Smart Circuit Breaker Device Identification From Aggregate Power Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power monitoring systems struggle to accurately disaggregate electricity usage data for individual devices within a building, as they typically measure collective signals from multiple devices, making it difficult to obtain precise information about specific device power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A combined approach using electrical line and network data to identify devices and determine their state changes, employing power monitoring signals and network monitoring techniques, such as smart plugs and network connections, to provide detailed information about device power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a power monitor is installed at the electrical panel to measure collective signals from multiple devices, then aggregate usage information about many devices can be obtained conveniently, but it becomes difficult to extract specific information about power usage by a single device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the collective power signal into individual device signals by analyzing power events (sudden changes in power consumption) and their temporal patterns. The system divides the aggregate signal from multiple devices into separate identifiable components, allowing precise measurement of individual device power usage while maintaining the convenience of a single panel-installed monitor.
2Measurement precision
If smart plugs are used to monitor power usage of individual devices, then precise information about single device power consumption can be obtained, but it requires a large number of smart plugs that are expensive and require significant manual effort to install
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system at the electrical panel that acts as a central processing unit for power monitoring. Instead of requiring multiple distributed smart plugs, a single intermediary device at the panel receives collective signals and uses signal processing algorithms to identify and measure individual device power consumption, thereby achieving precise measurement without the complexity of numerous smart plugs.
3Ease of operation
If collective power signals from multiple devices are measured at the electrical panel, then a single monitor can provide aggregate usage information, but the process of disaggregating to obtain information about a single device becomes complex and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of physically separating device measurements (requiring individual smart plugs at each device) with an electronic/software-based signal processing system. The system uses computational algorithms to automatically disaggregate the collective electrical signal into individual device power measurements, eliminating the manual installation complexity while maintaining single-monitor simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A smart circuit breaker may provide a smart-circuit-breaker power monitoring signal that includes information about power consumption of devices connected to the smart circuit breaker. The smart-circuit-breaker power monitoring signal may be used in conjunction with power monitoring signals from the electrical mains of the building for providing information about the operation of devices in the building. For example, the power monitoring signals may be used to (i) determine the main of the house that provides power to the smart circuit breaker, (ii) identify devices receiving power from the smart circuit breaker, (iii) improve the accuracy of identifying device state changes, and (iv) train mathematical models for identifying devices and device state changes.