Energy monitoring system and method

• US 8,265,776 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Strategic Design Federation W, LLC
• Original Assignee: Strategic Design Federation W Incorporated
• Inventors: Osann, Robert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/888,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/286, 700/292, 700/293, 700/295, 700/297, 702/61, 702/62, 340/637
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/06 by electronic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19634 Electrical details of the system, e.g. component blocks for carrying out specific functions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/001 Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• 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
• 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 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A portable energy monitoring point includes at least one power plug receptacle, each power plug receptacle operably coupled to a separate integral power sensor circuit. Each integral power sensor circuit is configured to determine an electrical current drawn by an electrical load connected to the corresponding at least one power plug receptacle. An integral digital communications circuit is configured to wirelessly transmit to a remote device a power consumption for each of the at least one power plug receptacles. The power consumption is derived from the electrical current drawn by the electrical load connected to the corresponding at least one power plug receptacle.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring electrical energy usage using a plurality of energy monitoring devices comprising at least one power plug receptacle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a central device, from an integral digital wireless communications circuit included in each of the energy monitoring devices, a power consumption corresponding to an electrical current drawn by an electrical load connected to each of the at least one power plug receptacles included in the energy monitoring device; and

transmitting one or more instructions from the remote device to one or more of the energy monitoring devices, to separately alter a flow of the electrical current to one or more of the power plug receptacles included in the one or more of the energy monitoring devices;

obtaining power cost information from the Internet;

calculating a power consumption cost corresponding to each of the power plug receptacles using the power cost information and the power consumption received from the corresponding energy monitoring device;

automatically determining a location for each of the plurality of energy monitoring devices; and

displaying a graphic including the location of each of the plurality of energy monitoring devices and the respective power consumption cost.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the central device is a local computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the central device is in wireless communication with a smart meter, the smart meter being operably coupled to a source of electricity corresponding to a structure that includes the plurality of energy monitoring devices and configured to obtain the power cost information from an electricity producer using an Internet connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each power plug receptacle is operably coupled to a separate integral power sensor circuit used to determine an electrical current waveform corresponding to the electrical current drawn by the electrical load connected to the corresponding at least one power plug receptacle.

5. A system for monitoring energy use, the system comprising:

one or more energy monitoring devices comprising;

at least one power plug receptacle, each power plug receptacle operably coupled to a separate integral power sensor circuit configured to determine an electrical current drawn by an electrical load connected to the corresponding at least one power plug receptacle, and

an integral digital wireless communications circuit; and

a central device configured to;

communicate wirelessly with each of the one or more energy monitoring devices,

receive, from the integral digital wireless communications circuit, a power consumption for each of the power plug receptacles derived from the electrical current drawn by the electrical load connected to the corresponding at least one power plug receptacle,

transmit commands to alter a flow of the electrical current to individual ones of the power plug receptacles,

obtaining power cost information from the Internet;

calculating a power consumption cost corresponding to each of the power plug receptacles using the power cost information and the power consumption received from the corresponding energy monitoring device;

automatically determining a location for each of the plurality of energy monitoring devices; and

displaying a graphic including the location of each of the plurality of energy monitoring devices and the respective power consumption cost.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more energy monitoring devices are each connected to an electrical junction box.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a smart meter operably coupled to a source of electricity corresponding to a structure that includes the energy monitoring device, and configured to obtain power cost information from an electricity producer using an Internet connection.