Real time energy consumption analysis and reporting

• US 9,129,231 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaufman, Philip John, Walker, Marcia Elaine
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US12/429,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,328 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/7.11, 705/7.37, 705/7.38, 705/400, 705/412, 705/413, 702/61
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/024 Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0254 based on a quantitative model, e.g. mathematical relationships between inputs and outputs; functions: observer, Kalman filter, residual calculation, Neural Networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/82 Energy audits or management systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate analysis, processing, or reporting in connection with energy consumption data and/or emissions or sustainability factors associated with an automation process. In particular, the architecture can obtain process-level or machine- or device-level energy consumption data collected during execution of an automation process. The data can be analyzed or processed, with general or application-specific results output to a specified recipient and/or formatted (e.g., parsed, filtered, or transformed) according to a general or application-specific scheme.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data processor coupled to memory retaining instructions carried out by the data processor, in operation, for;

an acquisition component that, in operation, obtains energy consumption data across a plurality of locations during execution of one or more automation sub-processes of an automation process configured to produce a specified product or service;

an analysis component that, in operation, generates processed data based on the energy consumption data, wherein the processed data characterizes the energy consumption data as a function of at least one operational parameter of the one or more automation sub-processes, wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises a process scheduling parameter comprising a plurality of timetables of engagement for a plurality of machines executing the one or more automation sub-processes, wherein each of the plurality of timetables of engagement is associated with a different amount of energy consumed by the one or more automation sub-processes; and

a machine control component that, in operation, controls the plurality of machines executing the one or more automation sub-processes of the automation sub-process according to one of the plurality of timetables of engagement, wherein the one of the plurality of timetables of engagement is selected based on the processed data characterized as a function of the at least one operational parameter and the different amount of energy consumed by the one or more automation sub-processes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the automation process comprises a discrete process or a batch process.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises at least one of a run-time parameter that relates to configuration of at least one of the plurality of machines machine employed during the at least one of the one or more automation sub-processes, a production modulation parameter that relates to modification of the at least one of the one or more automation sub-processes or a predetermined schedule thereof, or any combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine control component, in operation, employs the at least one operational parameter and a process control algorithm to determine an update to the one or more automation sub-processes based upon a state of the energy consumption data, the processed data, or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the machine control component determines the update based upon at least one environmental factor.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the machine control component determines the update based upon at least one emission factor in connection with the automation process.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the machine control component determines the update to the one or more automation sub-processes based upon a sustainability factor in connection with the automation process.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the sustainability factor pertains to at least one of an energy provider, raw materials, waste, effluent, worker safety, corporate policy, fair labor policy, or regulatory mandates.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one operational parameter is configured to adjust at least one operation of the at least one of the one or more automation sub-processes, wherein the at least one adjusted operation affects the amount of energy consumed by the one or more automation sub-processes.

10. The system of claim 1, comprising a reporting component that, in operation, generates a bill of materials that itemizes the one or more automation sub-processes used to produce the specified product or service, and a respective portion of the energy consumption data, a respective portion of the processed data, or any combination thereof directly associated with a respective automation sub-process.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reporting component formats and outputs the bill of materials by way of email, electronic message, printer, or a human-machine interface (HMI).

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the bill of materials is transmitted to at least one of an authorized network address, a graphical display associated with the HMI, a data store, or a decision tree of an industrial control configuration.

13. A method, comprising:

employing a data processor for executing the following instructions stored on a computer readable medium;

receiving energy consumption data associated with one or more components of one or more industrial automation sub-processes of an industrial automation process during execution of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes;

characterizing the energy consumption data as a function of at least one operational parameter of at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes, wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises a process scheduling parameter comprising a plurality of timetables of engagement for the one or more components, wherein each of the plurality of timetables of engagement is associated with a different amount of energy consumed by the one or more components of the at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes;

storing the characterized energy consumption data in memory; and

controlling the one or more components according to one of the plurality of timetables of engagement by selecting the one of the plurality of timetables of engagement based on the processed data characterized as a function of the at least one operational parameter and the different amount of energy consumed by the one or more components of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising outputting, during execution of the at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes, a bill of materials report that itemizes the at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes and component parts, raw materials, and a respective portion of the characterized energy consumption data that correspond to the at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising facilitating real-time process modification to the at least one of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes as a function of a sustainability benefit associated with the industrial automation process.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer executable code comprising instructions configured to:

acquire device-level energy consumption data, water consumption data, or any combination thereof for a set of devices associated with one or more industrial automation sub-processes of an industrial automation process during execution of the industrial automation process;

analyze, during execution of the industrial automation process, the device-level energy consumption data, the water consumption data, or any combination thereof as a function of at least one operational parameter of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes, wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises a process scheduling parameter comprising a plurality of timetables of engagement for the set of devices, wherein each of the plurality of timetables of engagements is associated with a different amount of energy or water consumed by at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes;

control the set of devices according to one of the plurality of timetables of engagement by selecting the one of the plurality of timetables of engagement based on the analyzed energy consumption data, the water consumption data, or any combination thereof and the different amount of energy or water consumed by the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes; and

report, during execution of the industrial automation process, a relevant portion of the analyzed device-level water consumption data to a recipient, wherein the relevant portion of the analyzed device-level water consumption data is reported as a bill of materials that itemizes the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes and respective component parts, respective raw materials, and a respective portion of the analyzed device-level water consumption data that correspond to the at least a portion of the industrial automation sub-processes.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, comprising instructions configured to modulate the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes or a disparate automation process for facilitating a desired change in the device-level energy consumption, the water consumption, or any combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising instructions configured to receive an input describing the desired change or the modulating of the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one operational parameter is configured to adjust at least one operation of the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes, wherein the at least one adjusted operation affects an amount of energy consumed by the at least a portion of the one or more industrial automation sub-processes.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one operational parameter comprises at least one of a run-time parameter that relates to configuration of a machine employed during the one or more automation sub-processes, a production modulation parameter that relates to modification of the one or more automation sub-processes or a predetermined schedule thereof, or any combination thereof.