Method and apparatus to optimize generator start delay and runtime following outage

• US 9,563,217 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Loucks, David G., Lathrop, Todd M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US14/108,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20150168975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A system for providing backup power to a facility includes a generator, and a controller configured to determine whether electrical power to the facility has been interrupted, and automatically determine a generator initial start and restart time delay based at least on a prediction of when an electrical system within the facility needs to be cycled.

Claims

1. A system for providing backup power to a facility, comprising:

a generator; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether electrical power to the facility has been interrupted; and

automatically determine a generator restart time delay based at least on a prediction of when an electrical system within the facility needs to be cycled.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine whether the facility is occupied; and

automatically determine a generator restart time delay based also on whether the facility is determined to be occupied.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the facility is occupied by assessing a load profile of loads within the facility, and wherein the controller is configured to assess the load profile by automatically assessing the load profile of at least one of power to lights, a house temperature setting, a refrigeration load, and a television load.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to predict when the electrical system needs to be cycled based on a measured internal temperature within the facility.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a temperature at which the electrical system is cycled is a temperature of one of an internal facility temperature and a refrigerator temperature that is below a temperature that is maintained when the facility is occupied.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the prediction is based on a component that is determined by the controller to be the component most in need of power based on when the electrical system needs to be cycled.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the component most in need of power is detected via a sensor, that includes one of a sensed exterior temperature, a sensed interior temp, a sensed refrigerator temperature, and a sensed freezer temp temperature, and wherein the component most in need of power is determined based on an expected response after power has last been used in the components.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to automatically determine the generator restart time delay based on a temperature within the facility that is below a low temperature that occurs during cycling of the electrical system and when power has not been interrupted.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine whether a power outage has occurred from an electrical grid when determining whether the electrical power to the facility has been interrupted; and

if the electrical power to the facility has been interrupted, provide power to the facility after automatically determining the generator restart delay.

10. A method for providing backup power to a facility, comprising:

determining whether electrical power to the facility has been interrupted; and

automatically determining a generator restart time delay based at least on a prediction of when an electrical system within the facility needs to be cycled.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an occupancy of the facility, and automatically determining the generator restart time delay based also on the occupancy.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the facility is occupied using a user notification to the controller, wherein the user notification is via one of a hand held device and a computer browser;

or

determining whether the facility is occupied by assessing a load profile of loads within the facility, and by automatically accessing the load profile of at least one of power to lights, a house temperature setting, a refrigeration load, and a television load.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising predicting when the electrical system needs to be cycled based a measured internal temperature within the facility, wherein a temperature at which the electrical system is cycled is a temperature of one of an internal facility temperature and a refrigerator temperature that is below a temperature that is maintained when the facility is occupied.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the prediction is based on a component that is determined by the controller to be the component most in need of power based on when the electrical system needs to be cycled.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting the component most in need of power based on an expected response after power has last been used in the components.

16. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining whether a power outage has occurred from an electrical grid and that electrical power to the facility has been interrupted; and

if the power to the facility has been interrupted, automatically determining the generator restart time delay to provide power to the facility.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions to:

determine whether electrical power to a facility has been interrupted; and

automatically determine a generator restart time delay based at least on a prediction of when an electrical system within the facility needs to be cycled.

18. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise a step to determine whether the facility is occupied by assessing a load profile of loads within the facility, by automatically accessing the load profile of at least one of power to lights, a house temperature setting, a refrigeration load, and a television load.

19. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise a step to predict when the facility needs to be cycled based on a component that is determined by the controller to be the component most in need of power based on when the electrical system needs to be cycled, wherein:

the component most in need of power is detected via a sensor, that includes one of a sensed exterior temperature, a sensed interior temp, a sensed refrigerator temperature, and a sensed freezer temp temperature;

or

the component most in need of power is determined based on an expected response after power has last been used in the components.

20. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise steps to:

determine whether a power outage has occurred from an electrical grid and the electrical power to the facility has been interrupted; and

if the power has been interrupted, automatically determine the generator restart time delay to provide power to the facility.