Automatic system for controlling appliances

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9837817-B2
Application number	US-201314764630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2013
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A system for managing house appliances supplied through a power grid is provided. Each house appliance operates according to at least one corresponding operative mode. Each operative mode comprises a sequence of operative phases. The system comprises at least one control unit interfaced with the house appliances for exchanging data. The at least one control unit collects power profile data comprising timing and electric power consumption data of each operative phase of each operative mode of the house appliances; generates a time schedule of the house appliances operations by distributing in time the execution of the operative phases thereof such that total power consumption of house appliances is kept under a maximum power threshold of the power grid; and controls the operation of the appliances based on the time schedule. The at least one control unit is configured to generate the time schedule by exploiting a Particle Swarm Optimization approach.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for managing house appliances supplied through a power grid, each house appliance being adapted to operate according to at least one corresponding operative mode, each operative mode comprising a sequence of operative phases, the system comprising at least one control unit interfaced with the house appliances for exchanging data, the at least one control unit being configured to:
collect power profile data comprising timing and electric power consumption data of each operative phase of each operative mode of the house appliances;
generate a time schedule of the house appliances operations by distributing in time execution of the operative phases thereof in such a way that a total power consumption of the house appliances is kept under a maximum power threshold of the power grid, wherein the distributing in time the execution of the operative phases comprises maintaining a first sequence of operative phases for a first appliance of the house appliances and shifting in time one or more operative phases of a second sequence of operative phases for a second appliance of the house appliances, wherein the at least one control unit is configured to generate the time schedule by:
randomly generating a population of candidate time schedules within a search space comprising a plurality of candidate time schedules;
for each candidate time schedule of the population, calculating a corresponding cost by using a cost function;
moving the candidate time schedules in the search space based on the cost thereof with a Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization approach exploiting a Lévy probability distribution; and
generating the time schedule based on the candidate time schedules; and
control the operation of the appliances based on the time schedule,
wherein the at least one control unit is configured to generate the time schedule by exploiting a Particle Swarm Optimization approach based on a nature-inspired evolutionary flight.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control unit is configured to:
select a candidate time schedule global best position in the search space among positions previously taken by the plurality of candidate time schedules in the search space based on the cost thereof, and
for each candidate time schedule, moving the candidate time schedule by:
selecting a candidate time schedule personal best position in the search space among positions previously taken by such candidate time schedule in the search space based on the cost thereof, and
moving the candidate time schedule based on the candidate time schedule global best position and based on its candidate time schedule personal best position.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one control unit is configured to move the candidate time schedule from a current position in the search space to a new position in the search space by:
calculating a personal attractor position in the search space based on the candidate time schedule personal best position and based on the candidate time schedule global best position, and
setting the new position in the search space based on the personal attractor position and based on a difference between:
a) the personal attractor position, and
b) the current position,
multiplied by a random number with Lévy distribution.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cost function of a candidate time schedule depends on a difference between the maximum power threshold of the power grid and a power consumption of the house appliances that would occur if the house appliances operated following the candidate time schedule.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the cost function of a candidate time schedule further depends on one or more of user preferences or constraints imposed by the operative modes of the house appliances.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control unit is further configured to control the house appliances in order to perform one or more of reducing power consumption of currently active house appliances or deactivating at least one of the currently active house appliances if the power consumption of the currently active house appliances is higher than a guard threshold lower than the maximum power threshold of the power grid.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one control unit is configured to perform one or more of sequentially driving the currently active house appliances to reduce the power consumption thereof or sequentially deactivating the currently active house appliances according to a priority list defined by a user or starting from the currently active house appliances consuming more power, until the power consumption of the currently active house appliances falls below the guard threshold.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the house appliances are located in a domestic area, and the at least one control unit comprises a local control unit located in the domestic area wirelessly interfaced with the house appliance for exchanging data.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one control unit further comprises at least one remote control unit remotely connected with the local control unit, and wherein:
the at least one remote control unit is configured to generate at least one remotely generated time schedule, and
the local control unit is configured to generate a locally generated time schedule, the time schedule being selected between the at least one remotely generated time schedule and the locally generated time schedule based on costs of the at least one remotely generated time schedule and of the locally generated time schedule.

10. A method for managing house appliances supplied through a power grid, each house appliance being adapted to operate according to at least one corresponding operative mode, each operative mode comprising a sequence of operative phases, the method comprising:
collecting power profile data comprising timing and electric power consumption data of each operative phase of each operative mode of the house appliances;
generating a time schedule of house appliances operations by distributing in time execution of the operative phases thereof in such a way that a total power consumption of the house appliances is kept under a maximum power threshold of the power grid, wherein the distributing in time the execution of the operative phases comprises maintaining a first sequence of operative phases for a first appliance of the house appliances and shifting in time one or more operative phases of a second sequence of operative phases for a second appliance of the house appliances, wherein the generating the time schedule comprises:
randomly generating a population of candidate time schedules within a search space comprising a plurality of candidate time schedules;
for each candidate time schedule of the population, calculating a corresponding cost by using a cost function;
moving the candidate time schedules in the search space based on the cost thereof with a Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization approach exploiting a Lévyprobability distribution; and
generating the time schedule based on the candidate time schedules; and
controlling the operation of the house appliances based on the time schedule,
wherein the step of generating the time schedule includes exploiting a Particle Swarm Optimization approach based on a nature-inspired evolutionary flight.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
selecting a candidate time schedule global best position in the search space among positions previously taken by the plurality of candidate time schedules in the search space based on the cost thereof, and
for each candidate time schedule, moving the candidate ti

Assignees

• Telecom Italia Spa

Inventors

• Borean Claudio
• Grasso Ennio

Classifications

• H02J3/00 Primary

  Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks · CPC title

• H04L67/125 Primary

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G01D4/00

  Tariff metering apparatus (in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00) · CPC title

• G05B13/021

  in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance · CPC title

• H01L2924/0002

  Electricity · mapped topic