Abstract:
A CE device employs user interfaces to allow a user to define energy management rules within the user&#39;s premises, visualize energy use in the home and in neighbor&#39;s homes for comparison and competition in saving energy, and receive tailored advertisements for appliances that are more energy efficient than what the user currently owns.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/411,212, filed Nov. 8, 2010. 
     
    
     I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present application relates generally to consumer electronics (CE) devices such as digital clocks, TVs, and the like with home energy management features. 
       II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Home energy management refers to technologies and processes that allows for measuring, monitoring and controlling of energy consumption of individual devices in residential homes. As recognized by present principles, both wide area and local communication networks such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and Power, Line Communication (PLC) can be used to connect the devices within the home and to send data to a display device. As further understood herein, it is desirable to provide effective control, displays, and support as to suggestions for energy savings on a consumer electronics (CE) device the user may conveniently operate, within the home to effect energy conservation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Present principles permit a user or customer to control individual energy-using devices in the home, for example change the temperature setting of an air conditioner unit, or turn on or off other devices. To avoid the repeating manual operation, such control can be automated locally or externally. In the latter case, a gateway can connect the home network to a service provider who controls devices in the home remotely, depending on the agreement with the customer. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, a consumer electronics (CE) device has a processor, in some embodiments a video display controlled by the processor, and a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to present on the display a user interface (UI). The UI includes plural windows at least some of which represent a respective room in a residence and each presenting a respective visual indication indicating a relative consumption of energy use in the respective room. The CE device enables, a user of the CE device to “drill down” into a room to discover what appliances in that room are consuming energy. 
         [0006]    In some implementations the indicator can be a finable bar that is filled according to energy use, with a lower fill indicating lower energy use and a higher fill indicating higher energy use. If desired, the processor can cause a message to be presented in each window indicating whether energy use is low, moderate, or high. At least one window may represent energy usage of a neighbor house as reported by a neighbor processor. 
         [0007]    In example embodiments the UI presents an energy indication for the entire residence to indicate whether total energy consumption in the residence is low, medium, or high. Also, if desired the UI may present one or more historical energy consumption indicators, so that a user of the CE device can visualize current use against historical usage. The CE device can be established by a digital clock, a TV, a wireless telephone, and the like. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, a consumer electronics (CE) device has a processor, a video display controlled by the processor, and a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to present on the display a user interface (UI) enabling a user of the CE device to select energy savings rules to be automatically applied in a dwelling responsive to predetermined conditions within the dwelling. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, a consumer electronics (CE) device employs user interfaces (UI) to allow a user to define energy management rules within the user&#39;s premises, visualize energy use in the home and in neighbor&#39;s homes for comparison and competition in saving energy, and receive tailored advertisements for appliances that are more energy efficient than what the user currently owns. 
         [0010]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are screen shots of example user interfaces in accordance with present principles; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart of example logic in accordance with present principles. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a system is shown, generally designated  10 , which includes a consumer electronics (CE) device  12  such as a television, a wireless telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital clock, etc. When embodied as a TV the CE device  12  typically includes a TV tuner  14 . 
         [0015]    The CE device  12  includes a processor  16  accessing a computer readable storage medium  18  such as but not limited to disk-based or solid state storage and bearing instructions executable by the processor  16  to undertake logic herein, including presenting the below-described user interfaces (UI) on a video display  20  and to output audio on one or more speakers  22 . The video display may not be included on some devices such as routers but may be connected, to the device processor for presentation of the below-described UIs. As also shown in  FIG. 1 , the processor  16  may communicate with the Internet  24  using a wide area network (WAN) interface  26  such as but not limited to a wired or wireless modem, including a WiFi modem, a wireless telephony transceiver such as but not limited to a global system for mobile communications (GSM) transceiver or code division multiple access (CDMA) transceiver or variants thereof, etc. Through the Internet, the CE device  12  can access one or more support servers  28  having one or more processors  30  accessing various computer readable storage media  32  for implementing relevant portions of the logic below. 
         [0016]    Furthermore, the CE device  12  may include a local area network (LAN) interface  34  such as but not limited a power line communication (PLC) interface or Bluetooth interface or Other wired or wireless interface such as an Ethernet interface. Using the LAN interface  34  and/or the WAN interface  26 , the processor  16  of the CE device  12  may communicate with a home processor or controller or server  36  (referred to herein for convenience as “home processor”) that in turn can communicate with various appliances  38  and sensors  40  located in rooms  42  of a home residence  44  with, which the user of the CE device  12  is associated. Indeed, the CE device  12  may in some embodiments be located within the home residence  44  and may be used to implement the home processor  36 . Without limitation, the appliances  38  may be associated with respective controllers that can be controlled by the home processor  36  and/or CE device processor  16  and may be implemented by, e.g., lighting systems, refrigerators, heaters, TVs and other audio video devices, pool pumps, pool heaters, ovens, stoves, etc. The sensors  40  may be implemented by energy sensors such as but not limited power sensors or ammeters, and by ambient light level sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors, and the like. The home processor  36  and/or CE device  12  (directly or through the home processor  36 ) may communicate with home processors  46  in neighboring dwellings for purposes to be shortly disclosed. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate respective UIs that the processor  16  may present on the display  20  according to logic accessed on the medium  22  and signals received from the various components shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 2 , the UI presents windows  50 , each representing a respective room  42  in the residence  44  and each bearing a label  52  with the room name, if desired. A visual indication  54  can also be presented in each window to indicate a relative consumption of energy use in that room. In the example shown, the indication  54  is a vertical bar that is filled according to energy use, with a lower fill indicating lower energy use and a higher fill indicating higher energy use. A message  56  may also be presented in each window  50  indicating whether energy use is low, moderate, or high. 
         [0018]    Also, one or more of the windows  50  may represent the energy usage of a neighbor house as reported by a neighbor processor  46  over the WAN interface  26  or LAN interface  34 . In this case, the accompanying indication  54  indicates that the neighbor is using very little energy; a textual message is keyed to the neighbor&#39;s use relative to the energy consumption in the residence  44  to exhort the user of the CE device  16  appropriately. When the neighbor is using less energy than the residence  44  as shown in the example, the message can be “catch up”. On the other hand, if the neighbor is using the same a moderate amount of energy the message may be “you are neck and neck” or words to that effect, whereas if the residence  44  is using significantly less energy than the neighbor the message might be encouraging, such as “you are winning”. 
         [0019]    As shown at  58  a user of the CE device  12  can “drill down” into a particular room (in the example shown, the pool room) to discover what appliances in that room are consuming energy. The drill-down may be effected by means of a point-and-click device such as a TV remote commander or by configuring the display  20  as a touch screen display and enabling a user, by means of a tactile gesture on the screen, to expand the information display for a particular room. In the example shown, the drill down indicates that 30% of the energy consumption in the pool room is due to the pool heater while 70% is due to the pool pump. 
         [0020]    Furthermore, an energy indication  70  for the entire residence  44  can be presented to indicate whether total energy consumption in the home is low, Medium, or high. In the example shown, because the indication is completely filled in the consumption is high, at a peak. The indication  70  may be accompanied by a label  72  as shown indicating that the current consumption of the residence  44  is being illustrated. Historical peak consumption and historical average consumption indicators  74 ,  76  with accompanying textual labels for the residence  44  may be juxtaposed with the current home consumption indicator  70  as shown, so that a user of the CE device  12  can visualize current use against average and peak historical usages. The CE device  12  may integrate energy consumption over time and dynamically refine the peak and historical indicators accordingly. 
         [0021]    Additionally, a blackout indicator  78  may be presented on the UI in  FIG. 2 . The blackout indicator  78  may indicate whether a blackout is imminent so that a user of the CE device  12  can take appropriate measures if a blackout is indeed near. The processor  16  may receive information from a support server  28  indicating that the electrical grid energy usage is high and that a blackout may be imminent to configure the blackout indicator  78  appropriately. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a rules selection UI that may be presented on the display  20  to enable a user of the CE device  12  to select energy savings rules to be automatically applied responsive to certain conditions. As indicated a user can select an “all” selector to cause the processor  16  to implement all the rules on the list UI  80 . Or, the user can individually select rules the user desires to be implemented. Among the example rules that the user can implement are to turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms as indicated by a motion sensor  40  in the room. Also, a user can select to turn off lights during daylight hours responsive to an ambient light sensor in the residence  44  indicating daylight. Furthermore, the user can select to turn off any TVs in unoccupied rooms as indicated by motion sensors in the rooms. Also, the user can select to turn off a pool pump based on one or more circumstances as shown, including at peak energy use times for the electric grid, which the processor can receive from, e.g., a support server  28 , and/or to turn off the pool pump when energy usage in the residence  44  exceeds a threshold as indicated by one or more power meter sensors  40 . Still again, a user may be permitted to type in his own rule as shown by the text entry line at the bottom of the UI  80 . 
         [0023]    In effecting the above rules, the CE device processor  16  may communicate with the home processor  36  to command controllers in the various appliances to be controlled subject to the selected rules to deenergize or energize as appropriate. In some implementations as intimated above, the CE device  16  may communicate directly with appliance controllers in the residence  44  to effect the selected energy savings rules. 
         [0024]    Accordingly and now turning to  FIG. 4 , at block  82  the processor  16  monitors energy use in the residence  44  by monitoring the various sensors  40 , some of which, recall, may be implemented by power meters. The energy consumption rules are accessed at block  84  and household appliances controlled in accordance therewith at block  86 . 
         [0025]    If desired, in some implementations the logic may periodically flow to decision diamond  88  to determine whether any particular appliance  38  as indicated by an associated sensor  40  that is a power meter consumes more than a threshold amount of energy. Typically, the thresholds will vary from appliance to appliance since refrigerators, for example, inherently consume more power than digital clocks. If an appliance exceeds its energy threshold, the logic may flow to block  90  to present an advertisement on the display  20  extolling, a newer, more energy-efficient replacement appliance. To this end, the processor  16  may access a support server  28  to obtain one or more advertisements. The processor  16  may affirmatively “pull” ads from the server  28  responsive to a positive determination at decision diamond  88  or the server  28  may periodically push ads to the processor  16 , which stores them in the medium  18  until such time as a positive determination is made at decision diamond  88 , triggering the processor  16  to present the appropriate ad on the display  20 . 
         [0026]    It may now be appreciated that a user can see viewer-selected neighbor energy consumption on a UI such as that shown in  FIG. 2 . This can foster beneficial energy conservation competition and form the basis for the giving of neighborhood awards. Also, a UI such as that shown in  FIG. 2  may be provided for real time visualization of energy use, room by room if desired, and the various text messages  56  and indicators  54  may be sized and shaped according to the amount of energy use, e.g., high consumption indicators  54  may be filled in with red with larger accompanying text whereas low consumption indicators may be filled in with green with smaller accompanying text. The visualization may be distributed by room, appliance class, and even the person using it, and as shown in  FIG. 2  may illustrate peak vs. average consumption. Rules can be provided to determine whether an appliance should be occasionally (conditionally) energized or whether it may remain energized always as long as a person has initially turned it on. A drill down visualization hierarchy from house to room to appliance may be provided as described and the UIs described herein may provide a comparison of historical energy use with current (actual) usage. The visualization of  FIG. 2  moreover provides indication of energy grid load situation to highlight special need for conservation. The user may be accorded a pre-warning when a blackout is imminent, hours or days in advance as circumstances permit. 
         [0027]    The CE device  16  provides a service that monitors the house for certain things and make recommendation or automatic action depending on preset, e.g. turning off a TV when no person is detected in the room or turning off a pool pump or refrigerator if the TV is on and peak energy demand is approaching or any other of the rules described, above. As discussed, this may done based on detecting no motion or IR signature of a person and may also be done based on time of the day. The CE device  16  provides a learning system that predicts usage and takes appropriate action and if desired weather impact and energy grid load as received from the support server  28  may be taken into consideration. Automatic advertisements may be “pushed” or “pulled” from the device  16  for a low energy product to detecting an in-home appliance that uses more energy than average for that type of appliance. Discounts and/or energy rebates may be provided for newer energy efficiency products as incentives. 
         [0028]    While the particular CE DEVICE FOR HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.