Method and system for automated association of devices with electricity meters

• US 10,663,497 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ebner, Fritz Francis, Chang, Shu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalbo, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/021,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,451 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/43 Identification of a specific meter
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/47 Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/02 Producing one or more recordings of the values of a single variable
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/06 by measuring current and voltage G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• 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

A system, method and device for automated association of a device and a power meter. For example, the method includes determining a power profile for a power meter, determining device-specific power information for each of a plurality of devices, comparing the device-specific power information for each of the plurality of devices against the power profile for the power meter, determining, based upon the comparing, which of the plurality of devices is associated with the power meter, and recording the power meter and its associated device in a network management record. The techniques may be extended to include associating multiple multifunction print devices to one of a plurality of power meters based upon power log and job arrival information for the print devices as compared to power profile information from the power meters, thereby providing for automated associated of the devices and the power meters without unnecessary human interaction.

Claims

1. A method for automated association of a power consuming device and a power meter, the method comprising:

in a system that comprises a plurality of power meters and a plurality of power consuming devices, wherein each of the plurality of power consuming devices is operably connected to a respective one of the plurality of power meters;

by each power meter, measuring power consumed by an operably connected one of the plurality of power consuming devices;

by a processing device;

receiving, from each power meter, information relating to the power consumed by the power meter'"'"'s operably connected power consuming device;

determining a power profile for each power meter based on the power consumed by the power meter'"'"'s operably connected power consuming device for a specific period of time;

determining device-specific power information for each of the plurality of power consuming devices by determining;

a power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming devices, wherein the power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming devices comprises a power log that is based on historic operational data of the power consuming device, and

a job arrival log for each of the power consuming devices, wherein the job arrival log shows when jobs were received and how long each job took to process;

comparing, by the processing device, the device-specific power information for each of the power consuming devices against the power profiles for each of the power meters;

based upon the comparing, automatically determining, by the processing device, which of the plurality of power consuming devices is associated with which of the plurality of power meters; and

recording, by the processing device, each power meter and its associated power consuming device in a network management record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power state transition sequence for each of the plurality of power consuming devices is inferred based upon information contained within both the power log and the job arrival log for each of the plurality of power consuming devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device-specific power profile for each of the plurality of power consuming devices is determined based upon the inferred power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the power profile for each power meter comprises:

receiving, from each power meter, information related to energy consumed by a respective power consuming device associated with each power meter; and

conditioning the information into a power profile associated with each power meter.

5. A device comprising:

a processing device; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the processing device, the computer readable medium comprising one or more programming instructions for causing the processing device to;

determine a power profile for each of a plurality of power meters that are electrically connected to a respective one of a plurality of print devices,

determine device-specific power information for each of the plurality of print devices by determining;

a power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming print devices, wherein the power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming print devices comprises a power log that is based on historic operational data of the power consuming print device; and

a job arrival log for each of the power consuming print devices, wherein the job arrival log shows when jobs were received and how long each job took to process,

compare the device-specific power information for each of the plurality of print devices against the power profiles for each of the plurality of power meters,

based upon the comparison, determine which of the plurality of print devices is electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of power meters, and

record each power meter and its associated print device in a network management record..

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the power state transition sequence is inferred based upon information contained within both the power log and the job arrival log for each of the print devices.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the device-specific power profile for each of the print devices is determined based upon the inferred power state transition sequence for each of the print devices.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the one or more instructions for determining the power profile for each power meter further comprise instructions for causing the processing device to:

receive, from each power meter, information related to energy consumed by a respective print device associated with each power meter; and

condition the information into a power profile associated with each power meter.

9. A system comprising:

a plurality of power meters;

a plurality of print devices, wherein each of the plurality of print devices is electrically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of power meters so that the power meters measure power consumed by each of the plurality of print devices; and

a computing device comprising;

a processing device, and

a non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the processing device, the computer readable medium comprising one or more programming instructions for causing the processing device to;

determine a power profile for each of the plurality of power meters based on power consumed by an electrically coupled one of the plurality of print devices,

determine device-specific power information for each of the plurality of print devices by determining;

a power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming print devices, wherein the power state transition sequence for each of the power consuming print devices comprises a power log that is based on historic operational data of the power consuming print device; and

a job arrival log for each of the power consuming print devices, wherein the job arrival log shows when jobs were received and how long each job took to process,

compare the device-specific power information for each of the plurality of print devices against each determined power profile,

based upon the comparison, determine which of the plurality of print devices is associated with which of the plurality of power meters, and

record each power meter and its associated print device in a network management record.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the power state transition sequence is inferred based upon information contained within both the power log and the job arrival log for each of the plurality of print devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the device-specific power profile for each of the plurality of print devices is determined based upon the inferred power state transition sequence for each of the print devices.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more instructions for determining the power profile for each power meter further comprise instructions for causing the processing device to:

receive, from each power meter, information related to energy consumed by a respective print device associated with each power meter; and

condition the information into a power profile associated with each power meter.