Home Energy Gateway Timestamping During Power Outages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Home Energy Management systems are costly, inflexible, and complex, and lack the ability to accurately store data entries with timestamps during power outages, especially when disconnected from external time sources.
Innovation Solution
A Home Energy Gateway (HEG) with an internal database timing device that syncs with an external real-time time server, allowing for accurate timestamping of data entries and maintaining database integrity during power failures by dividing the database into fixed interval blocks and re-syncing the internal clock upon restoration of power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the HEG uses an external time server for timestamping database entries, then timestamp accuracy is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to data integrity issues during power outages when external time sources are unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The HEG performs preliminary actions by continuously synchronizing its internal clock with the external time server before power outages occur. The internal clock is kept ready and calibrated in advance, so when power is restored after an outage, the system can immediately resume accurate timestamping without needing to query the external time server during the critical recovery period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an internal clock as an intermediary time-keeping mechanism between the external time server and the database timestamping function. This internal clock acts as a buffer that can independently provide accurate timestamps during power outages when the external time server is inaccessible, thereby maintaining data integrity without compromising timestamp accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If the HEG continuously synchronizes with the external time server, then timestamp accuracy is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous synchronization, the HEG implements periodic synchronization with the external time server. The internal clock is synchronized at regular intervals during normal operation, which maintains timestamp accuracy while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous synchronization. During power outages, the internal clock operates autonomously without requiring energy-intensive external communications.
Data Source
AI summary
A system associated with a home energy gateway (HEG) is provided. The system includes a database having a plurality of data entry blocks, each block corresponding to a time interval and an internal database timing device configured to sync with an external real-time time server and maintain accurate time in the database. The home energy gateway is configured to add time-stamped data entries to the database. A homeowner may select a time period for a power outage so that the system sends an alert if the time period power outage is exceeded.