Energy management of clothes washer appliance

• US 8,627,689 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• 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: Finch, Michael F., Besore, John, Drake, Jeff Donald, Franks, Darin, Helms, Chad Michael, Kappler, Jerrod Aaron, Root, Steven Keith, Venkatakrishnan, Natarajan, Watson, Eric K., Wiseman, Joshua S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US12/559,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 68/120.2, 68/121.2, 68/121.6, 68/122.1
• US Class Current: 68/12.12
• 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 clothes washer is provided comprising one or more power consuming functions and a controller in signal communication with an associated utility. The controller can receive and process a signal from the associated utility indicative of current state of an associated utility. The controller operates the clothes washer in one of a 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 change the power consuming functions by adjusting one or more of an operation schedule, an operation delay, an operation adjustment, and a selective deactivation of at least one of the one or more power consuming functions to reduce power consumption of the clothes washer in the energy savings mode.

Claims

1. A clothes washer comprising:

one or more power consuming, functions including at least one of a tub, a drive system for driving a basket, and a water delivery system comprising a pump for delivering water to the tub; and

,

a controller in signal communication with an associated utility company, the controller configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a current state of the associated utility company, wherein the associated utility company indicated current state is at least one of a demand period status, a current energy cost, and an energy availability;

the controller configured to operate the clothes washer in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy sayings mode, in response to the received signal, the controller being;

configured to change the power consuming functions by adjusting one or more of an operation schedule, an operation delay, an operation adjustment, and a selective deactivation of at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions so that the clothes washer enters a lower energy usage mode.

2. The clothes washer according to claim 1, wherein the operation delay is selected from the group consisting of a delay in start time, an extension of time to the delay start, stopping an existing cycle and delaying a restart, finishing an existing cycle and delaying a restart, and stopping after more than one cycle and delaying a restart.

3. The clothes washer according to claim 2, wherein the stopping after more than one cycle is selected from the group consisting of stopping after a wash cycle, stopping after a rinse cycle, and stopping after a spin cycle.

4. The clothes washer according to claim 1, wherein the operation schedule comprises a user interface that gives a user the ability to select which of the one or more power consuming clothes washer functions are scheduled by the clothes washer control system, that receives a zip code entry which corresponds to a time of use schedule of the utility company from which the clothes washer control system can determine on-peak mode hours and off-peak mode hours;

that uses a time versus day of the week schedule input method;

that receives a rate signal directly from the utility company advising of the current rate; and

schedules activation of clothes washer to off-peak mode hours.

5. The clothes washer according to claim 4, wherein the operation adjustment adjusts the clothes washer functions during off-peak mode hours.

6. The clothes washer according to claim 5, wherein the operation adjustment is selected from the group consisting of a reduction in target temperature in one or inure cycles, a disablement of one or more heaters in one or more cycles, reduction in power to one or more heaters, a switch from a selected cycle to a reduced power consumption cycle, a reduction in a duration of cycle time in one or more cycles, a disablement of one or more cycles, a skipping of one or more cycles, a reduction in water volume in one or more cycles, and an adjustment to wash additives in one or more cycles.

7. The clothes washer according to claim 1, wherein the operation adjustment comprises a user interface that gives a user the ability to select which of the one or more power consuming clothes washer functions are used by the clothes washer control system, that receives a zip code entry which corresponds to a time of use schedule of a utility company from which the clothes washer control system can determine on-peak mode hours and off-peak mode hours;

that uses a time versus day of the week schedule input method;

that receives a rate signal directly from the utility company advising of the current rate; and

adjusts the clothes washer functions during on-peak mode hours.

8. The clothes washer according to claim 7, wherein the operation adjustment is selected from the group consisting of a reduction in target temperature in one or more cycles, a disablement of one or more heaters in one or more cycles, reduction in power to one or more heaters, a switch from a selected cycle to a reduced power consumption cycle, a reduction in a duration of cycle time in one or more cycles, a disablement of one or more cycles, a skipping of one or more cycles, a reduction in water volume in one or more cycles, and an adjustment to wash additives in one or more cycles.

9. The clothes washer according to claim 7, wherein the operation delay is selected from the group consisting of a delay in start time, an extension of time to the delay start, stopping an existing cycle and delaying a restart, finishing an existing cycle and delaying, a restart, and stopping after more than one cycle and delaying a restart.

10. The clothes washer according to claim 1, wherein the operation adjustment is selected from the group consisting of a reduction in target temperature in one or more cycles, a disablement of one or more heaters in one or more cycles, reduction in power to one or more heaters, a switch from a selected cycle to a reduced power consumption cycle, a reduction in a duration of cycle time in one or more cycles, a disablement of one or more cycles, a skipping of one or more cycles, a reduction in water volume in one or more cycles, and an adjustment to wash additives in one or more cycles.

11. The clothes washer according to claim 1, wherein the energy signal has an associated energy cost and wherein the controller is configured to override the operating mode of the clothes washing appliance based on a user selected targeted energy cost;

wherein if current energy cost exceeds the user selected cost, the controller operates the appliance in the energy savings mode, and, wherein if the current energy cost is less than the user selected cost, the controller operates the appliance in the normal operating mode.

12. The clothes washer according to claim 1, further comprising a display communicating activation of the energy savings mode.

13. The clothes washer according to claim 12, wherein the energy savings mode display includes a message selected from the group consisting of “

ECO”

, “

Eco”

, “

EP”

, “

ER”

, “

CP”

, “

CPP”

, “

DR”

, and “

PP”

.

14. A clothes washer comprising:

a tub for receiving washing liquid;

a perforated basket disposed within the tub for receiving items to be washed;

a drive system for driving the basket; and

,

a controller configured to control energization of the drive system to selectively implement a plurality of power consuming cycles, and to receive and process an energy signal indicative of a current state of an associated utility company, wherein the associated utility company indicated current state is at least one of a utility peak demand period, a utility off-peak demand period, a current energy cost, and an enemy availability;

the controller configured to operate the clothes washer in one of an energy savings mode and a normal operating mode based on the received signal being in the first and second states respectively, the controller being configured to at least one of selectively delay or alter one or more of the power consuming cycles so that the clothes washer enters a lower energy usage mode.

15. The clothes washer of claim 14, wherein the energy signal has an associated energy cost and further including a display communicating current cost of energy and current cost of operating the clothes washer.