR”

, and “

PP”

.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the signal is further indicative of the cost of the energy provided when in the current state, the refrigerator further including a display indicative of current cost of energy and current cost of operating the refrigerator.

14. A refrigerator control method, comprising:

determining a utility state for an associated energy supplying utility, the utility state being indicative of at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period;

operating a refrigerator in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

operating the refrigerator in an energy savings mode during the peak demand period;

selectively scheduling, delaying, adjusting and/or deactivating any number of one or More power consuming devices of the refrigerator to reduce power consumption of the refrigerator in the energy sayings mode, including increasing a setpoint temperature of a freezer compartment to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode; and

returning to the normal mode after the peak demand period is over.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more power consuming devices includes a fresh food compartment having a setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment, the method further comprising increasing the setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment to precipitate less compressor on time in the energy savings mode.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes at least one of a fast cool feature, a beverage cool feature, a fast freeze feature, and an icemaker, the method further comprising deactivating at least one of the fast cool feature, the beverage cool feature, the fast freeze feature and the icemaker in the energy savings mode.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more power consuming devices further includes an anti-sweat heater for preventing exterior condensation, the method further comprising one of deactivating, throttling or duty cycling the anti-sweat heater in the energy savings mode.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a scheduled on-time of a defrost cycle;

determining if the scheduled on-time will occur while operating in the energy savings mode; and

delaying the scheduled on-time of the defrost cycle while operating in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the refrigerator is detected.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a scheduled on-time of a defrost cycle;

determining if the scheduled on-time will occur while operating in the energy savings mode; and

activating the defrost cycle prior to the scheduled on-time while still operating in the normal mode if close to the scheduled on-time.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining the energy cost associated with the utility state;

displaying current cost of operating;

the refrigerator,

displaying current cost of supplied energy, and

alerting a user of a peak demand period.

21. A refrigerator comprising:

a fresh food compartment having a targeted setpoint temperature;

a freezer compartment having, a targeted setpoint temperature;

a refrigeration system for cooling each of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment to its targeted setpoint temperature;

an automatic defrost cycle having a scheduled on-time; and

a controller configured to receive and process an energy signal, the energy signal having a first state indicative of a utility peak demand period and a second state indicative of a utility off-peak demand period, the controller operating the refrigerator in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the received energy signal being in the first state and the second state respectively,

wherein the controller is further configured to increase the targeted setpoint temperature of at least one of fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment in the energy savings mode, and

wherein the controller is further configured to delay activation of the automatic defrost cycle if the scheduled on-time occurs in the energy savings mode unless performance degradation of the refrigerator is detected.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to initiate the automatic defrost cycle prior to the scheduled on-time if the controller determines that the scheduled on-time will occur while operating in the energy savings mode.

23. The refrigerator of claim 21,

wherein the energy signal has an associated energy cost and the controller is further configured to override the operating mode of the refrigerator based on a user selected targeted energy cost,

wherein if current energy cost exceeds the user selected targeted energy cost, the controller operates the refrigerator in the energy savings mode, and

wherein if the current energy cost is less than the user selected targeted energy cost, the controller operates the refrigerator in the normal operating mode.

24. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the refrigeration system includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator in a refrigerant flow relationship, the controller being further configured to one of adjust a duty cycle of and adjust a refrigeration capacity of the compressor in the energy savings mode.

25. The refrigerator of claim 24, further including at least one sensing device operatively connected to the controller for measuring temperature of each of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment, wherein in the energy savings mode if the measured temperature of one of the fresh food compartment and the freezer compartment exceeds its increased targeted setpoint temperature, the controller is further configured to one of adjust the duty cycle of the compressor to precipitate more compressor on time, increase the speed of the compressor and increase the capacity of the compressor until the measured temperature no longer exceeds the increased targeted setpoint temperature.

26. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to reduce before the utility peak demand period the targeted setpoint temperature of the freezer compartment to pre-chill the freezer compartment to a temperature lower than the targeted setpoint temperature and increase the targeted setpoint temperature of the freezer compartment during the utility peak demand period.

27. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to reduce, before the utility peak demand period the targeted setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment to pre-chill the fresh food compartment to a temperature lower than the targeted setpoint temperature and increase the targeted setpoint temperature of the fresh food compartment during the utility peak demand period.