Power Usage Analysis via Smart Meter Data Inference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power analysis systems in residences are not successful due to high costs of sensors and installation, and existing smart meters lack the capability to report power usage frequently enough for effective analysis without overloading network bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes existing smart meters to receive and analyze power monitoring reports at a central server, displaying power usage in near real-time, allowing users to identify and compare device usage without requiring sensors on every device, and provides recommendations for energy savings by comparing usage with similar devices in the same geographic area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If power sensors are installed on every device to enable detailed power analysis, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and installation cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power analysis function from individual devices and consolidates it at the utility meter level. The meter captures aggregate power data and the system identifies individual device usage patterns through data analysis rather than physical sensors on each device, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary power analysis system that sits between the utility meter and the user. This intermediary analyzes aggregate meter data to infer individual device power consumption patterns, enabling detailed analysis without requiring direct sensor contact with each device
2Measurement precision
If smart meters increase their reporting rate to capture detailed power usage patterns, then measurement precision is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by having the smart meter report power data at a moderate frequency that is sufficient for identifying device patterns but not so high as to overwhelm the network. The analysis system processes this partial data stream to extract complete device-level insights without requiring exhaustive high-frequency reporting from all devices
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of power patterns in advance to establish device identification algorithms. Once device patterns are identified, the system can analyze power usage with lower data rates since the identification framework is already in place, reducing the ongoing network bandwidth requirement
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method analyzes resource consumption without requiring sensors at every device for which consumption is analyzed. Data rates used to provide resource use information may be increased or decreased based on user actions.