JP2013505466A - System and method for measuring power consumption of a residential or commercial building through a wall socket - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for measuring power usage in a residence having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an overcurrent protection device is electrically connected to one of the electrical circuits from which a power load draws power. Measuring the electrical parameters of the electrical circuit with the power measuring device being operated. The electrical parameter is modeled as a lumped complex impedance. Alternatively, the electrical parameter is the complex impedance of the individual appliance. The measurement is a measurement of the alternating voltage used to calculate the complex impedance. Alternatively, the measurement is performed using a reflectance measurement technique for calculating the complex impedance. A data value is calculated that indicates the power drawn by the power load connected to the electrical circuit using the measured electrical parameter. An indicator is displayed indicating a calculated data value indicating the power being drawn on the electrical circuit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and method for measuring the power consumption of a residential or commercial building through a wall socket.

  The present application is filed with US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 244,114 filed on September 21, 2009, and US Provisional Patent Application Number 61 / 264,162 filed on November 24, 2009. No. and US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 357,412 filed June 22, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.

  In homes, offices, and other buildings (residences), electricity is used throughout the billing cycle and how much consumers, or customers, will be charged for using electricity until they receive a bill from the utility company It is normal not to know. Since the amount of power used, ie, the amount of electricity used, was higher than expected, the consumer is often given a “stickers shock”. Recently, as consumers and businesses have more electronic equipment (eg, large televisions, computers, etc.), the billing for power usage has generally increased year by year and has become difficult to predict.

  By providing consumers with real-time or up-to-date (e.g., daily) power usage and / or information on power usage bills, consumer power bills are ultimately 10% -20% monthly. It is said to decline. Recent attempts to provide such information include using smart meters, power sensors, power meters, and appliance / plug sensors to collect power usage data and provide consumers with real-time or up-to-date Providing power usage information.

  A smart meter is a wattmeter having “intelligence” (ie, a processing system) that can collect and communicate power usage data for power used in a home. Smart meters are replacing traditional “non-intelligent” power meters that have an electromechanical dial that includes a large disk that rotates when power is being consumed. Smart meters allow power companies to read power usage remotely and are also used to provide consumers with real-time or up-to-date power usage information. Smart meters are expensive and more expensive because they need to be installed by an electrician.

  The power sensor is an electronic device usually installed in an existing conventional wattmeter, circuit breaker, or fuse box. The power sensor is usually installed directly on a high voltage line entering or exiting a wattmeter, circuit breaker or fuse box. Some power sensors use electromagnetic sensors that sense the electromagnetic field generated by the power line. The power sensor can be expensive due to the electrical components used to manufacture the power sensor, but it is also necessary for the electrician to install on the high voltage line or in the glass cover of the wattmeter. Costs also increase.

  Meter readers typically use an optical reader that can sense strips on a rotating wattmeter disk when the wattmeter senses power usage. The meter reader counts the rotation of the strip and uses that rotation to calculate the amount of power used by the consumer. The meter reader is wrapped around the wattmeter glass and fixed by the consumer. Meter readers cost over $ 100 and typically require a basic level of mechanical skills to be installed by consumers.

  An appliance / plug sensor is a device that is configured to be plugged into a wall socket and has an appliance that is plugged into the appliance / plug sensor. The appliance / plug sensor measures the power consumed by the appliance connected to it and sends the measured power value to a central location that is usually local to the appliance / plug sensor (ie, a home). Can communicate. Appliance / plug sensors are typically about $ 100 USD. Installation of appliances / plug sensors requires virtually no skill, but to measure the total power consumed in a home, you need to purchase thousands of dollars of appliances / plug sensors There is. This is because it is necessary to measure each appliance individually.

  The above-described techniques for measuring power in residences can be used and beneficial to enable consumers to monitor power usage, but each has its own costs, needs for installation by consumers, etc. Has drawbacks.

  To overcome the shortcomings of existing power sensing systems and devices, the present invention is a socket meter that can measure the resistance and / or complex impedance of a device through a residential network or another network to determine the total power used. I will provide a. Residential power lines are typically configured to include two circuits or phases that are branched by capacitance in a fuse box or circuit breaker. The socket meter generates a high frequency (HF) signal that is communicated to the power line connected to the wall socket, which results in the HF signal being sufficiently high enough to measure the impedance of the appliance on both power circuits. The capacitance in the fuse box or circuit breaker can be exceeded. Socket meters use coherent or non-coherent measurement techniques. Alternatively, the socket meter can be configured using reflectometer technology to measure the complex impedance of the appliance on the circuit using coherent or non-coherent technology. In one embodiment, time domain power usage measurements are made, and these measurements are used to determine the appliance type, make, and possibly model of the various appliances. Contrast with “signature”.

  In addition to allowing users to easily measure power usage, the present invention provides service providers with the ability to monitor various parameters of appliances used by consumers, Provides information tailored for the consumer's home. As described above, complex impedance measurements are performed using reflectometer technology on appliances connected to an electrical outlet in the consumer's residence. The real part (resistance) of the complex impedance of the appliance is monitored over time, allowing the service provider to track the appliance over time as the efficiency drops. Similar to the time domain usage power measurement, the service provider can determine the type of appliance being measured, and possibly the manufacturer and model, based on the complex impedance characteristics of the appliance. Furthermore, the efficiency of the appliance deteriorates as shown by the increase in resistance (the real part of the complex impedance), so that the service provider can replace the appliance with one or more merchants for the consumer. Can be created, so that consumers' purchasing needs can be predicted. In one embodiment, the merchant of the replaceable appliance is geographically local to the consumer. In addition, the service provider can track the rate of increase in resistance as power is applied to the appliance, and if the rate of resistance increases too rapidly, the appliance can be dangerously hot Therefore, the service provider can notify the consumer of the possibility of causing a fire. Furthermore, the principles of the inventive idea can provide for the generation of a map of the consumer's residence and showing the real-time, up-to-date, and non-real-time appliance power usage.

  Service providers collect appliance data and provide the data to appliance manufacturers, industry personnel, and consumers. In one embodiment, the principles of the inventive idea are to track geothermal conditions, wind energy and solar energy for locations provided by governmental and non-governmental organizations and use power data collected from consumer dwellings. To determine whether other power sources (eg, solar panels or wind turbines) would benefit the consumer. Consumers are provided with cost / benefit analysis and advertisements from alternative power source service providers.

  One embodiment of a method for measuring power usage in a residence having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an overcurrent protection device is one of the electrical circuits from which a power load draws power. Measuring an electrical parameter of the electrical circuit with an electrically connected power measuring device; The electrical parameter is a concentrated complex impedance. Alternatively, the electrical parameter is the complex impedance of the individual appliance. The measurement is of an alternating voltage used to calculate the complex impedance. Alternatively, the measurement is made using a reflectometer technique used to calculate the complex impedance. A data value is calculated indicating the power being drawn by the power load connected to the electrical circuit using the measured electrical parameter. The data value is the instantaneous power used based on the measured electrical parameter. An indicia indicating the calculated data value indicating the power drawn by the electrical circuit is displayed. The Indicia display is on a website and can be downloaded and viewed on a computer or another device that provides Internet access. Alternatively, the indication may be on a socket meter connected to a socket in the residence that connects to one of the plurality of power circuits in the residence. The method transmits the phase readings over the phase and allows the phase of the power network via a phase coupler or wireless communication device to allow low frequency (eg 1 MHz or less) measurements. The step of measuring over. The phase coupler includes a precision impedance converter system, which has a frequency generator with an analog / digital converter such as AD5934 offered by Analog Devices, Inc., which is 12bit and 250 kSPS analog. A digital converter (ADC) is described in detail in AD 5934 data sheet Rev. A, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein.

  One embodiment of an apparatus for measuring power usage in a residential or commercial building having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an overcurrent protection device is configured to generate an alternating current (AC) measurement signal A second circuit configured to apply an AC measurement signal to one of the electrical circuits, and a second circuit to apply an AC measurement signal to one of the electrical circuits. And a third circuit configured to measure a plurality of alternating voltages. The processing unit is in communication with the third circuit and is configured to calculate the impedance of the appliance connected to the electrical circuit. The impedance is a lumped impedance as calculated by the impedances connected in parallel with each other. The input / output unit is in communication with the processing unit and is configured to communicate data generated by the processing unit to a remote location via a communication network. The socket device comprises an embedded web server that stores locally measured data and performs calculation of an index extracted from the measured data that is distributed with the measured data. Operate a local website. This website can be accessed remotely in various ways. Located at the remote access location is a server configured to collect and process the generated data on a public website.

  One embodiment of a method for advertising an electrical appliance to a potential customer includes monitoring the electrical resistance of the appliance over time. A determination is made that the expected cost to use the appliance over the forecast period based on the monitored electrical resistance is greater than the expected cost to use an alternative appliance over the forecast period, and the appliance user A notification is generated indicating that replacing the appliance with a replacement appliance will result in financial savings over the forecast period. The notification further includes a list of alternative appliances that can be purchased. The list includes one or more advertisements. The advertisements are from local advertisers selling appliances, such as retailers. Notifications as potential customers of more energy efficient appliances that can be exchanged for current appliances showing inefficient use of energy compared to aggregated data accumulated at the remote site (remote site) Communicated to the user.

1 is a diagram of an exemplary multi-phase power circuit network in a residence. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a socket meter connected to a wall socket that is electrically connected to a power circuit of a power circuit network in a residence. FIG. 6 is an exemplary bus impedance diagram as a function of parallel polyphase power lines. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary linear AC rms voltmeter circuit. FIG. It is a circuit diagram of load impedance. FIG. 4 is a diagram of real and imaginary complex impedances and voltage vectors used to calculate reactance. FIG. 5 is an exemplary power signal graph representing power drawn by an appliance connected to a residential power circuit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary socket meter. FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network system including an example socket meter that connects to a power circuit that connects to a residential breaker panel. FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an example process for measuring and processing electrical parameters of an electrical circuit to determine power usage. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network showing a service provider serving a customer at a residence. FIG. FIG. 11B is a block diagram of an exemplary series of software modules executed by the processing unit of FIG. 11A of a service provider server. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for monitoring power usage by measuring electrical appliance resistance in a residence and communicating a notification to a customer. A screen shot of an example browser interface showing an example website that allows service provider customers to present their preferences to service providers offering advertisements to customers. . 2 is a screenshot of an example browser interface including an example web page that includes power usage information, messages / alerts, and advertisements for customer viewing. 4 is a screenshot of an example browser interface including an example web page including power usage information, geothermal availability, messages / warnings, and advertisements for customer viewing.

  Embodiments of the technical idea of the present invention will be described in detail, and examples thereof are shown in the drawings. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the drawings. In order to explain the idea of the present invention, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Determining the power usage of residential buildings, including commercial and residential buildings, is desired by various parties for a variety of reasons. For example, a consumer who pays for energy use may use energy between bills (up to the next bill) to avoid “high impact” when receiving a bill of power from an energy service provider. Want to keep track of. For consumers seeking additional disaster prevention services, the principles of the present invention may be desirable. Consumers who want to know if appliances are becoming inefficient will also be interested. In addition, service providers who wish to communicate further with consumers may be of interest. Also, appliance advertisers who want to contact consumers in anticipation that consumers will have to replace existing appliances because they have become less energy efficient or broken. Will. As described above, various parties have a reason to determine power consumption, but there is a problem in the cost and consumer friendliness (consumer convenience) of a device that can measure power consumption in a residence.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary power circuit network 100 used in a residence (eg, a home) to provide power to appliances 102a-102n (collectively 102). The appliance 102 includes a clothes dryer 102a, a water heater 102b, an electric oven / stove 102c, and an HVAC (air conditioning and ventilation) unit 102n. Other electrical appliances such as lighting 104a, hair dryer 104b, computer 104c, toy 104d, television 104e, and any other electrical device (collectively 104) are plugged into the power circuit and follow the principles of the present invention. These are also subject to measurement.

  As shown, and as is known in the art, power circuit network 100 includes two phases: circuits 100a and 100b that extend from an overcurrent protection device, such as circuit breaker 106. . Further, as is known in the art, a service transformer 108 outside the residence sends a two-phase 240 volt AC power signal to the residence (not shown). Between the pole transformer 108 and the circuit breaker 106, a service meter 110 is shown connected to the two power lines 112a and 112b from the pole transformer 108. Service meter 110 measures the total power drawn from appliance 102. Service meter 110 is typically a “non-intelligent” service meter that only measures power usage and does not have communication or intelligent capabilities. Smart service meters that have been used recently have the ability to return reports on power usage, but are expensive and have limited capabilities when compared to the principles of the inventive idea. While a smart meter in a residential power circuit network is useful, it does not preclude the use of the socket meter described herein or the principles of the inventive idea. Indeed, some aspects of the principles of the present invention can be incorporated into a smart meter.

  Within the circuit breaker 106 is a capacitance C formed by bus bars having respective polyphase lines and conductors. As is understood in the art, capacitance separates the two phases and prevents direct current and low frequency signals from passing between the two circuits 100a and 100b. Due to the capacitance C, conventional power measurement such as current measurement using an ammeter cannot be performed.

  Since conventional power measurements cannot be made, the principle of the inventive idea is to pass the capacitance C and measure the resistance and / or equivalent complex impedance of all appliances on the two circuits 100a and 100b. High frequency signals or harmonics (tones) can be used. The equivalent complex impedance is used to calculate the instantaneous power usage, as further described herein. The high frequency signal is generated by the socket meter 114 using a high frequency (HF) chip that can be used for power line communication (PLC). The HF chip normally operates between 1 MHz and 30 MHz, which is suitable for high frequency signals. However, it is usually considered that frequencies above approximately 1 MHz can pass through the capacitance C, and complex impedance measurements are made without using the additional equipment required to measure across the two phases. be able to. In the present invention, the total impedance and the line voltage are measured in order to calculate the power used. The total impedance across both phases is measured with HF, or each phase is measured separately and combined with a central computer. Total impedance can be measured remotely by steady state alternating current measurements. In another embodiment, rather than measuring equivalent resistance and / or complex impedance by steady state AC measurements, reflectometry techniques are used to individually characterize the impedance of each appliance on the power line network 100. Is measured. The socket meter 114 is configured to be plugged to a signal socket 116 on one of the power circuits such as the power circuit 100a, and when the pulse to be used is modulated to a frequency of 1 MHz or higher, Measure resistance and / or complex impedance to calculate power used by appliances on 100b.

  FIG. 2 shows an exemplary simplified power circuit 200. The power circuit 200 consists of two circuits 200a and 200b on different sides of the fuse box 202. Appliances (APP) A and B are connected to power circuit 200a, and appliances (APP) C and D are connected to power circuit 200b. The power circuits 200a and 200b are electrically separated by a capacitance C at direct current and low frequency (less than about 1 MHz). Socket meter 204 is shown connected to power socket 206. The power socket 206 is a conventional power socket with two outlets. The socket meter 204 is configured with either a two-pole plug or a three-pole plug that is inserted into the power socket 206 to connect to the power circuit 200a.

  The socket meter 204 is configured to convert 120V AC power from the power socket 206 into a low voltage high frequency signal 208. The low voltage is, for example, 5V. Other voltages may be used instead. However, to maintain a low production cost, a voltage corresponding to a standard chipset (eg, HF chip) is used. Of course, a general purpose circuit could be used instead.

  FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a representative impedance circuit model 300 of impedance on a power circuit in a residence. The impedance circuit model 300 shows how the lumped impedance Zbus is determined as a function of the impedance of each appliance connected to the power circuit and electrically connected in parallel with each other.

  From the bus impedance, the total power used in the residence is calculated. Total power is calculated using the real part of Zbus, the resistor Rbus, and the measured voltage across the socket.

Because the actual voltage may not be 120V due to load and other effects, the actual voltage is measured. The total power calculation involves doubling the measured voltage to take into account two phases or power circuits. As understood in the art, power is calculated as P = V ² / R, so when determining the total power across two power circuits in a residence, the power is
(2) Ptotal = (Vsocket) ² / R _bus
Is calculated by

  FIG. 4 shows an exemplary linear alternating current voltmeter 400. An alternating voltage is converted into an effective value voltage value using an alternating current effective value voltmeter circuit. The AC voltmeter circuit is exemplary and alternative AC voltmeter circuits can be used.

  The AC voltmeter 400 includes a high-frequency voltage source 402 that generates a source signal 404 that is input to the positive terminal 406 a of the operational amplifier 406. The rectifier 408 includes four diodes 410a, 410b, 410c, and 410d. Current flows into or out of the output 406c of the op amp 406, through one of the upper diodes 410a or 410b, through the meter 412 from right to left, through the lower diode 410c or 410d, and through the resistor R2. Flows up or down the street to match the source signal 404. Since the meter 412 and the resistor R2 are connected in series, the same current flows through the resistor R2 and the meter 412. As understood in the technical field, the operational amplifier 406 has an inverting input voltage at the input terminal 406b that is the same as an input voltage (source signal 404) at the non-inverting input terminal 406a due to the output voltage at the output terminal 406c. To be. Meter 412 is calibrated to show the effective value of the sine wave. Further, the entire range of the meter 412 is set by the value of the resistor R2. If a 1 mA meter is used, a 1 volt range is given. The 100 pF capacitor prevents the operational amplifier 406 from vibrating at high frequencies. However, since a 100 pF capacitor loses accuracy at high frequencies, it must be as small as possible to prevent vibrations. Alternative values and configurations may be used to provide the same or equivalent functionality in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

  The voltmeter 400 provides a measurement of the AC RMS voltage in the time domain. The voltmeter 400 is configured to measure each of the AC voltages VA, VI, and VZ shown in FIG. The voltage Vsocket, which is typically 120 volts at 60 cycles per second across the outlet, is also measured by RMS (RMS). The three voltages VA, VI, and VZ are not only monitored by the voltmeter circuit, but these voltages are also used to calculate complex impedance, power, and complex power (ie, real power and reactance power). Used.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic exemplary load impedance circuit 500. The load impedance circuit 500 includes a resistor R in the voltage source and an unknown complex impedance Zx. For RF measurements, the resistance R is usually set to 50 ohms. The unknown complex impedance Zx consists of a real part (resistance Rx) and an imaginary part (reactance jXx), and represents a parallel complex impedance that normally exists on the power circuit as described in FIG. The complex impedance can be measured by having a known resistance and three AC voltage measurements, in this case VA (applied voltage), VI (voltage across a known resistor), and VZ (voltage across an unknown impedance). it can. FIG. 6 is a diagram of real and imaginary complex impedances used to calculate reactance (ie, capacitance and inductance). Only the magnitude of the voltage is known, but as shown in FIG. 6, the vector is also shown for use in calculating the unknown complex impedance value. The value of the angle θ is calculated using the cosine law.

(3) cos (θ) = (VA ² + VI ² -VZ ² ) / 2 * VA * VI
From the load impedance circuit 500, the magnitude of the total impedance including the resistance value R is
(4) Za = R * VA / VI
Is calculated as Here, VA is a source voltage, and VI is a voltage across the resistor R. The sum of R and Rx is
(5) R + Rx = Za * Cos (θ)
And θ is shown in FIG. And the value of Rx is
(6) Rx = Za * Cos (θ) -R
Sought by.

  Given the expected measurement error, Rx can be negative in the calculation, but this is unlikely to occur in practice. In fact, if that happens, Rx is set to zero because the impedance is completely reactive.

The magnitude of the unknown impedance is
(7) Z = R * VZ / VI
Is calculated by

The magnitude of the unknown reactance is
(8) Xx = √ (Z ² -Rx ² )
Is calculated by

  Considering the expected measurement error, negative squares may occur. If that happens, Xx is set to zero. The unknown reactance is used for recognition of the appliance type, manufacturer, and model (optionally), but is not necessarily used to calculate the power used.

  An example of using the above equation to calculate the unknown complex impedance will be described. The unknown complex impedance includes a 30 ohm resistor connected in series with a 60 ohm reactance, which combine to form a 67 ohm complex impedance. When the measurement resistance R is 50 ohms and the applied voltage VA is an effective value of 1 V, the measured voltage VI is 0.5 Vrms and the measured voltage VZ is 0.67 Vrms. cos θ is calculated as 0.8. The unknown impedance Zx is calculated to be 67 ohms, Rx is calculated to be 30 ohms, and jXx is calculated to be 60 ohms. The AC voltmeter is used to measure the applied AC voltage VA, the measured AC voltages VI and VZ. Alternatively, peak-to-peak values or true rms values may be used. Voltage measurements do not require more complex and expensive size and phase measurements.

In addition to calculating the total power Ptotal (equation (2)), the total hub reactance Zhub used to calculate the power used on the power circuit network is also calculated. Zhub
(9) Zhub = Rhub + jXhub
Is calculated by

  In order to calculate the power used on the power circuit network, the total power Ptotal and the total reactance Zhub are calculated periodically, for example every second.

Although the use of high frequency signals makes it possible to measure the impedance (ie resistance and reactance) of appliances on multiple power circuits, the use of high frequencies further complicates the measurement process. The resistance of the wire is increased by the “skin” effect. For example, at 60 Hz, the resistance of the wire is close to 1 ohm. However, at 1 MHz, the resistance of the wire is very high. Additional wire resistance is seen at high frequencies. Since the resistance of the electrical appliance being measured is tens of ohms, the wire skin effect makes measurement difficult. The skin effect causes alternating current to flow on the outer surface of the wire, as is understood in the art. Since no current flows inside the wire, it is necessary to exclude the central portion of the wire when calculating the resistance. For copper wire at 70C, the skin depth expressed in mills is
(10) S = 2837 / √ (f)
Is calculated by f is a frequency expressed in hertz.

  When the region through which the current flows decreases, the resistance Rhf with respect to the current of the DC resistance of the wire increases. The resistance relationship is proportional to the square root of the frequency and the constant value, which is the radius of the wire used in wires operating in the 1-30 MHz range where the squared skin effect is used in most homes. If it is much smaller than that, it depends on the type and combination of wires used in the premises. The relationship can be expressed as follows:

(11) Rhfwire = Rdcwire x Kwire x √ (f) = Khftotal x √ (f)
The resistance problem due to the skin effect can be largely eliminated, for example, by performing measurements at two or more different frequencies beyond the HF frequency range. Two or more measurements are used to form a model of the foam.

(11a) Rhf1 = Rapp + Rwire x Kwire x √ (f1)
(11b) Rhf2 = Rapp + Rwire x Kwire x √ (f2)
(11c) Rhf3 = Rapp + Rwire x Kwire x √ (f3)
...
(11n) Rhfn = Rapp + Rwire x Kwire x √ (fn)
In one embodiment, Rapp and Ktotal are determined using a least squares function. Since the power consumed by the wire is negligible, only the resistance Rapp of the appliance is the subject of further study. The skin effect also reduces the inductance of the wire, but it is only a few percent and is negligible compared to the actual load. However, this effect can be corrected in some cases in the same way as used for resistance.

  The least squares solution of Rx = R0 + Rl * √ (f) can be generalized to many loads modeled as a parallel combination of resistance pairs of Ri + Ri + 1 (√). Resistor pairs are combined using a parallel rule of resistors to form a linear function of resistor and measurement frequency. A series of non-linear equations are solved using known methods such as non-linear least squares to calculate the resistance of each appliance and the resistance of the length of each wire between appliances. The resulting information can be used to plot a map of power usage in the residence.

  The calculation for determining Rx is performed using linear algebra for each of the frequencies. This is shown below.

  Here, R0 is the DC resistance of the load. By measuring the complex impedance across multiple frequencies, a portion of the impedance that varies at different frequencies is determined to be associated with the wires forming the power circuit and is excluded from the calculation of power usage.

  The DC resistance Rdc is used to calculate the power used by all the appliances in the house.

(15) Power = P = (Vrms socket) ² / Rdc
Equation (15) is used for a socket meter that plugs into a wall socket that distributes 120V AC from one of the phases or circuits of the power circuit network in the residence. However, if a socket meter or another measuring device according to the principles of the present invention is plugged into an AC 240V receptacle, the socket device can use a low frequency signal across both phases and voltage Is typically 240 volt rms, not the 120 volt rms found in single phase typical 120 volt rms socket devices.

The volt-ampere reactance is
(16) Q = (Vrms socket) ² / Xx
Is calculated by

The complex impedance is
(17) Z = R0 + jXx
Is calculated by

  Xx is measured at the number of frequencies in the HF band and is 60 Hz by considering Xx as a polynomial function of frequency using a least squares function similar to the method used to isolate the skin effect. Is extrapolated. This polynomial model is adjusted based on the grade expansion of the real rational function (polynominal ratio). Volt Ampere Reactive (VAR) is not used for energy use in residences, but is used to determine the energy cost of any business customer. Thus, determining complex impedance and VAR power is provided by the present invention for business customers.

  As an example of measurements and calculations performed using the techniques described above, Table 1 below shows a series of exemplary measurements and calculations of measured voltages, and calculated resistances and complex impedances.

FIGS. 3-6 and their description provide non-coherent techniques for determining the lumped impedance (ie, each of the appliances in parallel) to calculate the power used in the residence. As an alternative to using the non-coherent techniques described above, the principles of the present invention also provide a coherent method. The coherent method uses a mixer to downconvert a high frequency signal to a baseband signal. Such a high-frequency signal coherent processing technique is known in the art. Coherent processing is usually more expensive than non-coherent techniques because of the more expensive and additional circuitry. One skilled in the art could easily make a circuit that performs coherent measurements to calculate impedance and resistance as described above. The method described in detail herein is one of the methods known in the art for measuring complex impedance. Several other known methods can be used for this purpose in the spirit of the invention, such as, for example, self-balancing bridge impedance measurement circuits, resonant (resonant) Q-meters, RF IV (radio frequency currents). -Voltage) impedance measurement circuit, network analysis (reflection coefficient) or TDR (time domain reflectivity measurement) circuit. Any of these techniques can be used to measure the complex impedance in the HF frequency range 1-30 Mhz as used in the inventive idea.

  The measured complex impedances are then “decomposed” into separate components that are distinct from each other or represent individual impedances of the appliance that are the loads of the network. The network and individual complex impedances are then converted to complex power values for the network and individual appliances for the entire building (eg, the entire residential network) and individually for each appliance. For example, one appliance or all appliances in a single network can be monitored using the inventive idea.

  The present invention provides for performing impedance measurements performed using time domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques. In order for the reflectivity measurement pulse to pass through the capacitance of the breaker circuit, the reflectivity measurement pulse is multiplied or modulated by a high frequency carrier signal above 1 MHz (eg between 1 MHz and 30 MHz). Return pulses or reflected pulses and discontinuities from the appliance are demodulated and measured to determine the complex impedance. Alternatively, impedance can be measured in each phase using frequencies below 1 MHz and coupled by a processor using wireless communication or a phase coupler. Similar to the lumped parameter impedance technique, the reflectance measurement technique uses non-coherent and coherent measurement techniques. As understood in the art, reflectance measurement techniques are advantageous over concentrated impedance measurement techniques in that they measure the reflection of a reflectance measurement signal. This means that the skin effect of the wires in the power circuit network does not affect the measurement, thereby eliminating post-processing that eliminates the measurement and skin effect wire measurements at multiple HF frequencies. Because it can. The negative effect of the skin effect can be avoided by using a reflectometry technique to determine the impedance and calculate the power used, but to measure a reflected signal traveling at about half the speed of light, the reflectivity Measurement techniques are more difficult and expensive to implement due to the rise time of electronics. However, this higher but more economical cost is worth the increased measurement accuracy compared to the centralized impedance technique, since the cost per unit is reduced when mass-produced.

  FIG. 7 shows a graph of an exemplary power signal 700 representing power used by appliances connected to a residential power circuit. As shown, three refrigerator cycles 702a-702c (collectively 702) are “rectangular” in the power signal 700 in response to the refrigerator turning on or off. In addition, six heater cycles 704a-704f (collectively 704) are in response to the heaters turning on or off. Each of the refrigerator cycle 702 and the heater cycle 704 provides a signature of the power usage of the associated appliance. Refrigerator cycle 702 and heater cycle 704 are exemplary, and alternative cycles may be generated depending on the appliance, manufacturer, and model. In one embodiment, the signature signal or curve for each appliance type, manufacturer, and model cycle is stored locally on the socket meter or stored remotely on the server. The stored signature signal is compared with the measured cycle, thereby allowing the determination of the specific type, manufacturer and model of the appliance. As shown between times t3 and t7, the refrigerator cycle 702b occurs with heater cycles 704a-704c. When the heater cycles 704 to 704c occur, the amount of power drawn by the power circuit increases, and the power used increases from the highest level of the heater cycle 702b. In determining which cycle is occurring to determine which power is being drawn from each with the appliance on or off, the matching algorithm identifies the power signal 700 Can be separated and identified.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an exemplary socket meter 800 that includes a processing unit 802 that executes software. The processing unit 802 can communicate with an input / output (I / O) unit 806, a memory 808, a tone generator 810, a real time clock generator 812, and a user interface 814. I / O unit 806 is understood in the art, (i) measurement signals across a power line in a residence, and (ii) a cellular phone network, a Wi-Fi network, the Internet, or any other communication network, for example. Configured to communicate with data communication signals across the communication network. Although not shown, the I / O unit 806 includes both an analog / digital conversion circuit and a digital / analog conversion circuit, and can perform analog / digital conversion and digital / analog conversion, as is understood in the art. Configured as follows. Memory 808 is configured to store software and data being collected and processed by socket meter 800. The memory 808 is further configured to store appliance signature data so that the socket meter 800 can determine which particular appliance is operating on the power circuit of the residence in which the socket meter 800 is operating. Be able to decide. Alternatively, the data collected and communicated to the server is used by the server remote from the socket meter 800 to determine which particular appliance is operating on the residential power circuit.

  Tone generator 810 is configured to generate one or more tones above about 1 MHz to allow tones (signals) to be communicated across the residential power line and pass through the circuit breaker or fuse box capacitance. Is done. In one embodiment, the tone generator 810 is configured to generate two or more tones (eg, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 6 MHz, etc.) at the HF frequency so that the impedance of the power line in the residence caused by the “skin” effect is Can be calculated, thereby allowing an estimation of the distance between the appliance and the socket used in accordance with the inventive idea, as well as the measurement of the individual impedance of the appliance on the power circuit to be measured.

  The real time clock generator 812 is configured to operate the socket meter 800, thereby allowing the processing unit 802 to manage the measurement date and time. In one embodiment, the real time clock generator 812 is used by the processing unit 802 to ascertain whether an operation (eg, delivering collected data to a remote server) occurs at a specific time of day. Furthermore, the processing unit 802 uses the real-time clock generator 812 to timestamp the date and time when a particular spiked event occurs, for example, a change in load resistance due to an appliance. In one embodiment, the real time clock generator 812 is used by the processing unit 802 to generate impedance measurements periodically (eg, every second).

  User interface 814 may be a push button, dial, touch screen, or any other user that allows the user to control, program, access data, or otherwise interface with socket meter 800. Contains interface elements. The user interface 814, for example, allows the user to set a threshold for power usage, so that if the total power usage in the residence exceeds the threshold level, the socket meter 800 can be audible, visible, or in the form of a message. Notifications can be generated. For example, the socket meter 800 can be configured to communicate an e-mail or cell phone mail (text message) to the user to notify it if used at any point in excess of 100 KW. . Alternatively, the socket meter 800 can generate an audible sound (eg, a beep) to notify the user that excessive power is being drawn from the appliance in the residence.

  The power source 816 is configured to supply power to other components in the socket meter 800. The power source 816 activates the other components in the socket meter 800 by converting 120 volt AC current from the wall socket to which the socket meter 800 is connected into 5 volt DC and AC power, Also included is providing power to a tone generator 810 that generates a tone signal in the form of an HF frequency signal (eg, 2 MHz) in the form of 5 volts. The power source 816 may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery as is understood in the art.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary network system 900 that includes a socket meter 902, whose internal circuit diagram is shown, that is connected to a power circuit 904, which is shown in FIG. Is shown connected to the breaker panel 905 of the residence. In one embodiment, socket meter 902 is configured to communicate with home router 906 to communicate with server 908 over the Internet 910 or any other network. Alternatively, the socket meter 902 communicates with the mobile phone communication system to communicate with the server 908. The personal computer 912 is in communication with the home router 906 and can also be configured to display a graphical user interface via a web browser, and as understood in the art, the socket meter 902 and / or It can be configured to receive and display data representing the power used in the residence determined by the server 908.

  The socket meter 902 includes a microcontroller circuit 914 that is configured to control the operation of the socket meter 902. The microcontroller circuit 914 is configured to communicate with a tone generator 916 that generates tones between about 1 MHz and about 30 MHz. The microcontroller circuit 914 controls or selects the frequency generated by the tone generator so that the microcontroller circuit 914 selects the frequency of the measurement signal to measure the impedance of the appliance operating on the power circuit 904. Can be set automatically. A power circuit 904 (eg, a power line in a house) includes a plurality of circuits or phases having a capacitance C between the individual circuits. The high frequency filter circuit 918 is configured in parallel with the power circuit 904 to communicate a high frequency (eg, 1 MHz or more) from the socket meter 902 through the power circuit 904 and to reduce the frequency signal below the high frequency. . Resistor 920 is connected in series with tone generator 916 and power circuit 904.

  In operation, the socket meter 902 is configured to apply an applied voltage (VA) generated by the tone generator 916, a voltage across the resistor 920 (VI), and a voltage across an unknown impedance on the power circuit 904 (VZ). Are configured to measure three AC voltage levels. As described above with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6, these three voltage magnitudes are used to determine both the resistance and reactance of the unknown impedance of appliances connected in parallel on the power network 904. Is done. Lines 922, 924, and 926 are used to provide voltage measurements 928, 930, 932 to the microcontroller circuit 914. Microcontroller circuit 914 processes voltage measurements (eg, measurements of VA, VI, and VZ) and inputs voltage measurements to an IEEE 802.3 / 802.11 I / O controller for further processing. / Configured to communicate to server 908 via home router 906 via output unit 934. In addition to the voltage values collected and communicated, the socket meter 902 further communicates other data such as, for example, timestamps, impedance, power usage, or any other information that the socket meter 902 generates or measures. Composed. Memory 936 is configured to store data that is collected, generated, and / or processed for use by socket meter 902 or for communication to server 908 for processing there. In one embodiment, the personal computer 912 communicates directly with the socket meter 902 to program or set specific parameters, such as notification signals, power level alerts, or any other configuration parameters. Configured to do. Alternatively, the customer interacts with the website provided by the server 908 to set configuration parameters and the server 908 communicates the configuration parameters to the socket meter 902 in order to set the socket meter 902. Do.

  FIG. 10 shows a flow diagram of an example process 1000 for measuring and processing electrical parameters of an electrical circuit to determine power usage. Process 1000 begins at step 1002 and uses an electrical power measurement device connected to a wall socket that is electrically connected to one electrical circuit of a plurality of electrical circuits in a residence from which power is drawn by a power load. Measure the electrical parameters of the circuit. In one embodiment, the electrical circuit includes electrical wires to which electrical appliances are connected. The electrical parameter includes complex impedance. The complex impedance is used to calculate the power drawn by an electrical circuit (eg, an appliance connected to the electrical circuit). As described herein, a plurality of electrical circuits are connected to a circuit breaker and are electrically separated by capacitance at the circuit breaker. The power measurement device is connected to a single power outlet on one of the circuits and measures the electrical parameters provided to the multiple power circuits (eg, the parallel impedance of appliances on two 120V AC circuits) To do.

  In step 1004, a data value is calculated indicating the power being drawn by the power load connected to the electrical circuit using the measured electrical parameter. In the calculation of the data value, the measured alternating voltage is used to calculate the total complex impedance of the complex impedance associated with the individual appliances on the electrical circuit. Data values are all resistances and / or complex impedances. Alternatively, rather than calculating the bulk or all of the resistance and / or complex impedance, it can be determined by performing reflectometer measurements on individual appliances. Either coherent or non-coherent measurement techniques are used.

  In step 1006, an index (indicia) indicating the value of computer data indicating the power used on the electric circuit is displayed. In one embodiment, the indicator is a number such as 82 KW. Alternatively, the indicator is any other indicator that can indicate the amount of power being drawn by the appliance on the graph, chart, or electrical circuit. A plurality of indicators may be displayed indicating a plurality of data collected and / or calculated by a socket meter or server with which the socket is communicating. In one embodiment, the indication of the indication is a website accessible to the user via a computing device, a text message communicated to the user's mobile device, an email message including the indication (Indicia), or the art Done in any other display format, as understood in.

  FIG. 11A shows a block diagram of an exemplary network 1100 that includes a service provider 1102 that provides services to customers in residences 1104a-1104n (collectively 1104). Each of the residences 1104 includes socket meters 1106a to 1106n (collectively 1106) connected to the power circuit in each residence. Socket meter 1106 is configured to measure the resistance and / or complex impedance of appliances powered by a residential power circuit. As described herein, the socket meter 1106 is configured to use HF frequencies to measure complex impedances on a plurality of power circuits using impedance measurement techniques or reflectance measurement impedance measurement techniques. Is done.

  The service provider 1104 provides a service for determining power consumption in a power company, a third party, or a residence, and distributes an advertisement based on the power consumption and performance of the appliance measured by the socket meter 1106 to the customer. Any other service provider. The service provider 1102 operates the server 1108. Server 1108 includes a processing unit 1110 that includes one or more computer processors that execute software (not shown) configured to process data received by socket meter 1106. The processing unit 1110 is in communication with the memory 1112, which stores software instructions and data collected and / or processed by the processing unit 1100.

  The processing unit 1110 further communicates with the input / output unit 1114 and the storage unit 1116. The I / O unit 1114 is configured to communicate with the socket meter 1106 via a communication network 1118 such as the Internet. The storage unit 1116 stores power usage signature data, customer information, advertising information, geothermal information, and any other information in accordance with the principles of the present invention according to the specific type, manufacturer, and model of the appliance. Configured to store one or more data repositories 1117a-1117 (collectively 1117). For example, customer information allows the appliance to track the efficiency of the appliance by tracking the history of data, the power used by the customer, and the service provider 1102 the performance of each appliance of each customer. Includes performance history data for appliances. For example, the resistance of the washing machine is tracked over time to allow the service provider 1102 to determine when the resistance of the washing machine that exhibits inefficiency increases to the point where the washing machine must be replaced. . In addition, if the resistance increases too much, i.e. far above the initial resistance, a decision is made that the washing machine may cause a fire, and the service provider 1102 prompts the customer to Generate notifications or alerts to inform the situation and provide one or more advertisements for replaceable washing machines addressed to customers from local or non-local advertisers.

  In operation, the socket meter 1106n measures the impedance data 1120 of appliances operating on the power circuit in the residence 1104n and communicates the measured impedance data 1120 to the service provider server 1108 via the network 1118. If socket meter 1106n calculates power usage based on impedance data 1120, power usage data is communicated to server 1108 with or without measured impedance data 1120. The service provider server 1108 receives the measured impedance data 1120 and processes the data to process the processed power consumption data (for example, instantaneous power consumption, average power consumption, total power consumption, etc.). Generating and also notifications (eg, notification that multiple appliances are becoming inefficient, or that an inefficiency threshold level has been exceeded compared to new appliances) and advertisements (eg, sockets) Specific appliances based on the results of measurements made by meter 1106n. The data 1122 is again communicated to a customer web page provided by the socket meter 1106n, a display device in the residence 1104n, the customer's mobile device, or the server 1108. Data 1122 is automatically communicated or sent to the customer or retrieved from the server 1108 by the customer.

  Advertisers 1124a-1124n (collectively 1124) interact with service provider 1102 and are used to deliver notifications about appliances that can be purchased by customers with inefficient or broken appliances. Provide information to service providers. The advertiser 1124 provides address information (not shown) and advertisement contents 1126a to 1126n (collectively 1126) to the service provider 1102. In one embodiment, the processing unit 1110 uses customer information including a geographic address or location to determine a customer's local advertiser in need of new appliances. Server 1108 may generate or include one or more advertisements that include information about the customer's local advertisers, which may include power prices, appliance power usage, new appliance costs, or any other If the customer's appliance is becoming inefficient or the customer replaces the current inefficient appliance, the customer will save a certain amount over a period of time In response to a determination that

  The present invention further provides a geothermal source 1128, such as the US government, that collects geothermal data 1130, such as solar and wind data, on a regional basis, in order to provide geothermal data 1130 to the service provider server 1108. Yes. Server 1108 receives advertising content 1126 from an advertiser 1124 that is the same as or different from the advertiser of the appliance, and determines how much the customer will save by installing a geothermal power source, such as a solar panel or wind turbine. Composed. The decision is customized based on the geographical location of the customer and the local geothermal power source supplier.

  In addition to the service provider 1102 that collects and processes data for individual customers in the residence 1104a, the present invention provides a service provider 1102 that tracks the data as a collection. Since service provider 1102 receives data for a particular type, manufacturer, and model of appliance, service provider 1102 processes the data to make the appliance manufacturer and model inefficient (eg, Generating aggregate data showing various parameters including average period up to 25% or more inefficiency compared to when new, actual average power usage of specific appliances, etc. it can. The resulting aggregated data can be used for both commercial purposes and consumers. For example, manufacturers will want to find out how their appliances operate “on the ground” in the long term. Manufacturing industry associations will want to access the statistics of the constituent manufacturers for industry trends or for other purposes. Consumers will want to access this information to identify how a particular brand of product or model will perform over time. The insurer or guarantor will ask for this collective information in order to set up the guarantee at a reasonable price over a period of time. Aggregate data can be purchased or freely used.

  FIG. 11B is a block diagram of an exemplary series of software modules 1150 executed on the processing unit 1110 (FIG. 11A) of the service provider server 1108. The software module 1150 is configured to allow the server 1108 to manage and process power usage data, such as appliance impedance data collected by the socket meter. The software module 1150 is further configured to generate a message and communicate to the customer based on various factors such as the geographical distance between the customer and the advertiser of the appliance. For example, the software module 1150 selectively organizes advertisements based on proximity to consumers and displays them to consumers, allowing consumers to patronize local merchants geographically. In this way, the advertisement of the geographical consumer's local merchant is listed before the geographically non-consumer consumer's merchant.

  The socket meter data management module 1152 is configured to manage data collected and / or generated by the customer's residential socket meter. Module 1152 is configured to receive and store data, allowing other modules to process the data, and “raw” for service providers to obtain history at a later point in time and for other purposes. Allows access to data.

  The power usage data generation module 1154 is configured to generate power usage data based on data received from the socket meter. Module 1154 may be, for example, instantaneous power usage, average power usage, cumulative power usage during one billing cycle, or any other power usage, with the measured value being a customer, service provider, Calculate what an advertiser, manufacturer, industry, or any other party would be interested in.

  Customer information management module 1156 is configured to store customer information. Customer information includes name, address, geographic coordinates, demographic information, or any other information about the customer. The geographic coordinates are used to determine the distance from the advertiser's geographic location to the customer so that relevant advertisements for replacement or another appliance can be sent to the customer.

  The advertiser information management module 1158 is configured to manage information regarding advertisers. The information includes physical address information, contact information, website information, geographical coordinates, information, and any other information. Further, module 1158 is configured to manage advertisements for appliances associated with the advertiser. In one embodiment, the advertisement includes appliance information, the current price of the appliance, the electrical performance of the appliance, the physical configuration of the appliance, and the like. Information about the appliance, such as the price, is used to determine if the customer can save money by replacing the inefficient appliance with the appliance. In one embodiment, the advertiser does not advertise electrical appliances, but is an advertiser for a geothermal device that uses a renewable energy source such as the sun.

  The appliance signature management module 1160 is configured to manage the used power signature (indicator) of the appliance type, manufacturer, and model. In managing power usage indicators, the module 1160 is configured to systematically store data repository indicators such as databases. For example, the data repository is configured to store an indication based on the appliance type, appliance manufacturer, manufacturer model, or any other configuration. The indicator is used to identify the type of appliance that is drawing power. The index may be a waveform or data indicating complex impedance.

  The appliance determination module 1162 is specifically configured to identify the appliance type, manufacturer, and / or model. Various pattern matching or comparison techniques are used to identify specific appliances being measured in the home. For example, the same, similar, or modified comparison techniques are used to determine the appliance used for speech recognition. In one embodiment, pattern matching with a power usage indicator is used. Alternatively and / or additionally, complex impedance matching is performed. Various identification techniques can be used in accordance with the principles of the inventive idea. Instead of automatically identifying appliances using power usage index matching, the customer may provide a list of appliances in his home and appliance determination module 1162 may simply search for the indicators.

  The appliance problem determination module 1164 compares the customer's residence by comparing specification operating parameters, as defined by the signature or other specification, as understood in the art. Is configured to determine appliance issues relating to appliances on the power circuit network. Module 1164 is configured to determine a number of parameters including operational performance, inefficiency, potential fire hazard, and other issues. In response to the determination that a problem exists, module 1164 updates the data repository or notifies other modules directly to generate a notification, alert, or alarm to notify the customer.

  The geothermal savings determination module 1166 is configured to access geothermal information accessible by a server 1108 that provides geothermal information for the geographic region in which the customer resides. Module 1166 determines how much the customer can save by installing geothermal energy production equipment such as solar panels based on the amount of energy used to heat or cool the customer's residence. To decide. Cost savings include geothermal energy production equipment costs, installation costs, and cost savings. In addition, the electricity price paid by the customer is taken into account.

  The geographic relationship calculation module 1168 is configured to calculate the distance between the customer and the appliance advertiser. If the customer wants to receive advertisements from a local advertiser, the distance from the customer's residence to the advertiser's store is calculated to determine if it is a local advertiser. Module 1168 performs distance calculation itself, or module 1168 invokes a distance calculation system (eg, MapQuest® mapping system) located remotely from server 1108.

  The cost savings calculation module 1170 uses the power usage information of the appliance to allow the customer to save money over time (eg, one year) by replacing the appliance with an energy efficient appliance. Configured to determine. In determining the cost savings, module 1170 uses the current energy price (eg, $ 0.12 / kWh) to compare the actual power usage to the new appliance specifications.

  The advertisement selection module 1172 selects a particular advertisement to present to the customer, depending on whether the customer can save money over a period of time (eg, 3 years) by replacing existing energy inefficient appliances Configured to do. Furthermore, if an existing appliance is likely to cause a fire, an advertisement from the advertiser is selected and sent to the customer. In one embodiment, the advertisement is local to the customer. The advertisements are for appliances of the same manufacturer and model as the appliances that are not energy efficient. A variety of factors, including the use of customer profiles, are used to select how much of which advertisements should be sent. For example, if it is determined that an appliance, such as a washing machine, can be repaired or adjusted to correct energy inefficiencies, the module 1172 can also select a repair advertisement.

  Message generation / communication module 1174 is used to generate and communicate messages. In one embodiment, the message includes an advertisement. The message provides real-time, up-to-date, or total power usage for the current month. The message further includes specific appliance information such as, for example, “The current energy usage efficiency of the refrigerator is 30% below the beginning”. The message also includes an alert such as “The air conditioner may cause a fire”. Messages can be posted on a website customer widget, communicate via a communications network (eg, email, text message), mail, telephone line or any information communicated to the customer Sent by another means. In another embodiment, a mobile device application is used to allow a customer to receive or request the latest power usage or other information in accordance with the principles of the inventive concept.

  Module 1150 is exemplary and alternative and / or additional modules may be used in accordance with the principles of the present inventive concepts. Further, the modules 1150 can be combined or divided into separate modules to provide the functionality described herein.

  FIG. 12 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary process 1200 for monitoring power usage by measuring electrical appliance resistance in a residence and communicating a notification to a customer. Process 1200 begins at step 1202, where the electrical resistance of the appliance is monitored over time. The electrical resistance is the real part of the measured complex impedance of the appliance. In one embodiment, the measurement is either a coherent and non-coherent bulk impedance measurement, as understood in the art, to measure individual appliances on the power circuit network, or This is performed using either coherent or non-coherent reflectometry techniques. Measurements can also be made using HF frequencies as already described herein. At step 1204, an estimated cost of current or existing appliances and alternative appliances is determined. The estimated cost is based on the current power used by each appliance based on the appliance resistance. Estimated cost determination looks at one or more years to determine how much energy existing inefficient appliances will use compared to new appliances. In one embodiment, the new appliance may be the same manufacturer and model. However, the principles of the present invention provide for determining the difference in long-term energy usage by comparing existing appliances used by customers with new efficient appliances.

  In step 1206, a cost savings notification for an alternative appliance is generated. Cost savings notifications include long-term (eg, three years) savings, where the cost savings reach a certain threshold level based on the customer's desire to receive notifications prior to sending notifications. Or more. In step 1208, a notification is communicated to the user. Notification is in the form of posting on a web page or in the form of sending an electronic message to a customer. In addition, the notification may inform the customer of the potential cost savings when replacing an inefficient appliance with an efficient appliance, in the form of a telephone that conveys the synthesized voice or actual human voice to the customer. it can.

  FIG. 13 is based on the fact that appliances have become inefficient or that modern appliances are more efficient and use less power, so customers can save money in the long run. In response to a determination that a service needs to be repaired, the service provider's customer is able to present their preferences to the service provider providing the advertisement to the customer. 3 is a stream shot of an exemplary browser interface 1300 showing a simple website 1302. The website 1302 includes a desired manufacturer price range section 1304 where the customer selects a desired manufacturer and price range for a particular appliance (eg, a washer / dryer, refrigerator, etc.). Manufacturers are brand name manufacturers, and price ranges range from low to high priced appliances within each appliance type. A preferred kitchenware style section 1306 allows the customer to select a style of kitchenware, including color and finish. The preferred retail store section 1308 is where the service provider makes a decision that the customer's appliance is inefficient or that another appliance allows the customer to save money by conserving power usage. , Allowing customers to select their favorite retailer from which they wish to receive advertisements.

  The preferred advertising section 1310 allows the customer to select an advertising option, which may be within 10 miles or 25 miles from a local retail store, domestic retail store, internet retail store, or customer residence. There are only three options for retail stores within 50 miles, lowest priced appliances, replacement appliances, and only include advertisements that match the preferences selected by the customer. The preference notification section 1312 allows the customer to select a notification option, which includes options for inefficiency and cost savings. In one embodiment, the cost savings are annual. Alternatively, the cost savings are on a multi-year basis. Furthermore, the cost savings are calculated based on the appliance replacement cost plus the power usage cost for using the new appliance. For example, existing appliances will cost $ 1200 for the next three years of power consumption, new appliances will cost $ 500, and new appliances will be more energy efficient, so customers will spend less than $ 500 If so, the cost savings will be $ 200 over the next three years. The preference notification further includes a notification device through which notifications and / or alerts to the customer are communicated.

  The website 1302 is exemplary, and each of the sections and selectable options within the sections may be different than those described herein. The customer has alternative options and preferences for the customer to select how to notify the customer, what is delivered to the customer in the notification, power consumption data calculated and reported, or information according to any other principles of the invention May be provided.

  FIG. 14 shows a screenshot of an exemplary browser interface 1400 that includes an exemplary web page that includes power usage information, messages / warnings, and advertisements for customer viewing. Web page 1402 includes a power usage section 1404 that displays the current monthly power usage, the current monthly power bill, and the average daily power usage. Other power usage data may be provided to the customer. The top three power consuming appliances section 1406 shows the top three power consuming appliances in the customer's residence. For example, as shown, the refrigerator currently consumes 327 kWh per month, the air conditioner consumes 272 kWh per month, and the oven consumes 89 kWh per month. By providing the top three power consuming appliances, customers become sensitive to the efficiency of these appliances or the use of any appliance (eg, hair dryer). Message / warning section 1408 provides the customer with a message of inefficiency and vice versa. For example, if the air conditioner has become inefficient, a message is displayed that the efficiency of the air conditioner has dropped by a certain percentage compared to the first specification.

  The advertisement section 1410 is configured to display advertisements from advertisers selling appliances that are becoming inefficient or appliances that can provide cost savings to customers over time. As shown, three advertisements are provided by local, domestic and / or internet air conditioner vendors. In addition, the advertisement will include the price of the new air conditioner and the estimated cost savings over a period of time (eg 3 years) for the same manufacturer and model that the customer currently owns or a different manufacturer and model. ing. Advertisements can optionally be selected so that the user is automatically linked to the advertiser's website, and the user browses a specific air conditioner for sale and advertises through that website Air conditioners can be purchased from the main and / or the advertisement provides the advertiser's contact information so that the customer can locate the advertiser to visit the advertiser's retail store. It has become.

  FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary browser interface 1500 that includes an exemplary web page that includes power usage information, geothermal availability, messages / warnings, and advertisements for customer viewing. Web page 1502 includes a power usage section 1504 that displays the current monthly power usage, the current monthly power bill, and the average daily power usage. Other power usage data may be provided to the customer. The geothermal availability section 1506 shows the customer the power and cost savings when a geothermal device is installed in the customer's residence. For example, if a solar collection is installed, 574 kW can be collected, and the cost savings are estimated to be $ 45.34. Message / warning section 1508 provides inefficient or vice versa messages to customers.

  The advertisement section 1510 is configured to display advertisements from advertisers selling appliances that are becoming inefficient or appliances that can provide cost savings to customers over time. Here are three advertisements from local advertisers. Depending on customer preferences, solar panel advertisements from domestic and / or internet merchants can also be provided. Furthermore, the price of the new solar panel may be described in the advertisement. In addition, the estimated cost savings from solar panels are also shown. Alternative geothermal devices that help customers save money can also be used to present advertisements to customers. Advertisements can optionally be selected so that the user is automatically linked to the advertiser's website, through which the user browses a particular solar panel for sale Solar panels can be purchased from the advertiser, or the customer can verify the advertiser's location to visit the advertiser's retail store. Various embodiments of the inventive idea can be implemented as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium includes any data storage device suitable for storing data readable by a computer system. Non-exhaustive lists of examples of possible computer readable recording media include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical storage, and data over the Internet. Carrier waves such as transmission are included. The computer readable recording medium may further be distributed across a computer system coupled to a network so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Various embodiments of the inventive concept can be further realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. For example, the processing unit 802, the memory 808, the user interface 814, and the browser interfaces 1300, 1400, 1500 and / or their functions are stored in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In various embodiments, the processing unit 802, the memory 808, the user interface 814, and the browser interface 1300, 1400, 1500, and / or their functions may be a file and / or as shown in FIGS. It can also be realized as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium for performing tasks such as data transmission and / or reception operations. Further, the processing unit 802, memory 808, user interface 814, and browser interfaces 1300, 1400, 1500 and / or their functions may be displayed and displayed, such as data display and printing operations as shown in FIGS. It can also be implemented as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium that performs tasks such as printing operations.

  The foregoing detailed description of the invention relates to only a few embodiments for practicing the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate methods and variations for practicing the present invention other than those described in detail.

  Having described in detail the features, discoveries and principles of the inventive idea, the manner in which the inventive idea is constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, and the beneficial new useful results obtained, the new useful structure, device, Elements, configurations, parts and combinations are set forth in the appended claims.

  The scope of the claims includes all of the comprehensive and specific features of the inventive concept described in the present specification, and all that describes the scope of the inventive idea, that is, all that can be said to fall within the scope of expression. It is intended to be exhaustive.

Claims (35)

A method of measuring power usage in a network having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an overcurrent protection device, the method comprising:
Measuring electrical parameters of the electrical circuit with a power measuring device electrically connected to one or more electrical circuits supplying power to the power load;
Using the measured electrical parameters to calculate a data value indicative of the power consumed by the power load connected to the electrical circuit;
Displaying an indicia indicating a calculated data value indicative of power being drawn on the electrical circuit. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step comprises:
Generating a measurement signal having a frequency exceeding a threshold frequency, wherein the frequency is electrically located between the two electrical circuits when the measurement signal is supplied to the electrical circuit; Set to a frequency that passes through the electrical components and leads to the electrical circuit, and
Transmitting the measurement signal to an electrical circuit. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the measurement signal is generating a measurement signal between about 1 MHz and about 30 MHz. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
Communicating a calculated data value indicative of the power being drawn from the power measurement device to a remote location;
Storing the calculated data value at a remote location;
Processing the calculated data values to generate at least one statistic;
Allowing the user to access the calculated data value and the generated at least one statistic. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step includes measuring a complex impedance of the electrical circuit, the complex impedance including both a real part and an imaginary part. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step is performed using a non-coherent measurement technique. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step is performed using a coherent measurement technique. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step comprises:
Providing a first pulse having a first frequency on an electrical circuit;
Measuring a first reflectance signal of a first pulse from each load or discontinuity;
Providing a second pulse having a second frequency on the electrical circuit;
Measuring a second reflectance signal of a second pulse from each load or termination. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
Determining the resistance of the load on the network;
Determining that the resistance of the load is greater than or equal to the threshold resistance value;
And notifying the user that the resistance of the load has exceeded a threshold resistance value. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising communicating at least one load exchange option to a user. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step comprises:
Measuring the complex impedance of the electrical circuit,
Complex impedance is an automatic balanced bridge circuit, resonant (Q adapter / Q meter), RF I-V (current-voltage) measurement technique, network analysis (reflection coefficient), or TDR (time domain reflectometry) complex impedance meter circuit. A method characterized by being measured using The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring step comprises:
Measuring the complex impedance of the electrical circuit,
The measured complex impedance is broken down into components representing the individual impedances of the appliances that are loads in the network work, which is broken down in parallel and series connections connected by wires with frequency dependence given by the skin effect. Obtained through a network circuit model having resistors, capacitors, and inductors,
The network circuit model has parameters defined by numerical optimization using the measured complex impedance of the network at different frequencies to determine the optimal circuit value;
A method wherein the power used in the network is determined by converting the network and individual impedances using P = V ² / R, where V is a nominal voltage of 120 volts. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring one or more phases of a power network using a phase coupler and using a frequency less than 1 MHz. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the phase coupler includes a high precision impedance conversion system having a frequency generator with an analog / digital converter and a wireless communication I / O interface. A device for measuring power used in a residence having a plurality of electrical circuits electrically connected to an overcurrent protection device,
A first circuit configured to generate an alternating current (AC) measurement signal;
A second circuit configured to apply the AC measurement signal to one of the electrical circuits;
A second circuit in communication with the third circuit configured to measure a plurality of alternating voltages in response to applying an AC measurement signal to one of the electrical circuits; A processing unit configured to calculate the impedance of the appliance connected to
An apparatus comprising: an input / output unit configured to communicate with a processing unit and to communicate data generated by the processing unit to a remote location via a communication network. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to calculate power usage based on a calculated impedance of an appliance connected to the electrical circuit. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the AC current measurement signal is greater than about 1 MHz. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second circuit comprises a high frequency filter. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the third circuit comprises a resistor connected in series with the first circuit. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the AC measurement signal has an amplitude of about 5 volts or less. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the third circuit measures an applied voltage (VA), a voltage (VI) across a resistor of a known value, and a voltage (VZ) across an unknown impedance. A device characterized in that the voltage is an AC voltage. 24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate an impedance of an appliance connected to the electrical circuit based on the measured AC voltages VA, VI, and VZ. Device to do. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first circuit, the second circuit, the third circuit, and the processing unit are configured using non-coherent measurement techniques. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first circuit, the second circuit, the third circuit, and the processing unit are reflective to measure the impedance of individual appliances that are powered from the electrical circuit. An apparatus configured to use rate measurement techniques. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate a notification when a determination is made that the amount of power being used exceeds a voltage threshold level. . 16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an electronic display in communication with the processing unit, wherein the processing unit displays an indicia indicating the power usage of the appliance on the power circuit. An apparatus characterized by being configured as follows. A method of advertising electrical appliances to potential customers,
Monitoring the electrical resistance value of the appliance over time;
Determining that the predicted cost for using the appliance over a predetermined forecast period, predicted based on the monitored electrical resistance value, is greater than the expected cost for using an alternative appliance over the forecast period; ,
Generating a notification indicating that a user of the appliance will save money over the forecast period by replacing the appliance with a replacement appliance, including a list of alternative appliances available for purchase Steps,
Communicating the notification to a user. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein communicating the notification to the user includes posting the notification on a website accessed by the user. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of predicting whether the predicted cost exceeds a predetermined threshold amount. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
Determining that the electrical resistance value of the appliance has exceeded the electrical resistance threshold level;
Generating a second notification indicating that the appliance has exceeded the electrical threshold level;
Communicating the second notification to the user. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
Determining that the rate of increase of the electrical resistance value of the appliance increases faster than the threshold rate;
Generating a second notification indicating that the appliance is dangerous;
Communicating the second notification to the user. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
Measuring the electrical properties of the appliance;
Determining the brand and model of the appliance based on the measurement of electrical properties or user input;
Determining another appliance that is an ideal replacement for the appliance based on the determined brand and model of the appliance;
Selecting at least one of the ideal alternative appliances to include in the notification. The method of claim 32, wherein
The method further includes determining a geographic location of the appliance;
The step of determining another appliance that is considered to be an ideal replacement appliance of the appliance is a local that handles at least one of the other appliances that is local to the geographical location of the appliance. A method comprising determining a retail store. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein generating the notification includes generating an advertisement that includes a list of alternative appliances, the advertisement including the name of a retail store that handles the alternative appliances. how to. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein generating a notification includes generating a notification when a predictive decision is made that the user will be financially saved over an expected period of three years. Method.

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