Household Energy Usage Rules for Context-Aware Consumption Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current energy usage measurement systems are cryptic and not user-friendly for average consumers, as they provide measurements in kilowatts per hour without context, making it unclear how these measurements relate to other devices or the household's overall energy usage.
Innovation Solution
An energy management system that monitors and compares energy usage data from devices and the household against preprogrammed or utility-provided energy usage rules, generating instructions to modify energy profiles to align with desired usage levels, thereby enabling efficient energy management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If energy usage measurements are provided in kilowatts per hour, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that converts raw energy usage data (kilowatts per hour) into contextualized information. The system compares measured energy usage against a database of similar devices and household benchmarks, then presents this processed information to consumers in understandable formats such as percentile rankings and comparative assessments, making the data meaningful without sacrificing measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the parameter representation of energy usage data from absolute values (kilowatts per hour) to relative values (percentiles, comparisons to similar devices). This parameter transformation maintains the precision of original measurements while changing how the data is presented to consumers, making it more intuitive and actionable
2Device complexity
If static energy usage measurements are provided, then measurement simplicity is improved, but loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple data sources to create a comprehensive energy usage profile. It combines the static measured energy usage data with dynamic contextual information from a database of similar devices, household benchmarks, and usage patterns. This merging enriches the information content without significantly increasing system complexity, as the database queries and comparisons are performed automatically
Data Source
AI summary
Accessing an energy usage rule for a device is described, wherein the device is coupled with a first structure. The energy usage of the device is monitored. The energy usage rule and the energy usage is then compared. Based on the comparing, an instruction is generated to modify an energy usage profile of said device to correlate with said energy usage, thereby enabling efficient energy management.