Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc

Coppergate Communications Ltd.

Daniel Park

David Elrod

James E Petranovich

Deepak V Ayyagari

Carl Mansfield

James E Owen

George M Peponides

Zhanping Yin

Garold B Gaskill

Steven H Gardner

Neal Riedel

Song-Lin Young

Vitaliy Merkulov

Kirk Stokes

Van Wanless

A system and method are provided for managing demand for a client with a fluctuating AC power grid demand, using DC-to-AC power inversion as an auxiliary source of power. The inverter has a selectable inversion power output levels connected to the AC client to supply auxiliary power for a portion of the AC power demand. The AC grid demand is averaged. In each of a series of periodic time intervals, a current AC grid demand average in a current time interval is compared to a demand goal, which is the highest AC grid demand average, as measured at an end of a time interval, and selected from a plurality of time intervals. The inverter output power level is selected so that the current AC grid demand average is less than or equal to the demand goal by the end of the current time interval.

System and method for managing AC power using auxiliary DC-to-AC inversion

A system and method are provided for managing battery discharge during critical peak pricing (CPP) intervals. The method provides an alternating current (AC) client with a fluctuating AC grid demand, and a direct current (DC)-to-AC inverter having an input connected to a battery and selectable inversion power output levels connected to the AC client. In response to receiving a CPP warning for a first time interval, a present battery capacity state of charge (SoC) is determined. Also determined is a target peak demand for the AC client over a second time interval that includes the first time interval. The target peak demand defines a desired maximum threshold AC grid demand. In response to determining the present battery capacity SoC and the target peak demand, excess battery capacity is determined, and the excess battery capacity is used to supply auxiliary energy to the AC client during the CPP first time interval.

System and method for managing battery discharge during critical peak pricing intervals

A virtual thermostat system and method are provided. The method accepts commands via a virtual thermostat interface for establishing temperature set points for a plurality of zones. Energy consumption information is also accepted from a plurality of energy consumption units. Each unit consumes energy at an associated peak power to supply a controlled temperature medium to a corresponding zone. The method also accepts temperature measurements for each zone. Then, consumption commands are sent to each energy consumption unit in response to associated zone temperature set points, while insuring that a combined peak power of the energy consumption units is less than a maximum peak power threshold. In one aspect, the virtual thermostat accepts temperature measurements from a plurality of physical thermostats, each associated with an energy consumption unit. Then, consumption commands are relayed to the energy consumption units via associated physical thermostats.

Virtual thermostat system and method

A system and method are provided for calculating power using a voltage waveform shape measurement from a contactless sensor. An electrically conductive medium carries alternating current (AC) electrical current, associated with an AC voltage, from a source node to a destination node. AC current is measured through the electrically conductive medium. Using a contactless sensor, an AC voltage waveform shape is measured. The power usage at the destination node is calculated in response to the AC current measurement, the measurement of the AC voltage waveform shape, and an AC voltage potential. For simplicity, the AC current and AC voltage waveform shape may both be measured at a first node located between the source node and the destination node. The AC voltage potential used in the power usage calculation may be an estimate, an actual measurement, or a value supplied by an external source (e.g., the power utility).

System and method for calculating power using contactless voltage waveform shape sensor

A thermostat user interface (UI) is provided for presenting calculated set point ranges. The thermostat UI has a major thermostat scale for presenting a current temperature and an overall range of feasible temperatures. A set point indictor indicates a set point input (e.g., desired temperature) with respect to the major thermostat scale. A minor thermostat scale presents a set point range, where the set point range is a range of permitted temperature measurement variations from the set point input. The set point range brackets the set point indicator with a maximum temperature value representing a highest temperature in the set point range, and a minimum temperature value representing a lowest temperature in the set point range. If high and low temperature set point indictors are used, then there are first and second minor thermostat scales bracketing, respectively, the high and low temperature set point indicators.

Thermostat with set point range feedback

A multi-dimensional energy control system is provided with an energy management software application that organizes the consumption of energy by a device as an n-dimensional energy space, where n is an integer greater than 2, and each axis in the energy space represents an energy consumption characteristic. The energy management application generates instructions for a device in response to calculating a compromise operating point in the energy space. A user interface (UI) connected to the energy management application has a display to receive a graphical representation of the energy space and compromise operating point, and an input to receive user commands for moving the represented compromise operating point in the represented energy space. The energy management application calculates the compromise operating point in the energy space to match the displayed compromise operating point.

Graphical user interface for the multi-dimensional representation of energy control

System and method for the multi-dimensional representation of energy control

Systems and devices for, and methods of, energy management via prompted response options based on detected anomalous conditions.

Offered actions for energy management based on anomalous conditions

Systems and devices for, and methods of, adaptive local energy storage capacity by changing operating set points of regulated energy load devices based on the presence, or absence, of an excess of available, generated energy.

Energy management system to reduce the loss of excess energy generation

Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for establishment and modification of network allocation parameters.

Systems and methods for dynamic network channel modification

Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for detecting and applying network channel characteristic measurements.

Systems and methods for network channel characteristic measurement and network management

A wireless client device (e.g. a WSD) discovers vacant DTV channels using location information acquired from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. In one aspect of the invention, a wireless client device discovers vacant DTV channels through direct communication with a local DHCP server and a remote primary user database server. In another aspect of the invention, a wireless client device discovers vacant DTV channels from an access device that communicates with a local DHCP server and a remote primary user database server.

Method and system for discovering vacant DTV channels using DHCP server location

Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for network connection setup and bandwidth allocation comprising negotiable and non-negotiable modulation allocation procedures.

Systems and methods for network channel allocation

The embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, devices, and systems for providing quality of service (QoS) to network data that is received by an intermediate node in a local area network. In general, the embodiments of the present invention generally evaluate network traffic. Certain streams or flows are copied in appropriate buffer areas and accordingly evaluated by their traffic flow characteristics and further evaluated to determine if such streams/flows contain signaling or control information, which may be based on characteristic key words and/or structures. Based on the signaling or control information extracted, the appropriate stream is accordingly assigned or configured for quality of service (QoS) handling.

Detection of signaling flows

The embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, devices, and systems for providing quality of service to network data that is received by an intermediate node in a local area network. In some embodiments, network data is categorized based on data flow, and based on such data flow, determining whether such flow exceeds a threshold. If the flow exceeds a threshold, such data flow is accordingly provided quality of service.

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Daniel Park