Monitoring of heat consumption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current heat submetering systems face challenges in frequent monitoring and updating of individual heat consumption in submetered arrangements, particularly due to temporary or permanent unavailability of heat consumption devices, which impedes accurate calculation and frequent updates, affecting all households served by a common energy supply.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a meter reading system that allocates meter readings to transmission batches, prioritizes processing based on priority labels, and allows for independent calculation of heat consumption values, even with missing data, by using estimated readings and batch queuing to manage incoming data efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If heat consumption values are updated frequently to reflect current state, then monitoring accuracy and fraud detection improve, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat consumption monitoring accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the heat consumption calculation into two independent parts: (1) total energy consumption from the common heat supply, and (2) individual household consumption from submetering devices. This segmentation allows frequent updates of individual values without requiring complete recalculation of the entire system, reducing processing complexity while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing the total energy consumption from the common heat supply. When individual heat consumption values need to be updated, the system can quickly combine this pre-calculated total with individual submetering data, avoiding the need to recalculate everything from scratch and reducing processing time and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If heat consumption values are updated frequently, then self-control and remote control capabilities improve, but data processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate frequencyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the calculation into total energy consumption and individual household consumption, the system can update individual values independently and frequently without triggering complete system recalculation, thus maintaining high update frequency while minimizing processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary calculation and storage of total energy consumption data. This preliminary action enables rapid generation of individual heat consumption values by simply combining pre-computed totals with current submetering readings, significantly reducing the time required for frequent updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If estimated meter readings are used for non-received devices, then heat consumption calculation can proceed without waiting for all devices, but calculation accuracy decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecalculation speedVSAvoidcalculation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by calculating heat consumption values using only the subset of available data (received submetering readings and total energy consumption) rather than waiting for complete data from all devices. This allows the calculation to proceed with partial information, maintaining productivity while accepting a controlled reduction in precision that can be improved as more data becomes available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3695585B2Monitoring of heat consumption
Publication Date: 2023.08.02 ISTA INTERNATIONAL
  • EP3695585B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3695585B2 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3695585B2 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Method and system of monitoring heat consumption using a plurality of heat submetering devices, a meter reading system and a heat monitoring system. Measured meter readings are transmitted to the heat monitoring system by transmission batches which the heat monitoring system places in a batch queue and sends a batch receipt. After a validation of the transmission batches, a calculation of heat consumption values is performed.