Power management message bus system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9830672-B2
Application number	US-201414527553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A message bus is utilized for energy management/control. The publish/subscribe message bus present between site gateways, a central server farm, and other entities, facilitates exchange of messages pertaining to management and control of power generation and/or storage. On-site publishers/subscribers can include, e.g., PV inverters, battery devices, energy meters, etc. Non-site specific publishers/subscribers can include, e.g., web clients, database servers (for logging), and various server components of the message bus. Messages exchanged between publishers and subscribers can include control messages (e.g., begin charging battery X) and measurement messages (e.g., the current charge of battery X is Y). Embodiments may implement logic at a site gateway prioritizing transmission of messages to local site devices. Thus where a gateway cannot simultaneously transmit device control messages and device data acquisition messages (e.g., due to processing burden or congestion), site gateway logic can prioritize transmission of the control messages over the locally-generated data acquisition requests.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
managing, by a site gateway, a subscription logic for one or more devices for handling energy, the one or more devices in communication with the site gateway at a local site wherein each device comprises a photovoltaic device, an energy storage device, a controllable load, a meter, or an inverter;
receiving, by the site gateway, a power management message including a topic;
determining whether to forward the power management message to any of the one or more devices based on the subscription logic and the topic of the message;
referencing, by the site gateway, prioritization logic to assign a priority to the power management message; and
transmitting, by the site gateway, the power management message to a determined device of the one or more devices according to the priority, the priority being higher than a priority of a different message transmitted by the site gateway,
wherein the power management message includes a control message causing the determined device to change an attribute, and
wherein the priority is assigned based upon at least one of a message expiration time, a latency, or a quality of communication between the site gateway and the device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the different message comprises a data acquisition message causing the determined device to respond with a message including the requested data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the different message is generated at the site gateway.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the different message is also published to a message bus system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the priority is assigned based upon the topic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the priority is assigned based upon a device identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the priority is assigned based upon content within a body of the message.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program code executable by a site gateway computer system located at a site including a plurality of devices for handling energy, the program code comprising:
code that causes the computer system to manage a subscription logic for the plurality of devices for handling energy, the plurality of devices in communication with the site gateway at a local site wherein each device comprises a photovoltaic device, an energy storage device, a controllable load, a meter, or an inverter;
code that causes the computer system to receive a power management message including a topic;
code that causes the computer system to determine whether to forward the power management message to any of the plurality of devices based on the subscription logic and the topic of the message;
code that causes the computer system to reference prioritization logic to assign a priority to the power management message; and
code that causes the computer system to transmit the power management message to a determined device of the one or more devices according to the priority, the priority being higher than a priority of a different message transmitted by the site gateway,
wherein the power management message comprises a control message causing the determined device to change an attribute, and
wherein the priority is assigned based upon at least one of a message expiration time, a latency, or a quality of communication between the site gateway and the device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage method of claim 8 wherein the different message comprises a data acquisition message generated at the site gateway.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage method of claim 8 wherein the different message is also published to a message bus system.

11. A power management gateway located at a site with a plurality of devices for handling energy, the gateway comprising:
a processor that communicates with a remote server and the plurality of devices located at the site, the gateway communicating with the remote server over a first network type and with at least one of the plurality of devices over a second network type; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
manage a subscription logic for the plurality of devices for handling energy;
receive, from the remote server, a power management message including a topic;
determine whether to forward the power management message to any of the one or more devices based on the subscription logic and the topic of the message;
reference prioritization logic to assign a priority to the power management message; and
transmit the power management message to a determined device of the one or more devices according to the priority, the priority being higher than a priority of a different message transmitted by the site gateway, wherein the determined device responds to the power management message by altering its operation or replying to the message with a state of the determined device,
wherein the plurality of devices comprises a photovoltaic device, an energy storage device, a controllable load, a meter, or an inverter, and
wherein the priority is assigned based on at least one of a message expiration time, a latency, or a quality of communication between the site gateway and the determined device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the power management message comprises a control message.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the different message comprises a data acquisition message generated at the site gateway.

Assignees

• Solarcity Corp

Inventors

• Carlson Eric Daniel
• Varadarajan Karthikeyan
• Aguinaldo Franklin

Classifications

• G06Q50/06 Primary

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• G06F13/161

  with latency improvement · CPC title

• H04Q2209/60

  for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter · CPC title

• H04Q2209/30

  using a wired architecture · CPC title

• Y04S10/123

  the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources · CPC title