Energy consumption evaluation system having reduced energy consumption

• US 9,679,472 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socovar S.E.C.
• Original Assignee: Socovar S.E.C.
• Inventors: Gagnon, Ghyslain, Bouchard, Tommy, Tremblay-Munger, Olivier, Paquette, Remi, Gagnon, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US13/819,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20140320314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 34087002, 34087039, 340635, 340657, 3406931-6933
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/02 in which the signal transmitted is magnitude of current or voltage G08C19/36, G08C19/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

There is described a system for measuring energy consumption of individual electrical devices amongst a plurality of electrical devices. The system is adapted to determine in real time energy consumption while reducing its own consumption of energy by adjusting a transmission rate to between status sensing devices and a consumption evaluation device. The transmission rate is adjusted as a function of learned energy consumption habits and/or consumption characteristics of individual electrical devices.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a transmission rate between a status sensing device and a consumption evaluation device for determining power consumption of an electrical device, the method comprising:

(a) setting an initial transmission rate for the status sensing device to transmit a status signal indicative of an on/off status of the electrical device to the consumption evaluation device;

(b) receiving, at the consumption evaluation device, the status signal at the initial transmission rate;

(c) learning at least one of consumption characteristics and consumption habits of the electrical device; and

(d) reducing the initial transmission rate to an optimized transmission rate as the at least one of the consumption characteristics and the consumption habits of the electrical device are learned.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the initial transmission rate comprises sending a signal from the consumption evaluation device to the status sensing device to set the optimized transmission rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (c) and (d) are repeated until the optimized transmission rate is reached.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said learning at least one of consumption characteristics and consumption habits comprises associating weighting factors to each one of the consumption characteristics and consumption habits, for use in determining power consumption of the electrical device in combination with the status signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein associating weighting factors comprises associating a weighting factor to sensor activity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the initial transmission rate also comprises adjusting the weighting factors used in determining power consumption of the electrical device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein learning at least one of consumption characteristics and consumption habits of the electrical device comprises receiving a signal indicative of a global electrical consumption for a plurality of electrical devices and extracting data therefrom.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein extracting data comprises determining which one from the plurality of electrical devices is responsible for a change in the global electrical consumption.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining which one from the plurality of electrical devices is responsible for the change comprises, for each one of the plurality of electrical devices, determining a probability of being responsible for the change and ranking the electrical devices as a function of the probability.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining which one from the plurality of electrical devices is responsible for the change further comprises:

when a difference in the probability between a first and a second of the ranking is equal to or above a threshold, identifying the first electrical device as being responsible; and

when the difference is below the threshold;

identifying at least two of the electrical devices as being potentially responsible;

increasing a transmission rate for the at least two electrical devices; and

considering the status signal for each one of the at least two electrical devices to determine which one is responsible for the change.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a probability comprises taking into account any one of global electrical consumption, sensor activity, consumption habits, and consumption characteristics of the electrical devices.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A system for determining individual power consumption from a plurality of electrical devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of status sensing devices for transmitting status signals indicative of on/off status of the electrical devices;

a global energy measurement device for transmitting a global energy consumption signal indicative of a global energy consumption for the plurality of electrical devices; and

a consumption evaluation device adapted to receive the global energy consumption signal, and receive the status signals at an initial transmission rate, and configured for learning at least one of consumption characteristics and consumption habits of the electrical devices and reducing the initial transmission rate to an optimized transmission rate as the at least one of the consumption characteristics and the consumption habits are learned.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices is connected to one of the plurality of electrical devices.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices comprises:

a transformer connected to an electrical cable in which electrical current circulates and adapted to collect an electromagnetic field generated by the electrical current;

an energy accumulator to store electrical energy accumulated by the transformer;

a comparator connected to the energy accumulator and adapted to compare the electrical energy stored to a threshold; and

a transmitter connected to the comparator and adapted to transmit the status signal when the threshold has been reached.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the comparator is powered by the electrical energy stored in the energy accumulator.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices is adapted to transmit the status signals wirelessly.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status signals comprises a series of elements that are known to the consumption evaluation device and used to confirm reception of a given status signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the consumption evaluation device is adapted to send a signal to the status sensing devices to increase an emission power when errors are detected in the status signals.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices comprises:

a status detector for detecting whether an electrical device is in operation; and

a transmitter.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the status detector comprises a split-core current transformer provided around a power cable and is connected to the transmitter.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein electrical energy collected by the split-core current transformer powers the transmitter.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices comprises a piezoelectric transducer for collecting energy from vibrations as a power source.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the status sensing devices is a multi-level sensor adapted to detect more than two status for a corresponding electrical device.