Managing energy usage

• US 9,500,385 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Weaver, Jason C., Kayton, Bradley A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US13/327,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295, 700/286, 700/297
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/12 of the outside air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/20 Sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34306 Power down, energy saving
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1927 using a plurality of sensors G05D23/1902, G05D23/1917, and G05D23/1919 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 : User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 : Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 : with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 : The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 : Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 : by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 : Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 : Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 : Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 : involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 : using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 : using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 : for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• 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: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/82 : Energy audits or management systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 : Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

Various arrangements for accessing an energy management policy for a plurality of devices are described. The energy usage of devices within a first structure is monitored. An energy usage rule and energy usage is then compared. The energy management policy and energy usage is also compared. Based on the comparing, an instruction may be generated to modify an energy usage profile of one or more devices to correlate with the energy usage rule associated with the devices and the energy management policy, thereby enabling efficient energy management.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing energy usage, said method comprising:

accessing, by an energy management policy accessor that comprises one or more processors, an energy management policy that specifies an overall maximum energy usage permitted in total for a plurality of devices located at a first structure;

accessing, by an energy usage rule accessor that comprises the one or more processors, an energy usage rule for a single device of the plurality of devices, the energy usage rule pertaining specifically to said single device and indicating a maximum energy usage for said single device;

receiving, by an energy usage rule comparator that comprises the one or more processors, an energy usage measurement of said single device and firstly comparing, said energy usage rule with said energy usage measurement;

secondly comparing, by the one or more processors, said energy usage and said energy management policy; and

based on said first and second comparing, generating, by the one or more processors, at least one instruction to modify an energy usage profile of said single device to correlate with the energy usage rule associated with said single device and said energy management policy, the energy usage profile controlling an amount of energy used by said device, thereby enabling efficient energy management.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction is formatted for interpretation by a human user of said single device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction is receivable by at least one of said devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction is receivable by a unit coupled with at least one of said devices, wherein said unit is configured to modify said energy usage profile associated with the single device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing energy usage information at an energy measuring module coupled with said first structure, wherein said energy usage information describes a total amount of energy utilized within said first structure with which said devices are coupled.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing energy usage information at an energy measuring module coupled with at least one of said devices, wherein said energy usage information describes a total amount of energy utilized by the device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing an energy management instruction for at least one of said devices at a server, wherein said server is positioned apart from said first structure.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

accessing an upgrade.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing an instruction from a user of at least one of said devices, wherein said instruction provides guidance as to a user'"'"'s desired energy use for the device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an instruction for modifying the energy usage profile of at least one of said devices coupled with said first structure according to an energy usage profile of a device coupled with a second structure, such that said energy usage associated with said first structure and said energy usage associated with said second structure does not occur at the same time.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a difference between a sum of energy usage of all of said devices, wherein all of said devices are in an active state and coupled with said first structure, and a total energy used within said first structure to generate a passive power consumption analysis.

12. A system for managing energy usage, said system comprising:

an energy management policy accessor that comprises one or more processors configured to access an energy management policy that specifies an overall maximum energy usage permitted in total for a plurality of devices located at a first structure;

an energy usage rule accessor that comprises the one or more processors configured to access an energy usage rule for a single device of the plurality of devices, the energy usage rule indicating a maximum energy usage for said single device;

an energy usage rule comparator that comprises the one or more processors configured to receive an energy usage measurement of said single device and compare said energy usage rule with said energy usage measurement;

an energy management policy comparator that comprises the one or more processors configured to receive an energy usage measurement of said single device and compare said energy management policy with said energy usage measurement; and

an energy usage profile generator that comprises the one or more processors configured to generate an instruction to modify said energy usage profile of said single device to correlate with said usage rule and said energy management policy, the energy usage profile controlling an amount of energy used by said single device, thereby enabling efficient energy management.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an interface compatibility module configured for enabling coupling of said system with a compatible communication module, wherein said system utilizes said compatible communication module to access said energy usage measurement.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a graphical display module configured for enabling communication with a user.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a server accessor configured for accessing an energy management instruction at a server, wherein said server is positioned apart from said first structure.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a user instruction accessor configured for accessing an instruction from a user, wherein said instruction provides guidance as to a user'"'"'s desired energy usage for at least one of said devices.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said user instruction is a result of a dialogue generated by said energy manager with said user.

18. The energy management platform of claim 12, further comprising:

a passive power consumption tracker for tracking a difference between;

a sum of energy usage of all devices when said all devices are in an active state and coupled with said first structure, wherein the active state refers to a device being set to an “

on”

state, and

a total energy used within said first structure,

wherein the passive power consumption tracker generates a passive power consumption analysis based on the difference that identifies an amount of power that is being consumed but not being tracked for any of the said all devices.