Short message service (SMS)-enabled open automated demand response (OpenADR) server and related communications systems and methods

• US 9,369,305 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parsons Corporation (New Port Group Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IPKeys Technologies
• Inventors: Boch, Jim, Walker, William, Womack, Robert, Nawy, Robert, Havens, Daniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cadorna, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US13/739,418
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1923 using thermal energy, the cost of which varies in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• 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: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system and method for short message service (SMS)-enabled Open Automated Demand Response (OADR) server and related communications is presented. The method includes receiving, by a processing device integrated with a first endpoint device, a first SMS message that represents a first OADR-conformant message, processing the first SMS message, and causing an energy consuming device to execute an action based on the first SMS message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device integrated with a first endpoint device, a first short message service (SMS) message that contains information in an Open Automatic Demand Response (OADR)-conformant format;

processing, by the processing device, the first SMS message to identify an OADR tag within the first SMS message and extract an OADR element associated with the OADR tag from the first SMS message, the OADR element comprising a value associated with energy consumption pricing, energy consumption curtailment, or grid reliability;

reformatting, by the processing device, the first SMS message into a first OADR-conformant message having the OADR element inserted into the first OADR-conformant message in a format that is compliant with a secure connection format protocol utilized by an energy consuming device; and

causing the energy consuming device to execute an action based on the information contained in the first SMS message by transmitting the first OADR-conformant message to the energy consuming device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving, from the energy consuming device, a response indicative of an execution of the action;

generating a second SMS message based on the response; and

transmitting the second SMS message to a proxy server indicating the execution of the action.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second SMS message comprises information about a meter reading, a date of the meter reading, and a time of the meter reading.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SMS message comprises one of a do command, do not command, a price of a unit of energy, or a request for telemetry information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a dictionary update message;

updating a dictionary based on the dictionary update message;

receiving one of a start message, a static variable and a tag message, indicating an OADR format;

reformatting the first SMS message into the first OADR-conformant message based on the updated dictionary; and

transmitting the first OADR-conformant message to a receiver integrated with a second endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first OADR-conformant message is transmitted to the receiver integrated with the second endpoint device via Internet Protocol (IP).

7. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, the processing device configured to;

receive a first SMS message that contains information in an OADR-conformant format;

process the first SMS message to identify an OADR tag within the first SMS message and extract an OADR element associated with the OADR tag from the first SMS message, the OADR element comprising a value associated with energy consumption pricing, energy consumption curtailment, or grid reliability;

reformat the first SMS message into a first OADR-conformant message having the OADR element inserted into the first OADR-conformant message in a format that is compliant with a secure connection format protocol utilized by an energy consuming device; and

cause the energy consuming device to execute an action based on the information contained in the first SMS message by transmitting the first OADR-conformant message to the energy consuming device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive, from the energy consuming device, a response indicative of an execution of the action;

generate a second SMS message based on the response; and

transmit the second SMS message to a proxy server indicating the execution of of the action.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second SMS message comprises information about a meter reading, a date of the meter reading, and a time of the meter reading.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the first SMS message comprises one of a do command, do not command, a price of a unit of energy, or a request for telemetry information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive a dictionary update message;

update a dictionary based on the dictionary update message;

receive one of a start message, a static variable, and a tag message, indicating an OADR format;

reformatting the first SMS message into the first OADR-conformant message based on the updated dictionary; and

transmit the OADR-conformant message to a receiver integrated with a second endpoint device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first OADR-conformant message is transmitted to the receiver integrated with the second endpoint device via Internet Protocol (IP).

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a first OADR-conformant message that contains information in an OADR-conformant format;

identifying, by the processing device, an OADR tag within the first OADR-conformant message;

extracting, by the processing device, an OADR element associated with the OADR tag from the first OADR-conformant message, the OADR element comprising a value associated with energy consumption pricing, energy consumption curtailment, or grid reliability;

generating, by the processing device, a first SMS message that contains information in an OADR-conformant format, wherein the information in the OADR-conformant format is generated by having the OADR element inserted into a body of the first SMS message; and

transmitting, by the processing device, the first SMS message to a receiving device integrated with an endpoint device that is communicably coupled to an energy consuming device so as to cause the energy consuming device to execute an action based on the information contained in the first SMS message.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, to the receiving device integrated with the endpoint device, one of a start message, a static variable and a tag message, indicating an OADR format; and

receiving, from a transmitting device integrated with the endpoint device, a second SMS message indicating an execution of the action by the energy consuming device based on the first SMS message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second SMS message comprises information about a meter reading, a date of the meter reading, and a time of the meter reading.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the elements of the first SMS message comprise at least one of a do command, do not command, a price of a unit of energy, or a request for telemetry information.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from a transmitting device integrated with the endpoint device, a polling message indicating a read only memory (ROM) version;

generating a dictionary update message based on the ROM version; and

transmitting the dictionary update message to the endpoint device, wherein receiving, by the processing device, the first OADR-conformant message is from an OADR-conformant node.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

reformatting the second SMS message into a second OADR-conformant message; and

transmitting the second OADR-conformant message to the OADR-conformant node.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising data that, when executed by a processing device, causes the processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first OADR-conformant message that contains information in an OADR-conformant format;

identifying, by the processing device, an OADR tag within the first OADR-conformant message;

extracting, by the processing device, an OADR element associated with the OADR tag from the first OADR-conformant message, the OADR element comprising a value associated with energy consumption pricing, energy consumption curtailment, or grid reliability;

generating a first SMS message that contains information in an OADR-conformant format, wherein the information in the OADR-conformant format is generated by having the OADR element inserted into a body of the first SMS message; and

transmitting the first SMS message to a receiving device integrated with an endpoint device that is communicably coupled to an energy consuming device so as to cause the energy consuming device to execute an action based on the information contained in the first SMS message.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, to the receiving device integrated with the endpoint device, one of a start message, a static variable and a tag message, indicating an OADR format; and

receiving, from a transmitting, by a transmitting device integrated with the endpoint device, a second SMS message indicating an execution of the action by the energy consuming device based on the first SMS message.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the second SMS message comprises information about a meter reading, a date of the meter reading, and a time of the meter reading.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the first SMS message comprises one of a do command, do not command, a price of a unit of energy, or a request for telemetry information.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from a transmitting device integrated with the endpoint device, a polling message indicating a read only memory (ROM) version;

generating a dictionary update message based on the ROM version; and

transmitting the dictionary update message to the endpoint device, wherein receiving, by the processing device, the first OADR-conformant message is from an OADR-conformant node.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

reformatting the second SMS message into a second OADR-conformant message; and

transmitting the second OADR-conformant message to the OADR-conformant node.