Hierarchical model communication and control in a managed electrical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411329-B2
Application number	US-201113297028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2011
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides an energy-management system for managing energy within a predominantly closed power system. The system includes an upper-level energy-management module, at least one lower-level energy-management module coupled to the upper-level energy-management module, and at least one component coupled to the lower-level energy-management module. The component is configured to provide a performance model associated with the component to the lower-level energy-management module. The lower-level energy-management module is configured to provide an aggregated model to the upper-level energy-management module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy-management system for managing energy within a predominantly closed power system, comprising:
an upper-level energy-management module;
at least one lower-level energy-management module coupled to the upper-level energy-management module, wherein the upper-level energy-management module is configured to provide a prompting model to the lower-level energy-management module, wherein the prompting model includes a number of operation modes; and
at least one component coupled to the lower-level energy-management module;
wherein the component is configured to provide a performance model associated with the component to the lower-level energy-management module; and
wherein the lower-level energy-management module is configured to provide an aggregated model to the upper-level energy-management module, wherein while providing the aggregated model, the lower-level energy-management module is configured to construct a phantom component model associated with a respective operation mode, and wherein the phantom component model describes a phantom power supply or power load.

2. The energy-management system of claim 1 , wherein the component includes a driver configured to receive status information from the component and provide the performance model.

3. The energy-management system of claim 1 , wherein the performance model and/or the aggregate model include one or more control-action offers, and wherein the lower-level energy-management module and/or the upper-level energy-management module are configured to control an operation of the component by selecting a control action from the plurality of control-action offers.

4. The energy-management system of claim 1 , wherein the lower-level energy-management module is configured to generate the aggregated model by performing an optimization based at least on the phantom component model and the performance model.

5. The energy-management system of claim 1 , wherein the upper-level energy-management module is also coupled to a second component.

6. The energy-management system of claim 5 , wherein the upper-level energy-management module is configured to control operations of the lower-level energy-management module and/or the second component by performing an optimization based on the aggregated model and/or a performance model associated with the second component.

7. The energy-management system of claim 1 , wherein the performance model and/or the aggregated model include at least one of the following variables:
power;
cost; and
deficit.

8. A method for managing energy within a predominantly closed power system, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first energy manager, a performance model from a component coupled to the first energy manager;
receiving, by the first energy manager, a prompting model from a second energy manager, wherein the prompting model includes a number of operation modes;
constructing, by the first energy manager, a phantom component model associated with a respective operation mode, wherein the phantom component model describes a phantom power supply or power load; and
sending, from the first energy manager, an aggregated model to the second energy manager.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising controlling an operation of the component by selecting a control action from one or more control-action offers included in the performance model.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the aggregated model is generated by performing an optimization based at least on the phantom component model and the performance model.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second energy manager is also coupled to a second component.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving, at the first energy manager, a control command from the second energy manager, wherein the control command is generated by performing an optimization based on the aggregated model and/or a performance model associated with the second component.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performance model and/or the aggregated model include at least one of the following variables:
power;
cost; and
deficit.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for managing energy within a predominantly closed power system, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first energy manager, a performance model from a component coupled to the first energy manager;
receiving, by the first energy manager, a prompting model from a second energy manager, wherein the prompting model includes a number of operation modes;
constructing, by the first energy manager, a phantom component model associated with a respective operation mode, wherein the phantom component model describes a phantom power supply or power load; and
sending, from the first energy manager, an aggregated model to the second energy manager.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises controlling an operation of the component by selecting a control action from one or more control-action offers included in the performance model.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the aggregated model is generated by performing an optimization based at least on the phantom component model and the performance model.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the second energy manager is also coupled to a second component.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises receiving, at the first energy manager, a control command from the second energy manager, wherein the control command is generated by performing an optimization based on the aggregated model and/or a performance model associated with the second component.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the performance model and/or the aggregated model include at least one of the following variables:
power;
cost; and
deficit.

Assignees

• Greene Daniel H
• Hindi Haitham A S
• Price Robert R
• Preas Bryan T
• Hanley John
• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Greene Daniel H
• Hindi Haitham A S
• Price Robert R
• Preas Bryan T
• Hanley John

Classifications

• H02J2103/30

  Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks · CPC title

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• Y02T50/54

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E60/76

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic