WO2024188431A1

WO2024188431A1 - Dynamic control of an energy management system

Info

Publication number: WO2024188431A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/056212
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ralf EKKELENKAMP; Ronald Oomen; Roman Martin GESSLER; Roland Engert; Christopher Jon FRERKING; Saskia BÖRGER
Original assignee: BDR Thermea Group BV
Current assignee: BDR Thermea Group BV
Priority date: 2023-03-10
Filing date: 2023-03-10
Publication date: 2024-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-10
Also published as: EP4677808A1; WO2024188719A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling an energy management system. The energy management system includes a system manager that provides centralised control of the energy management system and at least two energy management appliances. The method includes generating profile cards for the energy management appliances, each profile card associated with an energy management appliance and including data related to the appliance; receiving information from a sending appliance; updating the data in the profile card associated with the sending appliance based on the received information; receiving a request; selecting an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request, based on the data in the profile cards; and sending a command from the system manager to the selected energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request.

Description

Dynamic Control of an Energy Management System

The invention relates to dynamically controlling an energy management system with at least two energy management appliances that provide energy in forms such as heating, cooling, or hot water.

In previously-known control methods for cascade heating systems and/or hybrid cascade heating systems, the heating appliances of a particular type (i.e., boilers, heat pumps, etc.) are typically used in a predetermined sequence to meet demand. For example, the next heating appliance in the sequence is switched on when the current heating demand can no longer be met by the heating appliances that are already switched on. This predetermined sequence is typically established when the system is installed, and does not take changing conditions into account. Other simple control methods are also known, such as selection based on usage hours. Selection of a heating appliance based on usage hours reduces wear, since it is not always the same appliance that is being started and used.

The type of appliance used in hybrid systems is typically chosen based on simple static criteria. For example, since heat pumps are often more energy efficient than boilers over particular temperature ranges and operating conditions, the system may be preprogrammed to use heat pumps to meet a demand if the temperature ranges and operating conditions permit heat pumps to be used, and to use boilers otherwise.

In some previously-known control methods for a systems having a plurality of heating appliances, the individual heating appliances are controlled independently of one another. Therefore, the control is uncoordinated, and the properties and limitations of individual heating appliances are not taken into account. This often leads to mechanical solutions to compensate for the lack of coordination between appliances. This leads to decreased flexibility in the design of system hydronics.

Additionally, previously-known control systems generally fail to account for dynamically changing conditions, such as the current efficiency of each appliance, which could be affected by numerous factors, such as temperature, number of hours or power cycles that the appliance has been in use, etc., when selecting heating appliances to use. They do not consider the numerous current conditions that could influence whether it makes sense to use a particular heating appliance to meet a demand. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to improve the quality of control of energy management systems that include at least two energy management appliances that provide energy in a form such as heating, cooling, or hot water.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a control method for an energy management system that takes dynamically changing conditions into account. These conditions may be related to the energy management appliances themselves (e.g., current maintenance status, current conditions in a burner, etc.), to conditions in the energy management system, such as return temperatures, and/or to external conditions, such as energy costs, weather, or environmental conditions.

It is a further object of the invention to individually control each appliance within an energy management system, such as a cascade or hybrid cascade heating system, based on the properties and state of each energy management appliance in the system in realtime or near real-time. This allows for the controller to attempt to optimise appliance life expectancy and efficiency for each type of heat or energy demand.

These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the disclosed technology by a method for controlling an energy management system that includes at least two energy management appliances, such as heating appliances, using a “profile card” associated with each of the energy management appliances. These profile cards are updated in real-time or near real-time using information provided by the energy management appliances and/or information on external conditions and user preferences provided by other sources, such as sensors, room units, or over the Internet. A system manager receives a request and matches the request to the dynamically updated profile cards to select an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request. It should be noted that this method may be computationally expensive compared to previously- known control methods, due to the generating, frequent updating, sorting, matching, and filtering of numerous profile cards. However, the computing power currently available, using even low-cost and low-power microcontrollers, means that methods of this sort can be used without computational cost being a barrier.

It should be understood that implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. Some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned objects may not satisfy these objects and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides a method for controlling an energy management system. The energy management system includes a system manager that provides centralised control of the energy management system and at least two energy management appliances. Each energy management appliance includes a controller that controls the appliance. The controller communicates with the system manager to send information available at the energy management appliance to the system manager and/or to receive commands from the system manager. The method includes generating a plurality of profile cards for the energy management appliances, each profile card associated with an energy management appliance and including data related to the energy management appliance as static and/or dynamic data. The method further includes receiving at the system manager information from a sending energy management appliance and updating the data in the profile card or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance based on the received information. The method also includes receiving at the system manager a request and selecting at the system manager an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request, based on the data in the profile cards. The method also includes sending a command from the system manager to the selected energy management appliance, the command related to at least partially fulfilling the request.

In some implementations, selecting at the system manager an energy management appliance includes generating a set of profile cards, wherein each profile card in the set of profile cards is associated with an energy management appliance that, based on information in the profile card, is able to at least partially fulfil the request, and selecting a profile card from the set of profile cards. In some implementations, selecting the profile card includes selecting the profile card from the set of profile cards based on designated data in the profile card. In some implementations, the designated data includes predictive data, such as predictive maintenance information. In some implementations, the designated data includes energy cost information. In some implementations, selecting the profile card includes selecting a profile card at random from the set of profile cards.

In some implementations, the method further includes receiving information indicative of an external condition or an external limitation. In some implementations, the external condition includes a weather-related condition. In some implementations, the external condition includes an energy cost-related condition. In some implementations, the external condition includes an environmental condition. In some implementations, the environmental condition is related to a room environment or a zone environment, such as a room temperature or air quality. In some implementations, updating the data in the profile card and/or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance further includes adjusting the data in the profile card based on the information indicative of an external condition. In some implementations, the system manager can access a model of the performance of the sending energy management appliance based on an external condition, and adjusting the data in the profile card based on the information indicative of an external condition includes applying the model.

In some implementations, the method further includes receiving at the system manager information indicative of a user preference. In some implementations, the user preference includes a preference related to energy cost. In some implementations, the user preference includes a preference related to an environmental impact. In some implementations, the environmental impact includes noise. In some implementations, updating the data in the profile card and/or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance further includes adjusting the profile card based on the information indicative of a user preference.

In some implementations, at least one of the energy management appliances includes a sensor that determines a current operating parameter of the energy management appliance, and receiving at the system manager information from a sending energy management appliance includes optionally receiving information related to the current operating parameter. In some implementations, the method further includes updating the data in the profile card or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance based on the received current operating parameter.

In some implementations, the request includes a forecasted demand. In some implementations, the forecasted demand is generated using a model or a simulation.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides an energy management system including a network, a system manager that provides centralised control of the energy management system, and at least two energy management appliances. The system manager is communicatively connected to the network, and includes a processor and a memory. The energy management appliances include a controller that controls the appliance, the controller communicating over the network with the system manager to send information available at the energy management appliance to the system manager and/or to receive commands from the system manager. The memory of the system manager stores programmed instructions that when executed by the processor of the system manager cause the system manager to implement the method.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides a non-transitory computer- readable medium including programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system. The programmed instructions, when executed on a processor of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides a computer program product including programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system. The programmed instructions, when executed on a processor of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides a signal including programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system. The programmed instructions, when executed on a processor of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method.

In some implementations, the disclosed technology provides a building including an energy management system controlled according to the method. In some implementations, the building is a residential building.

In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, a computer system may refer, but is not limited to, an “electronic device", an “operation system”, a “system”, a “computer-based system”, a “controller unit”, a “monitoring device”, a “control device” and/or any combination thereof appropriate to the relevant task at hand.

In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, the expression “computer-readable medium” and “memory” are intended to include media of any nature and kind whatsoever, non-limiting examples of which include RAM, ROM, discs (CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppy disks, hard disk drives, etc.), USB keys, flash memory cards, solid-state-drives, and tape drives. In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, the words “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. have been used as adjectives only for the purpose of allowing for distinction between the nouns that they modify from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between those nouns.

Additional and/or alternative features, aspects and advantages of implementations of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the figures, the subject-matter of the invention is schematically shown, wherein identical or similarly acting elements are usually provided with the same reference signs.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example controller that could be used in some implementations of the energy management system of the disclosure.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example energy management system.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an example energy management appliance.

Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example profile card associated with an energy management appliance.

Figure 5 is a block diagram of a method for controlling an energy management system in accordance with an implementation of the disclosed technology.

Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example method by which the system manager may select an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil a request in some implementations of the disclosed technology.

Figure 7 is a block diagram of a method for handling information on external conditions and/or external limitations in some implementations of the disclosed technology.

Figure 8 is a block diagram of a method for handling information on user preferences or settings in some implementations of the disclosed technology. The examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology and not to limit its scope to such specifically recited examples and conditions. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nonetheless embody the principles of the present technology.

Furthermore, as an aid to understanding, the following description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As persons skilled in the art would understand, various implementations of the present technology may be of a greater complexity.

In some cases, what are believed to be helpful examples of modifications to the present technology may also be set forth. This is done merely as an aid to understanding, and, again, not to define the scope or set forth the bounds of the present technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and a person skilled in the art may make other modifications while nonetheless remaining within the scope of the present technology. Further, where no examples of modifications have been set forth, it should not be interpreted that no modifications are possible and/or that what is described is the sole manner of implementing that element of the present technology.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present technology.

With these fundamentals in place, we will now consider some non-limiting examples to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present disclosure.

Controller

Figure 1 shows a controller 100. The controller 100 may be any type of computer or embedded controller. It will be recognised that some or all the components of the controller 100 may be virtualised and/or cloud-based. As shown in figure 1, the controller 100 includes one or more processors 102, a memory 110, a storage interface 120, and a communication interface 140. These system components are interconnected via a bus 150, which may include one or more internal and/or external buses (not shown) (e.g. a PCI bus, universal serial bus, IEEE 1394 “Firewire” bus, SCSI bus, Serial-ATA bus, etc.), to which the various hardware components are electronically coupled.

The memory 110, which may be a random-access memory or any other type of memory, may contain data 112, an operating system 114, and a program 116. The data 112 may be any data that serves as input to or output from any program in the controller 100. The operating system 114 is an operating system such as MICROSOFTWINDOWS, LINUX, FreeRTOS, or any other operating system suitable for use on a computer or microcontroller. The program 116 may be any program or set of programs that include programmed instructions that may be executed by the processor to control actions taken by the controller 100. In particular, the program 116 may include programmed instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out one or more of the methods described below.

The storage interface 120 is used to connect storage devices, such as the storage device 125, to the controller 100. One type of storage device 125 is a solid-state drive, which may use an integrated circuit assembly to store data persistently. A different kind of storage device 125 is a hard drive, such as an electro-mechanical device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital data. Similarly, the storage device 125 may be an optical drive, a card reader that receives a removable memory card, such as an SD card, or a flash memory device that may be connected to the controller 100 through, e.g., a universal serial bus (USB).

In some implementations, the controller 100 may use well-known virtual memory techniques that allow the programs of the controller 100 to behave as if they have access to a large, contiguous address space instead of access to multiple, smaller storage spaces, such as the memory 110 and the storage device 125. Therefore, while the data 112, the operating system 114, and the programs 116 are shown to reside in the memory 110, those skilled in the art will recognise that these items are not necessarily wholly contained in the memory 110 at the same time.

The processors 102 may include one or more microprocessors and/or other integrated circuits. The processors 102 execute program instructions stored in the memory 110. When the controller 100 starts up, the processors 102 may initially execute a boot routine and/or the program instructions that make up the operating system 114. The communication interface 140 is used to communicatively connect the controller 100 to other controllers, computer systems, or devices (not shown) via a communication channel 160, which may be a serial or parallel connection, a wired, wireless, mesh, or cellular network, or any other communication channel or combination of channels. Data and/or programmed instructions may be sent to the controller 100 as signals via the communication channel. The communication interface 140 may include a combination of hardware and software that allows communicating on the communication channel 160. The software in the communication interface 140 may include software that uses one or more communication protocols to communicate over the communication channel 160. For example, the communication protocols may include a network protocol, such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/lnternet Protocol).

It will be understood that the controller 100 is merely an example and that the disclosed technology may be used with other controllers or computer systems, or other computing devices having different configurations.

Energy Management System

Figure 2 shows an energy management system 200. Energy management system 200 includes one or more energy management appliances 202. As used herein, an energy management appliance may be a device that generates usable energy and/or manages, controls, and/or senses conditions relevant to usable energy in a form such as heat, cold, mechanical, and/or electrical energy. Thus, energy management appliances may include devices such as boilers, heat pumps, air conditioning units, etc. Energy management appliances may include energy producers, such as photovoltaic panels or wind turbines. Energy management appliances may also include other devices that are part of energy management system 200, such as buffers or batteries, controllers and communication devices, sensors, thermostats, room units, controllable valves for radiators, and/or other devices or modules (including software modules), that generate, manage, control, and/or sense conditions relevant to the operation of energy management system 200.

In the example energy management system 200, energy management appliances 202 include boilers 204. Each boiler 204 may be powered using fossil fuels, such as natural gas, propane, or oil, or may be powered using other fuel sources, such as hydrogen, or by some combination of such fuel sources. The operation of boilers is generally well- known in the art. The boilers 204 provide heat, usually transferred to a fluid carrier medium, typically water. Hot water or steam supplied by a boiler such as boilers 204 may be used, for example, for domestic hot water supply or heating applications. Energy management appliances 202 also include one or more electric heat pumps 206. The operation of electric heat pumps is well-known in the art. Each of heat pumps 206 may provide heat and/or cold. While often more energy efficient than boilers, heat pumps, such as heat pumps 206, typically depend on outdoor temperatures and operate over a limited temperature range.

Energy management appliances 202 may also include renewable energy generation devices, such as photovoltaic panel 208 and/or wind turbine 210. Such renewable energy generation devices typically generate electricity, though solar panels may heat water or other fluids directly.

Energy management appliances 202 may also include buffer storage 212. Buffer storage temporarily stores energy of the types managed in energy management system 200, typically hot water and electricity. For example, buffer storage 212 shown in figure 2 may be an insulated hot water tank used to store hot water. Another common type of buffer storage is a chemical energy storage system, such as a battery, which is used to store electrical energy. For example, in some implementations, an organic redux flow battery may be used. Other less common buffer storage systems, such as ice storage or mechanical energy storage systems, are also known in the art.

In some implementations, energy management appliances 202 may also include other devices such as room units 214, sensors 216, a smart meter 218, and other similar devices. It will be understood that in some implementations, these devices, which are not directly involved in the generation of usable energy in the form of heat, cold, and/or electricity, might not be considered to be energy management appliances. They nonetheless may be part of energy management system 200.

Although many types of energy management appliances are discussed above, it will be understood that this is not an exhaustive list. For example, systems may include energy management appliances fuelled by wood pellets or other fuel sources. In some systems, combined heat and power (CHP) energy management appliances may be used. As will be understood by the skilled person, there are many types of energy management appliances that may be used in a system such as energy management system 200.

In accordance with the disclosed technology, energy management system 200 also includes a system manager 220 that provides centralised control of energy management system 200. System manager 220 may be implemented using a controller, such as the controller 100 described with reference to figure 1 , or any other suitable controller, microcontroller, or computer system. System manager 220 maybe implemented as a separate unit in the energy management system 200, as shown in figure 2. System manager 220 may also be implemented as a software module that operates on any controller or computing device connected to energy management system 200. For example, system manager 220 may operate as a software module on the controller of an energy management appliance 202. Because the energy management appliances 202 have varying (and sometimes conflicting) capabilities, characteristics, and requirements, system manager 220 attempts to use information on energy management appliances 202 to coordinate energy management system 200, and to meet user demands.

Generally, system manager 220 receives requests from users through, for example, room units 214. System manager 220 attempts to fulfil these requests by sending commands to energy management appliances 202. Information from sensors and from energy management appliances 202 concerning their current conditions of operation are also received by system manager 220 and used to coordinate energy management system 200 to meet user requests. Once it has determined how a request may be at least partially fulfilled, system manager 220 sends commands, such as on/off commands or setpoints, to the various energy management appliances 202 that will be used to at least partially fulfil the request. It should be noted that in some instances, the requests may be a forecasted demand. In such cases, fulfilling the request may be used to prepare for handling the forecasted demand. Such a forecasted demand may be generated using a model or simulation, either on an external device, or on the system manager itself.

System manager 220 communicates with the energy management appliances 202 as well as other devices connected to energy management system 200 via a communication channel 230. Although figure 2 shows a wired communication channel, other forms of communication may also be used. For example, system manager 220 and energy management appliances 202 may communicate with each other wirelessly using a wireless communication protocol, such as WIFI, Bluetooth, or Zigbee. It will further be understood that although figure 2 shows the devices of energy management system 200 connected to each other using a network having a bus topology, this is merely for ease of illustration. Any suitable network topology may be used. For example, the devices may be connected via a mesh network, a star network, a ring network, a tree network or using a hybrid network topology. Forease of understanding, well-known network devices, such as network hubs and repeaters, are not shown in figure 2.

In some implementations, system manager 220 may include an external communication module (not shown) that may allow it to communicate over the Internet or other wide- area network (not shown) with sources of information or with controllers or devices outside of energy management system 200. This permits system manager 220 to receive information from outside sources, including information such as weather forecasts, energy prices, current weather conditions (using, e.g., network-connected local weather stations), current energy usage restrictions imposed by a government or grid operator, and/or other information on external conditions and limitations that may be relevant to operation of energy management system 200. System manager 220 may also receive commands and/or user preferences or settings via the Internet or other wide-area network. For example, a user may use an app running on a mobile phone, tablet, computer system, or other external device to issue commands to system manager 220. In some implementations, devices, such as room units, thermostats, and/or sensors may not be considered to be energy management appliances or to be a part of energy management system 200. In these implementations, such devices may communicate with system manager 220 as external sources. Additionally, in some implementations, system manager 220 may be in communication with external services, such as predictive maintenance services, cloud-based and/or Al-based energy control systems, local or regional energy usage control systems, and the like.

Energy management system 200 is generally used to provide the energy management needs, such as heating, cooling, hot water, electricity, etc. in a building, such as a residential dwelling. It will be understood that energy management system 200 may be used in other types of buildings, such as apartment buildings or other multi-dwelling buildings, office buildings, or any other building in which heating, cooling, hot water, and/or electricity systems are installed and/or controlled. In such buildings, each portion of the building, such as each residence, floor, or office suite, may be considered a separately controllable zone in the energy management system, in some implementations. It will also be appreciated that an energy management system, such as energy management system 200, may be used in other applications for controlling the delivery of heating, cooling, hot water, and/or electricity. For example, such an energy management system may be used in a block system, which delivers energy from a central plant to numerous buildings or dwellings. Energy Management Appliance

Referring now to figure 3, an example energy management appliance from the energy management system 200 of figure 2 is described. The example energy management appliance shown in figure 3 is a boiler. The boiler 302 includes a tank 304, a heat exchanger 306, a burner 308, a supply pipe 310, a return pipe 312, and a controller 314. While these example components are shown, it will be understood that many other components may make up a typical boiler, such as temperature and pressure relief valves, an expansion tank, a circulator pump, and the like. Boilers for domestic hot water supply are well-known in the art.

Controller 314 may be connected to one or more sensors, such as sensor 316. In this example, sensor 316 is a temperature sensor used to measure the temperature of the water in the boiler. In a typical boiler, there may be many other types of sensors, such as pressure sensors, flow sensors, oxygen or carbon monoxide sensors, flame sensors, water level sensors, and the like. Controller 314 is also connected to a communication module 318, which facilitates communication with the system manager (not shown in figure 3). The communication module 318 may be integrated with controller 314 or may be a separate module that is connected to controller 314 through an interface.

Controller 314 regulates the operation of boiler 302 based on input from sensors and based on settings and commands received from the system manager. Controller 314 uses a combination of software algorithms, control logic, and feedback loops to control the operation of the components of boiler 302 by, for example, adjusting the fuel flow rate, changing pump speeds, and opening/closing valves to maintain the desired temperature in the boiler, and to control other functions and operating parameters of boiler 302. Controller 314 also uses data collected by the sensors to monitor conditions in boiler 302, to detect deviations from desired setpoints, and to determine whether there have been any malfunctions or other conditions that could affect the operation, safety, and/or reliability of boiler 302.

Controller 314 receives commands from the system manager and sends information to the system manager. The information sent to the system manager may include, for example, information collected by the sensors, information on conditions in boiler 302, and alarms or warnings regarding malfunctions or other conditions. In some implementations, as will be discussed below, controller 314 may also send a profile card for boiler 302 to the system manager. Controller 314 receives commands from the system manager to, for example, adjust setpoints, request information, start or stop boiler 302 or subsystems of boiler 302, and the like.

It will be understood that boiler 302 is merely an illustrative example of an energy management appliance, and that any type of energy management appliance that is part of the energy management system 200 may include a controller, similar to controller 314, and a communication module similar to communication module 318. Other components and sensors of such energy management appliances will depend on the type of energy management appliance. It will further be understood that in some implementations, multiple energy management appliances could be controlled by a single controller, similar to controller 314, or multiple energy management appliances, each with its own controller may communicate with the system manager, using a single shared communication module.

It should further be noted that controllers for energy management appliances, such as controller 314, may be referred to herein as closed loop controllers. Generally, a closed loop controller is a type of control system that uses feedback from a sensor to adjust the output of a control signal to maintain a desired setpoint. While the controllers for many energy management appliances fit this description, the term closed loop controller may be used herein for the controller of any energy management appliance, regardless of whether it includes sensors or uses feedback.

Profile Card

Figure 4 shows an illustrative example of a profile card 400 in accordance with an implementation of the disclosed technology. Profile card 400 is associated with an energy management appliance in the energy management system, and includes static and dynamic data related to that energy management appliance. Profile card 400 may preferably be implemented as a single complex data structure. Alternatively, other implementations, such as a set of variables or other means for storing data in a computer system may be used. Profile card 400 may be represented for purposes of communication and/or storage using a known data format, such as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) or XML (Extensible Markup Language), or any other standard, custom, or proprietary data format.

The example profile card 400 shown in figure 4 is the profile card for a heating appliance, such as a boiler or heat pump. Accordingly, profile card 400 includes information relevant to a heating appliance’s capabilities, operation, and status, including static data 402 and dynamic data 404. Static data 402, which includes data that generally does not change or changes only occasionally, includes identification data 406 and static capability data 408. Identification data 406 includes information, such as the device ID 420 for the heating appliance, its network address 422, and its location 424. Such identification data are typically static but may change, for example, at system setup or initialisation, when heating appliances are added to the system or removed from the system, at start up after a system or network shutdown, following maintenance, based on a request, and/or at other relatively infrequent times. The static capability data 408 includes information such as the fuel type 430 (electric, gas, hydrogen, etc.), the types of heat demand 432 that can be handled (heating, cooling, domestic hot water, electricity generation, etc.), the maximum temperature 434, the minimum on time or off time 436, the number of switches 438 permitted per day/hour, the maximum capacity 440, modulation ranges 442, and/or other similar capability information for the heating appliance. Such static capability data are typically static but may change relatively slowly or infrequently over time, such as changes due to wear or maintenance issues. Additionally, static capability data may change, for example, at system setup or initialisation, at start up after a system shutdown, following maintenance, based on a request, and/or at other relatively infrequent times.

The dynamic data 404 includes information that is updated frequently. In some implementations, this data may be updated in real-time or near real-time. In the example profile card 400, the dynamic data 404 includes the number of operating hours 450, the number of standstill hours 452, the current state 454, the error state 456, the current remaining capacity 458, the number of starts/stops 460, and/or other similar rapidly changing information related to the operation of a heating appliance. In some implementations, the dynamic data 404 may include predictive maintenance information 462, such as information regarding decreasing fan efficiency, decreasing compressor efficiency, the need to replace an ignition rod, or other similar information. In some implementations, the dynamic data 404 may include current efficiency information 464, based on models and actual measured and/or estimated values. For example, efficiency information may include information on a ratio of output energy to input energy, cost per kilowatt hour, kilograms of carbon dioxide generated per kilowatt hour, and/or other similar efficiency information. In some implementations, a model, such as may be used for efficiency information 464, may be used to determine an actual minimum power value 466 and/or an actual maximum power value 468. In some implementations, dynamic data 404 may include information indicative of an external condition, such as an outdoor temperature 470. In some implementations, dynamic data 404 may include information indicative of an external limitation (not shown), such as a limitation on the use of heating appliances imposed by a government or power grid operator.

Generally, profile cards, such as profile card 400, are maintained on the system manager. In some implementations, profile cards are generated on the system manager and updated on the system manager based on information received from energy management appliances. In some implementations, profile cards may be generated on an energy management appliance and sent to the system manager. In some implementations, copies of profile cards may be kept and updated on energy management appliances, with updated profile cards being sent frequently to the system manager. It will be understood that profile cards for an energy management appliance may also be generated and/or updated on other devices attached to the energy management system, and/or in other software modules operating on the same controller as the system manager or on other computing devices connected to the network and/or energy management system.

It will be understood that profile card 400 is merely an illustrative example and that profile cards for other energy management appliances may contain different information that may, for example, depend on the type of energy management appliance, the location and the country in which the system is installed, and on other factors. It will be further understood that the division of the information in profile card 400 into static and dynamic data is primarily for enhancing the understanding of profile cards. In some implementations, there may be no distinction between static and dynamic data, and all information in the profile card may be treated as dynamic.

Methods

Figure 5 is a block diagram of a method 500 for controlling an energy management system, such as is described above. As discussed above, the energy management system includes a system manager that provides centralised control of the energy management system. The energy management system also includes at least two energy management appliances, each of which includes a controller (which can be a closed loop controller) that controls the energy management appliance and communicates with the system manager to send information that is available at the energy management appliance to the system manager, and/or to receive commands from the system manager. As discussed above, the controller on the energy management appliance may communicate with the system manager through a communication module that connects the controller to a communication channel such as a network. In block 502, profile cards for energy management appliances are generated. Each profile card is associated with an energy management appliance, and includes data related to the energy management appliance as static and/or dynamic data. In accordance with some implementations, profile cards may be generated on the energy management appliance with which they are associated and sent to the system manager. In some implementations, profile cards may be generated on the system manager. This may be done, for example, when the energy management appliance with which the profile card is associated does not support the generation of profile cards. In some implementations, profile cards may be generated on another device or software module associated with the energy management system. It will be understood that combinations of these loci for generating profile cards may be used, so that some profile cards may be generated on an energy management appliance, some profile cards may be generated on the system manager, and some profile cards may be generated on a different device or a different software module. Generally, wherever they are generated, profile cards are sent, either directly or indirectly, to the system manager.

In block 504, the system manager receives information from a sending energy management appliance. The information may be related to the operation of the sending energy management appliance. In some implementations, this may be information from a sensor or sensors associated with the sending energy management appliance, such as information related to a current operating parameter of the energy management appliance. In some implementations, the received information may be, for example, efficiency information, predictive maintenance information, and the like. In some implementations, in which sensors are themselves considered energy management appliances, the information may be related to a sensor reading providing information on an external condition, such as temperature, humidity, or air quality. In some implementations, in which devices such as room units or thermostats are considered energy management appliances, the information may be related to a user command or preference. In some implementations, the information may be a new instance of the profile card, reflecting updated information.

In block 506, the data in the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance is updated based on the received information. For example, when the received information is a current operating parameter of the sending energy management appliance, the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance is updated based on the received current operating parameter. The dynamic nature of profile cards means that information in the profile is frequently updated so that decisions made by the system manager on controlling the energy management system are based on recent information from the energy management appliances and other devices that are part of the energy management system. In some implementations, updating the profile card may be achieved by replacing the profile card with a new instance of the profile card containing the updated information. In some implementations, the new instance of the profile card is received from an energy management appliance or other device associated with the energy management system.

In block 508, the system manager receives a request. The request may be, for example, a request for heating, cooling, hot water, or the like. The request may originate from any of various sources, including a room unit or thermostat, an application on a user's mobile device, a web-based application, a cloud-based application or Al-based system, another device in the energy management system, a government authority, a grid operator, or from any other source that is authorised (and properly authenticated) to make requests of the energy management system.

In block 510, the system manager selects an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request. The selection is made based on the data in the profile cards. Generally, making this selection involves matching the request with the data in the profile cards and choosing an appliance with a profile card that indicates that the appliance is capable of at least partially fulfilling the request. Because the profile cards are dynamically updated, typically in real-time or near real-time, the selection will reflect the current state of the energy management system. In addition, because of the types of information that may be collected in profile cards, selection may take into account the current status of the energy management appliance, present and projected efficiency, maintenance status and projections, current available capacity, operating parameters such as ramp-up times, external conditions such as outside temperature or room air quality, external limitations such as may be imposed by a government or grid operator, etc. More detailed information on this selection process, in accordance with an implementation of the disclosed technology, is provided below.

It should be noted that in some instances, no single energy management appliance may be able to fulfil the request completely. In some implementations, an energy management appliance capable of partially fulfilling the request may be selected, and the request remains pending until completely fulfilled. In some implementations, selection may result in using multiple energy management appliances to fulfil the request. For example, more than one energy appliance may be selected in a single selection process, or the use of more than one energy management appliance may result from multiple selection processes, in which each selection process takes into account changed system conditions resulting from a previous selection process that only partially fulfilled the request.

In block 512, the system manager sends a command to the selected energy management appliance or appliances. The command relates to at least partially fulfilling the request. The command may involve, for example, turning on or off particular energy management appliances, setting setpoints, and/or changing other operating parameters of the selected energy management appliance.

Figure 6 is a block diagram 600 of an example method by which the system manager may select an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil a request in some implementations of the disclosed technology.

In block 602, the system manager generates a set of profile cards, in which each profile card in the set of profile cards is associated with an energy management appliance that, based on information in the profile card, is able to at least partially fulfil the request. This may be accomplished in some implementations by matching information from the request against information collected in the profile cards at the system manager. This matching may be done against all the profile cards in possession of the system manager or a selected subset of the profile cards. The matching process yields a set of profile cards associated with energy management appliances that should be able to at least partially fulfil the request.

At block 604, the system manager selects a profile card from the set of profile cards. If the set includes more than one profile card, then the system manager may either apply criteria to select one or more profile cards from the set or may choose one or more profile cards from the set at random to determine which energy management appliances will be sent commands to at least partially fulfil the request. In some implementations, the criteria used to select one or more profile cards from the set includes choosing the profile card that comes closest to completely fulfilling the request. In some implementations, designated data in the profile card may be used to select a profile card from the sets. This designated data may include, for example, predictive data such as predictive maintenance information, energy cost or efficiency information, or other information collected in the profile cards. If the subset of profile cards associated with energy management appliances that are able to at least partially fulfil the request is empty (i.e., no energy appliance in the energy management system is able to even partially fulfil the request), then the system manager may notify the sender of the request that the energy management system cannot fulfil the request. In some implementations, the system manager may also inform the sender of the request of possible ways to remedy the situation, such as changes that may be made to the energy management system configuration (i.e., adding energy management appliances, replacing energy management appliances with appliances that have higher capacity, etc.), and/or alternative requests that might reach a similar result and that can be fulfilled by the current energy management system.

In some implementations in accordance with the disclosed technology, information on external conditions and/or external limitations may originate from sources that are not considered to be energy management appliances, or from sources that are not internal to the energy management system. For example, such information may be sent from external sources over the Internet or may be collected by devices that are not considered part of the energy management system. Figure 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a method for handling such information on external conditions and/or external limitations.

In block 702, information indicative of an external condition or external limitation is received. As discussed above, this information may be received, for example, over the Internet. In some implementations, in which devices like sensors may not be considered to be energy management appliances, or may be separate from the energy management system, this information may be received, for example, from external sensors. In some implementations, in which devices such as room units or thermostats may not be considered to be energy management appliances, this information may be received, for example, from a room unit or thermostat. In some implementations, this information may be received by the system manager. In some implementations, this information may be received, for example, by affected energy management appliances.

Information on external conditions may include, for example, weather-related conditions or forecasts, energy cost or efficiency-related conditions, or other conditions or information external to the energy management system. This may also include, for example, information about conditions in a particular room or zone in which a room unit or thermostat may be located. For example, such information may include the temperature and air quality in a room and other similar localised environment information. Information on external limitations may include, for example, limitations related to government regulations and limitations imposed by system or grid operators. For example, some operators or governments may impose scheduled blackout periods. Some may require that predetermined portions of the energy used for purposes such as heating and cooling must be derived from renewable or “green” energy sources. Some may require that energy used for comfort purposes, such as heating or cooling, be limited during certain peak periods. In some implementations, information related to these limitations is received, for example, over the Internet or through other communication channels.

In block 704, data in a profile card or profile cards for energy management appliances affected by the external conditions and/or external limitations is adjusted to reflect the external conditions and/or external limitations. In some implementations, this may be done as a part of the process of block 506 of figure 5, in which data in the profile card associated with a sending energy management appliance is updated based on the received information. For example, affected energy appliances may receive information related to the external conditions and/or external limitations and send that information to the system manager in the form of an updated profile card or as data that the system manager can use to adjust data in the profile card associated with the affected energy management appliance. As another example, the system manager may directly receive the information on external conditions and/or external limitations and adjust data in profile cards associated with any affected energy management appliances. In some implementations, the system manager may adjust data in the profile card of an affected energy management appliance when other data received from the affected energy management appliance causes the profile card associated with that energy management appliance to be updated.

In some implementations, models of the performance of energy management appliances may be available, which may be used to predict the performance of an energy management appliance, given external conditions. In such implementations, the data in a profile card may be adjusted based on the application of such a model with the received information indicative of external conditions.

In some implementations in accordance with the disclosed technology, information on user preferences and/or settings may originate from sources that are not considered to be energy management appliances or from sources that are not internal to the energy management system. For example, such information may be sent from external sources over the Internet, such as a cloud-based system or an app executing on a user’s mobile phone, tablet, or computer. In some implementations, such preferences or settings may be provided by devices such as room units, thermostats, maintenance or service-related devices, setup or initialisation devices, and the like, which are not considered to be energy management appliances and/or are not considered to be part of the energy management system. Figure 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a method for handling such information on user preferences or settings.

In block 802, information indicative of a user preference is received. As discussed above, this information may be received, for example, over the Internet. In some implementations, in which devices like room units or thermostats may not be considered to be energy management appliances, this information may be received, for example, from a room unit.

Information on user preferences may include preferences related to energy costs. For example, some users may be willing to sustain higher costs in return for lower environmental impact, while others users might always prefer the lowest cost. Information on user preferences may also include information on a user’s preferences related to environmental impact. For example, some users may wish to specify a minimum amount of renewable energy to be used in providing heating, hot water, and/or cooling. Information on user preferences may also include information on a user’s preferences regarding their local environment, such as preferences regarding the amount of noise produced by energy management appliances. For example, some users or building managers may wish to prioritise silence over temperature during night-time hours.

In block 804, data in a profile card or profile cards for energy management appliances affected by user preference or settings is adjusted to reflect the received information on user preferences. In some implementations, this may be done as a part of the process of block 506 of figure 5, in which data in the profile card associated with a sending energy management appliance is updated based on the received information. For example, affected energy appliances may receive information related to the user preferences and send that information to the system manager in the form of an updated profile card or as data that the system manager can use to adjust data in the profile card associated with the affected energy management appliance. As another example, the system manager may directly receive the information on user preferences and adjust data in profile cards associated with any affected energy management appliances. In some implementations, the system manager may adjust data in the profile card of an affected energy management appliance when other data received from the affected energy management appliance causes the profile card associated with that energy management appliance to be updated.

It will be understood that, although the embodiments and/or implementations presented herein have been described with reference to specific features and structures, various modifications and combinations may be made without departing from the disclosure. For example, it is contemplated that in some implementations, the features described above may be used in different arrangements, or in other combinations. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of the discussed implementations or embodiments and their principles as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Reference Signs

100 controller

102 processors

110 memory

112 data

114 operating system

116 program

120 storage interface

125 storage device

140 communication interface

150 bus

160 communication channel

200 energy management system

202 energy management appliances

204 boiler

206 heat pump

208 photovoltaic panel

210 wind turbine

212 buffer storage

214 room units

216 sensors

218 smart meter

220 system manager

230 communication channel

302 boiler

304 tank

306 heat exchanger

308 burner

310 supply pipe

312 return pipe

314 controller

316 sensor

318 communication module

400 profile card

402 static data

404 dynamic data 406 identification data

408 static capability data

420 device ID

422 network address

424 location

430 fuel type

432 types of heat demand

434 maximum temperature

436 minimum on/off time

438 number of switches permitted per day/hour

440 maximum capacity

442 modulation ranges

450 number of operating hours

452 number of standstill hours

454 current state

456 error state

458 current remaining capacity

460 number of starts/stops

462 predictive maintenance information

464 current efficiency information

466 actual minimum power value

468 actual maximum power value

470 outdoor temperature

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A method (500) for controlling an energy management system (200), wherein the energy management system comprises: a system manager (220) that provides centralised control of the energy management system; at least two energy management appliances (202), each energy management appliance including a controller (100, 314) that controls the appliance, the controller communicating with the system manager to send information available at the energy management appliance to the system manager and/or to receive commands from the system manager; characterised in that the method comprises: generating (502) a plurality of profile cards (400) for the energy management appliances, each profile card associated with an energy management appliance and comprising data related to the energy management appliance as static (402) and/or dynamic (404) data; receiving (504), at the system manager, information from a sending energy management appliance; updating (506) the data in the profile card or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance based on the received information; receiving (508) at the system manager a request; selecting (510) at the system manager an energy management appliance to at least partially fulfil the request, based on the data in the profile cards; and sending (512) a command from the system manager to the selected energy management appliance, the command related to at least partially fulfilling the request.

2. The method of claim 1 , characterised in that selecting at the system manager an energy management appliance comprises: generating (602) a set of profile cards (400), wherein each profile card in the set of profile cards is associated with an energy management appliance (202) that, based on information in the profile card, is able to at least partially fulfil the request; and selecting (604) a profile card from the set of profile cards.

3. The method of claim 2, characterised in that selecting the profile card comprises selecting the profile card from the set of profile cards based on designated data in the profile card.

4. The method of claim 3, characterised in that the designated data comprises predictive data (462).

5. The method of claim 4, characterised in that the predictive data comprises predictive maintenance information (462).

6. The method of any one of claims 3-5, characterised in that the designated data comprises energy cost information.

7. The method of claim 2, characterised in that selecting the profile card comprises selecting a profile card at random from the set of profile cards.

8. The method of any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the method further comprises receiving (702) information indicative of an external condition (470) or an external limitation.

9. The method of claim 8, characterised in that the external condition comprises a weather-related condition (470).

10. The method of claim 8 or claim 9, characterised in that the external condition comprises a room condition or a zone condition.

11. The method of claim 10, characterised in that the room condition or zone condition comprises a room or zone temperature, or a room or zone air quality.

12. The method of any one of claims 8-11 , characterised in that the external condition comprises an energy cost-related condition.

13. The method of any one of claims 8-12, characterised in that updating the data in the profile card and/or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance further comprises adjusting (704) the data in the profile card based on the information indicative of an external condition.

14. The method of claim 13, further characterised in that the system manager comprises a model of the performance of the sending energy management appliance based on an external condition, and wherein adjusting the data in the profile card based on the information indicative of an external condition comprises applying the model.

15. The method of any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the method further comprises receiving (802), at the system manager, information indicative of a user preference.

16. The method of claim 15, characterised in that the user preference comprises a preference related to energy cost.

17. The method of claim 15 or claim 16, characterised in that the user preference comprises a preference related to environmental impact.

18. The method of any one of claims 15-17, characterised in that the user preference comprises a preference related to noise.

19. The method of any one of claims 15-18, characterised in that the user preference comprises a preference related to an amount of renewable energy to be used.

20. The method of one of claims 15-19 characterised in that updating the data in the profile card and/or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance further comprises adjusting (804) the profile card based on the information indicative of a user preference.

21. The method of any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one of the energy management appliances comprises a sensor (316) that determines a current operating parameter of the energy management appliance; and

Receiving, at the system manager, information from a sending energy management appliance comprises optionally receiving information related to the current operating parameter.

22. The method of claim 21 characterised in that the method further comprises updating the data in the profile card or replacing the profile card associated with the sending energy management appliance based on the received current operating parameter.

23. The method of any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the request comprises a forecasted demand.

24. The method of claim 23, characterised in that the forecasted demand is generated using a model or a simulation.

25. An energy management system (200) comprising: a network (160, 230); a system manager (220) that provides centralised control of the energy management system, the system manager communicatively connected to the network, the system manager using a processor (102) and a memory (110); and at least two energy management appliances (202), each energy management appliance including a controller (314) that controls the appliance, the controller communicating over the network with the system manager to send information available at the energy management appliance to the system manager and/or to receive commands from the system manager; characterised in that: the memory of the system manager stores programmed instructions (116) that when executed by the processor of the system manager cause the system manager to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 -24.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (125) comprising programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system (200), characterised in that the programmed instructions, when executed on a processor (102) of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method of any one of claims 1-24.

27. A computer program product comprising programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system (200), characterised in that the programmed instructions, when executed on a processor (102) of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method of any one of claims 1-24.

28. A signal comprising programmed instructions for controlling an energy management system (200), characterised in that the programmed instructions, when executed on a processor (102) of a system manager component of the energy management system, cause the system manager component to carry out the method of any one of claims 1- 24.

29. A building comprising an energy management system (200) controlled according to the method of any one of claims 1-24.

30. The building of claim 29, characterised in that the building comprises a residential dwelling.