Monitoring and fault detection of electrical appliances for ambient intelligence

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9684028-B1
Application number	US-201615332835-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

The operation of electrical appliances receiving electrical power from an electrical system may be indirectly monitored using monitoring units engaged with outlets on branch circuits of the electrical system. Electrical systems providing power to appliances to be monitored in accordance with the present invention may comprise split phase alternating current systems, tri-phase systems, or any other type of electrical system. Known loads may be applied to calibrate the monitoring system. The monitoring system may measure the power consumption of appliances operating on the electrical system and/or detect possible fault conditions. The monitoring system may be distributed across multiple monitoring units and other computing devices. Output devices may be used to output a summary of the power consumption or other operation of monitored electrical appliances.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for monitoring and reporting on performance of a plurality of electrical appliances that receive electrical power from an electrical system having at least two branch circuits on different phases of the electrical system, the system comprising:
a first monitoring unit that interfaces with a first branch circuit of the electrical system, the first monitoring unit comprising:
a first voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the first branch circuit to measure voltage between lines of the first branch circuit,
a first electrical load,
a first control component that causes the first voltage measuring unit to measure first voltages with and without the first electrical load applied to the first branch circuit, and

a second monitoring unit that interfaces with a second branch circuit of the electrical system, the second monitoring unit comprising
a second voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the second branch circuit to measure voltage between the lines of the second branch circuit,
a second electrical load,
a second control component that causes the second voltage measuring unit to measure second voltages with and without the second electrical load applied to the second branch circuit, and

wherein the first control component of the first monitoring unit and the second control component of the second monitoring unit coordinate timing of application of the first electrical load of the first monitoring unit and application of the second electrical load of the second monitoring unit, and
wherein the first control component and the second control component use information describing the first voltages and the second voltages to calibrate the system and, based on calibration, the first control component causes the first voltage measuring unit to measure first changes in voltage between lines of the first branch circuit without the application of the first electrical load and the second control component causes the second voltage measuring unit to measure second changes in voltage between lines of the second branch circuit without the application of the second electrical load, the first and second changes in voltage characterizing performance of an electrical appliance receiving electrical power from the electrical system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control component of the first monitoring unit and the second control component of the second monitoring unit coordinate application of the first electric load of the first monitoring unit and the second electric load of the second monitoring unit and coordinate the first voltage measuring unit of the first monitoring unit and the second voltage measuring unit of the second monitoring unit to measure voltages at each of the first monitoring unit and the second monitoring unit at a time when:
the only electrical load applied is the first electrical load of the first monitoring unit,
the only electrical load applied is the second electrical load of the second monitoring unit, and
no electrical load is applied to the electrical system.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first branch circuit and the second branch circuit are on different phases of an alternating current electrical system.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the alternating current electrical system comprises a tri-phase electrical system having the first branch circuit corresponding to a first phase of the electrical system, the second branch circuit corresponding to a second phase of the electrical system, and a third branch circuit corresponding to a third phase of the electrical system, the system further comprising:
a third monitoring unit that interfaces with the third branch circuit of the electrical system, the third monitoring unit comprising:
a third voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the third branch circuit to measure voltage between lines of the third branch circuit,
a third electrical load; and
a third control component that causes the third voltage measuring unit to measure third voltages with and without the third electrical load applied to the third branch circuit, wherein the first control component of the first monitoring unit, the second control component of the second monitoring unit, and the third control component of the third monitoring unit coordinate timing of application of the first electrical load of the first monitoring unit, application of the second electrical load of the second monitoring unit, and application of the third electrical load of the third monitoring unit.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first control component, the second control component, and the third control component coordinate timing of application of the first electrical load, application of the second electrical load, and application of the third electrical load such that only one of the first electrical load, the second electrical load, and the third electrical load is applied at a single time.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control component is configured to calculate an amount of power consumed by individual electrical appliances that receive electrical power from the electrical system based upon changes in measurements of voltages made by the first measuring unit at the first control unit and wherein the second control component is configured to calculate an amount of power consumed by individual electrical appliances that receive electrical power from the electrical system based upon changes in measurements of voltages made by the second measuring unit at the second control unit.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a display component that is configured to receive instructions from at least one of the first control component and the second control component, the instructions causing the display component to output a representation of the power consumption of individual electrical appliances that receive electrical power from the electrical system.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the display component comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer monitor, or a television monitor.

9. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a database accessed by the first control component and the second control component, the database providing power consumption signatures for common electrical appliances that are used in identifying the electrical appliances that receive power from the electrical system.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two branch circuits have a hot line, a neutral line and a ground line.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the first branch circuit to measure voltage between the hot and neutral lines of the first branch circuit.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the first branch circuit to measure voltage between the neutral and ground lines of the first branch circuit.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the second branch circuit to measure voltage between the hot and neutral lines of the second branch circuit.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second voltage measuring unit that interfaces with the second branch circuit to measure voltage between the neutral and ground lines of the second branch circuit.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first monitoring unit is not directly interfaced with at least some of the plurality of electrical appliances to be monitored so that some of the plurality of electrical appliances to be monitored do not receive power through the

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Kabler Ronald Byron
• Lutes Robert Leon
• Briancon Alain Charles
• Crawford Curtis Scott
• Giacoponello Christopher Allen
• Johnson Jerald Frederic
• Jara-Olivares Victor Andres
• Epard Marc Anthony
• Goldberg Steven Jeffrey
• Lancaster John Berns

Classifications

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R31/2825 Primary

  in household appliances or professional audio/video equipment (testing LAN's H04L43/50; testing TV systems H04N17/00; testing loudspeakers H04R29/00) · CPC title

• G01R31/2837

  Characterising or performance testing, e.g. of frequency response (transient response G01R27/28) · CPC title

• G01R31/2836 Primary

  Fault-finding or characterising (G01R31/2822 - G01R31/2831 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01D2204/24

  Identification of individual loads, e.g. by analysing current/voltage waveforms · CPC title