# US 9,436,199 B2 · Controlling the setback and setback recovery of a power-consuming device

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- Number: US 9,436,199 B2
- Document ID: US9436199B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/495,720
- Filed: 2012-06-13
- Published: 2013-01-10
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-06-13
- Assignees: GridPoint, Inc.
- Applicants: Daniel K. Dyess; E. Channing Preston, Jr.
- Inventors: Daniel K. Dyess; E. Channing Preston, Jr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436199B2

## CPC

- G05F 1/66: Regulating electric power
- F24F 11/30: for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
- F24F 11/47: Responding to energy costs
- F24F 11/56: Remote control
- F24F 11/62: characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
- F24F 11/63: Electronic processing
- F24F 11/64: using pre-stored data
- F24F 11/65: for selecting an operating mode
- G05B 15/02: electric
- G05B 19/048: Monitoring; Safety
- G06N 5/04: Inference or reasoning models
- F24F 11/46: Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
- F24F 2140/00: Control inputs relating to system states
- G05B 2219/2614: HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
- Y02B 70/3225: 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
- G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02)
- 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)
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- 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

Systems and methods are provided for controlling a setback mode of a power-consuming device, and for controlling setback recovery of power-consuming devices, in order to make setback and setback recovery more dynamic based on current environmental parameters and previous observed operating parameters, in order to enable more efficient operation of power-consuming devices resulting in reduced energy costs and increased power efficiency.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-readable code stored thereon for causing a computer to perform a method of controlling a setback mode of a power-consuming device, the method comprising:
determining a previous drift value,
wherein the previous drift value is a rate of change of at least one previous environmental parameter observed while the power-consuming device was in a previous setback mode;
receiving, at a processor component, at least one setback setting input,
wherein the setback setting input corresponds to at least one of a setback entry time, a setback environmental parameter, a setback parameter differential, and combinations thereof,
wherein the setback entry time is a programmed time at which the power-consuming device will enter the setback mode,
wherein the setback environmental parameter is a threshold value for an environmental parameter of the power-consuming device at which the power-consuming device will enter the setback mode,
wherein the setback parameter differential is a target change in an environmental parameter of the power-consuming device when the power-consuming device enters the setback mode;
receiving data indicative of a current environmental parameter;
calculating a replacement setback setting based at least on the previous drift value, the setback setting input, and the data indicative of the current environmental parameter;
monitoring the current environmental parameter;
comparing the current environmental parameters to a predetermined operating environmental parameter;
entering a shut-off mode when the current environmental parameter is within a predefined threshold of the predetermine operating environmental parameter;
exiting the shut-off mode when the current environmental parameter is not within the predefined threshold of the predetermined operating environmental parameter;
monitoring a shut-off time corresponding to the power-consuming device entering the shut-off mode;
monitoring a turn-on time corresponding to the power-consuming device exiting the shut-off mode;
computing a current drift value based at least on the predetermined operating environmental parameter and the current environmental parameter when the current environmental parameter is not within predefined threshold of the predetermine operating environmental parameter, and a difference between the shut-off time and the turn-on time; and
replacing the previous drift value with the current drift value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising sending instructions to the power-consuming device to enter the setback mode based at least on the replacement setback setting.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein calculating the replacement setback setting comprises:
determining a modification value based at least on the previous drift value;
adjusting the setback entry time by the modification value.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the current drift value is a ratio of a difference between the predetermined operating environmental parameter and the current environmental parameter, when the current environmental parameter is not within the predefined threshold of the predetermined operating environmental parameter, to the difference between the shut-off time and the turn-on time.

### Claim 5

A system for controlling a setback mode of a power-consuming device, the system comprising:
a processor configured to:
determine a previous drift value, wherein the previous drift value is a rate of change of at least one previous environmental parameter observed while the power-consuming device was in a previous setback mode;
receive at least one setback setting input, the setback setting input corresponding to at least one of a setback entry time, a setback environmental parameter, and a setback parameter differential,
wherein the setback entry time is a programmed time at which the power-consuming device will enter the setback mode,
wherein the setback environmental parameter is a threshold value for an environmental parameter of the power-consuming device at which the power-consuming device will enter the setback mode,
wherein the setback parameter differential is a target change in an environmental parameter of the power-consuming device when the power-consuming device enters the setback mode;
receive data indicative of a current environmental parameter;
calculate a replacement setback setting based at least on the previous drift value, the at least one setback setting input, and the data indicative of the current environmental parameter;
monitor the current environmental parameter;
compare the current environmental parameter to a predetermined operating environmental parameter; and
a controller configured to instruct the power-consuming device to:
enter the setback mode based at least on the replacement setback setting;
enter a shut-off mode when the current environmental parameter is within a predefined threshold of the predetermined operating environmental parameter; and
exit the shut-off mode when the current environmental parameter is not within the predefined threshold of the predetermined operating environmental parameter,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
monitor a shut-off time corresponding to the power-consuming device entering the shut-off mode;
monitor a turn-on time corresponding to the power-consuming device exiting the shut-off mode;
compute a current drift value based at least on the predetermined operating environmental parameter and the current environmental parameter when the current environmental parameter is not within the predefined threshold of the predetermined operating environmental parameter, and a difference between the shut-off time and the turn-on time; and
replace the previous drift value with the current drift value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein modifying the setback setting input comprises: determining a modification value based at least on the previous drift value; adjusting the setback entry time by the modification value.