GATEWAY MIRRORING OF METERING DATA BETWEEN ZIGBEE NETWORKS

• US 20120116597A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bultman, Robert Marten, Drake, Jeff Donald
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• 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 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/16 The load or loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed that includes a central controller that takes energy data available from a power/energy measuring device, such as a “smart” meter that is located on a primary network and makes that data available to devices over a secondary network. The central controller is a home energy gateway that includes two communication modules, one of which is used to bind a meter as a router or end point on the primary network, and one which is used to form a secondary network here the central controller operates as network coordinator. The central controller also operates as an energy service portal for devices on the secondary network.

Claims

1. An energy management system for a home area network (HAN) having managed energy consuming devices for a home that respectively draw different amounts of power from a source of power, the system comprising:

a power/energy measuring device in communication with the managed devices that is configured to collectively provide a total energy/power consumption measurement for the home;

a central controller that is in communication with the power/energy measuring device and the managed energy consuming devices, and comprising;

a first communication module that is in communication with the power/energy measuring devices; and

a second communication module that is in communication with the managed energy consuming devices of the home;

wherein the central controller is configured to monitor and manage energy consumption of each of the managed devices by sending communications to each of the managed devices and to provide real time feedback with respect to energy usage occurring at the home.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power/energy measuring device comprises a smart energy meter communicatively coupled at a primary network with a utility and with the first communications module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the central controller comprises a home energy gateway device with the first communication module and the second communication module respectively comprising a transceiver device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication module is operable as a Zigbee router that is an end point device on a primary network, and the second communication module includes a Zigbee radio module that forms a secondary network where the central controller is configured to coordinate the managed energy consuming devices as a server thereto.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the central controller is configured to store the data from the energy/power measuring device from a Zigbee cluster.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the metering device provides the data to the managed energy consuming devices over a secondary network via the second communication module, and the energy/power measuring device provides data over a primary network via the first communication module, and wherein the managed energy consuming devices do not receive data from the energy/power measuring device on the primary network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each managed energy consuming device has a device controller that is configured to determine a power consumption of the device thereat by obtaining measurements on a secondary network via the second communication module during an active state and an inactive state of the device.

8. A method for obtaining power consumption data of a particular one energy consuming device among a plurality of energy consuming devices within a secondary home network, including an energy management system comprising a central controller with at least one memory storing executable instructions for the method, and a power/energy measuring device within a primary home network for measuring the total power consumed by the devices, comprising:

obtaining a total power consumption for the plurality of energy consuming devices at the power/energy measuring device in the primary network;

obtaining a communication signal having the total power consumption from the power/energy measuring device via a first communication module at the central controller; and

conveying the communication signal on the secondary network to the plurality of energy consuming devices via a second communication module.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first communication module and the second communication module include Zigbee communication transceiver configured to transmit and receive a Zigbee cluster protocol thereat.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the energy consuming devices do not receive data from the primary network, which includes the power/energy measuring device communicatively connected to the central controller via the first communication module.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the secondary network includes the second communication module that communicates from the central controller to the plurality of energy consuming devices.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the central controller is a home energy gateway device that provides a metering server on the secondary network for the plurality of energy consuming devices to obtain power consumption information therefrom.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each energy consuming device determines an individual power consumption for the device by calculating a difference in the total power consumption received via the second communication module on the secondary network during an active mode and an inactive mode.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the central controller stores the data from the energy/power measuring device as a second metering device that communicates directly with each of the energy consuming devices.

15. A home energy gateway device for a home energy management system, comprising:

a first communication module communicatively connected to an energy/power meter that obtains consumption data for a plurality of energy consuming devices of a home and is an end point devices on a primary network;

a second communication module communicatively connected to the plurality of energy consuming devices that is configured to form a secondary network; and

a central controller operatively connected to the first communication module and the second communication module that is configured to store consumption data from the energy/power meter via the first communication module and provide the consumption data to the energy consumption devices.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the first communication module and the second communication module comprise a transceiver respectively for communicating the first primary network and the secondary network.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the secondary network is operable as a server to provide a total consumption data of energy consuming devices of a home to each energy consuming device within the secondary network.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the central controller is configured to coordinate the secondary network by transmitting all information to a device of controller of each energy consumption device of the home for processing thereat.

19. The device of claim 18, a user display device operatively connected to the central controller and configured to present consumption information stored in a memory.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the energy consuming devices comprise at least one demand response appliance configured to manage power consumption by responding to communication commands from a device controller thereat, wherein the energy consuming devices comprise an HVAC, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, a dryer and any other power consuming device configured to operate at power levels detected by the power/energy measuring device.