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US 4,306,293 AGranted
Energy monitoring system
OwnerSharad M. Maratheinventor
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OwnerSharad M. Maratheinventor
Estimating the term…
The individual energy monitor in a multiple unit complex includes means for measuring the temperature differential at the inlet and outlet of each consuming unit. An on-site microprocessor functioning as a muliple meter unit is coupled to all such consuming units and stores the temperature differential with appropriate processing to record the heat usage during a known time. The microprocessor meter can store the individual energy usage of many consuming units and can be remotely or locally interrogated for purposes of collecting of the necessary data when and as required for billing and the like with equitable allocation of costs among the units based on such individual energy usage. The microprocessor meter continuously, sequentially and cyclically reads the inlet/outlet temperature sensors. The metering system may assume that the total fluid flow from the heat source unit is divided essentially equally amongst the several flow paths to directly allocate costs or may weight the temperature differential in accordance with various factors such as the flow resistance of each path, the flow characteristic of a common circulation pump, the output of a single flow sensor connected to detect the total flow rate, the actual opening of each consuming unit, and even the individual monitored flow through each consuming unit.
A multiple unit energy monitoring apparatus for measuring and processing a plurality of separate energy consuming loads connected to a common energy source, comprising a plurality of sensing means and adapted to be coupled one each to each of said loads and operable to produce an energy related data signal, a microprocessor meter means including first input means coupled to each of said sensing means for receiving and storing said energy related data signal, said microprocessor meter means having presettable data means preset in accordance with predetermined weighting characteristic data related to the consumption characteristic of each of said separate energy consuming loads and independently of the said energy related data signal for said consuming loads, and said microprocessor meter means being operable to modify said energy related data signals in accordance with said weighting characteristic data and thereby to provide a signal indicative of the individual energy consumption for each of the said energy consuming loads.
A method of monitoring and measuring energy consumption in a building complex having a plurality of energy consuming units individually and separately operatively coupled to a common energy source adapted to circulate a thermal energy carrier medium through said consuming units, each of said consuming units having inlet and outlet connections, comprising measuring the temperature differential between each of the inlet and outlet connections to each consuming unit, converting said temperature differential signal to a multibit digital temperature word signal corresponding to said temperature differential, establishing modifying digital word signals in accordance with system flow characteristics, said flow characteristics and said modifying digital word signals being independent of the temperature differential signal, modifying such temperature differential signal in accordance with said modifying word signals to establish an load consumption word signal, storing said temperature words and said modifying words and said load consumption words in a digital memory means, and periodically reading such memory means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.