# US 2014/0153383 A1 · Distributed electrical load management method and system for controlling community loads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153383 A1 - Document ID: US20140153383A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/123,782 - Filed: 2012-06-08 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-08 - Assignees: Socpra Sciences Et Genie S.E.C. - Inventors: Philippe Mabilleau; Simon Ayoub - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153383A1 ## CPC - H02J 13/1337: {involving the use of Internet protocols} - F24D 19/1006: {for water heating systems} - F24H 7/00: Storage heaters, i.e. heaters in which the energy is stored as heat in masses for subsequent release - F24H 15/156: Reducing the quantity of energy consumed; Increasing efficiency - F24H 15/176: Improving or maintaining comfort of users - F24H 15/225: at different heights of the tank - F24H 15/277: Price - G05B 15/02: electric - G05D 23/1905: {associated with tele control} - H02J 13/00: Circuit arrangements for providing remote monitoring or remote control of equipment in a power distribution network - H04L 12/2825: {Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002)} - H04L 12/2834: {Switching of information between an external network and a home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856)} - H04L 41/0654: using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) - H04L 41/12: Discovery or management of network topologies - Y02B 30/70: Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/20: End-user application control systems - Y04S 20/221: General power management systems - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/244: the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - F24D: DOMESTIC- OR SPACE-HEATING SYSTEMS, e.g. CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS; DOMESTIC HOT-WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS THEREFOR (using steam or condensate extracted or exhausted from steam engine plants for heating purposes F01K17/02) - F24H: FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEAT-GENERATING MEANS, e.g. HEAT PUMPS, IN GENERAL (steam generation F22) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A load management method for controlling a plurality of distributed community loads with a plurality of controllers. The controllers are connectable to a network and the distributed community loads are connectable to a power grid. The loads are controllable by a corresponding one of the controllers according to a local need and a power grid supply or a community need of the loads. A network node device adapted to communicate with other node devices of a same community within an overlay network topology system. The system has a plurality of node devices organized in a number of hierarchically linked rings. The plurality of node devices of a same ring is interconnected in groups of node devices. One of the node devices is a parent node for linking the node devices of a first ring to node devices of a second ring at another hierarchy by being a parent node to both first and second rings. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 A network node device for communicating with other node devices of a same community within an overlay network topology system having a plurality of node devices organized in a number of p hierarchically linked ring network levels, where p ranges from 0 to p−1, and the plurality of node devices of a same ring being interconnected in groups of n node devices, where n ranges from 0 to n−1, one of the n node devices being a parent node for linking the n node devices of a first ring to node devices of a second ring at another hierarchy by being a parent node to at least the second ring, the network node device comprising: a network connection interface to communicate over an interconnected network of node devices, the interface being related to a network address; a registry of connectable node devices adapted to store node device network address and identifiers each representing a node device of the community and each being indicative of the ring network level and ring network position of the corresponding node device according to the overlay network topology; a registry update manager adapted to modify the registry for handling a change in the community due to drops, adds and moves of node devices that affect the registry; and a forwarding message manager adapted to receive an incoming message via the network connection interface and to handle the incoming message in accordance with a content of the incoming message and the registry, wherein when the network node device is a parent node the forwarding message manager is adapted to send an outgoing message according to the incoming message to a plurality of node devices of the registry, each having a node position on a different one of the rings that are linked by the network node device, when the network node device is not a parent node the forwarding message manager is adapted to send the outgoing message according to the incoming message to another node device of the same ring network level according to the registry. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, further comprising a device application adapted to add data to the incoming message or retrieve data from the incoming message. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the registry of connectable node devices is a table having n columns and p rows. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the registry of connectable node devices has n×p positions each being adapted to store the node device network address and the identifier. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The network node device of claim 14, wherein the identifier is a position of the n×p positions and each of the n×p positions is indicative of a ring level and node position within the community. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the registry of connectable node devices comprises a node device of the community that is a parent node to the network node device and a node device of the community that is a next neighbour. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The network node device of claim 16, wherein the next neighbour is a node device of a same ring as the network node device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the registry of connectable node devices comprises all node devices of a same ring as the network node device and a parent node to the network node device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the registry of connectable node devices comprises parent nodes of all ring network levels hierarchically corresponding to the network node device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, being adapted to communicate with a server, the server being adapted to determine a replacement node device when there is detected a node device drop in the community. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the replacement node device is determined according to a ping test result. ### Claim 22 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the server is a node device of the community. ### Claim 23 (depends on 12) The network node device of claim 12, wherein the device application is adapted to determine a replacement node device according to the registry when there is a detected a drop of a node device in the community. ### Claim 24 (depends on 12) The network node device of claim 12, wherein the device application is adapted to determine a new parent node device according to the registry when there is a detected a drop of the parent node device in the community. ### Claim 25 (depends on 12) The network node device of claim 12, wherein the device application is adapted to determine a replacement node device according to a second registry indicative of the registry of the dropped node device. ### Claim 26 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the nodes of a same ring are determined according to a ping test. ### Claim 27 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of node devices are organized in a number of p hierarchically linked ring network levels according to ping test results. ### Claim 28 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, further comprising a message sending manager that is adapted to send a message by unicasting the message to another node device of the community according to the registry. ### Claim 29 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, further comprising a message sending manager that is adapted to send a message by multicasting the message to a group of node devices, each of the group of node devices having a same parent node at a determined ring network level. ### Claim 30 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, further comprising a message sending manager that is adapted to send a message by broadcasting the message to all the node devices of the community. ### Claim 31 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11, wherein the message is send to all the node devices of the community according to a directional ring path that is either counter clockwise or clockwise as defined by the registry of each node device by which the message passes. ### Claim 32 (canceled) ### Claim 33 (canceled) ### Claim 34 (canceled) ### Claim 35 (canceled) ### Claim 36 (depends on 11) The network node device of claim 11 further comprising, a load management controller for collecting a local data indicative of at least a local need parameter, for receiving a community data indicative of at least one of a power grid supply parameter or a community need parameter of the other node devices of the community and for determining and setting a power consumption of a corresponding load according to the local data and the community data.