Energy Management Gateway Load Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current energy management gateways are inflexible and lack user control over dynamic changes in energy costs and environmental impact, primarily focusing on static configurations and limited user options, with no automatic communication of dynamic energy usage information.
Innovation Solution
An energy management gateway that categorizes loads as constant or sporadic, allowing for differential scheduling based on user input and external service provider information, enabling users to set thresholds and deadlines for sporadic loads while optimizing constant loads with pre-set parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional demand response control is implemented with utility-provided gateways, then energy consumption management is improved, but user flexibility and configurability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway functionality is segmented into two distinct scheduling modes: automated scheduling for constant loads and manual scheduling for sporadic loads. This segmentation allows the system to provide optimized energy management for continuous operations while preserving user control flexibility for intermittent tasks, thereby resolving the contradiction between energy management effectiveness and user flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its control strategy based on load type characteristics. Constant loads receive automated, dynamic scheduling based on energy prices and environmental factors, while sporadic loads maintain static, user-configurable schedules. This dynamic adaptation enables the system to optimize energy consumption where appropriate while preserving user flexibility where needed.
2Device complexity
If static configuration is used for home automation, then system simplicity is maintained, but ability to react to dynamic energy changes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration system is segmented into static user preferences (stored in the gateway) and dynamic energy information (received from external sources). This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple, stable user configurations while automatically adapting to dynamic energy prices and environmental conditions, resolving the contradiction between system simplicity and dynamic response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary between static user preferences and dynamic energy market information. It receives and processes external energy price and environmental data, then applies these dynamic factors to scheduled tasks based on user-configured priorities and constraints, enabling dynamic response while maintaining system simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If all loads are scheduled with equal complexity, then scheduling uniformity is maintained, but user effort and system optimization are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling system applies different levels of complexity and automation to different load types based on their local characteristics. Constant loads receive fully automated, optimized scheduling with minimal user input, while sporadic loads use simpler manual scheduling with maximum user control. This local differentiation optimizes both ease of operation and system productivity by matching scheduling complexity to load requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method of an energy management gateway (101) scheduling a plurality of electrical loads (103), the method comprising: categorizing each of the plurality of electrical loads as either a constant load or a sporadic load; and scheduling each of the plurality of loads differently based on whether the load has been categorized as a constant load or a sporadic load; wherein the constant load(s) are scheduled based on information obtained from an external service provider (102) and/or on information inputted by a user via a user interface (204) of the gateway; and wherein the sporadic load(s) are scheduled based on information obtained from an external service provider and/or on information inputted by a user via a user interface of the gateway.