Device energy use determination

Abstract

An apparatus that runs on solar power and battery power determines an energy budget for a current period by looking at the energy accumulation of a previous period or periods and the unexpected expenditure of the previous period or periods. The energy budget will thus be the energy accumulation minus the unexpected expenditure, and normalized over the period length. Based on the energy budget, an operational mode is selected. The operational mode dictates the frequency at which certain actions are taken. The apparatus then runs over the period length based on the operational mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to sensors; more specifically, to sensors capable of effectively managing energy. Background Technology

[0002] Sensors are widely used and have a wide range of applications. However, sensor power consumption can be very high, especially in wireless sensor networks, due to their limited power supply and high energy usage. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This overview presents some concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the "Detailed Description" section below. This overview does not define the essential or fundamental features of the claimed subject matter. Innovative aspects are defined by the claims, and in the event of any conflict between this overview and the claims, the claims shall prevail.

[0004] Generally speaking, some of the techniques described in this article describe an energy-saving sensor.

[0005] In one embodiment, a device is disclosed, comprising: a solar panel; a battery; a first communication medium; a processor with memory; and device data; wherein the device is operatively capable of using the processor with memory to: identify solar power energy; estimate accumulated solar power energy from periodic power income measurements in some embodiments; identify unexpected operational energy consumption from the previous cycle in some embodiments; in some embodiments, unexpected consumption arises from user interaction; possible user interactions can be measured, and such consumption can be cataloged in memory; in some embodiments, the device creates an energy budget using the accumulated solar power energy from the previous cycle and the unexpected operational energy consumption from the previous cycle; determines an operating mode based on the energy budget; determines current operating parameters based on the operating mode; and operates the device for the current cycle length using the current operating parameters.

[0006] In an embodiment, the device further includes: an index, a first cycle length, and a longest cycle length, wherein a second cycle length is equal to the first cycle length, wherein the index increments for each cycle, and wherein a third cycle length and subsequent cycle lengths are equal to the first cycle length * (index - 2) * 2 until the subsequent cycle length is greater than or equal to the longest cycle length, in which case the longest cycle length is selected.

[0007] In one embodiment, the device is operationally capable of using a processor with memory to receive messages from neighboring nodes using a first communication medium.

[0008] In one embodiment, the device is operatively capable of using a processor with memory to create an energy budget by acquiring power readings from the solar panel and determining that the accumulated solar power energy of the previous cycle equals the sensor readings sustained over the current cycle length. In some embodiments, the device is operatively capable of initiating a connection with another device to report sensor measurements collected as they are acquired. This device may be a telephone, a mainframe computer, a satellite computer, a controller, etc.

[0009] In one embodiment, the device is operationally capable of using a processor with memory to select the communication range of the first communication medium based on the operating mode.

[0010] In one embodiment, the device further includes a second communication medium, and wherein the device is operatively capable of using a processor with memory to select either the first or second communication medium for communication based on an operating mode. These communication media may be wired communication media such as Ethernet, wireless communication media, wireless transmitters, single-wire communication lines, or dedicated transmission lines.

[0011] In one embodiment, the device also includes an expenditure budget, wherein the expenditure budget includes the accumulated solar power energy from the previous cycle minus unexpected operational energy consumption from the previous cycle, normalized to the length of the current cycle.

[0012] In an embodiment, the device further includes sensors, including a temperature sensor, a radiation temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 sensor, a volatile organic compound sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a light intensity sensor, an occupancy mapping sensor, an occupancy detection sensor, or an occupancy speed sensor.

[0013] In an embodiment, the solar panel energy accumulation in the previous cycle includes measuring the raw power income of the solar panel during the time interval in the previous cycle to generate the measured raw power.

[0014] In this embodiment, the trapezoidal rule is used to estimate the measured raw power.

[0015] In one embodiment, a device with energy management is disclosed, comprising: an energy harvesting section configured to harvest energy from light outside the device; an energy storage element associated with the energy harvesting section; a sensor section; a transmitter configured to transmit information from the device to an entity; and a processing and memory element including a computer program operatively capable of determining the amount of energy harvested by the energy harvesting section during a first cycle time; operatively capable of using the amount of energy harvested by the energy harvesting section during the first cycle time to determine an energy budget for a second cycle time; operatively capable of using the energy budget for the second cycle time to determine an operating mode for the second cycle time, wherein the operating mode includes a sensor reporting time interval, a data reporting rate, or a transmitter range; and operatively capable of operating using the operating mode for the second cycle time.

[0016] In one embodiment, the device further includes a computer program that is operationally capable of determining the amount of energy stored by the energy storage element during a first time period, and also includes using the amount of stored energy to determine an energy budget for a second time period.

[0017] In one embodiment, the device further includes a computer program that is operatively capable of determining an unexpected power consumption amount during a first cycle, and wherein the computer program is operatively capable of subtracting the unexpected power consumption amount during the first cycle from the amount of energy collected by the energy harvesting portion during the first cycle to determine an energy budget for a second cycle.

[0018] In an embodiment, the computer program is configured to determine subsequent cycle times such that when cycle number = 0 and cycle number = 1, the cycle time = the shortest cycle time; otherwise, the cycle time = the shortest cycle time * (cycle number - 1) * 2, until the cycle time = the longest cycle time. "If the previous duration is greater than or equal to the longest duration, the duration is doubled."

[0019] In the embodiments, the shortest cycle time is less than 60 minutes, and the longest cycle time is ≥23 hours.

[0020] In one embodiment, the device further includes a high-power sensor section and a low-power sensor section, wherein the high-power sensor section and the low-power sensor section have separate sensor sampling rates based on the second cycle time operating mode.

[0021] In one embodiment, a device solar cell management method implemented by one or more computers is disclosed. Each computer has a memory and one or more processors. The method includes: detecting unexpected energy consumption used by the device during a first time period; detecting the amount of solar energy stored by the device during the first time period; determining an operating budget using the amount of solar energy stored by the device and the unexpected energy consumption; setting an operating mode using the operating budget; and operating the device using the operating mode. Unexpected energy consumption may include unexpected actions by the user or controlling the device. In another embodiment, setting the operating mode further includes determining device action values ​​based on the operating mode. The operating mode determines the operating frequency (power measurement, environmental sensing, reporting to a reporting device, attempting to maintain net zero energy consumption, etc.).

[0022] In one embodiment, setting the operating mode also includes setting a schedule for the device.

[0023] In embodiments, device action values ​​include solar power polling intervals, battery level polling intervals, device restart intervals, sensor monitoring intervals, reporting intervals, wireless connection intervals, wireless mesh connection intervals, or solar power relay counts. These and other aspects of the invention will be better understood and appreciated in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings. While the following description points to various embodiments of the invention and their numerous specific details, it is for illustrative purposes only and not for limitation. Many substitutions, modifications, additions, or rearrangements can be made within the scope of these embodiments, and these embodiments encompass all such substitutions, modifications, additions, or rearrangements. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which similar reference numerals refer to similar parts in the various views unless otherwise stated.

[0025] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a sensor, incorporating some of the described embodiments.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a sensor, which can be used to implement some of the described embodiments.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining a periodic operation plan, which can be used to implement some of the described embodiments.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the period length, which can be used to implement some of the described embodiments.

[0029] Figure 5This is a functional block diagram showing some periodic reporting data, which, in conjunction with the data, can be used to implement some of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a functional block diagram showing some periodic recorded data, which, combined with the data, can be used to implement some of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a matrix diagram describing exemplary operating modes, which can be used to implement some of the described embodiments.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a sensor, in which some of the described embodiments can be implemented.

[0033] Figure 9 Methods that can be used by processors and memory elements are described, and some of the described embodiments can be implemented in combination with these methods.

[0034] Figure 10 It is a flowchart describing methods that can be used by an energy usage determination device, and some of the embodiments described can be implemented by combining these methods.

[0035] In the various views of the accompanying drawings, corresponding reference numerals denote corresponding parts. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the elements in the figures are drawn for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to others to aid in understanding the various embodiments. Furthermore, common but easily understood elements that are useful or necessary in commercially viable embodiments are generally not shown to allow for less obstructed observation of these different embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The following discloses representative embodiments of methods, computer-readable media, and systems, which are particularly suitable for systems and methods for automatically creating wiring diagrams. The embodiments implement one or more of the described techniques.

[0037] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not necessarily required for implementing embodiments of the invention. In other instances, well-known materials or methods have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring embodiments of the invention. The terms "an embodiment," "an example," or "an example" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the described embodiment or example that is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the phrases "in an embodiment," "an example," or "an example" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, components of systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Furthermore, the operation of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more or fewer components or other components, and the methods described may include more or fewer steps or other steps. Moreover, the steps may be performed in any suitable order.

[0038] For convenience, relative terms may be used in describing this disclosure, including terms such as left, right, top, bottom, front, back, upper, lower, upward, downward, and others. It should be understood that these terms are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0039] Furthermore, it should be understood that the accompanying drawings provided herein are intended only to explain to a person skilled in the art, and these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. To assist the Patent Office and any reader of any patent granted under this application in interpreting the appended claims, the applicant wishes to indicate that, unless the words “means” or “step” are expressly used in a particular claim, they do not intend for any of the appended claims or claim elements to invoke section 112(f) of Title 35 of the United States Code.

[0040] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as apparatus, method, or computer program product. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention can take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or embodiments combining software and hardware aspects, which may be referred to as a "system". Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can also take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium containing computer-usable program code.

[0041] Any combination of one or more computer-usable or computer-readable media can be used. For example, computer-readable media may include one or more of portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM) devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory) devices, portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM), optical storage devices, and magnetic storage devices. The computer program code for performing the operations of embodiments of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

[0042] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the flow diagrams illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, as well as combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a system based on special-purpose hardware, or a combination of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions, that performs the specified function or behavior. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, thereby causing the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium to produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that can implement the functions / behaviors specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0043] The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “having,” “having,” or any other variation thereof as used herein are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may also include other elements not expressly listed or elements inherent to the process, article, or apparatus.

[0044] Furthermore, unless otherwise explicitly stated, "or" refers to an inclusive "or," not an exclusive "or." For example, condition A or B satisfies any of the following conditions: A is true (or exists), B is false (or does not exist); A is false (or does not exist), B is true (or exists); both A and B are true (or exist). The term "program" in this document has a broad meaning to include applications, kernels, drivers, interrupt handlers, firmware, state machines, libraries, and other code written and / or automatically generated by programmers (also known as developers).

[0045] "Optimization" means improvement, not necessarily perfection. For example, an already optimized program or algorithm can be further improved.

[0046] Furthermore, no example or illustration provided herein should be construed in any way as a limitation, constraint, or explicit definition of any terminology used in connection with the examples or illustrations. Rather, these examples or illustrations should be considered as descriptions of a particular embodiment and are merely illustrative. Those skilled in the art will understand that any terminology used in these examples or illustrations will encompass other embodiments that may or may not be set forth in this specification or elsewhere, and all such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the terminology. The language used to designate such non-limiting examples and illustrations includes, but is not limited to, “for example,” “such as,” “as,” and “in one embodiment.”

[0047] The technical features of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and to a wide range of interested readers. Some embodiments relate to technical activities rooted in computing technology, such as providing sensors that can flexibly use power based on the energy available in the environment without recoding. This requires less work to implement, and the sensors require battery replacements much less frequently than comparable products. Other advantages based on the technical features of the invention will also be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description provided.

[0048] I. Overview

[0049] Low-energy devices (such as sensors) can be used in energy-efficient buildings. These devices can be powered by solar energy and / or can utilize ambient light to charge onboard batteries. These devices can determine how much energy was used in the previous cycle and then use that energy to determine how much energy can be used in the next cycle.

[0050] The device can be wired to a controller (which could be a satellite controller), or it can have wireless connectivity. Wireless connectivity can be with the controller, satellite controller, other devices, or a network of devices. The device can report to any device that receives such reports (such as sensors, mobile phones, home controllers, satellite controllers, etc.). The device can have a rechargeable battery. The battery can automatically charge using ambient light. When fully charged, the battery can have a one-year backup charge capacity, and the battery life can be nine years, or a different number of battery lifespans.

[0051] The device can operate solely on battery power and / or solar power. In this case, all power income comes from solar panels and / or batteries. This means the device should operate efficiently to avoid running out of power. The device knows how much power is input and can operate in a series of "modes" with known power budgets to prevent the device from stopping due to insufficient power or due to any demand other than minimal battery usage. The device can determine how much power was harvested in the previous cycle and how much power was used by unexpected events in the previous cycle. Subtracting the power from the unexpected events from the power harvested in the previous cycle yields the available power for the current cycle. In short, the device uses the net power from the previous cycle to generate an energy budget that will be used to power the current cycle. Initially, the cycle length may vary. In this case, the power amount will be normalized for the current cycle length. Based on its energy budget, the device can adjust its actions. For example, if the available power budget is too low, the device can increase the time period for certain sensors to take measurements. Other low-power corrections could include reducing the frequency of reports sent by the device, or sending different reports, etc.

[0052] II. Equipment Examples

[0053] Reference Figure 1 The system shown can be used in whole or in part in any of the embodiments disclosed herein. Device 100 is disclosed, which may be part of a building control system for determining the comfort level of a building, part of a horticultural operation for controlling watering and other agricultural functions, for controlling numerical values ​​in scientific experiments, or may have other uses. The device may include a solar panel 105 and a battery 110. The battery may have sufficient power for one year, or sufficient power for five years, ten years, several months, etc. An onboard processor 115 may be included, which can make certain decisions (such as where to send data), perform calculations, etc. The processor may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller unit, etc. The processor may include efficient signal processing, low power consumption, low cost, and / or may have other features. The processor may include memory 120 and / or programmable input / output peripherals. Memory 120 may be disposed separately from the processor.

[0054] The device may have one or more associated sensors 125. The device can acquire internal readings and sensor readings, and may be able to acquire timestamps of certain actions occurring. Sensors associated with the device may include air temperature sensors, radiation temperature sensors, atmospheric pressure sensors, sound pressure sensors, occupancy mapping sensors, occupancy detection sensors, occupancy speed sensors, indoor air quality sensors (which may be volatile organic compound sensors, CO2 concentration sensors, light intensity sensors, etc.). These sensors can be categorized as low-power sensors and high-power sensors, i.e., sensors that require higher power to collect specific sensor data, read sensor readings, etc. Device data 130 may also be included. In an illustrative embodiment, device data is data sensed by the device using its sensors and then stored. Not all sensed data is stored; some data may be immediately sent to different devices. Device data may also include information about the device, such as timestamps recording specific events, energy readings (such as battery energy readings, solar panel energy readings), accumulated energy, and the amount of unexpected energy. This data may also be stored for specific times. Device data may be stored in memory 120. Communication medium 135 may also be included. The communication medium 135 can be wired, wireless, single-wire, a combination of the above, or completely different types. The communication medium can be a Bluetooth transmitter. A device can have multiple transmitters. The device can use a processor with memory to receive information from neighboring nodes and / or transmit information to neighboring nodes using the communication medium. The device can acquire internal readings and sensor readings, and can also acquire timestamps of certain actions occurring. Neighboring nodes can be devices located one hop (or one hop) apart in a mesh network. In some embodiments, neighboring nodes can be more than two hops apart.

[0055] Reference Figure 2 Flowchart 200 illustrates a method that the device may use in the embodiments disclosed herein. The operation of method 200 shown below is intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 200 may be implemented by one or more additional operations not described, and / or one or more of the operations discussed may not be required. Furthermore, Figure 2 The order of operations of method 200 shown and described below is not intended to be restrictive.

[0056] In some embodiments, method 200 may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., digital processors, analog processors, microprocessor units, digital circuits designed for processing information, and / or mechanisms for electronically processing information), such as processor 115. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices that perform some or all of the operations of method 200 in response to instructions electronically stored on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured by hardware, firmware, and / or software specifically designed to perform one or more operations of method 200.

[0057] In operation 205, the device can be initialized. If the device has not yet been initialized, or a cycle has not yet elapsed, or initialization is required for other reasons, the sensor can acquire a light reading and then determine that the light reading will remain stable throughout its entire first cycle length, thus providing the sensor with a first energy budget. This can be determined by allowing the sensor reading to continue over the current cycle length.

[0058] In some embodiments, the device may store in memory a value for a default first-cycle energy budget. The sensor may also determine its current power level. This current power level can also be used to determine the first energy budget. In operation 210, a cycle may be initiated. This may involve providing a timestamp to mark the start time of the cycle. In operation 215, a report may be sent internally. This report may report power events to the budget manager. This internal report may be stored in memory 120, sent to the budget manager (which may also be located in memory 120), etc. The report may be retrieved multiple times in each cycle 240. The internal report may include revenue events within the cycle, report temporary expenditure events within the cycle, and / or report the temporary expenditure rate and duration within the cycle. A revenue event is an event with a single power value used by the event. The power usage of a temporary event depends on when the event occurs. Therefore, to accurately describe these events, the duration may be multiplied by the event expenditure rate, or other methods may be used. These internal budget values ​​may be used to determine the device's energy-neutral schedule. This schedule may not achieve energy neutrality; in this case, a near-energy-neutral schedule may be created. Internal reporting events (such as sensor readings) can be collected before reports are sent. In some embodiments, there may be multiple readings per cycle (240). This internal reporting data will also be referenced. Figure 5 Let's have a discussion.

[0059] In operation 220, a report may be sent to an external device. This report may include collected sensor and power state measurements. The report may be sent via a communication medium to nearby devices (such as adjacent sensors), more distant devices (such as transmitting and receiving devices several hops away), controllers, satellite controllers, etc. In some embodiments, multiple readings may be acquired per cycle 245. In some embodiments, external reporting 220 may trigger internal reporting 215 250. This allows the rates of external reporting to differ from those of internal reporting, or they may be bundled together. In operation 225, an end event occurs. This end event may include acquiring a timestamp and / or other end actions. In operation 230, a recording event may occur. Some data that can be recorded will be referenced... Figure 6 Let's discuss this. In operation 230, we can obtain the operation plan for the next cycle.

[0060] Reference Figure 3 Flowchart 300 discloses a method that can be used to determine the operation plan for the next cycle. The operation of method 300 shown below is intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 300 may be implemented by one or more additional operations not described, and / or implementation of method 300 does not require one or more of the operations discussed. Furthermore, Figure 3 The order of operations of method 300 shown and described below is not intended to be restrictive.

[0061] In some embodiments, method 300 may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., digital processor, analog processor, microprocessor unit, digital circuitry designed to process information, and / or mechanism for electronically processing information).

[0062] The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices that perform some or all of the operations of method 300 in response to instructions electronically stored on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured with hardware, firmware, and / or software specifically designed to perform one or more operations of method 300.

[0063] In operation 305, the current cycle length can be determined. Determining the cycle length will refer to... Figure 4 Let's discuss this. In operation 310, sensor data is used to identify the energy accumulation from the previous cycle. In some embodiments, the previous power cycle accumulation can be recorded when recording data 225. In this case, the data can be retrieved. In some embodiments, the current and power of the solar panel are periodically measured during the previous cycle and then converted into energy accumulation during operation 310. See reference... Figure 7The operational mode discussed can determine the cycle of the solar power energy to be measured. This can include plotting the raw power energy accumulation map and then filling the gaps using the trapezoidal rule. The revenue estimates are then merged to convert to energy. Other methods may also be used. In operation 315, unexpected power expenditure from the previous cycle is identified. As an example of unexpected power expenditure, a user can initiate a wireless connection that will unexpectedly consume power. The wireless connection could be a Bluetooth connection that uses non-directed connectionless advertisements to send messages. A Bluetooth mesh agent can adapt the connection for devices such as mobile phones (the Bluetooth mesh uses non-directed connectionless advertisements for each message). Low Energy Bluetooth must establish a connection in which you can make and receive calls. The mobile phone will not always be listening. The Bluetooth mesh agent takes the connection used by the mobile phone and translates the messages—a bridge between the advertisement-based medium and the connection-based medium. There are several agent devices that can be used that will unexpectedly consume power. The device can record unexpected expenditure during recording event 225, which is during the device's previous cycle. In operation 320, a budget can be created for the current cycle. Budget creation can be controlled by a budget manager. Budget creation may include using energy accumulation from the previous cycle (which may be the preceding cycle) and unexpected operational energy consumption from the previous cycle. When there is no previous cycle, such as during initialization, an energy budget can be created by taking a single energy reading, extending that reading over the length of the cycle, and using that as the energy budget. Energy accumulation can come from solar power energy accumulation devices, several solar electrical energy accumulation devices, different types of energy accumulation devices, such as wind power generation, etc. In some implementations, the energy budget is derived by subtracting unexpected expenditures from the previous cycle from the accumulated energy from the previous cycle. Sometimes, such as during the startup phase, the length of the previous cycle and the length of the current cycle for which the energy budget is being made may differ. In this case, since the energy budget is determined for different times, the current budget can be normalized based on the current time length. For example, if the length of the previous cycle is half of the current cycle, the budget for the current cycle will be 2 * (energy accumulation from the previous cycle - unexpected expenditures from the previous cycle).

[0064] In operation 325, an energy budget is used to determine the operating mode. The operating mode determines one or more of the following: restart interval, sensor measurement interval, reporting interval, wireless connection interval, radio reception configuration interval, polling interval for raw solar power revenue, radio reception buffer, relay count (e.g., the number of messages a node will pass from a neighboring node to another node), etc. In some embodiments, the operating mode is determined by selecting a mode whose energy demand is lower than the second-highest mode but higher than the second-lowest mode. Operating modes such as sleep energy, various time intervals, and other predetermined energy usage actions can be created such that the total energy used during a cycle is less than or equal to the operating budget. In operation 330, the selected operating mode is used to determine the current operating parameters. In some embodiments, determining the operating parameters and determining the operating mode can be combined. In operation 335, the sensor operates using the current operating parameters in the current cycle. These modes may have values ​​for time intervals, buffers, counts, etc., which will be used when the sensor operates within the current cycle. The mode can determine the number of times the communication medium can receive messages from neighboring nodes and / or pass messages to neighboring nodes.

[0065] Figure 4 Flowchart 400 discloses an exemplary method for selecting the current cycle length. At some point, such as during initialization, the shortest and longest cycles are determined. In operation 405, the cycle length is determined starting from the current index and the current cycle length. Initially, for example, in the setup phase, the index is set to 0, the shortest cycle can be set to 45 minutes, and the longest cycle can be set to 24 hours. At determination point 410, it is determined whether the index is equal to 0 or 1. If it is equal to 0 or 1, the cycle length is set to the initial cycle length in operation 415. At decision point 420, if the previous cycle length * 2 is equal to or greater than the longest cycle length, the cycle length is set to the longest cycle length. Otherwise, in operation 430, the cycle is set to cycle length * (index - 1) * 2. Therefore, if the initial cycle length is set to 45 minutes, the third cycle length will be 45 * (3 - 2) * 2 = 90 minutes, the fourth cycle length will be 180 minutes, and so on. In operation 435, the index is incremented; and in operation 440, the program partially halts until the next cycle length is needed. This is just one way to determine the cycle length. Another method for determining the cycle length could be twice the cycle length of each cycle until a maximum cycle length is set; yet another method could be to increment the set number for each consecutive cycle, the cycle length could be set to a single value, and so on.

[0066] Figure 5 This is block diagram 500, which exposes periodic report data 505, including data that can be reported to the budget manager. See the report content for details. Figure 2 The description is based on 215. Revenue events 510 can be reported. This report can be sent to a budget manager, which records the amount of energy scheduled for use, the amount of scheduled energy used, and the amount of unexpected energy expenditure. A revenue event is an event involving a set amount of energy. In some systems, examples of revenue events 510 include sensor measurements, wireless connection notification messages, sensor setting messages, etc. The amount of time required for a temporary expenditure 515 is variable, therefore an expenditure rate 520 and a duration 525 can also be recorded. In some embodiments, the temporary expenditure rate 520 and the temporary expenditure duration 525 can be stored as a single event quantity.

[0067] Figure 6 Block diagram 600 discloses data that can be recorded by the device. This data may include time intervals such as sensor listening time interval 620, reporting time interval 630, and power state measurement time interval 635. These time intervals may vary based on the amount of the cycle budget; the smaller the energy budget, the longer the time interval. Data 605 may also include a timestamp 610 for the start of the cycle, a timestamp 615 for the end of the cycle, a time interval 630 between the current report and the previous report, and / or a sensor listening time interval 620, which may define the time interval for acquiring sensor readings. When multiple sensors are associated with the device, multiple sensor listening time intervals 620 may exist. In some embodiments, each sensor associated with the device may have its own sensor listening time interval 620. In some embodiments, low-power sensors (such as temperature, humidity, pressure) may share low-power sensor listening time intervals. In some embodiments, high-power sensors may share high-power sensor listening time intervals. In some embodiments, there may be a time interval 635 for power state measurement, such as the time interval for measuring solar panel power. Different power states may have different time intervals, resulting in separate time intervals for reporting solar power and separate time intervals for reporting battery power. It may also include a reporting time interval 630. This reporting time interval can be the frequency at which the device reports its sensor data and other information to different devices. Different devices can be a central computer, a satellite computer, sensors, etc. It may also record accumulated energy 640, measured power income (cumulative) of the previous cycle 645, and the timestamp of the previous power income 650, etc.

[0068] Figure 7Figure 700 illustrates an exemplary simple operating mode. In this operating mode implementation, the operating mode is based on a power value 705. The power value can be an operating budget. The power value can be a normalized operating budget when the cycle length is different. When the power value is 0 715, the intervals (which may include sensor listening intervals, reporting intervals, transmission configuration intervals, and power accumulation (e.g., expressed in LUX or other units) polling intervals) are set to higher values. This reduces polling events and lowers energy consumption. For example, the lux reporting interval 710 is set to 60 minutes 720, where the sensor listening interval is set to 30 minutes. When the power value (e.g., the energy budget) is larger, such as 100 725, the intervals are shorter, such as setting the sensor listening interval to 5 minutes and the lux (solar power energy) polling interval to 5 minutes 730.

[0069] III. Equipment Examples

[0070] Reference Figure 8 In section 800, device 805 is shown, which can be used in whole or in part in any of the embodiments disclosed herein. Device 805 may be part of a building control system for determining the comfort of a building, part of a horticultural operation for controlling watering and other agricultural functions, for controlling numerical values ​​for scientific experiments, or may have other uses. The device may include an energy harvesting section 810. The energy harvesting section 810 may include one or more solar cells, a wind-powered harvesting section, a parasitic power harvesting section that can harvest energy when there is sufficient available power on an electrical device, etc. An energy storage element 815 may be associated with the energy harvesting section 810 such that the energy storage element 815 stores the energy harvested by the energy harvesting section. The energy storage element 815 may be a battery. The battery may have sufficient power for one year, or for five years, ten years, several months, etc. Processor and memory element 830 may include a processor and memory. The processor may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller unit, etc. The processor may include efficient signal processing, low power consumption, low cost, and / or programmable input / output peripherals.

[0071] Other features may also be included. The memory may be volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile read-only memory (ROM). RAM may be static RAM, dynamic RAM, or other types. ROM may be masked ROM, PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), etc. The processor and storage element 830 may include a computer program 835 that can make certain decisions (such as where to send data), perform calculations, etc. Cataloged expenditures 840 may also be stored in the memory. These cataloged expenditures may be the amount of energy required for various actions, such as configuration, reporting various behaviors, collecting sensing data, sensing—the device may have more than one sensing device, each individual sensor may have individual energy usage requirements, transmitting information, changing device settings, waking up, etc.

[0072] The device may have one or more associated sensor portions 825. These sensor portions may include air temperature sensors, radiation temperature sensors, atmospheric pressure sensors, sound pressure sensors, indoor air quality sensors (which may be volatile organic compound sensors, CO2 concentration sensors), light intensity sensors, occupancy detection sensors, occupancy mapping sensors, occupancy speed sensors, etc. It may also include a transmitter portion 820, which may be wired, wireless, single-wire, a combination of the above, or a completely standalone type. The transmitter may be a Bluetooth transmitter. The transmitter portion may include multiple transmitters. The transmitters may be configured to send and receive information from and to entities, where entities may be sensors, controllers, satellite controllers, host computers, etc.

[0073] Reference Figure 9 Flowchart 900 illustrates a method that can be used by the device in the embodiments disclosed herein. The operation of method 900 shown below is intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 900 may be implemented by one or more additional operations not described, and / or may be implemented without the one or more operations discussed. Furthermore, Figure 9 The order of operations of method 900 shown and described below is not intended to be restrictive.

[0074] In some embodiments, method 900 may be implemented by a program 905 stored in processor and memory elements, one or more processing devices (e.g., digital processors, analog processors, microprocessor units, digital circuits designed for processing information, and / or mechanisms for electronically processing information), such as processor and memory element 830. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices that perform some or all of the operations of method 900 in response to instructions electronically stored on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured by hardware, firmware, and / or software specifically designed to perform one or more operations of method 900.

[0075] In operation 910, the cycle length is determined. This is referenced... Figure 4 A more detailed description is provided. In operation 915, the power collected in the previous cycle is determined, which may be collected by the energy harvesting unit. In some embodiments, the amount of power collected is measured at a point in time at set time intervals. The collected power is then measured by extrapolation between the time interval points. This extrapolation method may include using the trapezoidal rule to determine the area under the created trapezoid, integration, or other methods. In some embodiments, the amount of power used over previous cycles is averaged. In some embodiments, the median of the amount of power used over previous cycles is calculated. In some embodiments, the average of the amount of power used over previous cycles is calculated. In some embodiments, the number of cycles used is variable, for example, depending on how long the sensor has been running, whether there are any values ​​exceeding or falling below a threshold, etc. In operation 920, unexpected power consumption in the previous cycle is determined. This unexpected power consumption includes events that use power but are not part of the device's schedule. This may include certain requests made by the user to the sensor, such as unexpected reporting, resetting, etc. In some embodiments, the median of unexpected power consumption over several cycles is obtained. In some embodiments, the average of unexpected power consumption over several cycles is obtained. In some embodiments, the number of cycles used is variable, for example, depending on how long the device has been running, whether there are any values ​​exceeding or falling below a threshold, etc. In operation 925, in some embodiments, the amount of available battery power is determined. In some embodiments, an average of the battery power availability over several cycles is obtained. In some embodiments, the number of cycles used is variable, for example, depending on how long the sensor has been running, whether there are any values ​​exceeding or falling below a threshold, etc.

[0076] In operation 930, in some embodiments, an energy budget for the current cycle is determined. In some embodiments, the energy budget is the amount of previously collected power minus previously used unexpected power. In some embodiments, the amount of available battery power is used in the calculation. In operation 935, the cycle length is normalized. If the current cycle length differs from the previous cycle length or a previous period length, the amount of energy allocated to the current cycle should be normalized. In operation 940, the energy budget is used to determine the operating mode. More information about the operating budget can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 7 Result. In operation 945, the operating mode is used to determine the sensor sampling rate. In some embodiments, the sensor portion may be divided into a high-power sensor portion and a low-power sensor portion. The high-power sensor portion and the low-power sensor portion may have separate sensor sampling rates. The operating mode may therefore include their respective different sampling rates. In some embodiments, the sensors are divided into other groups, where each sensor group has a different sampling rate.

[0077] IV. Method Examples

[0078] Reference Figure 10 Flowchart 1000 illustrates a method that can be used by the device in the embodiments disclosed herein. The operation of method 1000 shown below is intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 1000 may be implemented by one or more additional operations not described, and / or may be implemented without one or more of the operations discussed. Furthermore, Figure 9 The order of operations of method 1000 shown and described below is not intended to be restrictive.

[0079] In some embodiments, method 1000 may be implemented in one or more processing devices (e.g., digital processors, analog processors, microprocessor units, digital circuitry designed to process information, and / or mechanisms for electronically processing information), such as in processor 115 and memory 120. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices that perform some or all of the operations of method 1000 in response to instructions electronically stored on an electronic storage medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured by hardware, firmware, and / or software specifically designed to perform one or more operations of method 1000.

[0080] In operation 1005, unexpected energy consumption used by the device during a first time period is detected. Unexpected energy consumption can be energy used by unplanned actions of the device. These actions can include user requests, unexpected restarts, etc. The first time period can be a period preceding the current period, the average of several previous periods, the median of several previous periods, a selected period, etc. Periods with unexpected energy consumption higher or lower than a threshold can be ignored, or other methods can be selected to determine the first time period. In operation 1010, the amount of solar energy stored by the device during the first time period is determined. This first time period can be a period preceding the current period, the average of several previous periods, the median of several previous periods, a selected period, etc. In some embodiments, periods with unexpected energy consumption higher or lower than a threshold can be ignored. Other methods can also be selected to determine the first time period. In operation 1015, an operating budget is determined using the amount of solar energy stored by the device and unexpected energy consumption. In some embodiments, the unexpected energy consumption of the first time period is subtracted from the solar energy stored during the first time period. The operating budget can be for a set time, such as a period length. This period length can be different from the first period length used to determine the operating budget. In this case, the budget amount can be normalized according to the time difference. For example, if the operating budget period length is 45 minutes (first time), but the current period length (second time) is 90 minutes, twice that of the first time, then the operating budget for the second time will be doubled. In operation 1020, the operating budget is used to set an operating mode. In some embodiments, setting the operating mode includes setting a schedule for the device. The schedule may be a time interval or a series of time intervals for sensor sampling, a time interval or a series of time intervals for device reporting, a time interval or a series of time intervals for energy output (such as solar energy) sampling, etc. In operation 1025, the device is operated using the operating mode. In operation 1025, operating the device may include determining one or more sensor action values. Sensor action values ​​may include a device restart time interval, a sensing time interval, a reporting time interval, a wireless connection time interval, a configuration RX time interval, a solar power energy polling time interval, a solar power relay count, or different time intervals or counts. The solar power relay count determines the number of messages the device can transmit from one device to another during the current period.

[0081] Given that the principles of this technology can be applied to many possible embodiments, it should be recognized that the embodiments shown are merely examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. For example, various components of the systems and tools described herein can be combined in terms of function and purpose. Therefore, the applicant claims all subject matter falling within the scope and spirit of these claims as its invention.

Claims

1. A device with energy management, the device comprising: Solar panels; Battery; First communication medium; A processor with memory; and device data; wherein the device is operationally capable of using the processor with memory to perform the following: Electricity revenue events and temporary expenditure events are recorded during the previous period, where temporary expenditure events represent unexpected operational energy consumption not included in the planned electricity budget; The cumulative solar power energy of the previous cycle is determined by combining the periodic sensor readings of the solar panels within the length of the previous cycle. The energy budget for the current cycle is created by subtracting the energy consumption from unexpected operations in the previous cycle from the accumulated solar power energy in the previous cycle, and normalizing the result of the difference in duration between the previous cycle and the current cycle. The cycle length of the current cycle is determined by an incrementing index for each cycle, where the cycle length gradually increases with the index until the set maximum cycle length is reached. The operating mode is determined based on the energy budget; Based on the aforementioned operating mode, determine the current operating parameters; and Using the current operating parameters, the device is operated within the current cycle length, including operating multiple sensors, which include a high-power sensor section and a low-power sensor section, each having a separate sensor sampling interval depending on the operating mode.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising: The index, the first cycle length, and the longest cycle length, wherein the second cycle length is equal to the first cycle length, and wherein the third cycle length and subsequent cycle lengths are equal to the first cycle length. (Index-2) 2. Continue until the subsequent cycle length is greater than or equal to the longest cycle length, in which case the longest cycle length is selected.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The device is operationally capable of using the processor with memory to receive messages from neighboring nodes using the first communication medium.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein, The device is operationally capable of using the processor with memory to create the energy budget by acquiring power readings from the solar panels and determining that the accumulated solar power energy of the previous cycle is equal to the sensor readings continuing over the current cycle length.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein, The device is operationally capable of using the processor with memory to select the communication range of the first communication medium based on the operating mode.

6. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a second communication medium, and wherein, The device is operationally capable of using the processor with memory to select either the first communication medium or the second communication medium for communication based on the operating mode.

7. The equipment according to claim 6, further comprising an expenditure budget, and wherein, The expenditure budget includes the cumulative solar power energy from the previous cycle minus the unexpected operational energy consumption from the previous cycle, normalized to the current cycle length.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The sensor includes one or more of the following: temperature sensor, humidity sensor, CO2 sensor, volatile organic compound sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, illuminance sensor, occupancy mapping sensor, occupancy detection sensor, and occupancy speed sensor.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein, The sensor includes a radiation temperature sensor.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The solar panel energy accumulation in the previous cycle includes measuring the raw power income of the solar panel during the time interval in the previous cycle to generate the measured raw power.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein, Use the trapezoidal rule to estimate the measured raw power.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The first communication medium includes a wireless transmitter, a single-wire communication line, or a dedicated transmission line.

13. An energy management device, the device comprising: An energy harvesting section is configured to harvest energy from light outside the device; An energy storage element associated with the energy harvesting section; Sensor section; A transmitter configured to send information from the device to an entity; The processing and memory element includes a computer program that is operationally capable of determining the amount of energy collected by the energy harvesting section during the first cycle and the amount of unexpected energy consumption during the first cycle. The computer program is operationally capable of determining the energy budget for the second cycle by subtracting unexpected energy consumption from the amount of energy collected during the first cycle and normalizing the result of the difference in duration between the first and second cycles. The computer program is operationally capable of determining the cycle length of the second cycle based on an incrementing index for each cycle, wherein the cycle length gradually increases with the index until a set maximum cycle length is reached. The computer program is operationally capable of determining an operating mode for the second cycle based on a defined energy budget. This operating mode includes one or more of the following: sensor sampling time interval, data reporting rate, or transmitter range; and The computer program is operationally capable of operating the high-power sensor and the low-power sensor at different sampling intervals within the second cycle according to the operating mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a computer program operatively capable of determining the amount of energy stored by the energy storage element during a first time period, and further comprising using the amount of stored energy to determine an energy budget for a second time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a computer program operatively capable of determining an unexpected amount of power consumption for the first cycle, wherein, The computer program is operationally capable of subtracting the amount of unexpected power consumption used for the first cycle from the amount of energy collected by the energy harvesting section during the first cycle to determine the energy budget for the second cycle.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein, The computer program is configured to determine subsequent cycle times such that when cycle number = 0 and cycle number = 1, the cycle time equals the shortest cycle time; otherwise, the cycle time equals the shortest cycle time. (Period number -1) 2. Until the cycle time equals the longest cycle time.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising a high-power sensor section and a low-power sensor section, wherein, The high-power sensor section and the low-power sensor section have separate sensor sampling rates based on the operating mode used for the second cycle time.

18. A method for managing a device solar cell, implemented by one or more computers, said computers having a memory and one or more processors, the method comprising: Detect unexpected energy consumption events during the first instance and measure the solar energy accumulated by the device; The energy budget for the second time is determined by subtracting unexpected energy consumption from accumulated solar energy and normalizing the result of the difference in duration between the first and second time periods. The cycle length of the second time period is determined based on an index that increments for each cycle, wherein the cycle length gradually increases with the index until a set maximum cycle length is reached. Use the energy budget to set the operating mode; and Operating the device using the operating mode includes operating the high-power sensor and the low-power sensor at separate sensor sampling intervals according to the operating mode.

19. The device solar cell management method according to claim 18, wherein, Setting the operating mode also includes setting a schedule for the device.

20. The device solar cell management method according to claim 19, wherein, Setting the operating mode also includes determining the sensor action values.

21. The device solar cell management method according to claim 20, wherein, Device action values ​​include device restart interval, sensing interval, reporting interval, wireless connection interval, configuration RX interval, solar power energy polling interval, or solar power relay count.

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