US006029092A
`
`United States Patent
`
`6,029,092
`(11] Patent Number:
`[19]
`Stein
`[45] Date of Patent:
`*Feb. 22, 2000
`
`
`[54]
`
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING
`MODULAR CONTROL AND FOR
`MANAGING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
`
`5,684,710
`5,696,695
`
`
`.... 364/492
`..
`11/1997 Ehlers et al.
`12/1997 Ehlers et al. wees 364/492
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`[75]
`
`Inventor: Michael Stein, Naples, Fla.
`
`International Search Report dated Sep. 1, 1998.
`
`Acontrol system is extremely flexible and modular and can
`be equipped or upgraded to have any number or combination
`of features, such as security, home theater/audio, HVAC,
`energy management, and lighting with each feature having
`a separate task unit. The task units can be added or removed
`from a core set of units within minimal impact on the core
`set of units. The core set of units includes a control database
`Tt, C07 ie eeeccecceesesscsccsssessseeecceseessneeecseeseee GO5B 11/01
`unit that stores sets of commands inarelational database
`
`.... 700/11; 700/291
`US. Ch. vce
`Field of Search... 340/825.06, 825.07,
`340/825.08, 825.37, 310.01, 310.02, 310.06,
`310.07, 310.08; 320/85.8, 85.9, 85.1, 85.13;
`700/2, 9-17, 83-87, 80, 286, 291
`
`Primary Examiner—Paul P. Gordon
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—George T. Marcou; Kilpatrick
`Stockton LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`according to an input/output event and a command execu-
`tion unit that routes the commands to the appropriate task
`units for execution. The core set of units do not need to
`understand the input/output event or the commands but
`rather routes the commandsto the task units addressed for
`
`[73]
`
`Assignee:
`
`Intellinet, Inc., Naples, Fla.
`
`[*]
`
`Notice:
`
`This patent issued on a continued pros-
`ecution application filed under 37 CFR
`1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year
`patent
`term provisions of 35 U.S.C.
`154(a)(2).
`
`Appl. No.: 08/749,341
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 21, 1996
`
`Ni)
`
`nNaon
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,965,742
`5,086,385
`5,400,246
`5,463,735
`5,510,975
`5,570,085
`5,572,438
`5,598,566
`5,621,662
`5,640,153
`5,642,101
`
`10/1990
`2/1992
`3/1995
`10/1995
`4/1996
`10/1996
`11/1996
`1/1997
`4/1997
`6/1997
`6/1997
`
`SKenIK cee cceeteeeceeceeceenenee 364/513
`
`Launeyetal. .....
`.. 364/188
`Wilson et al.
`oo. eeeeeeneeseeees 364/146
`
`Pascucciet al.
`...
`. 395/200.52
`Ziegler, J.
`cesses
`seseeeeeeeee 364/148
`
`Bertsch ......
` ... 364/146
`
`Ehlers et al. cc
`ceeeeesceeceneee 364/492
`Pascucciet al.
`...
`. 395/750.06
`
`Humphries et al... 364/138
`Hildebrandet al.
`«0.0.0.0... 340/825 .06
`
`Stirk et al. ccc eeeeeee 340/825.08
`
`execution. The system has a variable database that contains
`a relational database of variables shared betweenthe various
`
`task units and stores such thingsas all keypad displays. The
`individual task units query the variable database unit for
`values of all shared variables and automatically receive any
`updates in values of the shared variables from the variable
`database unit. The software for the system is stored in flash
`ROMand can be automatically upgraded through a down-
`load task unit. The system may have an energy task unitthat
`adjusts consumption of electricity based on any changes in
`rate and which provides a pathway of communication with
`the electrical utility company.
`
`55 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets
`
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`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 1 of 16
`
`6,029,092
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 2 of 16
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`6,029,092
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 3 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`//O EVENT OCCURS
`
`OS "WAKES UP"
`TASK UNIT WAITING
`FOR EVENT
`
`CONTROL
`DATABASE UNIT IS
`QUERIED FOR TASK
`
`EXECUTED
`
`CONTROL
`DATABASE UNIT
`SEND COMMAND
`POINTER TO
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`ROUTES
`COMMANDS TO
`TASK UNIT(S)
`
`COMMAND IS
`
`FIG. 3
`
`004
`
`004
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 4 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`
`TASK UNIT QUERIES
`CONTROL
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT AND
`
`
`COMMAND
`
`
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`RECEIVES
`
`COMMAND POINTER
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
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`
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`ADDRESSED TASK
`UNIT
`
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`
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`PROCESS LOCAL
`LOCAL
`
`COMMAND
`COMMAND?
`
`NEXT COMMAND
`
`005
`
`005
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 5 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`COMMAND
`
`CONTROL
`DATABASE UNIT
`PASSES COMMAND
`POINTER TO
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`SENDS COMMAND
`TO ADDRESSED
`TASK UNIT
`
`TASK UNIT
`EXECUTES
`
`FIG. 5
`
`006
`
`006
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 6 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`FORMAT
`
`TASK UNIT QUERIES
`VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT
`
`VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT
`QUERIES TASK FOR
`VALUE
`
`VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT
`SUPPLIES VALUE IN
`REQUESTED
`
`FIG. 6
`
`007
`
`007
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 7 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`VARIABLE
`
`VALUE OF SHARED
`VARIABLE CHANGES
`
`OWNER'S TASK UNIT
`NOTIFIES VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT OF
`CHANGE
`
`VARIABLE
`DATABASEUNIT
`NOTIFIES OTHER
`TASK UNITS OF NEW
`VALUE FOR
`
`FIG. 7
`
`008
`
`008
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 8 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 9 of 16
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`6,029,092
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 10 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 11 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
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`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 12 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`
`
`160
`
`KEYPAD EVENT
`
`
`
`OS WAKES UP
`KEYPAD CONTROL
`TASK UNIT
`
`
`
`KEYPAD TASK UNIT
`QUERIES CONTROL
`DATABASEUNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CONTROL
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT
`TRANSFERS
`
`
`COMMANDSTO
`
`
`COMMAND
`
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`SENDS COMMANDS
`
`
`TO KEYPAD TASK
`
`UNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`
`165
`
`
`
`
`
`
`KEYPAD TASK UNIT
`QUERIES VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT AND
`RECEIVES REPLY
`
`
`
`KEYPAD TASK UNIT|166
`USES OS AND
`
`
`SYSTEM
`
`
`
`RESOURCES TO
`SERVICE
`COMMANDS
`
`
`
`
`
`FIG. 12
`
`013
`
`013
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 13 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`170
`
`INTERCONNECT
`EVENT
`
`
`
`OS WAKES UP
`DOWNLOAD TASK
`UNIT
`
`172
`
`DOWNLOAD TASK
`UNIT QUERIES
`CONTROL
`DATABASE UNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`
`173 CONTROL
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT
`
`
`TRANSFERS
`COMMANDS TO
`COMMAND
`
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`174
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`SENDS COMMANDS
`TO DOWNLOAD
`TASK UNIT
`
`
`DOWNLOAD TASK
`UNIT QUERIES
`
`VARIABLE
`DATABASE UNIT AND
`RECEIVES REPLY
`
`175
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`DOWNLOAD TASK
`176
`UNIT USES OS AND
`
`SYSTEM
`
`RESOURCES TO
`
`
`SERVICE
`COMMANDS
`
`
`
`FIG. 13
`
`014
`
`014
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb.22, 2000
`
`Sheet 14 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`TASK UNIT
`WAKES UP
`
`TASK UNIT
`PROCESSES
`COMMAND
`
`TO SLEEP
`
`TASK UNIT UPDATES
`LOCAL STATUS
`
`TASK UNIT UPDATES
`VARIABLE
`DATABASEUNIT
`
`TASK UNIT GOES
`
`FIG. 14
`
`015
`
`015
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb.22, 2000
`
`Sheet 15 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`
`
`DETECT SECURITY
`EVENT
`
`
`
`OS WAKES UP
`SECURITY TASK
`UNIT
`
`
`
`
`
`
`SECURITY TASK
`193
`UNIT QUERIES
`
`
`CONTORL
`
`
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT
`FOR COMMAND
`
`SEQUENCE
`
`CONTROL
`194
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT
`
`
`PROVIDES
`
`
`COMMAND
`
`
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`WITH POINTER
`
` 195
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`PROVIDES
`COMMANDS TO
`SECURITY AND
`HVAC UNITS
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`196
`
`SECURITY AND
`HVAC UNITS
`EXECUTE
`RESPECTIVE
`COMMANDS
`
`FIG. 15
`
`016
`
`016
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb.22, 2000
`
`Sheet 16 of 16
`
`6,029,092
`
`
`
`
`RECEIVE RATE
`INFORMATION FROM
`PROVIDER
`
`
`
`OS WAKES UP
`ENERGYTASK UNIT
`
` ENERGYUNIT 203
`
`
`
`
`QUERIES CONTORL
`DATABASE FOR
`COMMAND
`SEQUENCE
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` CONTROL 204
`
`
`DATABASE UNIT
`
`
`PROVIDES
`
`
`
`
`COMMAND
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`WITH POINTER
`
`205
`
`
`COMMAND
`
`
`EXECUTION UNIT
`
`
`PROVIDES
`COMMANDS TO
`ENERGY UNIT
`
`
`
`206
`
`
`ENERGY UNIT
`
`
`ADJUSTS SET
`POINTS OF
`TEMPERATURE
`
`
`
`
`FIG. 16
`
`017
`
`017
`
`

`

`6,029,092
`
`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING
`MODULAR CONTROL AND FOR
`MANAGING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`2
`As a result of these independent systems, a residence may
`have a multitude of keypads distributed throughout
`the
`house. A single room, or even a single wall, may have
`several keypads which can be quite unsightly and detract
`from the overall appearance and decorof the residence. The
`keypads can also be quite troublesometo a resident since the
`keypads for the different systems in the residence are often
`Reference is made to co-pending Patent Cooperation
`associated with a particular operating methodology unique
`Treaty application entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR
`for each system. Asaresult, the resident would need to learn
`HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM,” having International
`one procedure for operating the security system, another
`Application No. PCT/US96/14520 and International Filing
`procedure for controlling the audio system, and yet another
`date of Sep. 18, 1996.
`for the video system.
`In light of a desire to have more automated control over
`the various devices in a residence, home automation systems
`have been developed which integrate the security system
`with one or more of the other systems, such as the lighting
`system. The home automation systems can provide more
`integrated control over all features of a house. With the
`home automation systems, it could be possible to perform
`such functions as turning on the lights in a room upon
`detection of motion or activating a coffee maker according
`to a set schedule.
`
`NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN
`DISCLOSURE
`
`A portion of the disclosure of this patent document
`contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The
`copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduc-
`tion by anyone of the patent document or of the patent
`disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office
`patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright
`rights whatsoever.
`
`15
`
`20
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`In one aspect, the invention generally relates to a system
`and method that provides modular control over various
`tasks, such as security, home theatre, audio, HVAC, and
`lighting. In another aspect, the invention generally relates to
`asystem and method for managing energy consumption and,
`more particularly,
`for permitting adjustments to energy
`consumption based on changing conditions.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`A residential security system, typically, is a stand-alone
`system that monitors various alarm conditions, such as the
`opening of a door or window or motion in a room. In
`response to these conditions, the security system may ini-
`tiate an alarm and may auto-dial the police or a monitoring
`company.
`In many residences,
`the security system is
`equipped with several keypads with one often located near
`a main entrance and another located in the master bedroom.
`
`Although the exact design of keypads vary greatly, many
`keypads have numeric keys for the entry of special codes to
`disarm the system, indicators for displaying zone violations,
`and dedicated keys for auto-dialing the police or fire depart-
`ment. With this type of security system, a processing unit,
`which may be placed in a closet or other hidden area, is
`interconnected to the various motion sensors, closure
`contacts, the keypads, a siren, and includes the auto-dialer.
`The typical residential security systems is a stand-alone
`device and has no interaction with other devices or systems
`in a residence. For instance, the typical security system is not
`interconnected and in no way controls a stereo system or a
`home theatre system. The security system also has no
`control over a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
`(HVAC) unit and normally does have control over the
`lighting within the residence. These other devices or systems
`in the residence, instead, are stand-alone systemsthat pro-
`vide dedicated control over the devices within their domain.
`For instance, an audio system may selectively control the
`routing of sound from a centralized audio source to numer-
`ous areas within or near the residence and may have separate
`keypads for each area of the residence. The hometheatre
`system may similarly have keypads throughout the house for
`selectively supplying video from a central source to the
`various areas in the residence.
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`A common approach to designing the home automation
`systems is to have a central processor communicate with
`each of the sub-systems and to coordinate each of the
`sub-systems activities. Each of the sub-systems, such as
`security and audio, would essentially retain their own inter-
`nal design and would still have a processor which can be
`programmed according to the desires of the resident. To
`communicate with each of the sub-systems and to coordinate
`activities between the sub-systems,
`the central processor
`must know the commandsfor all of the sub-systems. With
`this knowledge of the commands, the central processor can
`command the lighting system to turn on the lights if the
`security system senses motion in a room or perform other
`coordinated functions between the sub-systems.
`To address the problems with multiple keypads, home
`automation systems have merged two or more keypads for
`more than one sub-system into a single “smart” keypad. By
`reducing the number of keypads,
`the resident can more
`easily learn the methodology for operating the keypads and
`the residence would have less wall space consumed by the
`keypads. These smart keypads are programmedto be able to
`send various commandsto the central processor which can
`then route theses commandsto the individual sub-systems.
`To store and transmit these commands, a smart keypad has
`a processor and memory with the memory preferably being
`fairly large so that the keypad is able to store and convey a
`greater number of commandsto the central processor.
`The typical home automation system, therefore, is char-
`acterized as being a fairly powerful system with processors
`and associated memory in the central processor, in each of
`the sub-systems, and in the keypads. Because of the amount
`of electronics throughout
`the system, home automation
`systems have consequently been typically rather expensive.
`A need therefore exists for a home automation system that
`is not only less expensive but which does notsacrifice
`performance.
`The typical home automation system is also rather diffi-
`cult to design and develop. As discussed above, the sub-
`systems, the central processor, and the keypads all have
`processors and each of the processors are associated with
`some type of software program. The programs in each of the
`processors must be written, complied, and debugged. The
`initial writing of the programsis fairly difficult just consid-
`ering the lines of code that must be generated for all of the
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`processors. The task of generating the code, however, does
`not end with simply writing the code since the code must
`next be compiled, with is often laced with various syntax
`errors if the code does not
`include the proper spacing,
`positioning of commas, semi-colons, brackets, or other such
`punctuation or grammar. Once the programmer successfully
`compiles the code, the programmeris next faced with the
`onerous job of debugging the code. The programmer is
`inevitably challenged with having to detect problem area in
`the code, rewriting the code, and then repeating the steps of
`compiling and debugging. A significant portion of the design
`and development of the home automation system is there-
`fore devoted to the process of writing, compiling, and
`debugging the code.
`The difficulties with the code do not stop once the home
`automation system has been installed but continue if the
`resident desires another modification or upgrade. For
`instance, if the resident would like an additional keypad, the
`home automation system must be reprogrammed to know
`the address of the keypad. Furthermore, if the system only
`included security and audio and the resident wants an
`upgrade to include lighting, the home automation system
`must undergo some additional programming to accommo-
`date the additional sub-system. This additional program-
`ming involves the writing, compiling, and debugging the
`code, and therefore serves as an obstacle to any modification
`or upgrade to the home automation system. As such, a need
`exists for a home automation system that can more easily
`and readily accommodate changes.
`While an ideal home automation system includes all
`possible features, home automation systemspractically are
`not all-inclusive. First of all, a home automation system
`which included all possible features would undoubtedly
`have an exorbitant cost. Consumers of home automation
`
`systems are not unanimous in the features that they desire
`and, as a result, home automation systems are designed to
`have various combinations of features. In addition to the
`
`economics, rapid changes in technology preclude such an
`all-inclusive system. As technology advances and becomes
`available, home automation systems will be encouraged to
`incorporate the new technology.
`Other forces at work in technology and in the marketplace
`create new opportunities not only for home automation
`systemsbut for any residential control system. These forces
`include the increased competition between companies pro-
`viding local phone service,
`long distance phone service,
`cellular phone, pager service, cable television, and Internet
`access. The lines between companiesthat traditionally pro-
`vided only one or two of these services are fading as the laws
`and regulations are being rewritten to encourage the com-
`petition between companies. A residential control system,
`such as a home automation system, should therefore be
`flexible to accommodate and incorporate the changes that
`are imminent with the provision of telephone, cable, and
`Internet services.
`
`In addition to the deregulation of the communications
`field, deregulation and increased competition with electrical
`utility companies will also likely have an impact on the
`provisionof services in the field of electrical power. A utility
`company as well as all other generators of electricity gen-
`erally implementa tiered approach for meeting the demand
`from all of its customers. At the first step, demand from all
`of its customers for electricity is relatively low and can be
`satisfied by the utility company’s most energy efficient
`generators. As the demand becomeshigh andincreases past
`the capacity of these higherefficiency generators,the utility
`company relies on less efficient and more expensive gen-
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`erators. These more expensive generators are less desirable
`due to their relatively low efficiency,
`their use of more
`expensive fuels, their higher levels of pollution, or the fines
`which are associated with their operation. At the third step,
`after the demand exceeds the internal capacity of a utility
`company,
`the utility company then purchases electricity
`from otherutilities, often at a premium.
`The utility companies, however, have very little control
`over the demandforelectricity and thus limited control over
`their costs. Presently, an individual consumerofelectricity,
`such as a household, has no knowledge of the demand level
`of the utility company unless the demand becomes an
`emergency issue for an entire geographical region. Thus,
`unless some type of warning has issued, consumers use as
`much electricity as they desire and at the times that they
`desire. A need therefore exists for a system or method by
`which utility companies can inform consumers of the
`present demand so the consumers can act to reduce the
`overall demand and thus act to reduce the overall cost of
`electricity.
`Even if consumers had knowledge of the particular
`demandlevel for a utility company, however, the consumers
`would have no immediate incentive to alter their use of
`
`electricity to help keep the overall demand at a low level.
`While the aggregate effect of each individual consumer’s
`activity could help keep costs down and thus lower the
`overall cost of electricity, a single consumer would have
`little incentive to alter his or her usage merely to increase the
`profits of the utility company. Further, although costs to the
`consumers maylikely be reduced if the overall demand on
`a utility company is lower, many consumers may be unwill-
`ing to alter their schedules to less convenient times when
`other consumers, who do not alter their schedule, still
`receive the benefits of the reduced costs. A need thus exists
`
`for a system or method which provides incentives for
`consumers to reduce the overall demand on the utility
`company and which provides consumers with direct and
`promptbenefits.
`In addition to the high cost associated with purchasing
`electricity from another utility company,
`the purchase of
`electricity from another utility company has other draw-
`backs. For instance, the chance and impactof a powerfailure
`increases with the number of utility companies in a power
`grid. As evident by events in the Pacific Northwest, an
`isolated and relatively minor failure can cause power out-
`ages in an area spanning several states. Thus, a need exists
`for a system or method for controlling overall demand on
`electricity, not only because a lower demand would reduce
`costs, but also because a lower demand would reduce the
`reliance on integrated power grids and should therefore
`increase the overall reliability of the utility companies.
`Another problem facing a utility companyisthat it has a
`fairly small capacity to communicate with its consumers.
`Under typical circumstances, this contact is limited to a
`monthly bill detailing the total amount of electricity con-
`sumed and the associated cost. The utility company there-
`fore staffs a relatively small numberof personnel to handle
`consumer problems. During a power failure, on the other
`hand, a massive number of consumerscall in to inquire as
`to the problem. At
`these times,
`the utility company is
`ill-equipped to handleall of the calls and consumers may be
`placed on hold for an extremely long period of time, such as
`an houror more. This inattentiveness to the consumers’ calls
`
`can significantly magnify the consumers’ aggravation
`toward the situation and to the utility company. A need
`therefore exists for a system or method which improves
`communications between consumers and a utility company.
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`A need also exists for a system or method by which
`consumers can have an increased amount of control over
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`To achieve the foregoing and other objects, in accordance
`with the present
`invention, as embodied and broadly
`described herein, a control system and method according to
`their energy usage. Typically, each appliance within a house
`the invention have one or more task units and a set of core
`has its own dedicated control. For instance, a heating,
`units. Each of the task units is for overseeing at least one
`ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC)unit within a house
`device and may include a multi-room/hometheatre task unit,
`has a thermostat for setting the desired temperature and a hot
`security task unit, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
`water heater has a control unit for controlling the tempera-
`task unit, general purpose interface task unit, lighting task
`ture of the water. Additionally,
`the stereo,
`television,
`unit, or energy managementtask unit. A central processor is
`computer, and lamps would each have separate on/off
`coupled to the devices managed by the task units and
`switches. To reduce energy consumption,
`the consumer
`includes a control database unit for storing sets of com-
`would therefore have to individually control each separate
`mands in a relational database according to event and a
`appliance, which can be quite burdensome. It is therefore a
`command execution unit for routing the commandsto their
`desire to have greater and easier control over energy con-
`respective task units. A monitoring unit, which preferably
`sumption.
`comprises a multi-tasking preemptive operating system for
`the desire for greater control over
`To partially fulfill
`the processor, receives input/output events from the device
`energy consumption, certain appliances have been equipped
`or task units and wakes up the individual task units associ-
`with programmable units. For instance, many HVAC units
`ated with the events. The task units, in response, query the
`have programmable control units which allows the con-
`control database unit for the set of commands associated
`sumerto indicate different desired temperatures for different
`with the event and the control database unit identifies the set
`times of the day and for different days of the week. These
`of commandsto the command execution unit. The command
`controls provide the consumer with the ability to match
`execution unit routes the commands to the task units
`consumption more closely with the actual need. Once these
`addressed within the commands and the task units, after
`control units have been programmed, however,
`the con-
`receiving the commands, process the commands.
`sumer must reprogram the unit so that the programmed
`The control system and methodare extremely flexible and
`schedule of usage becomes equal
`to the actual desired
`modular whereby task units can be added or replaced with
`schedule of energy usage. For example, if a person comes
`only a minimal impact on the overall system. By storing the
`homeearlier than normal, the person must manually adjust
`sets of a commands inarelational database, the control
`the setting on the HVAC to the desired setting. Since a
`database and the commandexecution unit need not under-
`person’s schedule can change often, a need exists for a
`system or method of controlling energy consumption which
`can adjust more easily and quickly to a desired or actual
`schedule of usage.
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`SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION
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`It is an object of the present invention to provide a control
`system which can be easily programmed with a desired
`combination of features.
`
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a
`control system which can easily be changed to accommodate
`an additional feature or function.
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`It is still another object of the present invention to provide
`a control system which has a more streamlined design in
`terms of processors and programming.
`It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
`a control system whichis less expensive yet has nosacrifice
`in performance.
`It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
`control system which provides keypadsor other input/output
`units which provide a high number of keys with a minimal
`amount of hardware.
`
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a
`system which permits a greater amount of control over the
`consumption ofelectricity.
`It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
`a system which permits a greater amountof control over the
`overall cost of electricity to a customer.
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a
`system which provides a greater amount of communication
`between a provider of electricity and its customers.
`Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the
`invention will be set forth in the description which follows,
`and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon
`reading this description or practicing the invention. The
`objects and advantages of the invention mayberealized and
`attained by the appended claims.
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`stand the commandsor the events but rather simply route the
`commands to their respective task units. The command
`execution unit need not automatically route the commands
`but can instead route the commands only upon the meeting
`of certain conditions.
`
`With the preferred system and method, a keypad control
`unit monitors all keypad events. The keypads need not
`contain a large amount processing power since they only
`need to specify an address for the keypad and a key which
`was pressed. The control database unit, based on this iden-
`tifying data, passes an appropriate set of commandsto the
`keypad control unit and to any other affected task unit. The
`control system and method reduce the amountof processing
`that must occur at the keypads and between task units and
`consequently reduce the complexity and cost of the system.
`The system and method may advantageously be used to
`monitor and control energy consumption of at electrical
`load. The system may have an energy managementtask unit
`that receives rate information, such as from the provider of
`electricity, and can adjust consumption accordingly. For
`instance,
`the load may comprise an HVAC unit and the
`energy management
`task unit may alter temperature set
`points of the HVAC based on the rate information. Thus,
`when the demand for electricity and the rate both increase,
`the system and method can act to reduce consumption and
`to lower the cost of electricity. Conversely, when the rate
`decreases, the system and method can take advantage of the
`lowerrates by adjusting the set points to a more comfortable
`level.
`
`The system and method preferably include a variable
`database unit and a download task unit. The variable data-
`base unit maintains a relational database of the values of
`variables which are shared betweentask units. The task units
`can query the variable database unit for values of any shared
`variable and also can receive automatic updates on the
`values of shared variables. The download task unit can
`respond to a download request by storing software program
`or data received from an external source into non-volatile
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`memory. The download task can conveniently be used to
`upgrade existing software or data in memory or to modify
`the system or method to include new software or data.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system according
`to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of FIG. 1
`illustrating the processor and software in further detail;
`FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an overall process by
`whichthe control system of FIG. 1 processes an input/output
`event;
`FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating operations of a command
`execution unit shown in FIG. 2;
`FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a processing of core
`commandsin the control system of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of querying a
`variable database unit shown in FIG. 2;
`FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process of updating
`task units with new values of shared variables;
`FIG. 8 is a partial block diagram of the system of FIG. 1
`interconnected with an exemplary set of sensors;
`FIG. 9 is a partial block diagram of the system of FIG. 1
`interconnected to an exemplary set of relays and devices;
`FIG. 10 is a partial block diagram of the system of FIG.
`1 interconnected to an exemplary set of sensors;
`FIG. 11 is a partial block diagram of the system of FIG.
`1 interconnected to an exemplary of security devices;
`FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a processing of a
`keypad event;
`FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a download process
`executed by the control system of FIG. 1;
`FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a general process of
`activity within a task unit within the control system of FIG.
`1;
`
`FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process
`by the control system of FIG. 1 in which security functions
`are interrelated to HVAC events; and
`FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process
`by the control system of FIG. 1 in which energy consump-
`tion can be adjusted based on rate information from