System and method for automated household energy management based on classification and location information

• US 9,733,656 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salusfin Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Salusfin Ltd.
• Inventors: Janoso, Radovan, Jakobsson, Henrik, Toivanen, Tapio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US14/254,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 700275-306
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power

Abstract

A household energy management system and method, having one or more controlled appliances and an energy profile representing energy consumption, with one or more associated parameters and limits, wherein each of the controlled appliances are assigned a control class, a set of variable values collected, a first group of appliances determined based on the control class, parameters and collected values, a change requested in their power consumption, and the energy consumption of the household measured to calculate a difference between the consumption and energy profile, and a proposed change in the power consumption of appliances of a second group different from the first group is communicated if the difference surpasses one or more of the associated limits, the second group of appliances being determined on basis of the class, parameters and collected values, and a change in power consumption of one or more appliances of the second group requested.

Claims

1. In a household energy management system having one or more controlled appliances and a household energy profile representing a household energy consumption and one or more associated parameters and limits, a method comprising:

assigning each of said controlled appliances a control class,

collecting one or more variables, the one or more variables comprising at least geo-fencing information pertaining to a user,

determining a first group of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, so that the first group of said appliances comprises appliances controlled in accordance with said geo-fencing information, wherein defining the geo-fencing information on by using a service, application or a mobile device interface involving inputting the center and a radius of a geo-fence or otherwise closed area or space, including a polygon or closed curve, defining a geo-fence on a map based application or by an user input on the mobile device defining a current location as a center or relative point of the geo-fence together with an input defining a radius or otherwise closed area or space relative to the given point,

requesting a change in the power consumption of the appliances of said first group in accordance with collected geo-fencing information,

measuring the energy consumption of the household,

calculating a difference between said household energy profile and measured energy consumption,

determining a second group of said appliances different from said first group based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, so that the second group comprises appliances that are not controlled in accordance with geo-fencing information,

communicating a proposed change in the power consumption of the appliances of said second group when said difference surpasses said one or more associated limits, and

requesting a change in the power consumption of one or more appliances of said second group upon receiving of one or more requests in response of said communication,

wherein the determining a first group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, and determining the first group based on selecting a group among the identified one or more groups of said appliances,

wherein the determining a second group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, said second group being a set of said one or more groups of said appliances.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said household energy profile is based on parameters representing household type, household size, number of inhabitants, location, heating type, ventilation type, air-conditioning type, energy budget, energy spending, energy tariffs, energy consumption history or model calculation.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting said household energy profile based on said measured energy consumption of the household.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said control class specifies at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of:

control authority, time period, environment conditions.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said control class specifies at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of:

control authority, time period, environment conditions, and said control authority further defines an entity allowed to make a change in the power consumption of an associated appliance and includes system, user, occupant or third party.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said parameters represent at least one attribute selected from the group consisting of:

household type, household size, number of inhabitants, location, heating type, ventilation type, air-conditioning type, energy budget, energy spending, energy tariffs, energy consumption history, model calculation, occupant presence, time, time interval, indoor environment, outdoor conditions.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein values of said one or more variables represent at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:

occupant presence, user location, user movement, estimated time-of-arrival, estimated time-of-arrival at a predefined geographical zone, estimated switch between geographical zones, activity, time, indoor environment, outdoor conditions.

8. A household energy management system having one or more controlled appliances and an associated network and a household energy profile representing a household energy consumption and one or more associated parameters and limits, the system comprising:

measurement units configurable to collect values of one or more variables, said one or more variables comprising at least geo-fencing information pertaining to a user, wherein defining the geo-fencing information on by using a service, application or a mobile device interface involving inputting the center and a radius of a geo-fence or otherwise closed area or space, including a polygon or closed curve, defining a geo-fence on a map based application or by an user input on the mobile device defining a current location as a center or relative point of the geo-fence together with an input defining a radius or otherwise closed area or space relative to the given point, and an energy consumption of the household,

storage units configurable to store a control class of each said one or more appliances, said energy profile, one or more associated parameters and limits, collected variables, and energy consumption,

processing units configurable to determine a first group of said appliances, so that the first group comprises appliances controlled in accordance with said geo-fencing information, and a system request based on the control class of the appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, at least in accordance with collected geo-fencing information, and to determine a second group of said appliances different from the said first group and based on the control class of the appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, so that the second group comprises appliances that are not controlled in accordance with geo-fencing information, and to calculate a difference between said energy consumption and said energy profile, and to compare said difference to said one or more associated limits,

communication arrangements configurable to communicate a proposed change in the power consumption of said second group of appliances according to the control class of said appliance of the second group when said difference surpasses said one or more associated limits, and configurable to receive one or more user requests in response to said communication, and

controlling units configurable to perform a requested change in the power consumption of said first group of appliances based on said system request, and configured to perform a requested change in the power consumption of one or more appliances of said second group upon receiving of said one or more user requests,

wherein the determining a first group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, and determining the first group based on selecting a group among the identified one or more groups of said appliances,

wherein the determining a second group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, said second group being a set of said one or more groups of said appliances.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said processing units are further configurable to calculate a household energy profile based on parameters representing household type, household size, number of inhabitants, location, heating type, ventilation type, air-conditioning type, energy budget, energy spending, energy tariffs, energy consumption history or model calculation.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said processing units are further configurable to calculate an updated household energy profile based on said measured energy consumption of the household.

11. In a household energy management system having one or more controlled appliances and a household energy profile representing a household energy consumption and one or more associated parameters and limits, a method comprising:

assigning each of said controlled appliances a control class,

collecting one or more variables, the one or more variables comprising at least geo-fencing information pertaining to a user,

determining a first group of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, so that the first group of said appliances comprises appliances controlled in accordance with said geo-fencing information, wherein defining the geo-fencing information on by using a service, application or a mobile device interface involving inputting the center and a radius of a geo-fence or otherwise closed area, including a polygon or closed curve, defining a geo-fence on a map based application or by an user input on the mobile device defining a current location as a center or relative point of the geo-fence together with an input defining a radius or otherwise closed area or space relative to the given point,

requesting a change in the power consumption of the appliances of said first group in accordance with collected geo-fencing information,

measuring the energy consumption of the household,

calculating a difference between said household energy profile and measured energy consumption,

determining a second group of said appliances different from said first group based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, so that the second group comprises appliances that are not controlled in accordance with geo-fencing information,

communicating a proposed change in the power consumption of the appliances of said second group when said difference surpasses said one or more associated limits, and

requesting a change in the power consumption of one or more appliances of said second group upon receiving of one or more requests received in response of said communication,

wherein the determining a first group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, and determining the first group based on selecting a group among the identified one or more groups of said appliances, and

wherein the determining a second group further comprises of identifying one or more groups of said appliances based on the control class of said appliances and said one or more variables and said parameters, said second group being a set of said one or more groups of said appliances.