Energy management of household appliances

• US 8,793,021 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• 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: Watson, Eric K., Besore, John K., Bowley, Brice Alan, Drake, Jeff Donald, Finch, Michael F., Roetker, John Joseph, Root, Steven Keith, Thomas, Gregory M., Venkatakrishnan, Natarajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman, Sean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/559,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/36, 700/276, 700/291, 700/296, 700/299, 700/300
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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

An appliance for conditioning air of a room comprises one or more power consuming features/functions including a temperature controlling element for one of heating and cooling air. 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 a utility state. The controller operates the appliance 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 at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode.

Claims

1. An air conditioner control method, comprising:

determining a 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 the air conditioner in a normal mode during the off-peak demand period;

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

selectively adjusting and/or deactivating any number of one or more power consuming features/functions of the air conditioner to reduce power consumption of the air conditioner in the energy savings mode, including adjusting a setpoint temperature to precipitate less refrigeration system on time in the energy savings mode; and

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

the steps of determining the state for an associated energy supplying utility and operating the air conditioner in the normal mode and the energy savings mode being carried out via an interface module connectable to a controller of the air conditioner and to the energy supplying utility, the interface module being configurable to match communication protocols of various utilities and enabling the air conditioner to be matched to the communication requirements of various utilities, the interface module mounting either integrally with or externally to the air conditioner.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting one of a duty cycle and speed of a compressor of the refrigeration system in the energy savings mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising deactivating the refrigeration system in the energy savings mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring one of temperature and humidity of outdoor air,

measuring indoor air temperature,

comparing one of the measured temperature and humidity to one of the setpoint temperature and indoor air temperature,

deactivating or reducing power of the refrigeration system during a cooling operating condition if one of the measured temperature and humidity is approximately equal to one of the setpoint temperature and indoor air temperature, and

selectively drawing in outdoor air into an associated room.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more power consuming features/functions further includes a light source for illuminating a user interface, and further comprising disabling the light source in the energy savings mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the energy cost associated with the utility demand;

displaying current cost of operating the air conditioner,

displaying current cost of supplied energy, and

alerting a user of a peak demand period.