System and method for managing electrical components for energy usage

A system for managing performance of one or more electrical components in real-time includes one or more sensors to provide working conditions of one or more energy consuming devices. The system further includes one or more actuators coupled to and configured to control the one or more energy consuming devices. Additionally, the system includes a computing device in electrical communication with the one or more sensors and the one or more actuators. The system also includes a database capable of retaining an instruction program for the computing device. The computing device includes a processor that is configured to receive data from the one or more sensors, analyze data from the one or more sensors, and execute the instruction program received from the database in order to optimize operation of the one or more energy consuming devices based on one or more criteria.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for electrical component management, and, more particularly, to a system and method for electrical component management in real-time.

BACKGROUND OF DISCLOSURE

Energy efficiency has become more important throughout recent years. For instance, in 2011, the International Organization for Standardization released ISO 50001 outlining requirements for organizations to improve energy management. The standard aims to help organizations continually reduce their wasted energy use, and therefore their energy costs and their greenhouse gas emissions.

To reach high energy efficiency for a given piece of equipment or a system of equipment, a user must obtain knowledge of the performance of the equipment, have tools that provide options for improving the performance, including recommended key parameters that may be adjusted, associated operating costs, adjustment needs, and the effects of any adjustments, as well as the method to assess the effects.

Some energy efficiency measures are known and may be out of necessity for a system of equipment. For example, in a motor vehicle, when the starter motor is activated, the other high-energy consuming devices (e.g., headlights) are deactivated. However, such an energy management arrangement is performed manually (i.e., by bypassing all accessory energy usage when the starter motor is activated). Since there is no active or dynamic energy management system in motor vehicles, various equipment (e.g., alternator, battery, etc.) have to be designed for the worst-case scenario.

Additionally, energy consumption during peak hours results in premium fees. Typically, a large portion of an electric bill is due to usage during peak hours in the course of a day.

Therefore, there is an unmet need to dynamically manage energy consumption for a piece of equipment, or a system of equipment.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

A system for managing performance of one or more electrical components in real-time is disclosed. The system includes one or more sensors coupled to one or more energy consuming devices and adapted to provide working conditions of the one or more energy consuming devices. The system further includes one or more actuators coupled to and configured to control the one or more energy consuming devices. Additionally, the system includes a computing device in electrical communication with the one or more sensors and the one or more actuators. The system also includes a database capable of retaining an instruction program for the computing device. The computing device includes a processor that is configured to receive data from the one or more sensors, analyze data from the one or more sensors, and execute the instruction program received from the database in order to optimize operation of the one or more energy consuming devices based on one or more criteria.

A method for managing performance of one or more energy consuming devices is disclosed. The method includes providing one or more sensors coupled to one or more energy consuming devices and adapted to provide working conditions of the one or more energy consuming devices. The method further includes providing one or more actuators coupled to and configured to control the one or more energy consuming devices. Additionally, the method includes providing a computing device in electrical communication with the one or more sensors and the one or more actuators. The method also includes providing a database capable of retaining an instruction program for the computing device. The computing device includes a processor that is configured to receiving data from the one or more sensors, analyzing data from the one or more sensors, and executing the instruction program received from the database in order to optimize operation of the one or more energy consuming devices based on one or more criteria.

Although the drawing represents an embodiment of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawing is not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the disclosure, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principals of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, which is described below. The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. It will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. The disclosure includes any alterations and further modifications in the illustrative devices and described methods and further applications of the principles of the disclosure which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.

The operator and/or in the present disclosure means any combination of logical conjunction and logical disjunction between element or elements preceding and element or elements proceeding the and/or operator.

A system and method are disclosed for managing the performance of a piece of equipment or an electrical component in real-time. For instance, the disclosed system and method may be used for monitoring and/or controlling energy efficiency or other performance parameters of a compressor, a boiler, a chiller, an air handling unit, and/or any other piece or a plurality of equipment capable of consuming energy.

Referring toFIG. 1, a system100for managing energy and performance is depicted. Generally, the system100includes an energy consuming equipment or system of equipment (also referred to hereinafter as plant)102, a computing device104(similar to the system1000inFIG. 4), a database106(similar to a data storage system1040inFIG. 4), and a user interface108(similar to the user interface system1030inFIG. 4). The plant102includes one or more sensors152_1. . .152_n (similar to peripheral systems inFIG. 4) measuring environmental conditions associated with one or more energy consuming devices (not shown) controlled by one or more actuators154_1. . .154_n. The computing device (also hereinafter referred to as controller)104receives electrical signals from the one or more sensors152_1-152_n by a processor1086(described further in reference toFIG. 4) which assesses the working condition of the one or more energy consuming devices (not shown) and further controls the one or more actuators154_1-154_n controlling the one or more energy consuming devices (not shown). The processor1086communicates with the one or more sensors152_1-152_n via a multichannel data acquisition or management system14. Additionally, in various embodiments, system100utilizes the user interface108capable of receiving and transmitting data to and from the processor1086such that a user may set up system100, monitor and adjust performance of energy consuming devices (not shown) in real-time. In various embodiments, the user interface device108is configured to receive and transmit data to and from data acquisition system14directly (not shown) or through the database106via the processor1086. The processor1086may be part of a computer (as described below with reference toFIG. 4) and with dedicated control software. The user interface device108may be a tablet computer, mobile phone or any other remote enabled device (e.g., via WiFi, cellular connectivity, etc.). The database106is communicatively coupled to the processor106via direct communication link (e.g., via local area network) or remote communication links (e.g., via WiFi, cellular, internet) as a cloud-based database. The database106contains historical data associated with energy consuming devices (not shown), historical data associated with peak energy usage during course of a day, threshold settings for each of the energy consuming devices (not shown), allowable deviation from each such threshold (i.e., acceptable error for operating an energy consuming device), etc.

The one or more sensor152_1-152_n of the system100may be capable of monitoring a variety of parameters of component(s) (not shown). For instance, one such sensor152_1may be capable of measuring current, energy efficiency, voltage, pressure, carbon dioxide levels, flow rates, occupancy, vibration, force, temperature, displacement, velocity, acceleration, and any other similar parameter of an associated energy consuming device (not shown). Furthermore, in various embodiments, the one or more sensor152_1-152_n may be in wired and/or wireless communication with the data acquisition system14. Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more sensors152_1-152_n may be in wireless communication with the energy consuming device (not shown) directly or indirectly through the data acquisition system14and database106. Furthermore, in various embodiments, system100may include one or more sensors152_1-152_n on each of the energy consuming devices (not shown) for monitoring a plurality of parameters, while in other various embodiments, system100may include one or more sensors152_1-152_n for monitoring a common parameter each on a plurality of energy consuming devices (not shown).

In various embodiments, the processor1086may be configured with an algorithm to convert parameter data from one or more sensors152_1-152_n into digital signals containing useable information capable of being displayed by the computing device104and/or user interface device108to convert control instruction into usable signals for controlling the performance of the energy consuming device (not shown). In various embodiments, data from one or more sensors152_1-152_n may be transmitted to data acquisition system14and then to the database106without being processed. In other various embodiments, raw data from the one or more sensors152_1-152_n may be converted by the processor1086, and then transmitted to the database106prior to being the user interface device108. The data may be processed using models stored in the database106and installed in the user interface device108to link them to the energy usage, calculate cost, optimize the system's energy efficiency, and assessing performance improvement by comparing with the legacy data stored in the database106. The calculated performance information will also be stored in the database106for updating the legacy data. In general, the user interface device108is capable of accessing information from the database106or transmitting information to the database106using an application or program downloaded to the user interface device108. In various embodiments, the program may be updated based on legacy data stored in the database106and/or best practice for further improvement.

In continued reference toFIG. 1, if the processor1086determines there is an abnormality with the threshold setting of one of more energy consuming devices (not shown) based on the one or more sensors152_1-152_n, the processor starts an alarm program (as shown with block162) which initiates an option-based analysis program (as shown in block164) where various options are assessed. These options can be based on a predetermined schedule uploaded from the database106apriori, or dynamically based on recent updates to the database106as it is updated with more up-to-date information. Options may include restarting the energy consuming device (not shown) which has caused the alarm, or other remedial actions. These actions are taken at the control decision block (166) which in turn activates one or more actuators154_1-154_n as prescribed by the processor1086.

Further referring toFIG. 1, the processor1086is adapted to assess the working conditions of the one or more energy consuming devices (not shown) by analyzing data from the one or more sensors152_1-152_n. If data from the one or more sensors152_1-152_n is within acceptable thresholds, the processor1086continues to control in the one or more energy consuming devices (not shown) in a manner programmed by the database106by actuating the one or more actuators154_1-154_n. Alternatively, the processor1086may be programmed to reduce the overall energy usage of the one or more energy consuming devices (not shown) in accordance to specific time of day by a multivariate formulaic or numeric analysis to reach a minimum of the energy usage based on flexibilities provided by some of the energy consuming devices (not shown). An example will demonstrate this approach. Suppose there are two energy consuming devices in the plant102, an air conditioning unit (ACU), and a refrigeration unit (RU). Each of the ACU and RU have threshold settings, e.g., the ACU has a setting of 73° F. while the RU has temperature setting of 10° F. However, the processor1086can be programmed to have a degree of flexibility for each of the ACU and the RU. For example, the ACU can be operated to have an upper limit of 78° F. and the RU can be operated to have an upper limit of 25° F. Operating both ACU and the RU at times when energy consumption for a community is at a peak (e.g., during afternoon hours in the summer time) will lead to substantial overages in electric bills. To avoid these overages, the processor1086can operate the ACU and the RU in a manner within their allotted flexibilities to minimize energy usage. Energy consumed for the ACU may be expressed as a function of x in the form of E1=f1(x), where E1is the energy and x is the cool setting (in this example, X1represents a cool setting that can achieve 73° F.). Similarly, energy consumed for the RU can be described as a function of y in the form of E2=f2(y), where E2is the energy and y is the cool setting (in this example Y1represent a cool setting that can achieve 10° F.). For both of these functions higher values on the abscissa represents colder settings. The relationship of E1=f1(x) and E2=f2(y) are shown inFIGS. 2A and 2Bas nonlinear functions between energy and cool settings, respectively. Adding the right-hand side of these equations provides ET=f1(x)+f2(y), where PTis the total energy used by the ACU and the RU. Referring toFIG. 2C, a three-dimensional graph of ETis shown. As a first order approximation, it will be assumed that x and y (i.e., cool settings of ACU and RU) are independent of one another. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, each device in the plant may also be given a weight, for example a weight of 100 may mean than all attempts must be taken to meet the threshold setting of the energy consuming device associated with that weight. Alternatively, a low weight such as, for example 1, may mean that energy consuming device is of least importance in the plant and it can be powered on and off more liberally although still within the flexibility of the device. By applying either a formulaic solution or a numerical solution within the boundary of the flexibilities of ACU and RU, the minimum energy usage can be determined. In one embodiment, the weight can be used as well to make the modifications. For example, if both the ACU and the RU have equal importance (i.e., no difference in the weight associated with which one can be deactivated in favor of the other), then alternate cycling of the ACU and the RU may be one approach to reducing energy. Another approach may be to alternate cycle the ACU and RU based on the relative proportion of their energy usage. For example, the ACU may consume 5 times as much energy and the RU. A ⅕ proportion in alternate cycling may be another approach to reduce energy. In all these various approaches, each of the ACU and the RU may not exceed the threshold plus the available flexibility. While, minimizing energy is the goal of optimization according to the above example, the optimization approach can be used for any parameter. For example, in a motor vehicle, the optimization can be used to reduce the size of an alternator based on selectively operating one or more energy consuming devices (e.g., amplifier of sound system, air conditioning, etc.). In other examples, the optimization can be used to maximize a parameter. For example, optimization can be used to maximize efficiency.

One system100is set up, an application as discussed with reference to flowchart200, is downloaded on the computing device104and user interface device108, and the system100begins to operate the one or more actuators154_1-154_n in order to control the energy consuming devices (not shown). To begin, the application may ask the user to login with password. Then application may ask the user to choose a default mode or an interactive mode, as collectively shown in blocks202,204,206,208, and210. The default mode is for a user that has already set up the application in connection with a given system and wishes to monitor component performance remotely, while the interactive mode is for a user wanting to set up a connection with a system in order to monitor component performance.

If the user selects the default mode, the application may activate system100to perform data collection such that raw data or converted data transmitted from data acquisition system14to cloud-based database106can be relayed to user interface device108such that a user may monitor the performance of an energy consuming device (not shown) in real-time. The user may then use the information provided to adjust parameters of the energy consuming device (not shown) using user interface device108.

If the user selects the interactive mode (i.e., not the default mode), the processor1086identifies a wireless router to connect to, and/or sets up limits for the one or more sensors152_1-152_n of the system100. The limits of each sensor may include lower and upper measuring limits warning thresholds, among other things. Once the setup is complete, the user is able to receive data from cloud-based database106similar to the default mode described above such that the user may monitor the performance of the coupled components, as shown in blocks212,214.216,218,220,222, and224.

Still referring toFIG. 3, in various embodiments, system100may be capable of issuing a warning or alarm when a certain threshold or limit for a parameter is surpassed. Warnings or alarms may be received and displayed by the user interface device108independent of the application being open and/or in use, as shown in blocks226,228,230,232,234, and236.

The system100has a knowledge base module in the cloud-based database106. The knowledge base module stores algorithms, look-up tables, and parameters specified for different energy consuming devices (not shown). The module includes developed computational models of subsystems of the equipment or system of equipment, legacy performance data, lookup tables resulting from previous analyses, and knowledge learned from previous operations. When a project is initiated, the related models and the related system will be retrieved from the database106. When a warning or an alarm is issued, system10obtains the relevant recommendations and algorithms from the knowledge base and calculates the energy savings or cost difference of fixing and not fixing the problem triggering the warning. system100then displays this information to the user through the user interface device108. In various embodiments, the thresholds and/or limits may be set or adjusted based on the user's preference.

In response to warnings, unsatisfactory performance information or other information received and/or displayed by the user interface device108, the user in a manual mode or the system100in an automatic mode may review the recommendations, assess the advantages and disadvantages if control parameters are adjusted, adjust the parameters of each actuator154_1-154_n and assess the effects. For example, if component (not shown) is an air handling unit, a temperature, a valve setting, or other similar parameter or setting of the air handling unit may be adjusted. In addition, in various embodiments, the system100may report the increase or decrease in energy efficiency or cost savings or increases based on proposed or actual adjustment recommendations to a given parameter. Furthermore, in various embodiments, information such as data received, actions taken, outcomes, or other similar information may be stored in the knowledge base module of the database106, or a memory located in data acquisition system14, or the user interface device108.

Referring toFIG. 4, a high-level diagram showing the components of an exemplary data-processing system1000for analyzing data and performing other analyses described herein, and related components. The system1000includes the processor1086, a peripheral system1020, a user interface system1030, and a data storage system1040. The peripheral system1020, the user interface system1030and the data storage system1040are communicatively connected to the processor1086. Processor1086can be communicatively connected to network1050(shown in phantom), e.g., the Internet or a leased line, as discussed below. The imaging described in the present disclosure may be obtained using imaging sensors1021and/or displayed using display units (included in user interface system1030) which can each include one or more of systems1086,1020,1030,1040, and can each connect to one or more network(s)1050. Processor1086, and other processing devices described herein, can each include one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), programmable array logic devices (PALs), or digital signal processors (DSPs).

Processor1086can implement processes of various aspects described herein. Processor1086can be or include one or more device(s) for automatically operating on data, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller (MCU), desktop computer, laptop computer, mainframe computer, personal digital assistant, digital camera, cellular phone, smartphone, or any other device for processing data, managing data, or handling data, whether implemented with electrical, magnetic, optical, biological components, or otherwise. Processor1086can include Harvard-architecture components, modified-Harvard-architecture components, or Von-Neumann-architecture components.

The phrase “communicatively connected” includes any type of connection, wired or wireless, for communicating data between devices or processors. These devices or processors can be located in physical proximity or not. For example, subsystems such as peripheral system1020, user interface system1030, and data storage system1040are shown separately from the data processing system1086but can be stored completely or partially within the data processing system1086.

The peripheral system1020can include one or more devices configured to provide digital content records to the processor1086. For example, the peripheral system1020can include sensors capable of communicating data associated with operational conditions (e.g., current, voltage, temperature) of energy consuming devices, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, cellular phones, or other data processors. The processor1086, upon receipt of digital content records from a device in the peripheral system1020, can store such digital content records in the data storage system1040.

The user interface system1030can include a mouse, a keyboard, another computer (connected, e.g., via a network or a null-modem cable), or any device or combination of devices from which data is input to the processor1086. The user interface system1030also can include a display device, a processor-accessible memory, or any device or combination of devices to which data is output by the processor1086. The user interface system1030and the data storage system1040can share a processor-accessible memory.

In various aspects, processor1086includes or is connected to communication interface1015that is coupled via network link1016(shown in phantom) to network1050. For example, communication interface1015can include an integrated services digital network (ISDN) terminal adapter or a modem to communicate data via a telephone line; a network interface to communicate data via a local-area network (LAN), e.g., an Ethernet LAN, or wide-area network (WAN); or a radio to communicate data via a wireless link, e.g., WiFi or GSM. Communication interface1015sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital or analog data streams representing various types of information across network link1016to network1050. Network link1016can be connected to network1050via a switch, gateway, hub, router, or other networking device.

Processor1086can send messages and receive data, including program code, through network1050, network link1016and communication interface1015. For example, a server can store requested code for an application program (e.g., a JAVA applet) on a tangible non-volatile computer-readable storage medium to which it is connected. The server can retrieve the code from the medium and transmit it through network1050to communication interface1015. The received code can be executed by processor1086as it is received, or stored in data storage system1040for later execution.

Data storage system1040can include or be communicatively connected with one or more processor-accessible memories configured to store information. The memories can be, e.g., within a chassis or as parts of a distributed system. The phrase “processor-accessible memory” is intended to include any data storage device to or from which processor1086can transfer data (using appropriate components of peripheral system1020), whether volatile or nonvolatile; removable or fixed; electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, mechanical, or otherwise. Exemplary processor-accessible memories include but are not limited to: registers, floppy disks, hard disks, tapes, bar codes, Compact Discs, DVDs, read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash), and random-access memories (RAMs). One of the processor-accessible memories in the data storage system1040can be a tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, i.e., a non-transitory device or article of manufacture that participates in storing instructions that can be provided to processor1086for execution.

In an example, data storage system1040includes code memory1041, e.g., a RAM, and disk1043, e.g., a tangible computer-readable rotational storage device such as a hard drive. Computer program instructions are read into code memory1041from disk1043. Processor1086then executes one or more sequences of the computer program instructions loaded into code memory1041, as a result performing process steps described herein. In this way, processor1086carries out a computer implemented process. For example, steps of methods described herein, blocks of the flowchart illustrations or block diagrams herein, and combinations of those, can be implemented by computer program instructions. Code memory1041can also store data, or can store only code.

Various aspects described herein may be embodied as systems or methods. Accordingly, various aspects herein may take the form of an entirely hardware aspect, an entirely software aspect (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an aspect combining software and hardware aspects. These aspects can all generally be referred to herein as a “service,” “circuit,” “circuitry,” “module,” or “system.”

Furthermore, various aspects herein may be embodied as computer program products including computer readable program code stored on a tangible non-transitory computer readable medium. Such a medium can be manufactured as is conventional for such articles, e.g., by pressing a CD-ROM. The program code includes computer program instructions that can be loaded into processor1086(and possibly also other processors), to cause functions, acts, or operational steps of various aspects herein to be performed by the processor1086(or other processor). Computer program code for carrying out operations for various aspects described herein may be written in any combination of one or more programming language(s), and can be loaded from disk1043into code memory1041for execution. The program code may execute, e.g., entirely on processor1086, partly on processor1086and partly on a remote computer connected to network1050, or entirely on the remote computer.

While this disclosure has been described as having an exemplary design, the present disclosure may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art with the benefit of the present disclosure to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.