Electronic system for power consumption management of appliances

• US 9,837,820 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Santinato, Matteo, Arione, Ettore, Braghini, Giorgio
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Akiba
• Application Number:
  US12/886,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,632 Days
• Field of Search: 705 735, 705 711, 705 712, 705400, 705 722
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• 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: 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

An electronic system for power consumption management of one or more domestic appliances is routinely informed on actual energy tariff through a network control unit or through a predetermined time-table stored in the system. A user interface of the electronic system is provided where the user can set his preference concerning the switch-on time of each appliance and/or function thereof and read the related estimated energy consumption and/or energy cost of the appliance working program.

Claims

1. An electronic system for power consumption management of a domestic appliance having a working cycle, said domestic appliance selected from the group comprising a clothes washing machine, a clothes dryer, a dishwasher, a refrigerator, a freezer, or an ice maker, the system comprising:

a user interface displaying;

the working cycle;

a plurality of switch-on times for the domestic appliance comprising at least a current switch-on time and at least one future switch-on time for the working cycle; and

a current energy cost of executing the working cycle corresponding to the current switch-on time and a future cost of executing the working cycle corresponding to each of the at least one future switch-on times based on actual energy information to define corresponding pairs of switch-on time and energy cost; and

a selector key coupled with the user interface and configured to select one of the plurality of pairs of switch-on time and corresponding energy cost;

wherein a user is able to select a desired switch-on time for the domestic appliance from the plurality of pairs of switch-on time and corresponding energy cost based on a user'"'"'s cost preference.

2. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface further comprises inputting means for setting a predetermined energy cost saving target.

3. The electronic system according to claim 2 wherein the energy cost saving target is displayed as money saved referred to a predetermined time.

4. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system is able to control a total power consumption of a plurality of domestic appliances by setting priorities or time planning among domestic appliances according either to user preferences or to actual energy information.

5. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system is hosted in a specific device connected to a home network.

6. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system is hosted in a domestic appliance connected to a home network.

7. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to be connected to a device able to interrupt electrical supply to the domestic appliance according to at least one priority selected by the user through the user interface.

8. The electronic system according to claim 1 wherein the actual energy information is obtained through a network control unit or a predetermined time table.

9. An electronic system for power consumption management of a domestic appliance having a working cycle, said domestic appliance selected from the group comprising a clothes washing machine, a clothes dryer, a dishwasher, a refrigerator, a freezer, or an ice maker, the system comprising:

a user interface displaying;

the working cycle;

a plurality of pairs of switch-on times for the domestic appliance and corresponding energy cost for each switch-on time, said plurality of pairs of switch-on times and energy cost comprising;

a current energy cost of executing the working cycle corresponding to a current switch-on time based on actual energy cost information; and

at least one future energy cost of executing the working cycle corresponding to at least one future switch-on time based on actual energy cost information; and

wherein the switch-on time and energy cost of each corresponding pair is simultaneously displayed; and

a selector key coupled with the user interface and configured to select one of the plurality of pairs of switch-on time and corresponding energy cost;

wherein a user is able to select a desired switch-on time for the domestic appliance from the plurality of pairs of switch-on time and corresponding energy cost based on a user'"'"'s cost preference.

10. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the user interface further comprises inputting means for setting a predetermined energy cost saving target.

11. The electronic system according to claim 10 wherein the energy cost saving target is displayed as money saved referred to a predetermined time.

12. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the system is able to control a total power consumption of a plurality of domestic appliances in addition to the domestic appliance by setting priorities or time planning among domestic appliances according either to user preferences or to actual energy information.

13. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the system is hosted in a specific device connected to a home network.

14. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the system is hosted in a domestic appliance connected to a home network.

15. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the system is configured to be connected to a device able to interrupt electrical supply to the domestic appliance according to at least one priority selected by the user through the user interface.

16. The electronic system according to claim 9, wherein the actual energy information is obtained through a network control unit or a predetermined time table.