System and method for resource management

• US 9,280,796 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andreas Joanni Synesiou, John Andrew Synesiou
• Original Assignee: Andreas Joanni Synesiou, John Andrew Synesiou
• Inventors: Synesiou, Andreas Joanni, Synesiou, John Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/006,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 700/20, 700/22, 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/296, 700/297, 705/412
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• 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: H02J 3/18 Arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks for adjustment of voltage H02J3/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/22 Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS] or power factor or reactive power compensating or correcting units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A system uses an intelligent load controller for managing use of a consumable resource at an associated load. The controller has a resource measuring component for measuring the rate of use of the resource by the associated load, including measuring at least one of an instantaneous usage rate and a usage rate over an integration period and a load status component for receiving load status data for the associated load. The controller also has a communication component for receiving control messages from and sending load status messages to other associated controllers; a memory for storing a load control goal set; and a load control computer program responsive to the resource measuring component, the load status component, the control messages from other associated controllers and the load control goal set, to determine a load operating level for, and provide control commands to, the associated load.

Claims

1. A system for assisting the supply of a consumable resource used by a plurality of loads of a user receiving the resource from one or more suppliers, comprising:

a plurality of user-located load level intelligent controllers, each associated with at least one user load connected in a supplier network that supplies the resource to loads, each such controller comprising;

a load resource measuring component for measuring the rate of use of the resource by the at least one associated load and measuring voltage, current and phase angle data for calculating power quality supplied to the at least one associated load of the load level controller;

a load status component for monitoring load status data for the at least one associated load; and

a communication component for exchanging control and load status messages with other associated load level controllers and at least one group controller for the plurality of load level intelligent controllers;

a connection for applying user'"'"'s stored reserves of the consumable resource or user generating capacity to the supplier network, said connection being in communication with at least one load level controller or group controller; and

a control computer program executing on at least one load level controller or group controller, said computer program being responsive to a trigger signal directly from a supplier or based on power quality calculations of a load level controller to initiate providing the supplier network access to at least one of the user'"'"'s stored reserves of the consumable resource or the user'"'"'s generating capacity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is from a supply weakness sensor for sensing weakness in a supplier system for the resource.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is from a supply weakness sensor for sensing weakness in a supplier system for the resource from a calculation of power weakness indicators.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is one of a command from a supplier or a message initiated or received by at least one load level controller or group controller requiring user action.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger signal is a command from a supplier and the access is automatic.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the resource is electric power and at least one load level intelligent controller has a measuring module for measuring one or more dimensions of electric power flowing either to a user from the one or more suppliers or from a user to the network that supplies the electric power to loads.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the resource is electric power and the user'"'"'s stored reserves of the consumable resource comprise means for storing electric power.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the resource is electric power and the user'"'"'s generating capacity comprise means for generating electric power.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the resource is electric power and the load resource measuring component of at least one load level intelligent controller has a measuring module for sensing or computing at least one value selected from the group consisting of:

Per Phase WH, Per Phase VarH, Per Phase VaH, Per Phase RMS Current, Per Phase RMS Voltage, Frequency, Waveform capture of all Currents and Voltages, Under Voltage Detection, Over Voltage Detection, Over Current Detection, Phase Failure Detection, Phase Sequence Error Detection, Reverse Power Detection, and Sags and Dips Detection or combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein when the user'"'"'s generating capacity is started up in an emergency situation, the generating capacity is shut down when the situation has stabilized.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the group level controller comprises a control program configured to receive a message directing it to deploy user generation capacity or to make its own determination to assist, resource supply to the supplier network.