Building management and appliance control system

• US 9,705,333 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orison, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Orison, Inc.
• Inventors: Clifton, Eric Douglass
• Primary Examiner(s): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US14/341,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 700286-296
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/20 The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/26 involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/10 The network having a local or delimited stationary reach
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/54 according to a pre-established time schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 : Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 : Photovoltaic [PV]
• 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: 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: Y02E 10/56 : Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 : Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 : Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 : the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/12 : Energy storage units, uninterruptible power supply [UPS] systems or standby or emergency generators, e.g. in the last power distribution stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 : Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to energy storage and supply management system. The system may include one or more of a control unit, which is in communication with the power grid, and an energy storage unit that stores power for use at a later time. The system may be used with traditional utility provided power as well as locally generated solar, wind, and any other types of power generation technology. In some embodiments, the energy storage unit and the control unit are housed in the same chassis. In other embodiments, the energy storage unit and the control unit are separate. In another embodiment, the energy storage unit is integrated into the chassis of an appliance itself.

Claims

1. A method for augmenting a local electrical circuit that distributes electricity to a room in a house in a geographical region, comprising:

deploying one or more plug-in energy storage units in one or more rooms throughout the house in the geographical region for augmenting a local electrical circuit that distributes electricity to the house, the local electrical circuit having an electrical outlet connected with the local electrical circuit, each of the one or more plug-in energy storage units comprising;

a housing defined by one or more walls, the housing containing within the one or more walls;

an electrical input for being electrically coupled to the local electrical circuit for receiving a first amount of electricity from the local electrical circuit via the electrical outlet, the electrical input comprising a plug for being plugged into the electrical outlet;

an energy storage cell electrically coupled to the electrical input for receiving and storing the first amount of electricity received from the local electrical circuit by the electrical input, and for supplying a second amount of electricity to the local electrical circuit;

an electrical output having an electrical plug for being electrically coupled between the energy storage cell and the local electrical circuit, the electrical output being configured to receive the second amount of electricity stored by the energy storage cell to supply the second amount of electricity to the local electrical circuit when the electrical outlet is electrically coupled to the local electrical circuit via the electrical plug;

a grid flexible converter coupled to the energy storage cell, the grid flexible converter for receiving the first amount of electricity and performing a first conversion operation on the electricity prior to storage, and further for receiving the second amount of electricity subsequent to storage and performing a second conversion operation on the electricity prior to transmission to the local electrical circuit;

a battery management system coupled to the energy storage cell for monitoring the storing of the first amount of electricity in and the releasing of the second amount of electricity from the energy storage cell; and

a control unit coupled to the grid flexible converter of at least one of the one or more plug-in energy storage units, the control unit for controlling a first time when the first amount of electricity will be received by the electrical input from the local electrical circuit and stored within the storage cell, and for controlling a second time when the second amount of electricity will be output from the storage cell and supplied to the local electrical circuit via the electrical output;

determining a peak demand time period for electricity demand in the geographical region, and a non-peak demand time period for the electricity demand in the geographical region;

controlling at least one control unit that is connected to the at least one of the one or more plug-in energy storage units, the controlling comprising one or more of;

enabling selected plug-in energy storage units of the one or more plug-in energy storage units to withdraw electricity from the local electrical circuit during the non-peak demand time period for electricity demand in the geographical region, and to store the withdrawn electricity within the selected plug-in energy storage units as energy; and

enabling the selected plug-in energy storage units to supply the energy to the local electrical circuit as electricity during the peak demand time period for electricity demand within the geographical region.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plug-in energy storage units is coupled to an electric appliance, and is further configured for supplying electricity to the electric appliance.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein enabling the selected plug-in energy storage units to supply the energy to the electrical circuit as electricity on or near the peak demand time of the time period for electricity demand within the geographical region includes supplying at least some of the electricity to the electric appliance from the plug-in energy storage units on or near the peak demand time of the time period for electricity demand within the geographical region.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a processor for controlling a plurality of functions of the control unit, and the enabling is performed by the processor.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a user interface to receive user commands to program the control unit, and the method further includes inputting the user commands into the user interface so as to program the control unit to withdraw electricity from the local electrical circuit.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the method further includes inputting the user commands into the user interface so as to program the control unit to supply electricity to the electrical circuit.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the control unit includes a memory for storing the user commands and the program.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a communication interface for communicating with a remote server via a communications network, and the method includes the remote server communicating instructions to the control unit, the instructions pertaining to the enabling of the selected plug-in energy storage units via the communications network.