Patent Application
20110090042
The amount of electric power demanded from a power plant or utility grid varies depending on the time of day, local weather patterns, failure of other power plants on the grid, and other factors that may be difficult to predict. Overloading during periods of peak demand may cause failure of the power plant or grid, under voltage events (brownouts), or may force the utility to activate reserve generating capacity which is typically expensive to operate.
A demand response system enables a utility to improve the reliability of a power plant or grid and/or reduce operating costs by instructing customers to reduce their demand during periods of peak demand. In a demand response system, the utility provider contacts one or more customers when it becomes apparent that the peak load will exceed the capacity of a power plant or grid, or when power will be relatively expensive to generate. The customers may respond by switching to alternative power sources such as local generation (cogeneration), reducing their power consumption (load shedding), or a combination of both. The utility typically sends a demand response request to the customers' premises in the form of a digital message through a radio transmission, internet connection, or other medium.
The wireless receiver 12 controls the power switch 10 in response to a wireless demand signal received at the endpoint 14. Any suitable wireless technology may be used for the wireless demand signal such as radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), ultrasound (U/S), etc. For example, in a system using RF communication, any custom or standardized communication protocol such as ZigBee, EnOcean, etc. may be used.
The power switch 10 and wireless receiver 12 may be integrated into a single device or included in separate devices. In one example embodiment, the power switch and wireless receiver may be included in a wiring device that can occupy a single gang in a standard electrical box. In another example embodiment, the power switch and wireless receiver may be in separate devices mounted in two different gangs of an electrical box. In yet another embodiment, the power switch may be housed in a relay module which is mounted in a metal relay cabinet located in a utility closet. Since the cabinet and/or closet location may interfere with the wireless demand signal, the wireless receiver may be housed in a plastic case that is attached to the relay cabinet through a conduit fitting, or alternatively, connected to the relay cabinet through a short cable that enables the wireless receiver to be installed anywhere inside or outside the closet.
As with the wireless receiver 12 shown in
Each wireless transmitter 22 may be connected directly to the LCR 20, connected to a building automation network an/or control station to which the LCR is attached, connected to a specialized network for demand response transmitters, or arranged in any other suitable configuration.
In some embodiments, the wireless transmitter 26 may be connected directly to the LCR 30, workstation 32 or access point 34 in addition to, or instead of, being connected to the network 28. In some embodiments the LCR, workstation and/or access point may be omitted along with their functions. Alternatively, any or all of the functions of the LCR, workstation and/or access point may be integrated into the same devices as the wireless transmitter 26. A user interface to enable a user to configure and/or operate the system may be included at any or all of the components. The wireless transmitter may be implemented with a wireless gateway, modem, router, switch, hub, etc.
The wireless transmitter 26 transmits a wireless demand signal 27 to any number of wireless demand response endpoint devices. Some examples include a power pack 36, receptacle 38, wall switch 40, light fixture 42, hard-wired or cord-and-plug connected appliance 44, power strip 46, screw-in or plug-in lamp base 48, plug-in switching module 50, ceiling, exhaust or ventilation fan 52, space heater 54, relay 56, dimmer 58, motor speed control 60, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) 62, etc.
The wireless transmitter 26 transmits the wireless demand signal in response to information received from the utility at the LCR 30, and/or in response to the actions of a building administrator or other person. There are a multitude of different methods and configurations in which the system can function according to the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Some examples are described above and below, but other methods and configurations may be realized without departing from the inventive principles. For example, a transmission from the wireless transmitter 26 may be initiated by the reception of a demand signal from a utility through the LCR, either automatically, or with intervention by a building administrator. Alternatively, the building administrator may initiate the transmission of a demand signal. As a further alternative, the transmission of a demand signal may be initiated by a utility, monitoring service, remote building administrator, etc., through a connection on the internet access point 34. Some further examples of operational and configurational flexibility include methods in which wireless endpoints may be addressed, and methods in which the endpoints may be configured to respond to demand signals as described below.
The controller may include manual configuration functionality 72 to enable an installer to manually program the endpoint to respond to wireless signals from, e.g., a wireless occupancy sensor, a self-powered wireless wall switch transmitter (on/off or dimming), a wireless photocell, and/or a wireless demand response transmitter. Such programming may be accomplished through dip switches or buttons 74, a plug-in or wireless handheld remote interface 76, or any other suitable technique.
The controller may also include learning functionality 78 to enable the endpoint to bind with other wireless devices. For example, an installer may press a certain sequence of buttons to place the endpoint in a learn mode. The installer then causes each wireless device to which the endpoint must respond to transmit a learning pattern to the endpoint, thus enabling the endpoint to bind with each device, including a wireless demand response transmitter. The installer then presses another sequence of buttons to remove the endpoint from learn mode.
The controller may also include functionality 80 to enable the endpoint to respond to a dedicated demand response code or address that is loaded into the endpoint when manufactured or programmed into the endpoint by a distributor, installer, building administrator, etc. When the endpoint receives a transmission with this code, it invokes the appropriate demand response behavior.
The controller may also include commissioning functionality 82 which enables the endpoint to be configured completely or in part by commissioning transmissions from the wireless demand response transmitter and/or a special commissioning transmitter. This functionality may be similar to the manual configuration functionality, but no manual actuation is involved. Instead, the configuration information may be provided through the wireless receiver.
Address/broadcast functionality 84 may be included to enable the endpoint to respond differently to different transmissions. For example, transmissions from certain sources may be treated as broadcast transmissions that all endpoints respond to, whereas transmissions from other sources may be treated as addressed transmissions that the endpoint only responds to if the transmission is addressed specifically to the endpoint or group of endpoints.
Priority functionality 86 may be included to enable the endpoint to respond differently to transmissions having different priority levels. For example, low priority transmissions may be ignored or queued for later response, medium priority transmissions may be responded to if not overridden by transmissions with a higher priority level, and high priority transmissions may always be responded to.
The controller may also include eavesdropping functionality 88 to enable the endpoint to be configured by listening to transmissions between other devices. For example, the endpoint may initially be configured to operate as a manual on/off wall switch with wireless demand response functionality. If the endpoint detects communications between a wireless occupancy sensor and other hardware, the endpoint may configure itself to respond to the wireless occupancy sensor as well. Such self-configuration may be subject to other configuration information for priority levels, addressing, etc.
An endpoint may include any, all or none of the above functionalities. An embodiment having one or more of these functionalities may include inputs or configuration features to enable one or more of the functionalities. For example, an endpoint may include a series of dip switches to select which function or functions to activate.
The embodiment of
During an inventory process 90, an inventory of the available demand response components is taken. Some or all of the inventory may be taken through a manual process 92 by entering information on the quantities, types, locations, loads, etc. of wireless demand response endpoints, as well as information on the available wireless demand response transmitters, load control receivers (LCRs), etc. Some or all of the inventory may be taken through an automatic or semiautomatic process 94 that uses a wireless demand response transmitter to poll the endpoints. In some embodiments, the endpoints may respond to a poll by temporarily turning their associated loads on or off to identify themselves to a person who can then complete the inventory by observing and reporting the location of the load associated with each endpoint. In other embodiments, some or all of the endpoints may include transmission functionality to report back to the inventory process.
During a configuration process 96, the manner in which each wireless endpoint will respond to different demand response events is configured. Some example configuration techniques are shown in
Class configuration functionality 100 enables wireless endpoints to be configured based on a class or type of endpoint. For example, endpoints that control non-emergency lighting may be configured to turn off or reduce their loads in response to a certain level of demand signal, while endpoints that control computer equipment and emergency lighting remain fully on. The endpoints that control computer equipment may be further configured to turn off in response to a more restrictive type of demand response signal.
Zone configuration functionality 102 enables wireless endpoints to be configured by zones. For example, endpoints that control lighting in peripheral areas of a building with abundant ambient light may be configured to turn off or reduce their loads by a large amount in response to a demand response event, whereas endpoints that control lighting in inner areas of the building may keep their loads fully on or reduce them by a lesser amount.
Priority based configuration functionality 104 enables wireless endpoints to be configured based on priority levels of demand response events and/or their associated loads. For example, endpoints configured to control critical loads considered may only respond to high priority demand response events, whereas endpoints configured to control non-critical loads considered may only respond to low, medium and high priority demand response events.
Direct response configuration functionality 106 enables wireless endpoints to be configured to respond directly to a wireless demand response signal from a utility, a power plant, a power grid operator, etc.
Eavesdropping configuration functionality 107 enables the system to be configured by listening to wireless transmissions between components. For example, the system may be placed in a learning mode for a period of time. During the learning mode, if the system identifies communications from a wireless occupancy sensor, the system can configure itself to transmit a wireless demand signal that mimics the signal from the wireless occupancy sensor. Thus, the system may be configured to turn off any lights or other loads controlled by the wireless occupancy sensor in response to a demand response event.
The configuration process 96 may implement all, some, none and/or hybrids of any of the example configuration techniques shown in
During an operation process 108, the system causes wireless demand signals to be sent to wireless demand response endpoints in accordance with the system configuration and in response to demand response events from various sources. Some operations may be controlled by automatic load shed functionality 110 in which a demand response event received from a utility, a power plant, a power grid operator, etc. is automatically processed and causes wireless demand signals to be transmitted. For example, a demand response signal from a utility may be interpreted to determine the seriousness of the request and assigned a priority. Based on the priority, a local demand signal may be transmitted only to specifically addressed endpoints, or broadcast to all endpoints which may then turn off or reduce their loads based on their configuration. As another example, a simple on/off demand response signal received from a utility may be rebroadcast to every endpoint, each of which handles the request according to its own configuration.
Some operations may be controlled by manual load shed functionality 112. For example, a work station or other hardware for a building administrator may be configured to provide a pop-up alarm when a demand response signal is received from a utility. The work station may then present the building administrator with a graphic display of all wireless endpoints which may be turned off by clicking on individual icons associated with each endpoint. Alternatively, the building administrator may respond by initiating one or more transmissions based on the individual address, classes, zones, priorities, etc. of the endpoints.
A wireless demand response transmitter 124 is connected to a building management network 126 and is within transmission range and/or position of the wireless enabled wall switch 116. In response to a demand signal received over the network 126 from a utility, building administrator or other source, the wireless transmitter 124 transmits a wireless demand signal 128 to the wall switch 116. The wall switch 116 may respond to the wireless demand signal depending on the configuration of the wall switch, the wireless transmitter 124 and other system components. For example, the system may be configured so the wall switch 116 always turns off or dims lighting fixtures 114B-114C in response to the wireless demand signal and leaves them off or dimmed until the demand response event is over, regardless of any manual actuation of the wall switch by an occupant. Alternatively, the wall switch may turn off or dim lighting fixtures 114B-114C in response to the wireless demand signal, but then subsequently allow an occupant to manually operate the light fixtures even during the demand response event. As another alternative, the system may be configured so the occupants' ability to manually operate the lights depends on a priority level of the wireless demand signal.
The system illustrated in
The embodiments of
The power switch inside the housing controls the flow of power from the wire leads to the duplex receptacle 260 in response to a wireless demand signal received by a wireless receiver 262. A selector switch 266 enables a user to configure the outlet with an address, class, zone, priority or other information. In this embodiment, the selector switch is located on the face mounting plate 258 so that it can be adjusted by removing the wall plate, but without having to remove the assembly from the wall box. In other embodiments, the dial or other user interface may be located directly on the receptacle, on or inside the housing, etc.
The power switches inside the housing control the flow of power to the loads in response to a wireless demand signal received by a wireless receiver 274. A selector switch 276 enables a user to configure the power pack with an address, class, zone, priority or other information.
The inventive principles of this patent disclosure have been described above with reference to some specific example embodiments, but these embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, some of the embodiments have been described in the context of lighting loads, but the inventive principles apply to other types of electrical loads as well. Any of the functionality described herein may be implemented in analog and/or digital hardware, software, firmware, etc., or any combination thereof. As another example, some of the embodiments have been described in the context of interior building spaces, but the inventive principles apply to exterior or hybrid spaces as well. Such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the following claims.
