Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring via Electrical Signature Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nonintrusive appliance load monitoring systems are prone to errors due to missed events, reducing the reliability of identifying electrical consumers in an electrical network.
Innovation Solution
A disaggregation apparatus and method that uses electrical signatures and multi-user detection (MUD) techniques to identify electrical consumers based on overall electrical parameters, correlating current waveforms and activity vectors to improve reliability, independent of event detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If event-based detection is used to identify electrical consumers, then the system can determine consumer status changes, but the reliability is reduced due to errors from missed events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical event-based detection system with a signal processing approach using correlation analysis. Instead of detecting discrete events (switching on/off), the system continuously correlates the overall electrical parameter signal with stored electrical signatures of individual consumers. This substitution of detection methodology eliminates the vulnerability to missed events while maintaining the ability to identify consumer status changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing electrical signatures of individual consumers before the actual identification process. These signatures, which represent the characteristic electrical parameter patterns of each consumer, are saved in advance and used as reference templates for correlation analysis. This preliminary preparation enables reliable identification without depending on perfect event detection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If overall electrical parameter monitoring is performed to identify multiple consumers, then consumer identification capability is improved, but the complexity of analyzing correlated signatures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by breaking down the overall electrical parameter signal into individual consumer contributions through correlation analysis. Each consumer's electrical signature is extracted and identified separately from the composite signal by comparing it with stored reference signatures. This segmentation approach enables the system to handle multiple consumers independently while maintaining manageable analysis complexity through the use of standardized correlation techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a disaggregation apparatus (1) for identifying an electrical consumer in an electrical network (2). An electrical signature providing unit (7) provides electrical signatures of the electrical consumers (4, 5, 6), and an electrical parameter determining unit (8) determines an overall electrical parameter of the electrical network (2). An identification unit (9) identifies an electrical consumer depending on the determined overall electrical parameter and a correlation of the electrical signatures. Since the identification unit identifies an electrical consumer depending on the determined overall electrical parameter and a correlation of the electrical signatures, the identification of an electrical consumer does not depend on the detection of an event only. This makes the identification more robust, especially less prone to errors caused by missed events, thereby improving the reliability of identifying an electrical consumer in the electrical network.