EP2839565A2

EP2839565A2 - System for managing energy consumption and corresponding method

Info

Publication number: EP2839565A2
Application number: EP13715711.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Frédéric François VILLAIN; Valérie Christèle LEBON
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-04-17
Filing date: 2013-04-15
Publication date: 2015-02-25
Also published as: FR2989534A1; FR2989533A1; WO2013156447A2; WO2013156447A3; FR2989534B1

Abstract

The invention concerns a system for managing energy consumption. According to the invention, such a system comprises: - means (31 and 40) for broadcasting commands activating/deactivating loads; - a plurality of receiver units (42), each unit in said plurality of receiver units comprising means (422 and 4200) for connection to a load (48), and means (420) for receiving at least one command activating/deactivating said load; - at least one advanced receiver unit (43) comprising: - means (4300, 4301) for connection to a dedicated load, - means (4302) or receiving at least one activation/deactivation command, and - a data receiver / recorder (4310) for receiving and recording activation/deactivation commands received for a group of receiver units to which it belongs and comprising at least one receiver unit from said plurality of receiver units; said plurality of advanced receiver units comprising means (4312) for transmitting said recorded data.

Description

SYSTEM FOR MANAGING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CORRESPONDING METHOD.

1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of energy consumption management.

Management systems aimed at balancing energy supply and demand are used by various network users, whether individuals, professionals, businesses, communities, power utilities or energy producers.

The present invention relates more particularly to the management of the electrical energy consumption implementing a "diffuse erasure" solution.

2 PRIOR ART

2.1 The balance between supply and demand of energy

Energy and, in particular electricity, is not easily storable. In addition, the energy consumption of a home, a company or a production site is not constant.

Indeed, energy consumption varies daily depending on the activity of the site. For example, the consumption of a particular household is greater during the day than at night because of the activity of these occupants, and has a peak for a period of 16h to 20h.

In addition, the consumption evolves according to the climatic conditions and external factors like for example the cold (heating) or the heat wave (air conditioning).

Consequently, it is necessary to continuously adjust, especially on characteristic times of less than one minute, energy supply and demand. This constant adjustment exercise notably makes it possible to avoid a generalized blackout. However, this exercise is even more complex when a peak consumption occurs, for example a sudden increase of 50% in two hours, while the activation of a power generation unit (for example a nuclear power plant ) or the routing of this energy in a region far from the point of production requires several days.

Thus, when a peak in energy consumption breaks the balance between supply and energy demand, the operator of an energy network has two types of solution. The first type of solution consists, for example, in increasing the production of electrical energy by modifying the flow rate of a dam or by activating auxiliary production units whose maintenance and operation are expensive. However, because of its more or less high activation time, this solution does not make up for a strong and especially brutal increase in energy demand.

The second type of solution consists of regulating consumption by reducing the consumption of a multitude of "small" devices during a short time. The sum of these sporadic load shedding allows these devices to be temporarily "erased" from the energy consumers and thus to absorb the peak of consumption, so-called "diffuse" erasure.

This diffuse erasure thus makes it possible to erase from the power consumption a large quantity of appliances corresponding to "small" electrical consumers, and thereby to have a diffuse absorption of the peak of consumption while allowing the owner of the appliances as well as erased from achieving energy savings embodied in a financial economy.

The type of diffuse erasure solution therefore has several advantages and economic advantages in view of the first type of solution:

optimization of the consumer's electricity consumption;

- minimizing the costs of transport or distribution systems;

- minimizing the costs of energy production systems as it is no longer necessary to have an oversized generation capacity to handle peak consumption;

- reduction of greenhouse gases and pollutant effects related to the traditional adjustment device according to the first solution (thermal power plants for example).

2.2 Existing Diffuse Erasure Systems

Most existing diffuse erasure systems are based on two-way communication systems, where all actors in the energy chain (from production to consumption) are bi-directionally linked to each other through an "intelligent" energy network. illustrated in FIG. 1.

With reference to Figure 1, a bidirectional communication system establishes two-way communication channels (represented by direct double arrows) or indirectly between the control and control system comprising a transmission unit 10 and distribution 11 of the operator of the energy network 12 and the measurement and / or control units located in the premises of the end user 18 , in order to balance the demand of the user (home of an individual 180, commercial customer 181 or industrial customer 182) with the offer produced by different production and routing units (13 to 16).

The detail of this energy network at the residential level is also represented in FIG. 2. In a residence, the interaction with the energy network is for example carried out by means of bidirectional communication (not represented) between a point access 21 which communicates bidirectionally with the different appliances 200 of the home whose momentary attempt to reduce or cancel the consumption.

Typically, such an access point 21 corresponds, for example, to a box installed on a switchboard that distributes the energy conveyed in particular through a concentrator 22 corresponding to a local management server of a plurality of points. access 21.

This erasure approach can also use "smart" energy meters (24, 25) (or "smart meters" in English), for example for measuring electrical parameters 24 or else hydraulic or gaseous 25 by means of new energy technologies. information and communication (NICT, such as computer or telecommunication techniques (Bluetooth®, WiFi, ...)). The use of such counters aims in terms to create a future so-called "smart grid" (or "smart grid" in English) to locally represent each contributor to diffuse erasure.

More specifically, each meter measures in real time the electricity consumption of several sets of electrical equipment to be controlled, located on the premises of a consumer, then transmits it to a central server (not shown) by means of existing communication links 23 such as a wired connection (ADSL, etc.) or a wireless connection (GPRS / DECT / WiFi ...).

Bidirectionally, the server (local or remote) on receipt of this information communicates in a so-called downlink path of the regulation instructions to the access point which echoes the desired regulation and communicates back on a so-called rising channel the new measured parameters. Among these bidirectional power consumption management techniques, patent application US2006 / 0259199 describes a management of energy consumption such as electrical energy, gas, thermal energy and running water.

This document proposes in particular a bidirectional network in which the downlink communication channel connecting the operator of the electrical network and a user equipment whose consumption is to be reduced if necessary, is a radio link of a commercial broadcasting supplier. transmitting signals of the RDS / BRD type, or according to DAB technologies or Internet technologies.

On the other hand, the upstream channel of the system described in this application corresponds to the conventional link used for the automatic reading of electric meters, implementing an existing transmission protocol compatible with Internet technologies. 2.3 Disadvantages of existing systems

a- criteria for evaluating a system of energy consumption management

The main criteria for evaluating an energy consumption management system are its energy efficiency and the cost of installing and using it.

Indeed, it is, in the first place, particularly important for a diffuse erasure system to be energy efficient. This energy efficiency can be defined by the ratio between the power erased on the power consumed to implement this erasure. In the case of diffuse erasure, the greater the efficiency, the greater the range of target objects can be and hence the benefit for the important network manager. The current residential erasing systems have on average an erasure implementation power of the order of 12 Watt and a power consumed in standby mode (waiting for an erase order) of the order of 10 Watt .

Secondly, the quality of an energy consumption management system is evaluated relative to its cost of implementation. These costs are usually:

deployment and installation costs. For example, the need to install an additional box or a hub to have an access point at each consumer (smart meter, ADSL box for an IP-based system, etc.);

recurring subscription costs depending on the choice of technology deployed (ADSL or telephone subscription, for example); the cost of maintenance;

the extra cost of reaching the target device of the household;

the cost of using so-called smart meters based on the implementation of new information and communication technologies and requiring the establishment of security to prevent cyber attacks or computer failures.

Indeed, for the operator of the energy network, the implementation of an intelligent network, corresponding to a "system of systems", is sometimes very complex and makes the management system vulnerable to terrorist attacks or to computer failures due to the almost infinite number of entry points.

b- disadvantages of existing bidirectional systems

The major disadvantage of the aforementioned systems lies in the fact that the data traffic exchanged on both the up and down channels is consistent and continuous in order to react dynamically to peak consumption.

Therefore, such systems require the use of communication modems to manage this important traffic and the continuous operation of all the units constituting them, which requires a constant operating energy that is added to the consumption monitored energy (which one seeks on the contrary to decrease). The energy efficiency of such systems is therefore penalized because of their intrinsic operation. The cost of this traffic is also important because according to the protocol used by the uplink or downlink, it is necessary to subscribe to a sufficient capacity in terms of bit rate.

Moreover, such systems do not make it possible to precisely modulate the diffuse erasure because of the direct dependence between the regulation instructed by the control server according to the downlink and the value measured by each counter and transmitted according to the uplink channel. .

In addition, the use of new information and communication technologies in a two-way network raises many issues related to the protection of consumer privacy. Used inappropriately, the data generated by these devices and their accessibility are likely to violate the privacy of consumers, for example by allowing to determine the way of life of an individual, or to know the devices used on a daily basis and to deduce the how they are used. So much information that, once collected and analyzed, can be diverted for various purposes, making consumers vulnerable to various interests: commercial, criminal or even police ...

This aspect may in particular cause the consumer to refuse to set up such a system.

Thus, to date, the inventors have not detected any solution allowing the implementation of a diffuse erasure on a network having a fine mesh and dynamically reconfigurable without involving costs and structures that would thereby prevent any concrete realization.

Moreover, the inventors have also not identified an already existing simple solution allowing, in addition to the unloading, a monitoring and a signaling of the collapse of the voltage and the collapse of the frequency, phenomena which are however directly precursors large-scale incidents resulting in widespread blackouts.

3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention does not pose these disadvantages of the prior art. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for managing energy consumption. According to the invention, such a system comprises:

means for broadcasting commands for activating / deactivating feedstocks;

a plurality of receiver units (UR), each unit of said plurality of receiver units comprising means for connection to a dedicated supply load, and means for receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of said power supply, emitted by said broadcasting means;

at least one Advanced Receiving Unit (ARU), said Advanced Receiving Unit comprising:

means for connection to a dedicated feedstock,

means for receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of said feedstock, and a data receiver-recorder for receiving and recording commands for activation / deactivation of received feeds for a group of receiving units to which it belongs, said group further comprising at least one receiving unit of said plurality of receiving units;

said plurality of forward receiver units (URA) including means for transmitting said recorded data.

Advantage: The invention is therefore an improvement of the existing systems of diffuse erasure because it does not use bidirectional communication, and its cost is lower. Its high energy efficiency also makes it possible to control and manage a multitude of loads other than those traditionally controlled by existing erasing devices.

Indeed, we take advantage of the unidirectional link of a receiving unit, which eliminates the so-called rising channel between the receiving unit and the control unit sending the control commands. As a result, it is possible to reduce the traffic of data exchanged.

Due to the elimination of this transmission function from the receiving unit to the control unit, a compact receiver unit is obtained, which can be adapted to any type of load and thus makes it possible to refine the regulation of the energy network. . The control accuracy is therefore increased and the diff eralization completely optimized.

The URAs in turn make it possible to report any erasure operation on demand because it represents a group of receiving units comprising at least one URA and a unidirectional UOR. Thus, thanks to the notion of group and representation, the number of upstream channels is multiplied because a single URA retransmits it if necessary, that is to say only on demand and not continuously as performed according to the art. previous, the erasure / reactivation operations performed on all the feedstock of the group to which it belongs.

Thus, we obtain a decrease in installation infrastructure and cost for the consumer and the operator, and also a real energy efficiency because it is no longer necessary to have permanently the URs that use the two links, the statistical model Associate also makes it possible to mitigate the management problems by statistically optimizing the diffuse clearing commands. According to a particular embodiment, said power supply on / off control diffusion means transmit said commands in FM-RDS radio signals or television signals of the VHF / UHF bands at a predetermined frequency.

Thus, there is an inexpensive link, not requiring a paid subscription and to communicate easily and low cost with a UR avoiding a cyber-attack compared to IP-type links.

According to one particular characteristic, said broadcasting means comprise means for encrypting said commands for activating / deactivating feedstocks, and said forward receiving or accepting units comprise a plurality of feedstocks. hi ffr em e nt of the esco mm an d of the activation / deactivation of feedstocks.

Thus, the power consumption management system is secured by using, for example, the 128-bit AES algorithm.

According to a particular characteristic, said power supply activation / deactivation control diffusion means further comprise a module for statistical management of said power loads.

Thus, an optimization of the management of the diffuse erasure is carried out.

Indeed, the statistical management module can dynamically create any kind of group. Their elements can be created according to the choice and interest of the user according to various criteria. For example, a group A includes all the units of power> Y in a geographical location X. A group can also be constituted by the sum of two other distinct groups. For example, Group D includes Group A and Group C. Commands can also be addressed to one or more groups by an AND or logical OR. For example: Clear command to group A and group C or group D.

According to a particular feature, a receiving unit of said plurality of receiver units may be assigned to more than one group of receiver units.

Thus, flexibility of the network management is allowed which is seen as a set of logical groups of feeds. According to one particular characteristic, said advanced receiver units furthermore comprise means for controlling the stability of an energy network belonging to the group comprising:

a unit of measurement of the frequency of the electric current,

a unit of measurement of the amplitude of the electric voltage.

It is thus possible to follow the stability of the energy network at a lower cost. According to one particular characteristic, said advanced receiver units furthermore comprise a synchronization module comprising at least one of the means belonging to the group:

means for detecting a predetermined RDS frame of said FM signals

RDS at a predetermined frequency,

means of detecting an RDS driver,

means for decoding said RDS signal and means for detecting an interrupt indicator separating each decoded RDS block.

For example, a broadcast signal consisting of a particular RDS frame train may be used to provide the timing necessary for all the URAs. The RDS driver which is very stable can be extracted from the receiver side and used as a global time reference (FM transmitters use a base frequency called 19 kHz precise frequency pilot signal for the generation of an RDS signal). The RDS decoding process could also be used for synchronization: After decoding each RDS block, the device generates an interrupt signal to the embedded operating system (OS). The frequency of this interruption is also stable and can be used for synchronization of the receiving unit.

According to a particular characteristic, an advanced receiving unit comprises means for reissuing control of activation / deactivation of a supply load connected to a receiving unit of the group of receiving units to which it belongs, to said connected receiving unit. to said load.

Thus, it is possible to reproduce the erasure command if, for example, the receiving unit targeted by said command fails to receive said command, for example because of its location, for example a receiving unit dedicated to an apparatus located in a basement. having an RDS (or other weak) reception level. This re-transmission makes it possible to bring the transmitter closer to the order and thus to improve the reception of the latter. This is because of the proximity between the underground UR and the URA which is at a much shorter distance compared to the means of order distribution which can for example be remote when considering a national control center. .

According to a particular embodiment, said recorded data are transmitted by the advanced receiving unit on request of said command broadcasting means and use:

a rising path belonging to the group comprising:

a power line of the advanced receiver unit,

wireless communication,

- a rising channel based on a transmission gradually.

According to the invention, there are different alternative uplines of the URAs: power line using the power cable as a media, wireless communication (WIFI, Bluetooth, etc.).

In the case where there is no direct connection, it is also possible to extend the network, with a system based on the mesh network capacity in which the information is transported between the different receiving units. advanced by successive jumps based on short-distance wireless communications and conducted to the main collection point (access point connected to Ethernet, for example, ADSL boxes or the like).

The invention also relates to a method for managing energy consumption. According to the invention, such a method comprises:

at least one step of broadcasting power supply activation / deactivation commands by activation / deactivation command diffusion means;

a plurality of reception steps implemented by a plurality of receiving units (UR), each unit of said plurality of receiving units being connected to a dedicated supply load, and being able to receive at least one control activating / deactivating said feedstock;

at least one reception step implemented by at least one advanced receiving unit (ARU), said advanced receiving unit, implementing at least one step: receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of a feedstock, and

recording data from said at least one received power supply on / off control for a group of receiving units to which it belongs, said group further comprising at least one receiver unit of said plurality of receiver units ;

a plurality of power supply on / off steps implemented by a plurality of receiver units (UR) and a plurality of forward receiver units (URA);

a plurality of transmission steps, on request of said command broadcast means, of said recorded data, by said plurality of advanced receiving units (URA).

According to one particular characteristic, said power consumption management method further comprises a step of initializing said plurality of receiver units and said plurality of advanced receiver units implementing a unique identification of each unit by association with the characteristic of the dedicated load to which said unit is connected.

The invention also relates to a computer program. According to the invention it comprises program code instructions for the implementation of the energy consumption management method as described, when the program is executed by a processor.

4 LIST OF FIGURES

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment, given as a simple illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings, among which:

FIG. 1, already described in relation with the prior art, illustrates an "intelligent" energy network;

FIG. 2, already described in relation with the prior art, illustrates the detail of the residential level of the "intelligent" energy network represented by FIG. 1;

Figure 3 corresponds to a logical representation of a power management system of the invention; FIG. 4 illustrates more precisely the exchanges made between the control diffusion means and a group of receiver units;

Figure 5 illustrates the compact form of a receiver unit according to the invention; FIG. 6 illustrates the energy consumption management method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

5.1 General principle of the invention

The invention proposes to efficiently and simply implement an optimized diffuse erasure by using an energy consumption management system comprising a plurality of receiver units, each connected to a de-energized feedstock, and adapted to to receive at least a command for activating / deactivating this charge transmitted by broadcasting means.

Since each receiving unit (UR) is unidirectionally connected to the command diffusion means, the invention makes it possible to dispense with the (re) rising channels of the prior art receiver units which reassembled the control tasks performed. .

Specifically, when a peak of consumption is detected (or is about to occur), the command broadcast means emit charge on / off commands on the downlink paths established with the receiving units. connected to a charge that we want to "erase", that is to say, we want to temporarily suspend energy consumption.

It is therefore no longer necessary to establish a bidirectional continuous communication between the load to be erased and the control diffusion means, controlling the diffuse erasure.

The removal of the uplinks therefore makes it possible to "lighten up" strongly the traffic of information exchanged between the command broadcasting means and the charges to be erased. Indeed, when a charge is to be cleared a single charge deactivation command is directly broadcast to the receiver unit to which the charge is connected.

Reactivation of the "erased" load is then effected by transmitting to the receiving unit to which it is connected a simple activation command of this load. Thus, the invention minimizes the operating energy of each receiving unit because it receives only and punctually the orders of the control broadcast means.

Furthermore, in order to control and have a "trace" of any "erasure", the system according to the invention further comprises a plurality of advanced receiving units. Unlike a receiving unit, an advanced receiving unit (URA), besides being able to receive the activation and deactivation commands of the load to which it is connected, is also able to record commands. activation / deactivation of feeds received by a group of receiving units comprising at least one receiving unit ("unidirectional") and an advanced receiving unit.

Indeed, an advanced receiving unit is able to record the activation / deactivation commands of the load to which it is directly connected but also to record the activation / deactivation commands of the group of receiving units to which it belongs. This advanced receiving unit thus serves as a "deletion" log of the group of receiving units to which it belongs, and can, upon request from the command broadcasting means, transmit the data it has in memory (logs or traces for example).

A system comprising receiving units and advanced receiving units therefore makes it possible to multiply the charges to be erased because a receiving unit ("basic") is inexpensive to implement by its unidirectional character while controlling the entire erasure diffuse because the advanced receiving unit is able to account for the erase / activate operations of the group of receiving units to which it belongs.

It is therefore possible to refine as much as desired and at lower cost the diffuse deletion of an energy network.

Next, an embodiment of a system for managing the energy consumption according to the invention is presented, and more particularly for the management of electrical energy. It is clear, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular application, but can also be implemented in many other energy contexts and more generally in all cases requiring the management of the balance supply / demand to overcome a peak of consumption. 5.2 Description of an embodiment of a power consumption management system according to the invention

System structure

In connection with FIG. 3, a logical representation of the energy consumption management system according to one embodiment of the invention is presented. In this embodiment, the energy consumption management system comprises activation / deactivation control diffusion means 31 for controlling the diffuse deletion of an organized energy network in the form of logical groups 32, 33, 34. each corresponding to a logical set of charges to be erased.

More precisely, each logical group comprises a set of receiver units, for example UR1, UR2 for a first logical group 32, UR3, UR4 and UR5 for a second logical group 33, and UR6, UR7 and UR8 for a third logical group. Each of these receiving units are said to be "basic" because they are simply each connected to a dedicated power supply, for example UR1 is connected to C1, and able to receive at least one activation / deactivation command from the power supply. power supply, emitted by the broadcasting means 31.

In addition, each logical group comprises at least one advanced reception unit URA1, URA2, URA3 whose role, in addition to that of a "basic" receiver unit such as that of the reception units UR described above, is to list and, if necessary, to transmit a report of the activation / deactivation operations, in other words of the erasure performed within the group in question. A group can be formed for a given residence or dwelling, for a neighborhood, a city, a department, a region, etc. The group structure is determined according to the needs of the energy operator and according to circumstances. Indeed, as described below, the group structure is polymorphous and scalable.

For example, within an individual's home, each logical group can be a room. Thus, the first group 32 corresponds, for example, to all the receiver units connected to the feedstocks of a water room (for example a towel heater Cl and a separate electric radiator C2), the second group 33 corresponds to appliances in a utility room or utility room such as a C3 family refrigerator-freezer, a C4 electric heater and a washing machine C5, finally the third group 34 comprises for example an electric hob, a Cl oven, and a C8 dishwasher.

Advantageously, a receiving unit can belong to several logical groups. Thus, with regard to FIG. 3, the receiving unit UR5 connected to the load C5 belongs to both the second logical group 33 and the third logical group 34. The advantage of this type of distribution makes it possible, for example, to mix a group logic establishes according to the room where the electrical appliance is located and a logical group including inactive appliances outside certain time slots, for example the hours of presence of the occupants of a residence.

The segmentation of an electrical installation of an energy consuming site, according to the logical structure of FIG. 3, can also be applied to different sectors of a company's activities by differentiating, for example, a "branch" production, which assumes a constant electrical need if the company operates for example continuously according to the "three-eight", and a "branch" tertiary whose night activity is less in terms of daytime activity.

Thus, the present invention offers multiple possibilities for adapting the mesh of the energy network considered. Indeed, as just mentioned, it is both possible to implement as many "basic" receiver units as there are consumers of the energy considered, such as electricity in this example, and on the contrary it is possible to erase a so-called "global" load corresponding to the concatenation of a set of charges of lower values. For example, on a production site, it may be desirable to proceed with the diffuse erasure of a set of machines when their operators are for example at the same time on a lunch break and as a result they are not used for a certain period of time. time.

The invention thus allows an "intelligent" and optimized use of the notion of logical group. Indeed, the logical structure of the elements of the energy consumption management system according to the invention allows a dynamic reconfiguration of the energy network according to the needs and priorities of the energy operator, especially in case of emergency, or to the opposite of the consumer when it also seeks to reduce its own energy consumption in a diffuse manner. In order to control, modulate and control the diffuse erasure, the power supply activation / deactivation control diffusion means comprise a statistical management module 310 of the feedstocks.

Such a module implements a statistical modeling of the erasure performed. In fact, because of the large number of receiver units making it possible to optimize and considerably reduce the current demand peaks on the network, and the uncertainty of their access condition, it would be very expensive to build a network. allowing the direct connection of each receiving unit as previously mentioned with regard to the prior art. Thus, the impact of energy demand and the subsequent regulation are calculated on the basis of a statistical mathematical model.

From the predictive variables (such as the guarantee of reception, the certainty of taking into account the order, etc.), only a complex deterministic law can be obtained. The complexity of such a deterministic law requires significant calculations and consequently a decision time that is incompatible with the reactivity sought by the invention to optimally absorb a peak energy consumption.

Therefore, the inventors have determined that a statistical model makes it possible to ensure the control of diffuse erasure by guaranteeing responsiveness and a moderate implementation cost.

The statistical model implemented by the statistical management module of the invention is based on predictive functions constructed from historical data and a learning process. During this learning process, quantitative relationships between the target variables (variables that must be predicted, for example, the number of successful deletions) and the predictor variables are determined from the historical data collected.

The precision and fineness of the statistical model are refined by the amount of learning data provided. To build this historical database and create a predictive model, but also to justify the effects of diffuse erasure, in other words to have proof of the diffuse erasure operations performed, the system according to the invention comprises the units advanced receivers (URA1, URA2, URA3) implementing additional functionalities with regard to so-called basic receiver units (UR1 to UR8). More precisely, the statistical model implemented according to the invention makes it possible to ensure two distinct functions within the system, namely:

the modeling of the energy network,

the evaluation of the power erased within the network.

With regard to the modeling function, the statistical model according to the invention makes it possible to optimize the topology and the mode of transmission in order to ensure the good reception of the messages in the absence of uplink for each receiving unit " basic "confirming the execution of the order.

To do this, a probabilistic approach is implemented, allowing for example to determine the number of necessary repetitions of an RDS frame, containing the commands for activation / deactivation of feedstocks emitted by the broadcasting means or containing the recorded data transmitted by the advanced receiving units, to ensure reception to a receiver or receivers (command broadcast means, "basic" receiver units, advanced receiver unit) located in a given geographical location.

More specifically, a network model is used where each receiver (command broadcast means, "basic" receiver units, advanced receiver unit) is modeled by a reception probability taking into account various parameters.

For example, the initialization of the statistical model corresponds to a previously known statistical model, used for the modeling of the radio waves, and more particularly adapted for the FM band.

It should be noted that such modelizations are for example selected according to parameters predetermined by the energy operator such as the coverage distance of the radio signal and the uniformity of the environment in which this wave propagates. Some models are indeed more suitable for large cells and others for smaller cells.

By way of example of statistical models, mention may be made of:

the model of propagation in free space (in English "Free space model");

the model of propagation using two rays (in English "Two Ray ground reflection model"). These two models calculate the average power received at a distance d by an emitter whose emitted power and location are known.

In comparison with the two previous models, another example of a statistical model, the "Shadowing" model, used in a preferential way, takes into account the random variation of the power as a function of the distance, because of the effects of propagation by multiple paths.

According to this model, two parameters are taken into account:

β, the attenuation exponent as a function of distance, which is generally empirically determined by measurements in a real environment, and - odB, called in English "shadowing deviation", which is also obtained by measurements in real environment .

According to one of the three statistical initialization models presented above, the receiver elements of the system (command broadcast means, "basic" receiver units, advanced receiver unit) are placed at locations previously determined by a first modeling.

After this initialization, the advanced receiving units return the recorded data of the group to which they belong on request (and / or according to a predetermined period).

These recorded data, in addition to being the proof of the diffuse erasure achieved, also make it possible to collect information to empirically determine the two parameters of the Shadowing model and to constantly improve the statistical modeling of the model. invention which can for example depend on factors such as: the time of emission, the adjacent channels of transmissions, the climatic conditions etc ...

As a result, the location, in other words the modeling of the energy network, takes into account the data thus collected in an empirical way and will evolve dynamically according to these.

In addition, such statistical modeling allows a refinement of the model according to the accuracy of the representation of the energy network that the energy operator wants to implement.

It is therefore possible according to the wishes of the energy operator to vary the number of receiving units to be taken into account, as well as their location as a function of different parameters such as accessibility, the environment, the function of the group represented (residential, industrial), but also the power of erasure.

Thus, among the recorded data returned by the advanced receiving units, the collected information used for the calibration phase of the propagation model are for example:

the power of the signal received by the radio (in English "RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator");

the number of errors (Bit error rate) in each RDS group received after decoding;

- the time at which these data are received (a time base and a

'marking' may be provided by the advanced receiving unit by sending an RDS frame or by an on-board clock);

the decoding and storage of a so-called pilot calibration frame.

With regard to the function of evaluation of the erased power, at the initialization of the statistical model, the "first" statistical data for estimating the diffuse erasing power are derived from the consumption information of the site.

In addition, each receiving unit is connected to a load whose electrical characteristics are known and stored in a database. It should be noted that the modeling of the energy network can take into account different "hierarchies" of modeling. Preferably, a command distribution hierarchy is used, for example based on the existing broadcasting system, which can be of two types:

first means of broadcasting national unique and national activation / deactivation commands broadcast nationally and relayed by a plurality of regional activation / deactivation control broadcast means, in other words a pyramidal control hierarchy. By way of example, mention may be made of the RDS messages of the Radio France group, generated at a single point but transported regionally and transmitted by regional broadcasting means, a mesh of independent activation / deactivation command broadcasting means. relying on a multitude of means of diffusion of small scopes.

For example, the case of a broadcasting system with their own means of broadcasting RDS, local (cities), or sometimes at the level of a country (case of India).

To better understand the distinction between the functionalities implemented by an advanced receiving unit and a receiving unit, referred to as "basic", reference is now made to FIG. 4, which illustrates more precisely the exchanges made between the activation control broadcast means. / deactivation and a group of receiving units.

The advanced receiving unit 43, designed from the so-called "basic" receiver unit 42, furthermore has a data logger 4311 equipped with a real-time clock in order to precisely date and inform the erasing operations. diffuse implemented within the logical group of receiving units to which it belongs. The advanced receiving unit 43 thus records the information received and the command applied to the loads connected to each receiving unit composing the logical group in question.

To better understand the operation of the system each type of entity of the system is subsequently specified according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Means for broadcasting power supply activation / deactivation commands

As previously described, the activation / deactivation command diffusion means comprise a statistical management module 401 of said feedstocks.

According to this preferred embodiment, the power supply on / off control broadcast means transmit commands in FM-RDS signals 41 at a predetermined frequency used for radio applications or in VHF band signals. / UHF used for television applications.

The advantage is that the message thus broadcast is transmitted in a geographical location generally delimited by the power of the transmitter. Indeed, broadcast messages can be potentially intercepted only locally, that is to say within a geographical coverage of an FM transmitter, for example. In addition, this mode of FM broadcast is separated from the IP world, thus limiting the risk of a cyber-attack to steal personal information of the consumer.

In addition, preferably the activation / deactivation command broadcast means also comprise means 402 for enabling / disabling power supply commands. So, unlike the prior art implementing bidirectional communications with each receiver unit connected to a feedstock, the invention aims to avoid revealing the habits of a user but also to avoid allowing an unwanted exploitation of the information collected .

Indeed, in the invention, the "one-way" communication 44 sent to the receiving units (whether "basic" or advanced) is secured by encryption which drastically limits the possibilities of subtilization of personal information of the consumer.

In addition, the FM (or even UHF / VHF) signal thus broadcast according to the preferred embodiment of the invention is a secure stream enabling the use of existing RDS / DAB frames, in particular Open Data Applications (ODA) frames. , secured by an encryption algorithm, for example the AES 128-bit algorithm, to prevent the malicious control of a receiving unit by malicious use of a message previously intercepted, recorded and rebroadcast.

Receptor type "basic"

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 are described the different characteristics of an UR 42 receiver unit of basic type. More specifically, according to a preferred embodiment, the main constituent elements of a receiving unit (UR) are the following: a receiver 420, for receiving the activation / deactivation commands transmitted by the control diffusing means 40, preferably it is a radio receiver (50), for example of the RDS type 76-

108 MHz capable of receiving FM-RDS signals at a previously chosen frequency, such a receiver notably comprises an integrated FM antenna for a high sensitivity;

a unit 421 comprising a secure microcontroller with embedded software able to implement an algorithm for decrypting the received encrypted commands, for example a 128-bit AES type algorithm;

an integrated relay unit 422, for example 10 A, for example applying an ON / OFF command by means of a switch 4200 in order to enable or disable the feedstock 48 to which the receiver unit 42 is connected.

In addition, Figure 5 illustrates the advantageously compact form of this receiving unit whose length and width are respectively of the order of 67 and 55 mm. In Indeed, thanks to the system of the invention, it is possible to minimize the maximum number of functions performed by the basic receiving unit which allows to reduce the size and consequently the cost of production.

Such compactness allows a direct integration of the receiving unit in large appliances to "erase" (air conditioning system, heating system, etc.), but also in light household appliances (chargers, docking stations for nomadic devices) or in a power outlet. Thus, it is possible to refine as much as desired the mesh of the energy network on which it is desired to apply the diffuse erasure.

Advanced receiving unit

a- structure

As already mentioned before, an advanced receiving unit is an advanced basic receiver unit because it implements additional features. Thus, FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a first portion 430 of the advanced receiving unit 43 comprising the same constituent elements as the receiving unit (UR) 42 previously described, namely:

a receiver 4302, for receiving the activation / deactivation commands transmitted by the control diffusing means 40, preferably it is a radio receiver for example of the type RDS 76-108 MHz capable of receiving FM signals; RDS at a previously chosen frequency, such a receiver notably comprises an integrated FM antenna for a high sensitivity,

a unit 4303 comprising a secure microcontroller with embedded software capable of implementing an algorithm for decrypting the received encrypted commands, for example a 128 bit AES type algorithm,

an integrated relay unit 4301, for example 10 A, for example applying an ON / OFF command by means of a switch 4300 in order to enable or disable the feedstock 47 to which the forward receiving unit 43 is connected. The elements of the Advanced Receiving Unit 43 (URA) for implementing additional functionalities are schematically represented in a second part 431 and are as follows: a receiver-data recorder 4310 for receiving and recording received power supply on / off commands for a group of receiver units to which it belongs and the basic receiver unit described above, the receiver-receiver the recorder further comprises a real-time clock synchronized by the FM-RDS broadcast signal 41 transmitted by the control diffusion means 40,

transmission means 4312 able to transmit on request the recorded data, these means may for example correspond to a wireless Ethernet connection (WIFI, Bluetooth, Zigbee) or wired (for example by power lines),

a unit of measurement of the frequency of the electric current 4311,

a unit of measurement of the amplitude of the voltage of the electric current 4313.

According to one variant, it is possible for the transmission means 4312 to also periodically transmit the recorded data, without request from the command broadcasting means, according to a period predetermined by the energy operator or another organization. According to another variant, it is also possible for the command broadcasting means periodically to issue a request for the return of the recorded data, according to a period predetermined by the energy operator.

b- an additional function of data recording

According to an alternative embodiment, the advanced receiving unit could also measure and record the amount of electric charge on which the action (ON, OFF, etc.) is applied.

The information recorded by the advanced receiving unit can be downloaded on demand and deferred to the control dispatching means for statistical processing by the statistical management module.

Different types of uplink implemented by the transmission means 412 can be used to transmit this information in order to create the historical data necessary for the statistical model such as a direct type uplink belonging to the group:

- power line of the advanced receiving unit,

wireless communication,

or an indirect-type uplink based on a close transmission in near one receiving unit advanced to another towards said control broadcast means.

Indeed, it is also possible to extend the network, with a system based on mesh network capacity in which the information is transported between the different advanced receiver units by successive jumps based on wireless communications. short distance and conducted to the main collection point (access point connected to Ethernet, for example, ADSL boxes or similar).

In a simplified manner, FIG. 4 represents a basic type receiving unit and an advanced receiving unit. However, it is necessary to understand that one of the advantages of the invention lies in the fact that the number of advanced receiving units is much smaller than that of the basic type receiving units, in order to limit the cost of the installation. and maintenance of the complete system. Thus, for a group of ten receiver units, nine basic and one advanced, only one uplink is implemented by the forward receiver unit representative of the logical group, whereas ten uplinks would have been necessary according to the prior art.

These lower costs are also obtained through the use of the statistical model. Because the statistical model is periodically or continuously updated with the data recorded by the advanced receiving units, each forward receiving unit must be judiciously placed to collect information representative of a logical group defined according to a predetermined criterion.

Indeed, an "intelligent" use of the notion of logical group confers flexibility and allows a dynamic reconfiguration of the energy network.

The advanced receiving unit is therefore the receiving unit representing a logical group and records all the operations performed following commands received from the command broadcast means. Thus, when a first command 44 is sent to a basic receiving unit and a second command 45 to an advanced receiving unit, these two commands are, according to a first embodiment, recorded by the receiving unit. advanced. Of course, the issuing of two commands is only an option: a single command can quite well serve to activate / deactivate together a plurality of receiver units and an advanced receiver unit. A single command can also be used to jointly enable / disable a plurality of groups of receiving units (each group comprising a plurality of receiving units and at least one advanced receiving unit).

c- an additional function of command relays

According to a variant of this first embodiment (not shown), the advanced receiving unit may also comprise command broadcasting means, so as to be able to reissue an activation / deactivation command of a feedstock. connected to a receiving unit of the group of receiving units to which it belongs, and to this receiving unit connected to said load. Indeed, depending on the position of the receiver unit potentially targeted by the activation / deactivation command issued by the command broadcast means, it is possible that the radio reception level is low. This is for example the case if the load potentially targeted is isolated for example in a basement. This variant therefore allows an advanced receiving unit to reissue the command to the isolated receiving unit to increase the transmission level and ensure good reception of this command by the receiving unit potentially targeted.

Thus, according to this first embodiment, each receiving unit of "basic" type can at any time be addressed by its individual identification despite belonging to a group. It can also be removed from a group to which it has been previously assigned.

The ability to individually address a receiving unit can enable the creation of home automation service targeting a particular consumer in addition to demand management. For example, one can imagine an individual request to control the remote start of the heating of a specific house. According to this first embodiment, the advanced receiving unit therefore makes it possible to "trace" and prove the erasure operations that have been performed within a group. This application is for example of interest to an individual who wishes to keep a precise and detailed trace of the diffuse erasure realized within his residence in case of a possible dispute specific to his energy bill.

d- an additional function of entry point of the commands of the group that it represents

According to a second embodiment, one can instead seek to minimize the flow of data and therefore the rate required to broadcast orders. Indeed, Broadcast signals generally have limited bandwidth and capacity, particularly for FM-RDS type signals. And if one targets a reactive fast response of the receiving units of a logical group to a command, the number of messages transmitted must be limited. The concept of group is, according to this second embodiment used, for this purpose.

Indeed, the implementation of a logical group according to the invention allows to share certain characteristics of the receiving units that compose it. Such a pooling being for example created at the request of the energy operator wishing to acquire and implement the system according to the invention.

In addition, as already mentioned in connection with FIG. 3, a given receiving unit can be assigned to one or more groups, depending on the needs of the operator of the energy network. According to this second embodiment, a message sent to a group will affect all of its members. The number of RDS messages contained in the FM-RDS signals is therefore reduced and several receiver units having the group logical link (s) can be controlled with a single message.

Incidentally, it is understood from the preceding explanation that one of the advantages of the invention lies in the ability to efficiently and continuously configure the groups that make up the system: according to the needs, a given UR can belong to a first group at a given moment and another group the next moment.

e- an additional function of monitoring the stability of the energy network

Indeed, the frequency stability of energy networks is essential to maintaining the quality and security of the balance between supply and demand. One solution to avoid any problem related to this break of equilibrium is to anticipate a possible failure by monitoring the instability of the frequency and by integrating a preventive dynamic control in some of the consumer devices.

Advantageously, the solution proposed according to the invention implements monitoring of the frequency of the energy network and allows, depending on the result of this monitoring, to put a device, connected to a receiving unit, on or off, in order to preserve the integrity of the energy network (and that of the device itself at the same time). To allow accurate measurement of this frequency drift at the scale of a network for example electrical, it is necessary that the measurement is made perfectly synchronized. This requires that all advanced receiver units have a synchronization tool that allows them to:

- accurately measure frequency deviations;

measure the variation in the voltage amplitude;

- measure transient currents and voltages;

- measure the harmonic content in the waveforms of the electric current.

Thus, FIG. 4 illustrates for example that the advanced receiving unit comprises a unit for measuring the frequency of the electric current 431 1, and a unit for measuring the amplitude of the voltage of the electric current 4313, able respectively to the precise measurements of frequency deviations and harmonic content of the waveforms of the electric current on the one hand, and measurements of variation of the voltage amplitude as well as transient currents and voltages on the other hand.

Different methods can be used to obtain synchronization of the advanced receiver units. In particular, for the diffusion of the commands by signal FM-RDS one uses for example:

a broadcast signal comprising a particular RDS frame train, the RDS driver which is very stable and which can be retrieved from the receiver side for use as a global time reference (FM transmitters for example use a frequency of base called the 19 kHz precise frequency pilot signal for the generation of an RDS signal), the RDS decoding process based on the fact that after the decoding of each RDS block, an interrupt signal is generated to the system operating system (OS) of the advanced receiving unit at a stable frequency.

The choice of the synchronization method depends on the necessary precision and is determined by a compromise of parameters such as: overall cost, required accuracy, synchronization time, coverage, etc. These data are recorded by the URA in order to be transmitted, on request or not, to the control broadcast and / or network management means. In this embodiment, the synchronization of the different reception units with each other is based on the intrinsic characteristics of the RDS signal:

a fixed and constant data rate of 1187.5 bps modulated by a fixed tone at 3 x 19 KHz of the FM carrier

an RDS frame consisting of 124 bits can be considered as a time base of 21.894 us.

Whenever an RDS frame is received, an interrupt is generated constituting a base clock 21.894 us. It is possible to create at the software level another time base on the basis of a message consisting of a defined RDS frame number constituting a base clock of N x 21, 894 us.

Each receiving unit also has a reference clock for the embedded processor (now 6 MHz Clockpro).

The principle is to constitute a 'virtual' clock and therefore a time base common to all receivers dependent on the same RDS transmitter or arranged in a predetermined geographical radius.

To constitute a clock common to all the receiving units, an initialization frame is transmitted and a time base of a virtual clock is created according to the granularity of the frequency of the onboard processor.

5.3 Description of an embodiment of the energy consumption management method

In relation with FIG. 6, the method of managing the energy consumption 60 according to the invention is presented.

Such a method comprises:

At least one step of distributing commands 61 for activating / deactivating feedstocks by means of broadcasting activation / deactivation commands;

a plurality of reception stages 621 implemented by a plurality of receiver units (UR), each unit 620 of the plurality of receiver units being connected to a dedicated supply load, and able to receive at least one control activating / deactivating said feedstock; at least one receiving step 631 implemented by at least one advanced receiving unit (ARA), said forward receiving unit 630, implementing at least one step:

receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of a feedstock, and

a plurality of power supply activation / deactivation steps implemented by a plurality of receiver units (UR) and a plurality of forward receiver units (URA);

a plurality 633 of transmission steps, on request of said command broadcast means, of said recorded data, by said plurality of advanced receiving units (URA).

Furthermore, the method further comprises a step of initializing the plurality of receiving units and said plurality of forward receiving units implementing a unique identification of each unit by association with the characteristic of the dedicated load to which said unit is connected.

During the initialization phase of the URs and URAs in the managed network, the unique identification of each unit is associated with the description of the targeted load of its characteristics (power, etc.). These elements are stored in a database that is part of the device management system software. For example, the following settings can be saved: location, target load (device type, for example), estimated capacity for erasable power, when the load can be slowed down or turned off, and so on.

Claims

System for managing energy consumption, characterized in that it comprises:

broadcast means (31, 40) for activating / deactivating feedstocks;

a plurality of receiver units (42) (UR), each of said plurality of receiver units comprising connection means (422, 4200) to a dedicated supply load (48), and reception means (420); ) at least one activation / deactivation command of said feedstock, emitted by said diffusion means (31, 40);

at least one Advanced Receiving Unit (43) (URA), said Advanced Receiving Unit (43) comprising:

connection means (4300, 4301) to a dedicated power supply,

means (4302) for receiving at least one activation / deactivation command for said feedstock, and a data receiver-recorder (4310) for receiving and registering enable / disable commands for received feeds for a group of receiving units to which it belongs, said group further comprising at least one receiving unit of said plurality of receiving units;

said plurality of forward receiving units (URA) including means for transmitting (4312) said recorded data.

An electrical power management system according to claim 1, characterized in that said power supply on / off control broadcast means for transmitting said commands in FM-RDS radio signals (41) or television signals of VHF / UHF bands at a predetermined frequency.

An energy consumption management system according to claim 1, characterized in that said broadcasting means comprises means (402) for encrypting said charge activation / deactivation commands and in that said forward receiving or receiving unit reciprocally comprises means for decrypting (421, 4303) said power supply on / off commands.

The energy consumption management system of claim 1, said power supply activation / deactivation control diffusion means further comprises a statistical management module (310) of said power loads.

An energy consumption management system according to claim 1, characterized in that a receiving unit of said plurality of receiver units can be assigned to a plurality of groups of receiver units.

The power consumption management system according to claim 1, characterized in that said forward receiving units further comprise means for controlling the stability of an energy network belonging to the group comprising:

a frequency measuring unit (4311) of the electric current,

a unit of measurement of the amplitude (4313) of the electric voltage.

7. Energy consumption management system according to claim 2, characterized in that said advanced receiving units further comprise a synchronization module comprising at least one of the means belonging to the group:

means for detecting a predetermined RDS frame of said FM-RDS signals at a predetermined frequency,

means of detecting an RDS driver,

8. Energy consumption management system according to claim 1, characterized in that an advanced receiving unit comprises means for reissue control of activation / deactivation of a feedstock connected to a receiving unit of the group of receiver units to which it belongs, to said receiver unit connected to said load.

9. Power consumption management system according to claim 1, characterized in that said recorded data are transmitted by the unit. receiver on request of said command broadcasting means and use:

a rising path belonging to the group comprising:

a power line of the advanced receiver unit,

wireless communication,

a rising path based on a transmission gradually.

10. A method of managing the energy consumption (60), characterized in that it comprises:

at least one step of broadcasting (61) power supply activation / deactivation commands by activation / deactivation command broadcast means;

a plurality (621) of receiving steps implemented by a plurality of receiving units (UR), each unit (620) of said plurality of receiving units being connected to a dedicated power supply, and being adapted to receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of said feedstock;

at least one receiving step (631) implemented by at least one advanced receiving unit (ARA), said forward receiving unit (630), implementing at least one step:

receiving at least one activation / deactivation command of a feedstock, and

a plurality (632) of power supply on / off steps implemented by a plurality of receiver units (UR) and a plurality of forward receiver units (URA);

a plurality of transmission steps (633), upon request from said command broadcast means, said recorded data, by said plurality of forward receiving units (URA).

11. Energy consumption management method according to claim 10, characterized in that it further comprises a step of initializing said plurality of receiving units and said plurality of advanced receiving units implementing a unique identification. of each unit by association with the characteristic of the dedicated load to which said unit is connected.

12. Computer program characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for implementing the method of managing energy consumption according to claim 10, when the program is executed by a processor.