(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0171645 A1
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Aug. 4, 2005
`Oswald et al.
`
`US 200501.71645A1
`
`(54) HOUSEHOLD ENERGY MANAGEMENT
`SYSTEM
`(76) Inventors: James Ian Oswald, Hinckley (GB);
`Stephen John Tamsett, Hinckley (GB)
`Correspondence Address:
`Michael J. Cherskov, Esq.
`CHERSKOV & FLAYNK
`Suite 1447
`20 North Wacker Drive
`Chicago, IL 60606 (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`(22) Filed:
`(30)
`
`10/998,302
`Nov. 26, 2004
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`
`Nov. 27, 2003 (GB)......................................... O327583.1
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51) Int. Cl." .......................... G05B 13/02; G05B 13/00;
`G01M 1/38; G05B 15/00;
`G05B 21/00; G05D 23/00
`(52) U.S. Cl. .............................................. 700/276; 700/29
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A household energy management System uses measure
`ments of the household electricity supply 4 to identify and
`to determine the energy consumption of individual house
`hold appliances. From these measurements, models can be
`built of the behaviour of the occupants of the house, the
`thermal properties of the house and the efficiency of the
`appliances. Using the models, the household appliances-in
`particular heating and cooling appliances-can be con
`trolled to optimize energy efficiency; and maintenance pro
`grammes for the appliances and for the house itself can be
`recommended to the householder or arranged with a Service
`company.
`
`Existing house circuit
`breakersfuses
`
`To -
`Heating control
`Appliance control
`internet
`
`
`
`Communications
`
`Storage - long/short term
`
`
`
`6
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Existing
`electrici meter
`
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 1 of 9
`
`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`Existing house circuit
`breakerslfuses
`
`To -
`Heating control
`Appliance control
`Internet
`A
`
`
`
`Storage - long/short term
`
`Data Processor
`
`6
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Existing
`electrici meter
`
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 2 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`
`
`
`
`Communications
`Storage - long Ishort term
`
`
`
`
`
`circuit 1
`
`circuit 2 circuit 3
`
`8
`
`8
`
`
`
`ser-sorts or
`
`Circuit breaker/fuse box
`
`
`
`Existing electricity meter
`
`
`
`Main Switch/fuse
`
`Figure 2
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 3 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`Single central sensor, 2
`
`
`
`Figure 3
`
`Electly Supply, 4
`
`Moveable adaptor,
`10
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 4 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`2
`
`Single central sensor
`A
`
`w
`
`w
`
`/
`
`Weather stations
`
`Supermarkets
`
`
`
`Business Server
`
`House design -
`heat & light
`
`Medical agency
`Checking on elderly
`perSons movements
`
`Householder
`Schedule/diary
`
`Mobile phone
`company
`
`Utility
`Checking voltage/frequency
`Pricing tariffs
`Controlling appliances
`Meter reading
`
`Figure 4
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 5 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`
`
`3.
`5
`5
`
`Figure 5
`
`60 70
`10 20 30
`Time, minutes
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 6 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`Type A
`
`Type B
`
`l
`
`2
`
`3
`
`4.
`Time, milliseconds
`
`5
`
`6
`
`7
`
`8
`
`Figure 6
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 7 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`TWpe BX
`Type B
`
`1
`
`2
`
`3
`
`4
`Time, milliseconds
`
`5
`
`6
`
`7
`
`8
`
`Figure 7
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 8 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`9
`2
`sts
`s
`Cl
`E
`o
`()
`
`
`
`O
`C
`
`1, heating on
`
`2, heating off
`
`- O - O \- y- ---...--...-...-...--...Max, temp.
`
`/
`
`-
`
`---------
`
`?'
`
`Mathematical model
`prediction of heating up
`
`Time, minutes
`
`Min. temp
`
`Mathematical model
`prediction of cooling down
`
`s External temperature
`
`Figure 8
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`Patent Application Publication Aug. 4, 2005 Sheet 9 of 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`Line 1, normal control temperature
`
`Time point when switched to normal
`control temperature
`
`Line 2, average actual temperature
`
`
`
`
`
`-- - - - - - - - - - -
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`-
`
`- - - - - - - - - - re
`
`External temperature
`
`Time, minutes
`
`Figure 9
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`US 2005/0171645 A1
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`Aug. 4, 2005
`
`HOUSEHOLD ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
`0001. This United States patent application claims for
`eign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. 119 of British Appli
`cation No. 0327583.1, dated Nov. 27, 2003.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`0002 The invention relates to the field of household
`energy management and in particular to ways in which the
`behaviour of the occupants of a house, the thermal properties
`of the house and the operation of household appliances can
`be measured and modelled, in order to control the household
`appliances in a certain way or to recommend courses of
`action to the users of the System Such that energy use by the
`household is made more efficient.
`0003) Throughout this specification, the words “house”
`and “household” are used for convenience but those words
`are not to be interpreted as limiting the Scope of the
`invention to the context of Separate, domestic dwellings.
`Among other things, the word “house' is intended to include
`within its Scope an apartment, an office, a hotel room or a
`part of any of the aforesaid.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0004. There have been a number of patents in this field in
`recent years, which describe new hardware Solutions to
`achieving a computer/Internet-controlled house and provide
`improved control of the energy consumption in the house
`hold.
`0005. In general the prior art in the computer-controlled
`house control uses Several electricity Sensors (one per appli
`ance/wall Socket) to monitor the electrical activities in a
`house. This large number of additional devices is compli
`cated and costly. By basing the System on a single Sensor it
`would be more Suitable for retrofitting to existing houses
`with existing appliances. U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,438 by Ehlers
`describes a house System, which uses a first and a Second
`microcomputer to monitor and control the energy in the
`household. The patent mainly describes the hardware
`required to deliver the improvements-microcomputer, cur
`rent Sensors, appliance control and communication links to
`the outside world. The System requires a current Sensor on
`each appliance. The hardware requirements for this System
`Seem excessive and expensive to retrofit into an existing
`household.
`0006 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0050737 by
`Osann describes another arrangement of hardware, which
`Suggests changing all or Several of the electrical wall Sockets
`within the house. It includes Suggestions of including video
`cameras, intercom, and motion detector and temperature
`Sensor in each of these replacement wall outlets. This
`appears an excessive use of technology with an extensive
`requirement for hardware and installation work by skilled
`electricians. Many of these features will not be valued by
`householders who are happy to not have Video cameras in
`the house. The main financial Saving to the householder is
`through improved temperature control and the additional
`Systems seem excessive. However, the patent application
`does describe (in claims 81 and 82) a method whereby all of
`the house electrical current changes can be monitored from
`a single location in or near the circuit breakers. This seems
`a much simpler and cheaper approach, which will Suit
`
`retrofitting of existing houses. However, this idea can be
`used more effectively with further analytical/mathematical
`tools run on a computer and with additional moveable
`adaptors to which it can communicate, as described herein.
`0007 An electronic control system for a house is cur
`rently on sale from Honeywell Controls under the registered
`trade mark Hometronic. The system is described on their
`web site at http://content.honeywell.com/uk/press/homet
`ronic dayinthelife.htm. The Hometronic System uses a
`Single central controller to determine on and off times for
`appliances and heating appliances around the house. It can
`connect to the Internet and be controlled via the web from
`anywhere in the world. However, it relies on one control
`device being attached to one appliance to provide on/off
`control and this makes it an expensive System to retrofit.
`0008 U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,967 describes a mathematical
`method of predicting the transient thermal behaviour of a
`house climate control System (heating/cooling System).
`0009. It is already known to use infrared sensors to
`determine occupancy in the house and to use this informa
`tion to control house energy Systems. An example of this is
`given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,008.
`0010 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0095269
`discloses an appliance monitoring System, in which a Sub
`System incorporated in each appliance monitors parameters
`Such as the number of cycles and the energy consumption of
`the appliance. In the event that the appliance needs attention,
`the System alerts the user or a Service centre.
`0011 Microchip Technology Inc is a supplier of micro
`chips. They have posted an article entitled “Microchip
`watt-hour Meter using PIC16C923 and CS5460” on their
`web site at http://www.microchip.com/1010/suppdoc/app
`note/all/an220/index.htm on how to use one of their chips to
`make a watt hour meter. The power measurement integrated
`circuit CS5460 from Cirrus Logic/Crystal Power Measure
`ment is used with the microcontroller PIC16C923 to make
`a power meter. The CS5460 measures the instantaneous
`Voltage and current four thousand times a Second and uses
`these measurements to compute instantaneous power, VRMs,
`IMs and accumulated energy. Once the accumulated energy
`has increased by 10 Watt.Seconds a pulse is generated at the
`output pin (EOUT pin) for counting by another device to
`form a consumption meter. The article explains how to use
`this device to record total power consumption.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0012. In a first aspect, the invention provides a household
`energy management System comprising at least one Sensor,
`which measures energy use by occupants of the house; a
`modelling means, which uses the energy measurements
`from the sensor to build a model of the behaviour of the
`occupants, and a controller, which controls the operation of
`one or more household appliances in the house on the basis
`of the model.
`0013 The modelling means may build a predictive model
`of the pattern of behaviour of the occupants over time, in
`which case the predictive model may be continually refined
`in response to new measurements by the Sensor.
`0014) A model of the predicted behaviour of the occu
`pants of a house allows more efficient use of the appliances
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`in the house. For example, the predictive model may predict
`the times when the house will be occupied in order for the
`controller to control the operation of one or more household
`appliances, Such as heating or cooling appliances, on the
`basis of the predicted times when the house will be occu
`pied.
`Additionally, or alternatively, the modelling means
`0.015
`may build a temporary model of the current behaviour of the
`Occupants.
`0016 A model of the current behaviour of the occupants
`of a house also allows more efficient use of the appliances
`in the house. For example, the temporary model may allow
`the controller to control the operation of heating or cooling
`appliances to achieve a desired temperature according to the
`current level of activity of the occupants.
`0.017. The model of the behaviour of the occupants may
`include a determination of whether the house is occupied. To
`assist in this, the modelling means may have an interface
`with an intruder alarm System in the house and may receive
`Signals indicative of the location of the occupants derived
`from, for example, a mobile phone network or a global
`positioning System. In a further enhancement, the modelling
`means can use the location signals to predict when the
`occupants may return to the house.
`0.018. One application of the behaviour modelling means
`is to trigger an alert when an unexpected pattern of behav
`iour is detected. For example it may warn when an elderly
`perSon becomes immobile or when activity is detected in the
`house while the occupants are away.
`0.019
`Preferably, the sensor measures electrical activity
`within the house. The sensor may be a moveable sensor for
`location between an electricity Supply outlet and an indi
`vidual electrical appliance to measure the energy use by that
`appliance, or a fixed Sensor on the household electricity
`Supply to measure the respective energy uses of a plurality
`of electrical appliances connected to the Supply. The opti
`mum combination is one fixed Sensor and a few moveable
`Sensors, as described below.
`0020. In a second aspect, the invention provides a house
`hold energy management System, comprising at least one
`Sensor on the household electricity Supply for measuring the
`instantaneous total power delivered by the electricity Supply;
`means for identifying electrical appliances connected to the
`Supply on the basis of their respective Start-up characteristics
`when the appliances are Switched on; means for comparing
`the Sensed Start-up characteristics with reference character
`istics, and means for warning a user of the System when the
`Sensed characteristics differ from the reference characteris
`tics by more than a predetermined limit.
`0021. The comparison means may further compare oper
`ating characteristics and/or shut down characteristics of the
`appliances with corresponding reference characteristics.
`0022. The system may further comprise means for
`recording the total time of operation and/or the number of
`cycles of operation of each appliance, which can be com
`pared against a database of lifetime expectancy and reliabil
`ity for different appliances. The database may be a local
`database, internal to the System, or a shared database,
`accessed via an external network. In the case of a shared
`database, means are preferably provided for updating the
`
`shared database with measured lifetime and reliability data
`for appliances connected to the System.
`0023 The system may further comprise modelling means
`receiving Signals from the comparison means and from the
`database in order to recommend to the user of the System a
`program of maintenance or replacement of the appliance.
`0024. The household energy management system accord
`ing to the Second aspect of the invention may further
`comprise one or more temperature Sensors for measuring the
`temperature inside the house; a Source of information about
`the temperature outside the house; a modelling means,
`which uses the inside and outside temperature measurements
`to derive a transient thermal model of the house, which can
`predict changes in the inside temperature on the basis of the
`information about the outside temperature and on the basis
`of the operation of heating and/or cooling electrical appli
`ances identified as connected to the Supply; means for
`comparing the derived transient thermal model with a ref
`erence transient thermal model; and means for warning a
`user of the System of poor thermal properties of the house or
`of poor efficiency of the connected heating and/or cooling
`electrical appliances when the derived model differs from
`the reference model by more than a predetermined limit.
`0025. In such a system, the derived transient thermal
`model may be periodically updated and the reference tran
`Sient thermal model may be a derived transient thermal
`model from an earlier period, whereby the warning means
`are for warning the user of the system of deteriorating
`thermal properties of the house or of deteriorating efficiency
`of the connected heating and/or cooling electrical appli
`CCS.
`0026. A household energy management System in accor
`dance with the invention, which monitors the energy con
`Sumption of household appliances, can also act as an elec
`tricity meter and may indicate the electricity consumption
`reading to the householder or transmit the reading directly to
`the electricity provider. If the system is networked to the
`electricity provider, then the provider can inform the System
`of changing electricity prices. The System may simply
`inform the user of these prices or it may be programmed to
`control household appliances So as to minimize the energy
`costs to the householder. For example, it may be more
`cost-effective to increase the background temperature of the
`house by operating electrical heating appliances at a time of
`day when electricity is relatively cheap in order to reduce the
`amount of heating required when demand is at its peak.
`Alternatively, the electricity provider may be given direct
`control of the electrical heating appliances.
`0027 Similarly, if the system is networked to a gas
`Supplier, then the Supplier can inform the System of changing
`gas prices. The System may simply inform the user of these
`prices or it may be programmed to control household gas
`appliances, Such as a gas-fired central heating boiler, So as to
`minimize the energy costs to the householder. Alternatively,
`the energy management System or the gas Supplier itself may
`be given direct control of the gas Supply via an electrically
`operated gas Valve.
`0028 Methods of operating a household energy manage
`ment System in accordance with the first, Second and third
`aspects of the invention are also provided.
`0029. The modelling functions associated with any of the
`aspects of the invention may be carried out locally, by
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`computing means provided as part of the System within the
`house, or remotely, by external computing means accessed
`via a telecommunications network.
`0030 The system allows for standard appliances to be
`used. Intelligent appliances containing communications and
`minicomputers can be included but are not essential for this
`invention. The invention concentrates on using electrical
`Sensors external to existing appliances and linking this to
`powerful analytical mathematical modelling.
`0031) The overall system benefits include:
`0032 Reduced energy consumption.
`Improved householder comfort.
`0033)
`0034) Improved maintenance and utilisation of
`expensive capital appliances in the house.
`0035 Reduced cost to the householder through
`improved energy tariffs.
`0036 Recommending energy saving measures to
`the householder based on actual measurements of the
`householder's behaviour, the thermal efficiency of
`the house and the operational efficiency of household
`appliances.
`
`THE DRAWINGS
`0037 FIG. 1 shows a first way of installing a single
`central sensor in accordance with the invention into a
`household electricity Supply.
`0.038
`FIG. 2 shows a second way of installing a single
`central Sensor in accordance with the invention into a
`household electricity Supply.
`0039 FIG. 3 shows the communication links between
`the Single central Sensor and the other parts of the System
`according to the invention.
`0040 FIG. 4 shows various Internet services to which
`the System according to the invention may link.
`0041 FIG. 5 illustrates how the current in a household
`electricity Supply may vary with time.
`0.042
`FIG. 6 illustrates the current start-up characteris
`tics of two household appliances
`0.043
`FIG. 7 illustrates how the start-up characteristic of
`an appliance may change over time
`0044 FIG. 8 shows how a transient thermal model in
`accordance with the invention may be revised.
`004.5 FIG. 9 shows how a transient thermal model in
`accordance with the invention may be used to control
`temperature with no feedback.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
`0046) A Typical System
`0047 Consider a system, which uses a single central
`sensor to monitor the flow of electricity into the house. It
`records/analyses the data in great detail-not only on a
`minute by minute basis but also the instant an appliance is
`turned on it analyses the Starting current in detail over
`milliseconds. In this way it determines which appliance has
`
`been turned on and how long it has been on for and at what
`time of day it has been used. It builds mathematical models
`of:
`
`0048 All appliances used in the house and their
`pattern of use
`0049. The house's transient thermal behaviour
`under heating and cooling conditions
`0050. The system is intended not just to monitor the
`electrical System or the gas heating System but to link the
`monitoring of gas and electricity together to allow a whole
`System understanding to be achieved and provide better
`optimisation of the total energy use within the house. For
`example, Sudden changes in electrical activity can indicate
`that the householder has returned home early from work and
`elicit a heating response within the controller to increase the
`house temperature.
`0051. These sensors include not only a single central
`Sensor at the point of entry of electricity to the house but also
`adaptors, which plug into Standard wall Sockets. The adap
`tors allow the collection of detailed information and control
`the appliances they are connected to.
`0052 The analysis is performed on computers either
`local to the house or on the Internet. Communications
`between the various System items use Standard known
`communication Systems i.e. phone, radio, Internet or com
`munication by power cable.
`0053) The single central sensor (FIGS. 1 and 2)
`0054 The single central sensor 2 shown in FIG. 1 is
`connected between the electric power cable to the house 4
`and the house circuit breakers/distribution board 6, or in
`other words at the electrical point of entry to the house. The
`Sensor 8 is used to monitor multiple devices. In more
`advanced versions, greater resolution may be possible by
`locating a Sensor on each ring main out of the electricity
`meter, as shown in FIG. 2.
`0055. The single central sensor 2 monitors the electrical
`power feeding into the house (e.g. current, Voltage and
`power factor), Stores appropriate data and analyses the data
`to determine what is happening with the house's appliances
`and with the occupants. The Single central Sensor 2 contains
`electronic computing capability including Storage (long and
`Short term), processing power, battery back up (not shown)
`and communications capability with the wider network and
`local devices.
`0056 Communications (FIGS. 3 and 4)
`0057 Existing communication methods will be used with
`the System to allow communication between all parts of the
`System including Internet Servers, databases of information,
`the Single central Sensor 2, the moveable adaptorS 10, the
`householder's personal computer and the householder's
`mobile phone etc, as shown in FIG. 3. These existing
`communication methods include the well-known methods of
`linking by telephone, radio, cable and communications by
`power cable. The System designer will Simply use the most
`appropriate available technology to achieve the communi
`cation required. FIG. 4 illustrates in more detail the type of
`information that may be sent to and from the System over the
`Internet, as well as the Sources and recipients of that
`information.
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`Stored data
`0.058
`0059. The data acquired will be stored on a database. This
`will include data of appliance characteristics, times appli
`ances are on and off and derived data. It can be Stored either
`within the house in Some form of Small computer, perhaps
`as part of the Single central Sensor 2, or on a more powerful
`Server on the Internet-based network of computers.
`0060 Monitoring Appliance Use (FIGS. 5 and 6)
`0061 The system can determine the starting and stopping
`of appliances used in the house by monitoring the magnitude
`of current Step changes. Consider the example shown in
`FIG. 5. At time 10 minutes an electric light of current 1 Amp
`is turned on. Ten minutes later a heater of 3 Amp rating is
`turned on and at time 60 minutes the electric light is turned
`off. At this point in time the System knows that the light has
`been on for 50 minutes and knows its power and can
`therefore calculate the energy consumed by the light (kWh).
`At the end of the day the system is able to summarise how
`much energy each of the house's appliances has used during
`the day. This can be provided as a Summary to the house
`holder Such as on a web page or email.
`0062) The actual type of appliance started can be deter
`mined by analysing the Start-up characteristics. AS Shown in
`FIG. 6, Some appliances have quicker response character
`istics than others. Type A and Type B have similar final
`operating currents but they differ in Start-up characteristic.
`Type A has a quick peak in current, Suggesting that it is a
`resistive load like a light bulb, which has a low resistance
`when cold but this resistance increases once it is hot and
`consequently the current falls. Type B takes longer to reach
`its peak current, perhaps indicating that it is a motor with a
`magnetic reluctance rather than a resistance and a starting
`inertia quite different to the type A appliance. The System
`can recognise the appliances by comparing them to a pre
`programmed Store of characteristics, which are loaded on the
`Single central Sensor 2. These Signature characteristics will
`be pre-programmed into the Single central Sensor 2 before
`installation in the house, So it can recognise what is being
`turned on and off. Alternatively the System can learn the
`Signatures during use.
`0.063. It will be possible to teach the system to recognise
`a new appliance if it is not immediately recognised from the
`data bank of known appliances. For example, if the house
`holder Starts using an old valve-driven radio which is not
`previously known, the Single central Sensor System may
`identify that an unknown appliance has been used and
`email the householder asking what the appliance is. By
`replying, the householder will teach the System to recognise
`the valve radio for next time. This new characteristic can be
`used by the householder's System and also Sent electroni
`cally to the other Single central Sensors on the Internet
`network for use in other houses.
`0.064
`Clearly a householder will use some appliances of
`identical power rating and very similar start up characteristic
`Such as Similar lightbulbs. The Single central Sensor has two
`ways to address this issue. It can determine the difference by
`noticing Small differences in Start-up characteristic which
`arise from Small changes in reluctance and resistance due to
`cable length differences or it can make a best approximation
`to what is happening in the house. Any approximation will
`lead to Some uncertainty and error, however few appliances
`
`are exactly identical and So the error will be Small. Alter
`natively moveable adaptors 10 can be used between the
`appliance and the fixed wall outlet. These are explained in
`more detail below.
`0065 New versions of control software can be sent to the
`Single central Sensor 2 through the network communica
`tions.
`Initiating the System
`0.066)
`0067. On first installing the system it may be best if the
`householder runs through an initiation Sequence whereby
`each appliance is turned on and offin a predefined Sequence.
`For example, the householder might be asked to follow the
`following initiation Sequence:
`Turn all household appliances off
`0068)
`Turn all appliances in Bedroom 1 on
`0069
`Turn all appliances off
`0070)
`0.071)
`Bedroom 2 all on
`Turn all appliances off
`0072)
`0073)
`Bedroom 3 all on
`Turn all appliances off
`0074)
`0075)
`Kitchen all on
`Turn all appliances off
`0076)
`Living room all on
`0.077
`0078) Etc
`0079. This method allows the system to learn in which
`room each appliance is kept. For example the 30W radio
`might be in Bedroom 1. This helps communications between
`householder and computer if the location of appliances is
`known. An initiation Sequence like this is already described
`in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0050737.
`0080. The householder will be able to access data records
`of appliance use and So will be able to inform the System of
`the whereabouts of any appliances that the System cannot
`directly deduce. So for example if the householder can See
`that the system did not correctly identify that a TV had been
`moved from the lounge to bedroom 1 the householder will
`be able to update this over the Internet interface (standard
`HTML web pages with radio buttons etc).
`0081 Alternative Way to Teach the System to Recognise
`Appliances
`0082) An alternative way to teach the system to recognise
`appliances is to include at least one moveable adaptor 10 as
`part of the system. This is an adaptor which fits between the
`appliance power plug and the fixed wall outlet.
`0083. It may contains electronics that allow it to measure
`the current flowing into the appliance, in much the same way
`as the Single central Sensor 2 and communicate this to the
`Single central Sensor.
`0084.
`Alternatively, the moveable adaptor 10 may just
`include a transponder, which sends a simple signal to the
`Single central Sensor 2 informing it that current is flowing.
`In this way the Single central Sensor 2 can associate any
`
`PETITIONER ECOBEE
`EX. 1009
`
`

`

`US 2005/0171645 A1
`
`Aug. 4, 2005
`
`transponder Signals from the adaptor 10 with the instanta
`neous changes in household current already detected by the
`Single central Sensor 2.
`0085. The moveable plug adaptor 10 will help with
`identification of identical appliances. For example, if two
`appliances are turned on at the same instant in time it may
`become difficult to determine what has happened. In general
`this can probably be ignored, as it is unlikely that appliances
`will turn on over the same millisecond and any errors
`introduced in this way will be a small part of the total
`electrical consumption.
`0086) However it may be prudent to use an adaptor 10
`with high consumption appliances So that more detailed data
`can be provided to the System. If, for example, a washing
`machine were fitted with one of these then the adaptor 10
`would signal when current flows through it and the Single
`central sensor 2 would know the difference between this
`appliance and other general appliances being turned on in
`the house.
`0087. The adaptor 10 could also be used to turn on and off
`the appliance, whereby the System could manage the appli
`ance to run at night when electricity is cheaper.
`0088 A further advantage of the moveable adaptor 10 is
`that it can be moved to a different wall outlet. For example,
`if the System recognised and learned the behaviour of a
`refrigerator at the first outlet it could email the householder
`and request the householder to move the adaptor to a new
`outlet. The message might read: “At 18:06 this evening an
`appliance was turned on of 60 watts and the System can not
`determine what it is. Please move Mobile Adaptor 3 from
`current location on refrigerator to the outlet Socket using this
`appliance and allow the System to learn the characteristics of
`this appliance. Thank you-Click here if you do not want
`another email reminder of this event.
`0089 Eventually the householder may settle on having a
`few of these mobile adaptors 10 in the house, some of which
`are permanently connected to important appliances and are
`used to monitor and control these appliances directly. The
`remainder of these moveable units 10 may be moved around
`the house at the discretion of the householder and in Sym
`pathy with requests from the networked control System.
`0090 Another advantage of using a moveable adaptor 10
`is that it could recognise which appliances use significant
`electricity even when turned off or in standby mode. It is
`common for household appliances to use built in transform
`ers, which use considerable energy heating the transformer
`even when the appliance is effectively turned off. The
`adaptor will inform the central monitor of power at all times
`and the System can then recognise that the appliance is
`consuming whilst in Standby mode and Send an email to the
`householder recommending that the appliance be discon
`nected from the mains when not in use.
`0.091 Whenever the householder buys a new appliance
`he would be best advised to connect it with an adaptor 10 for
`the first few days of operation So that the System c