Detection of Setting Deviations at an Energy Management System

Abstract

A process is provided for updating user settings in an energy management system for an electric and/or non-electric device. The energy management system has a communication interface, particularly a graphic user interface, for setting points in time concerning planned uses of the device. The process includes the steps of acquiring deviations between the points in time set on the part of the user and the actual points in time of using the device; evaluating the acquired deviations and deducing a possible systematic trend in the deviations, and displaying information to the user at the communication interface concerning a correction of already set future points in time concerning planned uses of the device.

Claims

1. A process for updating user settings in an energy management system of an electric and/or non-electric device, wherein the energy management system has a communication interface for setting points in time concerning planned uses of the device, the process comprising the acts of: acquiring deviations between points in time set on a part of a user and actual points in time of using the device; evaluating the acquired deviations in order to deduce or recognize a possible systematic trend in the deviations; and informing the user by way of the communication interface concerning a correction of already set future points in time for planned uses of the device.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the informing act comprises displaying a quantitative correction suggestion to the user for at least one already set future point in time concerning a planned use of the electric device.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the informing act comprises automatically correcting at least one already set future point in time concerning a planned use of the electric device.

4. The process according to claim 3, further comprises the act of: querying an acknowledgment of the automatic correction on the part of the user by a corresponding input at the communication interface.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the device is a heating system.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the device is a heat pump heating system.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the device is an electric vehicle having a battery for supplying the electric vehicle with electric power, the energy management system is arranged for charging the battery at the points in time of set planned uses of the electric device to a predeterminable state of charge, and the electric vehicle has at least one system function from the group consisting of: (i) a battery charging function, by which the battery of the electric vehicle at a predetermined point in time can be charged to a defined state of charge, (ii) a first pre-conditioning function, by which the battery at a predetermined point in time can be brought to an optimal operating temperature, and (iii) a second pre-conditioning function, by which an interior of the electric vehicle can be temperature-controlled and/or air-conditioned.

8. An energy management system for a device having an energy accumulator for electric energy, a user interface with input devices, which are arranged for input of points in time concerning planned uses of the device by a user, output devices, which are arranged for display of settings of the energy management system to the user, and a processor, which executes program code to: acquire deviations between points in time set on a part of a user and actual points in time of using the device; evaluate the acquired deviations in order to deduce or recognize a possible systematic trend in the deviations; and inform the user by way of the communication interface concerning a correction of already set future points in time for planned uses of the device.

9. The energy management system according to claim 8, wherein the energy management system is communicatively connected directly or indirectly by way of a data interface with a network management system of an energy supply network, and is further arranged for taking into account user settings on the part of the user concerning planned uses of the device while using the energy accumulator for providing control power for stabilizing the network frequency in the energy supply network.

10. The energy management system according to claim 8, wherein the energy management system is configured for a device that is an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or a heating system.

11. The energy management system according to claim 10, wherein the heating system is a heat pump system.

12. A computer product comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon program code that, when executed by a processor in an energy management system for a device having an energy accumulator for electric energy, a user interface with input devices, which are arranged for input of points in time concerning planned uses of the device by a user, output devices, which are arranged for display of settings of the energy management system to the user, causes the processor to: acquire deviations between points in time set on a part of a user and actual points in time of using the device; evaluate the acquired deviations in order to deduce or recognize a possible systematic trend in the deviations; and inform the user by way of the communication interface concerning a correction of already set future points in time for planned uses of the device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment with an electric vehicle as an electric device with an energy management system according to the invention for carrying out the energy management process according to the invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the process according to the invention for updating user settings in an energy management system of an electric system.

[0035] Components that are identical or have similar functions are provided with the same reference numbers. The illustrated and described embodiment should not be considered as final, but is an example for explaining the invention. The description has the purpose of informing the person skilled in the art. Therefore, known structures and methods will not be shown in detail or explained in the following description, in order not to make comprehension difficult.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment with an e-vehicle as the electric device 10a, which has an energy management system 12 for implementing an energy management process. The illustration of FIG. 1 is highly simplified and has the purpose of essentially better indicating the context in which the present invention is embedded. A more detailed illustration of the individual components of FIG. 1 is not necessary for understanding the present invention.

[0037] In addition to the known components of an e-vehicle that are not relevant here, the e-vehicle 11 has a battery 16 as an accumulator for electric energy and the above-mentioned energy management system 12 with a user interface 14.

[0038] The user interface 14 may also be part of a driver information system known per se and present anyhow in modern vehicles, wherein the energy management system 12 is then linked thereto by way of a corresponding data link or, as an alternative, is also implemented therein with respect to programming.

[0039] The user interface 14 essentially has input devices which, among other things, is arranged for the input of points in time concerning planned uses of the e-vehicle 11 by a user. The user interface 14 further has output devices which are arranged for displaying settings of the energy management system 12 to a user. Particularly advantageously, the user interface 14 is a touch display of the above-mentioned driver information system or a software application on a computer or mobile minicomputer. Basically, the functionality of the energy management system 12 can also be integrated in the driver information system or in another already existing control system of the vehicle.

[0040] In FIG. 1, the e-vehicle 11 is shown in a situation in which it is coupled by way of a charging connection, such as a charging cable 13, with a charging station 15. The charging cable 13 connects the energy management system 12, which is also used as a charge control for the battery 16 of the e-vehicle 11, with the charging station 15. The charging station 15 is connected to an energy supply system 20, for example, a multi-occupant building, a private residence or a parking garage or the like. For providing electric energy, the energy supply system 20 is electrically connected with a power supply network 30 as well as alternative energy sources, such as a wind power plant 32 or a solar system 34.

[0041] The power supply network 30 is also illustrated in a very simplified fashion and connected with a network management system 40. The goal of the energy supply system 20 is, among other things, on the one hand, to use as much energy as possible for the charging of the battery 16 of the e-vehicle from the alternative energy sources 32, 34 and/or to obtain it only at times during which the current from the power supply network 30 is reasonable. On the other hand, the energy supply system 20, if required, should be able to provide the power supply network 30 with power on the part of the alternative energy sources 32, 34 and/or on the part of the battery 16 of the e-vehicle 11 coupled with the charging station 14. Future network management strategies provide, among other things, to use the then numerously available batteries 16 of the e-vehicles 11 as buffer memories for currently excessive energy and/or as a source of required control power in the power supply network 30.

[0042] For this purpose, it is necessary that the planned uses of an e-vehicle are known to the network management system 40 of the power supply network 30. Likewise, the energy management system 12 has to know the planned uses of an e-vehicle 11 in order to be able to control the initially mentioned specific functions of the e-vehicle 11, such as the charging control and the pre-conditioning, as intended and in an optimal fashion.

[0043] For this purpose, the energy management system 12 can be communicatively directly or indirectly connected by way of a data transmission interface 18 with the network management system 40 of the energy supply network 30. A direct data connection is conceivable by way of the Internet 60, to which the e-vehicle 11 is linked by way of the data transmission interface 18 by way of an air interface/radio connection FV. The network management system 40 is also linked to the Internet 60 by way of a data connection DV. An indirect connection is conceivable, for example, by way of a data connection integrated in the charging cable 13, for example, according to the Ethernet-over-power line principle, because the charging station 14 is connected with the power supply network 30 by way of the energy supply system 20, with which power supply network 30 the network management system 40 is also connected.

[0044] The energy management system 12 has a processor which, relative to programming, by means of the program code, is arranged in a known manner such that, when the program code is implemented on the processor, the latter carries out a process according to the invention for updating user settings in an energy management system 12, as will be explained in the following. In other words, the energy management system 12 can be implemented via programming in each already present control system with a computer infrastructure.

[0045] According to the invention, the energy management system 12 is now programmed in order to ensure that, to the extent possible, user settings on the part of the user concerning planned uses of the e-vehicle 11, do not deviate from the actual points in time of the use.

[0046] For this purpose, the energy management system 12, with respect to programming, is configured for implementing a process for updating user settings in the energy management system 12. As already explained above, the user of the e-vehicle 11 can set points in time concerning planned uses of the e-vehicle 11 at the energy management system 12 by way of the communication interface 14. These settings will then be taken into account on the part of the energy management system 12 in the case of the known and, as required, future e-vehicle-specific functions, such as the charging control, pre-conditioning, solar-optimized charging, providing control power to the power supply network 30 and much more.

[0047] With respect to the charging control, the energy management system 12 is first arranged for charging the battery 16 at the points in time of set planned uses of the e-vehicle 11 to a predeterminable state of charge. As addressed above, it is also conceivable that, in addition to the planned usage points in time, the user makes an energy demand, for example, as a percentage of the battery capacity and/or by way of indicating the planned driving route.

[0048] In order to avoid the initially mentioned deviations in the case of the usage points in time set by the user and the actual usage points in time, the energy management system 12 is arranged for implementing the process according to the invention for the updating of user settings. A simplified flow chart of the process is illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0049] In Step S10, first, deviations between the points in time set on the part of the user and the actual points in time of the use of the e-vehicle are acquired. For this purpose, on the one hand, the absolute fault between the set times and the actual use time can be stored.

[0050] It is advantageous for the further evaluation (Step S20) of the deviations with respect to possible systematic trends to also acquire the weekdays as well as possibly the context of the use, such as the length of the travel route, in order to recognize patterns in the user behavior and be able to therefrom possibly predict deviations. It would be a trivial example that the user's clock is set wrong, and a certain deviation therefore occurs regularly. This can be recognized and be taken into account.

[0051] In order to detect deviations in the user settings from the real user behavior, the user behavior can preferably regularly gauge/acquire the absolute deviation by way of a previously defined, possibly changeable number of deviations. In this case, a one-time and/or first-time exceeding/falling below of a defined positive and/or negative threshold value does not yet lead to a correction suggestion or an automatic adaptation.

[0052] The measured variable for the deviation can be the difference of a respective value set by the user for the planned use preferably with respect to the median or alternatively to the average value of the real values for the set number of situations; i.e. the evaluation can be established therefrom for the totality of all checks or abstracts. It may, for example, make sense to differentiate between weekdays as planned use times for departure times set by the user. If, for example, the departure time, for example, for work, is observed on certain weekdays, such as Mondays through Thursdays, but on a certain other day, such as Friday, it is not observed, a suggestion or an adaptation will take place only for target dates on that certain day and not for all target dates.

[0053] In Step S20, the acquired deviations are evaluated in order to deduce or recognize a possible systematic trend in the deviations.

[0054] Based on detected deviations, as a first measure in a Step 30, the user is informed by way of the communication interface 14 concerning a conceivable correction of already set future points in time for planned uses of the e-vehicle; i.e. should it only be possible to recognize that the set planned points in time for uses of the e-vehicle 11 are (for example, frequently) wrong, it definitely makes sense to prompt the user by way of the communication interface 14 to possibly correct the already set future points in time for planned uses of the e-vehicle 11 or at least remind him in this respect.

[0055] If, for example, a repetitive deviation occurs in the deviations, i.e. a systematic trend can be recognized, the information Step S30 may further have a Step S40, in which a quantitative correction suggestion for at least one already set future point in time concerning a planned use of the vehicle 11 is displayed to the user.

[0056] For example, a user could have regularly scheduled a vehicle use for a certain weekday, for example, for attending a sports lesson on Thursday from 20:00 to 22:00. When the time window has shifted, for example, because the lesson now takes place from 19:00 to 21:00, but the user has not updated this change in the energy management system 12, the deviation by one hours (“correction suggestion: −1 h”) can be quantitatively defined or deduced as a systematic deviation. The user can then be presented with the corresponding quantitative correction suggestion, specifically, to correct the planned use point in time by “I hour.”

[0057] Likewise, when such a systematic deviation was detected, in Step S50, an automatic correction of at least one already set future point in time concerning a planned use of the e-vehicle can take place. In the case of the automatic correction in Step S50, a Step S60 is further provided, in which an acknowledgment of the automatic correction on the part of the user is requested by a corresponding input at the communication interface 14.

[0058] As outlined in FIG. 2, the process always returns to Step S10 in order to detect new deviations and, as discussed above, evaluate them and, as required, prompt the user or make change/correction suggestions.

[0059] It should also be noted that the process described here in conjunction with an e-vehicle 11 can naturally also be correspondingly used with other electric and non-electric devices 10b, such as a heating system, preferably a heat pump heating system.

[0060] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.