Extensible energy management architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423848-B2
Application number	US-201313839270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

An energy management system may include a plurality of industrial automation devices and a first energy agent embedded within an industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices. The first energy agent may monitor one or more energy properties that correspond to the industrial automation device. Also, the first energy agent may adjust one or more operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy properties and an energy objective.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy management system, comprising:
a plurality of industrial automation devices;
a first energy agent embedded within a first industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the first energy agent is configured to:
monitor one or more energy properties that correspond to the first industrial automation device; and
adjust one or more operations of the first industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy properties and an energy objective; and

a second energy agent embedded within a second industrial automation device of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the second energy agent is not capable of monitoring one or more energy properties that correspond to the second industrial automation device, and wherein the second energy agent is configured to receive the one or more energy properties that correspond to the second industrial automation device from the first energy agent.

2. The energy management system of claim 1 , wherein the first energy agent is configured to:
receive factory specifications that correspond to the industrial automation device; and
adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the factory specifications.

3. The energy management system of claim 2 , wherein the first energy agent is configured to:
determine whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications; and
adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on whether the industrial automation device is capable of meeting the factory specifications.

4. The energy management system of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the first energy agent is configured to:
exchange energy data with each of the plurality of energy agents; and
adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the energy data.

5. The energy management system of claim 4 , wherein the energy data is exchanged over a communication network, and wherein the communication network is the same as a control network for the plurality of industrial automation devices.

6. The energy management system of claim 5 , wherein the communication network comprises an industrial communication network, wherein the industrial communication network comprises which EtherNet/IP®, DeviceNet®, ControlNet®, Profinet®, SB EtherNet/IP, or any combination thereof.

7. The energy management system of claim 4 , wherein the energy data comprises an amount of energy used by the industrial automation device, a specification that corresponds to the industrial automation device, actual energy costs associated with the industrial automation device, predicted energy costs associated with the industrial automation device, or a combination thereof.

8. The energy management system of claim 1 , comprising a network configured to provide the energy objective to the first energy agent.

9. The energy management system of claim 8 , wherein the network is a cloud-based system.

10. The energy management system of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the plurality of energy agents are downstream from the first energy agent, and wherein the first energy agent is configured to:
aggregate energy data acquired from each of the plurality of energy agents; and
adjust the operations of the industrial automation device based at least in part on the aggregation.

11. The energy management system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of energy agents embedded within a subset of the plurality of industrial automation devices, wherein the plurality of energy agents and the first energy agent are part of an energy management hierarchy, wherein the first energy agent is on top of the energy management hierarchy, and wherein the first energy agent is configured to send energy objectives and commands to each energy agent of the plurality of energy agents.

12. An energy agent, comprising:
a communication agent configured to communicate with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in an industrial automation system; and
a monitor agent configured to:
analyze energy data that corresponds to at least one device of the one or more devices; and
simulate energy data that corresponds to a first device in the industrial automation system based at least in part on the energy data that corresponds to the at least one device and energy data that corresponds to one or more devices within one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein the first device is not part of the one or more devices.

13. The energy agent of claim 12 , wherein the monitor agent is configured to analyze the energy data by:
determining whether the energy data exceeds a predetermined limit; and
sending an alarm signal to a controller that is configured to control the industrial automation system when the energy data exceeds the predetermined limit.

14. The energy agent of claim 12 , wherein the monitor agent is configured to analyze energy data that corresponds to one or more devices in the industrial automation system by receiving the energy data that corresponds to the one or more devices from one or more energy agents embedded within the one or more devices via a communication network.

15. The energy agent of claim 12 , wherein the communication agent is configured to automatically integrate the energy agent into a communication network once the energy agent establishes network conductivity with the communication network.

16. The energy agent of claim 15 , wherein the communication agent is configured to automatically integrate the energy agent into a communication network by exchanging a profile that corresponds to the energy agent with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein the one or more energy agents are coupled to the communication network.

17. The energy agent of claim 12 , comprising at least one of:
a data agent configured to acquire raw energy data that corresponds to at least one device in an industrial automation system;
a control agent configured to control one or more operations of the at least one device based at least in part on one or more energy objectives that correspond to the at least one device or the industrial automation system; and
a visualization agent configured to generate one or more visualizations that correspond to the raw energy data or the energy data analyzed by the monitor agent.

18. The energy agent of claim 17 , wherein the control agent is configured to:
receive the one or more energy objectives;
coordinate the one or more operations with one or more energy agents embedded within one or more devices in the industrial automation system; and
implement the coordinated operations using the at least one device and the one or more energy agents.

19. The energy agent of claim 17 , wherein the control agent is configured to:
receive one or more energy plans from one or more energy agents embedded within the one or more devices in the industrial automation system, wherein each energy plan comprises one or more actions for each device in the industrial automation system to implement to achieve the one or more energy objectives;
identify one of the one or more energy plans that substantially

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Keller Michael R
• Vasko David A
• Kaufman Philip J
• Brandt David D

Classifications

• G05B2219/32021

  Energy management, balance and limit power to tools · CPC title

• G06F1/3203 Primary

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• Y04S10/30

  State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge · CPC title

• Y04S20/221

  General power management systems · CPC title