Extensible energy management architecture

• US 9,423,848 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Keller, Michael R., Vasko, David A., Kaufman, Philip J., Brandt, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US13/839,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32021 Energy management, balance and limit power to tools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• 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: Y02P 70/10 Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems

Abstract

An energy management system may include a plurality of industrial automation devices and a first energy agent embedded within an industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices. The first energy agent may monitor one or more energy properties that correspond to the industrial automation device. Also, the first energy agent may adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy properties and an energy objective.

Claims

1. An energy management system, comprising:

a plurality of industrial automation devices;

a first energy agent embedded within a first industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the first energy agent is configured to;

monitor one or more energy properties that correspond to the first industrial automation device; and

adjust one or more operations of the first industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy properties and an energy objective; and

a second energy agent embedded within a second industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the second energy agent is not capable of monitoring one or more energy properties that correspond to the second industrial automation device, and wherein the second energy agent is configured to receive the one or more energy properties that correspond to the second industrial automation device from the first energy agent.

2. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the first energy agent is configured to:

receive factory specifications that correspond to the industrial automation device; and

adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the factory specifications.

3. The energy management system of claim 2, wherein the first energy agent is configured to:

determine whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications; and

adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications.

4. The energy management system of claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the first energy agent is configured to;

exchange energy data with each of the plurality of energy agents; and

adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy data.

5. The energy management system of claim 4, wherein the energy data is exchanged over a communication network, and wherein the communication network is the same as a control network for the plurality of industrial automation devices.

6. The energy management system of claim 5, wherein the communication network comprises an industrial communication network, wherein the industrial communication network comprises which EtherNet/IP®

, DeviceNet®

, ControlNet®

, Profinet®

, SB EtherNet/IP, or any combination thereof.

7. The energy management system of claim 4, wherein the energy data comprises an amount of energy used by the industrial automation device, a specification that corresponds to the industrial automation device, actual energy costs associated with the industrial automation device, predicted energy costs associated with the industrial automation device, or a combination thereof.

8. The energy management system of claim 1, comprising a network configured to provide the energy objective to the first energy agent.

9. The energy management system of claim 8, wherein the network is a cloud-based system.

10. The energy management system of claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the plurality of energy agents are downstream from the first energy agent, and wherein the first energy agent is configured to;

aggregate energy data acquired from each of the plurality of energy agents; and

adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the aggregation.

11. The energy management system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the plurality of energy agents and the first energy agent are part of an energy management hierarchy, wherein the first energy agent is on top of the energy management hierarchy, and wherein the first energy agent is configured to send energy objectives and commands to each energy agent of the plurality of energy agents.

12. An energy agent, comprising:

a communication agent configured to communicate with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in an industrial automation system; and

a monitor agent configured to;

analyze energy data that corresponds to at least one device of the one or more devices; and

simulate energy data that corresponds to a first device in the industrial automation system based at least in part on the energy data that corresponds to the at least one device and energy data that corresponds to one or more devices within one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein the first device is not part of the one or more devices.

13. The energy agent of claim 12, wherein the monitor agent is configured to analyze the energy data by:

determining whether the energy data exceeds a predetermined limit; and

sending an alarm signal to a controller that is configured to control the industrial automation system when the energy data exceeds the predetermined limit.

14. The energy agent of claim 12, wherein the monitor agent is configured to analyze energy data that corresponds to one or more devices in the industrial automation system by receiving the energy data that corresponds to the one or more devices from one or more energy agents embedded within the one or more devices via a communication network.

15. The energy agent of claim 12, wherein the communication agent is configured to automatically integrate the energy agent into a communication network once the energy agent establishes network conductivity with the communication network.

16. The energy agent of claim 15, wherein the communication agent is configured to automatically integrate the energy agent into a communication network by exchanging a profile that corresponds to the energy agent with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein the one or more energy agents are coupled to the communication network.

17. The energy agent of claim 12, comprising at least one of:

a data agent configured to acquire raw energy data that corresponds to at least one device in an industrial automation system;

a control agent configured to control one or more operations of the at least one device based at least in part on one or more energy objectives that correspond to the at least one device or the industrial automation system; and

a visualization agent configured to generate one or more visualizations that correspond to the raw energy data or the energy data analyzed by the monitor agent.

18. The energy agent of claim 17, wherein the control agent is configured to:

receive the one or more energy objectives;

coordinate the one or more operations with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in the industrial automation system; and

implement the coordinated operations using the at least one device and the one or more energy agents.

19. The energy agent of claim 17, wherein the control agent is configured to:

receive one or more energy plans from one or more energy agents embedded within the one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein each energy plan comprises one or more actions for each device in the industrial automation system to implement to achieve the one or more energy objectives;

identify one of the one or more energy plans that substantially meets the one or more energy objectives; and

implement the one of the identified one or more energy plans.

20. The energy agent of claim 17, wherein the visualization agent is configured to generate one or more visualizations for display on the at least one device, wherein the one or more visualizations depict the raw energy data, the analyzed energy data, one or more alarm conditions, or a combination thereof.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, using a processor, an indication that a first energy agent has been coupled to a communication network coupled to a plurality of devices in an industrial automation control system, wherein the first energy agent is embedded in a first device in the industrial automation control system and is configured to adjust one or more operations of the first device based at least in part on an energy objective;

exchanging a plurality of energy profiles that corresponds to the plurality of devices with the first energy agent; and

adjusting one or more operations of the plurality of devices based at least in part on the energy objective, the exchanged plurality of energy profiles, and an energy profile of the first device.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising simulating at least one energy profile for at least one of the plurality of devices, wherein the at least one of the plurality of devices does not exchange an energy profile.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one energy profile is simulated based at least in part on a subset of the plurality of energy profiles, wherein the subset corresponds to a subset of the plurality of devices within a proximity of the at least one of the plurality of devices.

24. An energy management system, comprising:

a plurality of industrial automation devices;

a first energy agent embedded within an industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the first energy agent is configured to;

monitor one or more energy properties that correspond to the industrial automation device;

receive factory specifications that correspond to the industrial automation device;

determine whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications; and

adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy properties, an energy objective, the factory specifications and whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications.

25. An energy agent, comprising:

a communication agent configured to;

communicate with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in an industrial automation system;

automatically integrate the energy agent into a communication network once the energy agent establishes network conductivity with the communication network by exchanging a profile that corresponds to the energy agent with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein the one or more energy agents are coupled to the communication network; and

at least one of;

a data agent configured to acquire raw energy data that corresponds to at least one device of the one or more devices in the industrial automation system;

a monitor agent configured to analyze energy data that corresponds to the at least one device;

a control agent configured to control one or more operations of the at least one device based at least in part on one or more energy objectives that correspond to the at least one device or the industrial automation system; and

a visualization agent configured to generate one or more visualizations that correspond to the raw energy data or the energy data analyzed by the monitor agent.