A device for energy usage analytics and a method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure envisages a device (100) for energy usage analytics, The device (100) comprises a control unit (40) configured to generate at least one control signal based on a user input(s), a switching unit (50) configured to receive the control signal(s) and switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) (20) by controlling a supply of power from the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20), a power metering unit (60) electrically coupled to the switching unit (50) and is configured to compute a value(s) corresponding to an real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20), and a communication unit (70) configured to cooperate with the control unit (40) and the power metering unit (60) and to transmit the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device (80) and display energy usage analytics after performing analytical computation of energy data in remote analytical server (90). The present disclosure envisages a system (200) for energy usage analytics.

Description

[0001] A DEVICE FOR ENERGY USAGE ANALYTICS AND A METHOD THEREOF

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of energy monitoring. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to a device for energy usage analytics and a method thereof.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.

[0006] Presently, home automation solutions are generally used for comfort and convenience, as well as remote control and monitoring of household appliances from any location using IOT- based technology. These home automation solutions are wired / wireless solutions and are used to control smart switches from anywhere, and features include such as scheduling, scene control, automation, control logs, voice control, and so on. However, there is no way to perform a performance analysis of household appliances, threshold consumption alerts, and real-time energy accounting at the appliance category and room levels with these basic functions. Currently, there are many home automation solutions available in the market with low-accuracy energy metering functions, but no in-depth energy usage analytics for energy management.

[0007] Further, the smart home concept has been prevalent for the last few decades and many solutions have been prevalent worldwide. With the advent of affordable wireless internet fidelity Wi-Fi technology and increasing demand for comfort and convenience solutions, smart homes are steadily on the rise. Alongside these drivers of consumer-side demand, a need for effective utilization of energy is taking center stage with rapid economic growth in the country. Energy management in the residential sector is the core to India's energy independence as residential sectors consumed about 24.24 % of India's electrical energy (as per MOSPI-2020), and between 2009 and 2019, electricity demand in the residential sector increased at a rate of 7.5 % per annum slightly higher than the rate of increase total electricity demand of 7.3% during the same period. With this, it is estimated that electricity consumption for the residential sector is expected to increase 6-13 times by 2047(NITI Aayog). There is, therefore, felt a need to develop a device and a method for energy usage analytics to alleviate the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0008] OBJECTS

[0009] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:

[0010] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a device for energy usage analytics.

[0011] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a device, which determines performance diagnostics of appliances based on benchmark analysis of energy-efficient appliances.

[0012] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a device, which provides alerts for crossing the threshold limit based on projected monthly power consumption.

[0013] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a device, which provides real-time energy accounting by aggregation of electricity consumption at appliance category level, room level, and home level.

[0014] Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a device, which is economical to use.

[0015] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for energy usage analytics.

[0016] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for energy usage analytics.

[0017] Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0018] SUMMARY

[0019] The present disclosure envisages a device for energy usage analytics. The device is configured to electrically couple a power source to at least one electrical load. The device comprises a control unit, a switching unit, a power metering unit, and a communication unit.

[0020] The control unit is configured to generate at least one control signal based on a user input(s). The switching unit is configured to receive the control signal(s) from the control unit, and to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s), by controlling a supply of power from the power source to the electrical load(s). The power metering unit is electrically coupled in between the power source and the switching unit to receive a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source to the electrical load(s), and the power metering unit is configured to compute a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) respectively. The communication unit is configured to cooperate with the control unit and the power metering unit and to transmit the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics.

[0021] In an embodiment, the switching unit comprises at least one relay switch.

[0022] In an embodiment, the power metering unit comprises a first programmable gain amplifier, a second programmable gain amplifier, a first analog-to-digital convertor, a second analog-to- digital convertor, an internal clock unit, and a computation unit. The first programmable gain amplifier is configured to receive the voltage signal and amplify the received voltage signal. The second programmable gain amplifier is configured to receive the current signal and amplify the received current signal. The first analog-to-digital convertor is configured to convert the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal. The second analog-to-digital convertor is configured to convert the amplified current signal into a digital current signal. The internal clock unit is configured to generate a time synchronization input. The computation unit is configured to receive the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from an internal clock and the digital current signal with the time representation input from the internal clock for computing the real time active power value with time representation.

[0023] In an embodiment, the power metering unit comprises a memory to store the computed real time active energy values.

[0024] In an embodiment, the power metering unit is configured to receive the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source to the electrical load(s) with a time representation, to compute the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) with the time representation and accordingly update the latest real time active power value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to actual energy consumed by the electrical load(s) aggregated over a period of time and accordingly update and store the latest real time active energy value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) aggregated over the period of time.

[0025] The present disclosure further envisages a system for energy usage analytics. The system comprises a device, a user device, and a remote analytical server.

[0026] The device is connected between a power source and at least one electrical load and is configured to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) by controlling a supply of power from the power source to the electrical load(s) and to compute a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) and / or an average energy consumed by the electrical load(s) over a period of time. The user device is deployed with an application interface and is communicatively coupled to the device, wherein the user device is configured to send command signals relating to switching of the electrical load(s), through the application interface and to receive the real time active power value(s) and / or the energy value(s) on the application interface from the device.

[0027] In an embodiment, the remote analytical server is configured to receive the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) over the period of time, from the device, to perform analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data, and to transmit the analytical data to the user device. In an embodiment, the user device is configured to display the value(s) of the real time active power delivered to the electrical load(s) and / or the value(s) of the actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) on the deployed application interface.

[0028] In an embodiment, the user device is configured to allow a user to set a monthly threshold energy consumption limit through the deployed application interface. The user device is configured to alert the user for exceeding the required monthly threshold energy consumption limit, by comparing the actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) with the threshold energy consumption limit.

[0029] In an embodiment, the user device is configured to predict the monthly energy consumption based on the stored energy values and alert the user accordingly on the deployed application interface.

[0030] In an embodiment, the user device is configured to provide real-time energy accounting at an electrical load category level, room level and home level. In an embodiment, the user device is configured to determine performance diagnostics of the electrical load(s) by comparing the actual energy consumption with the standard energyefficient electrical load consumption and to identify non-efficient electrical load.

[0031] The present disclosure further envisages a method for energy usage analytics by a device. The device is configured to electrically couple a power source to at least one electrical load.

[0032] The method includes the following steps:

[0033] • generating, by a control unit, at least one control signal based on a user input(s);

[0034] • receiving, by a switching unit, the control signals from the control unit;

[0035] • controlling, by the switching unit to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s), a supply of power from the power source to the electrical load(s);

[0036] • receiving, by a power metering unit, a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source to the electrical load(s);

[0037] • computing, by the power metering unit, a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) respectively; and

[0038] • transmitting, by a communication unit, the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics.

[0039] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0040] • receiving, by a remote analytical server from the device, the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) over the period of time;

[0041] • perfoming, by the remote analytical server, analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data / information; and

[0042] • transmitting, by the remote analytical server to the user device, the analytical data / information .

[0043] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0044] • receiving, by a first programmable gain amplifier of the power metering unit, the voltage signal; • amplifying, by the first programmable gain amplifier, the received voltage signal;

[0045] • converting, by a first analog-to-digital convertor of the power metering unit, the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal;

[0046] • receiving, by a second programmable gain amplifier of the power metering unit, the current signal;

[0047] • amplifying, by the second programmable gain amplifier, the received current signal;

[0048] • converting, by a second analog-to-digital convertor of the power metering unit, the amplified current signal into a digital current signal;

[0049] • generating, by an internal clock unit of the power metering unit, a time synchronization input;

[0050] • receiving, by a computation unit of the power metering unit, the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from the internal clock and the digital current signal with the time representation input from the internal clock; and

[0051] • computing, by the computation unit, the real time active power value with time representation accordingly.

[0052] In an embodiment, the method includes a step of storing, by the power metering unit, the computed real time active energy values into a memory.

[0053] In an embodiment, the method further includes the following steps:

[0054] • receiving, by the power metering unit, the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source to the electrical load(s) with a time representation;

[0055] • computing, by the power metering unit, the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) with the time representation; and

[0056] • updating and storing, by the power metering unit, the latest real time active energy value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) aggregated over a period of time.

[0057] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING A device for energy usage analytics and a method thereof, of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

[0058] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a device for energy usage analytics, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system for energy usage analytics, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figures 3A-3B illustrate flow charts of a method for energy usage analytics by a device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0061] Figure 4 illustrates a user device with a user interface that displays performance diagnostics by comparing appliance energy consumption to benchmark energy-efficient appliances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0062] Figure 5A illustrates the user device with a user interface that enables the user to set a monthly energy consumption threshold, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0063] Figure 5B illustrates the user device with a user interface that enables the user to monitor their total energy consumption at home level against the threshold and also predict the current month consumption, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0064] Figure 6A illustrates the user device with an interface that allows users to view the energy consumption of individual appliances for select period along with total switched ON period, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0065] Figure 6B illustrates the user device with an interface that provides detailed energy consumption data for each appliance, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 6C illustrates the user device with an interface that displays energy consumption data categorized by appliance types, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 6D illustrates the user device with an interface that shows daily energy consumption at the room level for all connected appliances within a room, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN THE DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING:

[0068] DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

[0069] Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.

[0070] The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0071] When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.

[0072] The present disclosure envisages a device (hereinafter referred to as device 100) for energy usage analytics and is now described with reference to Figure 1.

[0073] The device 100 is configured to electrically couple a power source 10 to at least one electrical load 20.

[0074] The device 100 comprises a control unit 40, a switching unit 50, a power metering unit 60, and a communication unit 70.

[0075] The control unit 40 is configured to generate at least one control signal based on a user input(s). The switching unit 50 is configured to receive the control signals from the control unit 40, and to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) 20, by controlling a supply of power from the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20. In an embodiment, the switching unit 50 includes at least one relay switch.

[0076] The power metering unit 60 is electrically coupled to the power source 10 and switching unit 50 to receive a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20. The power metering unit 60 is configured to compute a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 respectively.

[0077] The communication unit 70 is configured to cooperate with the control unit 40 and the power metering unit 60. The communication unit 70 is further configured to transmit the computed real time active power value(s) to a user device 80 including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics. In an embodiment, the communication unit 70 is configured to transmit the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device 80 including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics through retracing the analytical computation of aggregated data from a remote analytical server 90.

[0078] In an embodiment, the power metering unit 60 comprises a first programmable gain amplifier 60a, a second programmable gain amplifier 60b, a first analog-to-digital convertor 60c, a second analog-to-digital convertor 60d, a computation unit 60e, an internal clock unit 60el, and a memory 60f.

[0079] The first programmable gain amplifier 60a is configured to receive the voltage signal and to amplify the received voltage signal. The second programmable gain amplifier 60b is configured to receive the current signal and amplify the received current signal. The first analog-to-digital convertor 60c is configured to convert the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal continuously at 1 millisecond interval for every cycle of power frequency waveform. The second analog-to-digital convertor 60d is configured to convert the amplified current signal into a digital current signal continuously at 1 millisecond interval for every cycle of power frequency waveform. The computation unit 60e is configured to receive the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from internal clock 60e 1 and the digital current signal with the time representation input from internal clock 60el for computing the real time active power value with time representation. The memory 60f is configured to store the computed real time active energy values. The memory 60f is configured to store the computed energy value(s) for 1 second time interval. In an embodiment, the power metering unit 60 is configured to receive the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20 at 1 millisecond interval of every cycle. The power metering unit is further configured to compute the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 with time representation input signal from internal clock unit 60e 1 and accordingly update the latest real time active energy value(s) with time interval integration in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) 20 for over a period of time.

[0080] The present disclosure further envisages a system 200 for energy usage analytics and is now described with reference to Figure 2. The system 200 comprises a device 100, a user device 80, and a remote analytical server 90.

[0081] The device 100 is connected between a power source 10 and at least one electrical load 20. The device 100 is configured to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) 20 by controlling a supply of power from the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20 and to compute a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 and / or actual energy consumed by the electrical load(s) 20 for a pre-determined time interval, the user device 80 is deployed with an application interface and is communicatively coupled to the device 100 through the remote analytical server 90. The user device 80 is configured to send command signals relating to switching of the electrical load(s) 20, through the application interface and to receive the real time active power value(s) and the energy value(s) on the application interface from the device 100.

[0082] The remote analytical server 90 is configured to receive the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) 20 over the period of time, from the device 100. The remote analytical server 90 is further configured to perform analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data / information, and is further configured to transmit the analytical data to the user device 80.

[0083] In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to send command signals relating to switching of the electrical load(s) 20, through the application interface and to receive the real time active power value(s) and the energy value(s) on the application interface from the device 100 through computation of aggregated data retrieved from the remote analytical server 90. In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to display the value(s) of the real time active power delivered to the electrical load(s) 20 and / or the value(s) of the actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) 20 on the deployed application interface, after retrieving computation of aggregated data from remote analytical server.

[0084] In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to allow a user to set a monthly threshold energy consumption limit through the deployed application interface. The user device is configured to alert the user for exceeding the required monthly threshold energy consumption limit, by comparing the actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) 20 with the threshold energy consumption limit through an analytical algorithm computed at the remote analytical server 90. In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to predict the monthly energy consumption based on the stored energy values and alert the user accordingly on the deployed application interface.

[0085] In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to provide a real-time energy accounting at an electrical load category level and aggregating at home & room level through analytical algorithm computed at the remote analytical server 90.

[0086] In an embodiment, the user device 80 is configured to determine performance diagnostics of the electrical load(s) 20 by comparing the actual energy consumption with the standard energy-efficient electrical load consumption and to identify non-efficient electrical load through analytical algorithm computed at remote analytical server 90.

[0087] The control unit 40 and the computation unit 60f may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. The memory 60e may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.

[0088] In an embodiment, the communication unit 70 is employed with wireless communication technology.

[0089] With reference to Figures 3A-3B, the present disclosure further envisages a method 300 for energy usage analytics by a device 100.

[0090] The method 300 includes the following steps: At step 302: generating, by a control unit 40, at least one control signal based on a user input(s);

[0091] At step 304: receiving, by a switching unit 50, the control signals from the control unit 40;

[0092] At step 306: controlling, by the switching unit 50 to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) 20, a supply of power from the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20;

[0093] At step 308: receiving, by a power metering unit 60, a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20;

[0094] At step 310: computing, by the power metering unit 60, a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 respectively; and

[0095] At step 312: transmitting, by a communication unit 70, the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device 80 including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics.

[0096] In an embodiment, the method 300 further comprises the following steps:

[0097] At step 314: receiving, by a remote analytical server 90 from the device 100, the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) 20 over the period of time;

[0098] At step 316: perfoming, by the remote analytical server 90, analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data / information; and

[0099] At step 318: transmitting, by the remote analytical server 90 to the user device 80, the analytical data / information.

[0100] In an embodiment, the method 300 further comprises the following steps:

[0101] • receiving, by a first programmable gain amplifier 60a of the power metering unit 60, the voltage signal;

[0102] • amplifying, by the first programmable gain amplifier 60a, the received voltage signal;

[0103] • converting, by a first analog-to-digital convertor 60c of the power metering unit 60, the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal;

[0104] • receiving, by a second programmable gain amplifier 60b of the power metering unit 60, the current signal; • amplifying, by the second programmable gain amplifier 60b, the received current signal;

[0105] • converting, by a second analog-to-digital convertor 60d of the power metering unit 60, the amplified current signal into a digital current signal;

[0106] • generating, by an internal clock unit 60el of the power metering unit 60, a time integration input;

[0107] • receiving, by a computation unit 60e of the power metering unit 60, the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from the internal clock 60e 1 and the digital current signal with the time representation input from the internal clock 60el; and

[0108] • computing, by the computation unit 60e, the real time active power value with time representation accordingly.

[0109] In an embodiment, the method 300 includes a step of storing, by the power metering unit 60, the computed real time active energy values into a memory 60f.

[0110] In an embodiment, the method further includes the following steps:

[0111] • receiving, by the power metering unit 60, the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source 10 to the electrical load(s) 20 with a time representation;

[0112] • computing, by the power metering unit 60, the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) 20 with the time representation; and

[0113] • updating and storing, by the power metering unit 60, the latest real time active energy value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) 20 aggregated over a period of time.

[0114] In a working example:

[0115] The performance diagnostics of the electrical load(s) such as an electrical appliance are based on signature analysis of energy-efficient appliances. The device 100 has an inbuilt power metering unit 60 which measures the real time active power (W) drawn by a particular load on a real-time basis and, hence, energy (Wh) measurement along with total power ON time for a pre-determined time interval. The actual energy measurement data of the appliances is analyzed with respect to the signature of the benchmark appliance stored in a remote server and then the performance analysis is carried out. Once the user selects a category of appliance in the user interface, the user device automatically selects the benchmark appliance. The benchmark appliance data consists of all types of air-conditioners, refrigerators, bulbs, tube lights, geysers, washing machines, fans, and like devices. Different appliances like AC, Refrigerators, geysers, etc. have different utilization levels in accordance with the seasonal requirements, and the energy consumption of the benchmark appliance is adjusted accordingly. Based on the actual energy consumption with the standard energy-efficient appliance consumption a non-efficient appliance can be identified.

[0116] Figure 4 illustrates the user device 80 with a user interface 82 that displays performance diagnostics by comparing appliance energy consumption to benchmark energy-efficient appliances. The user interface 82 facilitates the users to review the energy consumption of their appliances against benchmark appliances, identifying potential savings opportunities. If an appliance consumes more energy than the benchmark appliance, the system alerts the user to take preventive actions such as maintenance or replacement with a more energy-efficient appliance.

[0117] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the user interface 82 includes a month selection tab 82a and a home / room selection tab 82b. The month selection tab 82a provides a dropdown list of the months of a year for the user to select a particular month. Further, the home / room selection 82b tab provides a dropdown list of rooms in a house for the user to select a particular room. For instance, the month selection tab 82a is set to "June 2024", and the room selection tab is set to "Home" (labelled for entire house).

[0118] The user interface 82 further displays a list 82c relating benchmark analysis of appliances along with their energy consumption details along with potential energy savings. The list 82c includes:

[0119] • Name of Appliance: For example: "Dining Hall-Light (5 Watt LED)", "Dining Hall- Light (15 Watt Tube Light)", "Dining Hall-Air Conditioner (1.5 Ton, Split AC)", etc.

[0120] • Actual Consumption: The actual energy consumption of the appliance in kilowatt- hours (kWh).

[0121] • Standard Consumption: The energy consumption of a benchmark appliance, energyefficient version of the appliance. • Difference: The difference between the actual consumption and the standard consumption, indicating how much more or less energy the appliance is using compared to the benchmark appliance.

[0122] Further, a benchmark comparison is highlighted in Figure 4 and is explained as follows:

[0123] • Appliance: Master Bedroom-2 Air Conditioner (1.5 Ton Split AC)

[0124] • Actual energy consumption of the appliance: 19.93 kWh

[0125] • Energy consumption of benchmark appliance: 13.34 kWh

[0126] • Excess energy consumption by the appliance: 6.59 kWh

[0127] The user interface 82 shows that the Master Bedroom -2 AC consumes 19.93 kWh energy, which is 6.59 kWh more than the benchmark AC consumption of 13.34 kWh energy. This indicates inefficiency, suggesting to the user that the AC should undergo preventive maintenance or be replaced with a more energy-efficient AC.

[0128] Figure 5A illustrates the user device 80 with a user interface 84 that enables the user to set a monthly energy consumption threshold. The user interface 84 includes an input field 84a for setting the monthly energy consumption threshold, where the user can enter the desired energy consumption threshold for the month. In this example, the value entered is " 100". The user interface 84 further includes a submit button 84b and a cancel button 84c. The submit button 84b is configured to save the user-entered monthly energy consumption threshold value, and the cancel button 84c is configured to reset the input field. After setting the monthly energy consumption threshold, the user can monitor their total energy consumption against the threshold.

[0129] Figure 5B illustrates the user device 80 with a user interface 85 that enables the user to monitor their total energy consumption at home level against the threshold and also predict the current month consumption. The user interface 85, as shown in Figure 5B, includes a month selection tab 85a and a home / room selection tab 85b. The month selection tab 85a provides a dropdown list of the months of a year for the user to select a particular month. Further, the home / room selection 85b tab provides a dropdown list of rooms in a house for the user to select a particular room. For instance, as shown in Figure 5B, the month selection tab 85a is set to "June 2024," and the home / room selection tab 85b is set to "Master Bedroom". The user interface 85 further includes an overview of energy consumption 85c and a bar graph 85d.

[0130] The overview of energy consumption 85c displays the following: o Actual consumption: Displays actual energy consumed for the set month. For instance, the actual energy consumed so far in the month of June 2024 is 153.68 kWh. o Savings: Displays the amount of energy saved compared to previous months or expected usage. For instance, the saving so far in the month of June 2024 is 28.12 kWh. o Estimated consumption: Displays the projected energy consumption for the entire month based on current usage trends. For instance, the estimated energy consumption so far in the month of June 2024 is 246.78 kWh. o Threshold status: Displays that the current consumption has exceeded the set threshold. For instance, the threshold status so far in the month of June 2024 is 53.7%.

[0131] The bar graph 85d shows daily energy consumption for the month of June 2024. Each bar of the bar graph 85d represents the energy consumed by the appliances in the room (Master Bedroom in this case) on a specific day. The X-axis of the bar graph represents the days of the June month, while the Y -axis of the bar graph represents the energy consumed in kWh. The bars for the days between 1st June and 30th June are displayed, indicating the daily energy consumption of the appliances in the Master Bedroom.

[0132] The energy consumption data is available for the entire month of June 2024, aggregated from all appliances connected to device 100. The user interface 85 shows monthly energy consumption trends and projections of monthly energy consumption, based on this aggregated data, that help the user to manage and reduce energy usage effectively.

[0133] The user interface 85 is further configured to alert the user for crossing the threshold limit based on projected monthly consumption, further, the energy consumption analysis is available for the last 12 months so the user can set a threshold for a particular month according to historical month consumption and seasonal variances. Based on the energy consumption data of the last 15 days, a projection of monthly energy consumption is available for the user which is displayed as estimated consumption in the application page. The user can track the actual energy consumption in units and percentage (%) for the entire household with respect to threshold setting and then track the current month's projection to initiate necessary actions to reduce the consumption based on the consumption trend of each appliance.

[0134] Based on the current energy consumption of his house, the predictive analysis of energy consumption for the current month is also performed to showcase the estimated energy consumption remaining days of the month. This will enable the user to take pre-emptive steps to optimize energy consumption accordingly within his limit of energy bills at the end of the month.

[0135] Figure 6A illustrates the user device 80 with an interface 86 that allows users to view the energy consumption of individual appliances for a select period along with total switched ON period. The user interface 86 shown in Figure 6A includes a date range selection tab 86a. The date range selection tab 86a provides two date selectors which are labelled as "From" and "To". For instance, in user interface 86 the date range selection tab 86a is set for the following dates: "2020 / 11 / 01 Sunday" to "2020 / 11 / 22 Sunday”.

[0136] The user interface 86 further includes a monthly calendar 86b and a appliance summary information 86c.

[0137] The user interface 86 displays the total duration for which each appliance is in the ON state, as well as the net energy consumption over a selected period, this can be viewed in appliance summary information 86c. In the appliance summary information 86c the user can view for how long their appliances have been running and how much energy they have consumed in the selected date of the calendar 86b. For instance, on 2020 / 11 / 22, the total time the appliances were running was 6 Hours and 26 mins, and the total energy consumed was 2.96 kWh.

[0138] Figure 6B illustrates the user device 80 with a user interface 87 that provides detailed energy consumption data for each appliance. The user interface 87 shows the energy consumption data splits for individual appliances, enabling users to analyze and identify which appliances consume the most energy. The user interface 87 includes a month selection tab 87a and an appliance / appliance category selection tab 87b. The month selection tab 87a provides a dropdown list of the months of a year for a user to select a particular month. Further, the appliance / appliance category selection tab 87b provides a dropdown list of appliances in a house. For instance, in Figure 6B the month selection tab 87a is set to "June 2024" and the appliance selection tab 87b is set to "device" for selecting all appliances in the house.

[0139] The user interface 87 further includes a pie chart for energy consumption 87c illustrating the following: o Title: "Units Consumed (KWH)" o A pie chart indicating a breakdown of different appliances and their energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh), wherein, different segments of the pie chart correspond to appliances labelled with energy consumption values. For a few appliances, the breakdown of different appliances and their energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) is as follows.

[0140] ■ Children Room AC: 49.86 kWh

[0141] ■ Children room wall lights: 19.93 kWh

[0142] ■ Main lights and pop lights: 11.97 kWh o A list of appliances with corresponding colour symbols is used in the pie chart for identification.

[0143] The user interface 87 helps the user to detect appliances with high energy consumption, facilitating targeted actions to reduce overall energy usage.

[0144] Figure 6C illustrates the user device 80 with an interface 88 that displays energy consumption data categorized by appliance types. The user interface 88 shows the energy consumption split across different appliance categories such as air conditioners (ACs), lights, plugs and sockets, televisions, fans, and others.

[0145] The user interface 88 includes a month selection tab 88a and an appliance / appliance category selection tab 88b. The month selection tab 88a provides a dropdown list of the months of a year for a user to select a particular month. For instance, as shown in Figure 6C the month selection tab 88a is set to "June 2024". Further, the appliance selection tab 88b is set to "device category".

[0146] The user interface 88 further includes a pie chart 88c for energy consumption for appliance category level, illustrating the following: o Title: "Units Consumed (KWH)" o A pie chart indicating a breakdown of different appliance categories and their energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh), wherein, different segments of the pie chart correspond to appliance categories labelled with energy consumption values. The breakdown of different appliance categories and their energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) is tabulated as follows: o A list of appliance categories with corresponding colour symbols is used in the pie chart for identification.

[0147] The user interface 88 facilitates the user to analyze and detect which appliance categories consume the most energy, providing insights for optimizing energy usage across different types of appliances.

[0148] Figure 6D illustrates the user device 80 with a user interface 89 that shows daily energy consumption at the room level for all connected appliances within a room. The user interface 89 includes a month selection tab 89a and a home / room selection tab 89b. The month selection tab 89a provides a dropdown list of the months of a year for a user to select a particular month. Further, the home / room selection tab 89b provides a dropdown list of rooms in a house. For instance, as shown in Figure 6D, the month selection tab 89a is set to "February 2022" and the home / room selection tab 89b is set to " Master Bedroom".

[0149] The user interface 89 further includes overview of energy consumption 89c and a bar graph 89d. The overview of energy consumption 89c specifies the total energy consumed by the appliances in the user selected room i.e., the master bedroom, and the total energy (in kWh) that can be saved in the user selected month, i.e., February 2022.

[0150] The overview of energy consumption 89c is displayed as follows on the user interface 89:

[0151] "Total Consumption": 2.18 kWh

[0152] "You can save 0.58"

[0153] The bar chart 89d of the user interface 89 indicates the following: o Title: "Monthly Consumption (in KWH)" o X-axis: Days of February 2022. o Y -axis: Units consumed in kWh for a particular day of February 2022 o For example, the bar chart indicates a breakdown of energy consumption for the master bedroom during the month of February 2022. The total energy consumed by the appliances in the master bedroom on following days is as follows:

[0154] ■ 1st February 2022: around 0. 1 kWh

[0155] ■ 2nd February 2022: 0.5 kWh

[0156] ■ 3rd February 2022: around 0. 1 kWh

[0157] ■ 4th February 2022: around 0.4 kWh

[0158] ■ 5th February 2022: around 0.7 kWh

[0159] ■ 6th February 2022: around 0.2 kWh

[0160] The user interface 89 facilitates the user to identify which specific room consumes the most energy on a daily basis with visual representations through bar charts, and take necessary actions to improve / reduce energy consumption in each room.

[0161] The present invention provides real-time energy accounting at an electrical load category level, room level, and home level. For example, a pie chart can indicate the energy consumption at the electrical load category level. The electricity bill can be segregated in line with the pie chart to determine the highest contributor to energy consumption like how much heating / cooling contributes to the pie of the total electricity bill.

[0162] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0163] TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS

[0164] The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a device for energy usage analytics and a method thereof, which:

[0165] • determines performance diagnostics of appliances based on benchmark analysis of energy-efficient appliances;

[0166] • alerts for crossing the threshold limit based on projected monthly energy consumption;

[0167] • provides real-time energy accounting by aggregation of electricity consumption at appliance category level, room level and home level; and

[0168] • is economical to use.

[0169] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0170] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

[0171] The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.

[0172] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.

[0173] The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions, or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher / lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.

[0174] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A device (100) for energy usage analytics, said device (100) configured to electrically couple a power source (10) to at least one electrical load (20), said device (100) comprising:• a control unit (40) configured to generate at least one control signal based on a user input(s);• a switching unit (50) configured to: receive the control signal(s) from said control unit (40); and switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) (20), by controlling a supply of power from the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20);• a power metering unit (60) is electrically coupled to said power source (10) and said switching unit (50) to receive a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20), and said power metering unit (60) is configured to compute a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) respectively; and• a communication unit (70) configured to cooperate with said control unit (40) and said power metering unit (60), and to transmit the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device (80) including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics.

2. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switching unit (50) comprises at least one relay switch.

3. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power metering unit (60) comprises:• a first programmable gain amplifier (60a) configured to receive the voltage signal and amplify the received voltage signal;• a second programmable gain amplifier (60b) configured to receive the current signal and amplify the received current signal;• a first analog-to-digital convertor (60c) configured to convert the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal;• a second analog-to-digital convertor (60d) to convert the amplified current signal into a digital current signal;• an internal clock unit (60el) configured to generate a time synchronization input; and• a computation unit (60e) configured to receive the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from said internal clock (60el) and the digital current signal with the time representation input from said internal clock (60el) for computing the real time active power value with time representation.

4. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power metering unit (60) comprises a memory (60f) to store the computed real time active energy values.

5. The device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power metering unit (60) is configured to receive the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20) with time representation, to compute the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) with the time representation and accordingly update and store the latest real time active energy value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) aggregated over a period of time.

6. A system (200) for energy usage analytics comprising:• a device (100) connected between a power source (10) and at least one electrical load (20), and is configured to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) (20) by controlling a supply of power from the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20) and to compute a value(s) corresponding to an real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) and / or an energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) over the period of time; and• a user device (80) deployed with an application interface and is communicatively coupled to the device (100), wherein the user device (80) isconfigured to send command signals relating to switching of the electrical load(s) (20), through the application interface and to receive the real time active power value(s) and / or the energy value(s) over the period of time on the application interface from the device (100).

7. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6 includes a remote analytical server (90) configured to:• receive the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) over the period of time, from the device (100);• perform analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data / information; and• transmit the analytical data / information to the user device (80).

8. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said user device (80) is configured to display the value(s) of the real time active power delivered to the electrical load(s) (20) and / or the value(s) of the actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) (20) over the period of time on the deployed application interface.

9. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said user device (80) is configured to allow a user to set a monthly threshold energy consumption limit through the deployed application interface, wherein said user device (80) is configured to alert the user for exceeding the required monthly threshold energy consumption limit, by comparing actual energy delivered to the electrical load(s) (20) with the threshold energy consumption limit.

10. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said user device (80) is configured to predict the monthly energy consumption based on the stored energy values and alert the user accordingly on the deployed application interface.

11. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6, said user device (80) is configured to provide a real-time energy accounting at an electrical load category level, home and room level.

12. The system (200) as claimed in claim 6, said user device (80) is configured to determine performance diagnostics of the electrical load(s) (20) by comparing the actual energyconsumption with the standard energy-efficient electrical load consumption and to identify non-efficient electrical load.

13. A method (300) for energy usage analytics by a device (100), said device (100) configured to electrically couple a power source (10) to at least one electrical load (20), said method (300) comprising:• generating (302), by a control unit (40), at least one control signal based on a user input(s);• receiving (304), by a switching unit (50), the control signal(s) from said control unit (40);• controlling (306), by said switching unit (50) to switch ON / OFF the electrical load(s) (20), a supply of power from the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20);• receiving (308), by a power metering unit (60), a voltage signal and a current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20);• computing (310), by said power metering unit (60), a value(s) corresponding to a real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) respectively; and• transmitting (312), by a communication unit (70), the computed real time active energy value(s) to a user device (80) including a user interface for displaying energy usage analytics.

14. The method (300) as claimed in claim 13, further comprises steps of:• receiving (314), by a remote analytical server (90) from the device (100), the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) and / or the energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) over the period of time;• perfoming (316), by the remote analytical server (90), analytical computation on the received value(s) to generate analytical data / information; andtransmiting (318), by the remote analytical server (90) to the user device (80), the analytical data / information.

15. The method (300) as claimed in claim 13, further comprises steps of:• receiving, by a first programmable gain amplifier (60a) of said power metering unit (60), the voltage signal;• amplifying, by said first programmable gain amplifier (60a), the received voltage signal;• converting, by a first analog-to-digital convertor (60c) of said power metering unit (60), the amplified voltage signal into a digital voltage signal;• receiving, by a second programmable gain amplifier (60b) of said power metering unit (60), the current signal;• amplifying, by said second programmable gain amplifier (60b), the received current signal;• converting, by a second analog-to-digital convertor (60d) of said power metering unit (60), the amplified current signal into a digital current signal;• generating, by an internal clock unit (60e 1) of said power metering unit (60), a time synchronization input;• receiving, by a computation unit (60e) of said power metering unit (60), the digital voltage signal with the time representation input from said internal clock (60el) and the digital current signal with the time representation input from said internal clock (60el); and• computing, by said computation unit (60e), the real time active power value with time representation accordingly.

16. The method (300) as claimed in claim 13 includes a step of storing, by said power metering unit (60), the computed real time active energy values into a memory (60f).

17. The method (300) as claimed in claim 13 further includes steps of:• receiving, by said power metering unit (60), the voltage signal and the current signal corresponding to the power supplied by the power source (10) to the electrical load(s) (20) with time representation;• computing, by said power metering unit (60), the value(s) corresponding to the real time active power drawn by the electrical load(s) (20) with the time representation; and• updating and storing, by said power metering unit (60), the latest real time active energy value(s) in the memory to obtain a value(s) corresponding to energy consumed by the electrical load(s) (20) aggregated over a period of time.

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