1. An energy management system comprising:
a network device disposed at a residence;
a wireless home energy network capable of establishing communication with the network device;
a server disposed remotely from the residence and capable of generating a control action report to control the network devices; and
a controller located at the residence and in communication with the server and configured to:
establish the wireless home energy network;
initiate a plurality of operating status requests of the network device;
receive device data in response to at least one of the operating status requests;
generate a site report including the device data;
initiate a communication of the site report to the remote server; and
detect an availability of the control action report at the remote server in conjunction with the communication of the site report.
2. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the control action report includes control data generated in response to a detection of a travel direction and a distance between a location reporting device and the residence.
3. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein:
the network device includes a wireless thermostat;
the server includes a proximity detection module configured to:
detect a location reporting device within a first zone;
detect a current thermostat setting and an indoor temperature of the residence communicated within the site report;
calculate a percentage adjustment to adjust the current thermostat setting in response to the first zone and the current thermostat setting and the indoor temperature;
calculate a new set point value in response to the percentage adjustment;
include the new set-point value in the control data of the control action report; and
the controller is configured to:
detect the new set-point value within the control action report;
identify the wireless thermostat; and
initiate an outputting of the new set-point value to the wireless thermostat using the wireless home energy network.
4. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises:
a ZigBee enabled communication device capable of initiating the wireless home energy network; and
a WIFI enabled communication device capable of initiating a WIFI network operable to be coupled to a location reporting device when located near the residence.
5. The energy management system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to:
alter an operating condition of the network device in response to detecting the location reporting device establishing a WIFI connection to the WIFI network; and
alter an operating condition of the network device in response to detecting a loss of the WIFI connection.
6. The energy management system of claim 4, further comprising:
a first user schedule accessible to the controller and operably linked to the location reporting device wherein the first user schedule includes a first schedule event configured to alter an operating condition of the network device in response to detecting the location reporting device establishing or losing a WIFI connection to the WIFI network.
7. The energy system of claim 6, further comprising:
a second user schedule accessible to the controller, wherein the second user schedule includes a second schedule event configured to alter an operating condition of the network device, wherein the second user schedule is not linked to any location reporting device; and
wherein the controller is configured to use the second schedule event in response to a detection of the location reporting device losing the WIFI connection.
8. The energy system of claim 6, further comprising:
a second location reporting device operably linked to a second user schedule;
wherein the controller is configured to use the second schedule event in response to a detection of the second location reporting device establishing a WIFI connection; and
wherein the controller is configured to disable use of the second scheduled event in response to a detection of the second location reporting device losing the WIFI connection.
9. The energy management system of claim 4, further comprising:
wherein the location reporting device is configured to:
connect to the WIFI network initiated by the controller;
receive information to be communicated to the controller using a wireless information network; and
wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the information from the location reporting device over the WIFI network; and
use at least a portion of the received information with the wireless home energy network.
10. The energy management system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to:
detect a Zigbee device accessible by the wireless home energy network; and
initiate a request to access a ZigBee profile of the ZigBee device using the WIFI network and the location reporting device.
11. The energy management system of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the network device includes a wireless thermostat configured to join the wireless home energy network;
wherein the wireless thermostat does not include an enabled local programming schedule configured to control an HVAC system of the residence; and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
initiate joining the wireless thermostat to the wireless home energy network using a unique identifier of the network device received from the remote server.
12. The energy management system of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the controller is capable of detecting an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) wireless network output by a smart energy network device;
a communication interface configured to enable joining the smart energy network device and the controller;
wherein the controller is capable of joining the AMI wireless network at a first security level;
wherein the controller is capable of establishing the wireless home energy network at a second security level; and
wherein the controller is capable of using information received from the AMI network to alter the operating condition of the network device using the wireless home energy network.
13. The energy management system of claim 2, wherein the server includes an energy pricing monitor configured to:
detect energy pricing within an energy market;
generate control data to curtail use of the network device in response to an unfavorable pricing condition and the detection of the travel direction and the distance between the location reporting device and the residence; and
generate control data to initiate use of the network device in response to a favorable pricing condition and the detection of the travel direction and the distance between the location reporting device and the residence.
14. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the server includes a demand response module configured to:
detect a grid condition favorable to a demand response event;
detect a preference of an owner of the residence to participate in demand response events;
determine an energy capacity of the residence based on historical device consumption data received in the site report and a forecasted device consumption data; and
generate control data to alter an operating condition of the network device in response to the grid condition and the preference of the owner and the energy capacity of the residence.
15. The energy management system of claim 1, further comprising a residential broadband connection between the residence and the server, wherein the broadband connection includes a secure gateway connection and does not include a cellular based network.
16. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the controller being a micro-grid controller configured to establish the wireless home energy network using a wireless mesh network.
17. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a thermostat.
18. The energy management system of claim 17, wherein the controller further includes:
an 802.15.4 based wireless communication device operable to establish the wireless home energy network; and
an 802.11 based wireless communication device operable to communicate with a mobile device and a residential broadband wireless router.
19. The energy management system of claim 18, wherein the controller includes a processor configured to deploy a web server capable of enabling web services with:
a computer system including a browser configured to access a IP address of the web server to manage the network device coupled to the wireless home energy network; and
a mobile device configured to enable access to a subscriber based wireless information network using a connection to the 802.11 based wireless communication device.
20. The energy management system of claim 19, wherein the controller includes a scheduling tool configured to be output by the web server.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A digital transmission system for transmitting and receiving digital information, said digital transmission system comprising:
processing means (15) for combining recorded signals from different audio and video sources to a single video program stream,
motion tracking means (16) for defining active areas in a selected video program stream,
linking means for linking appropriate application data to the corresponding active areas in the video program stream,
transmitting means for transmitting the video stream over a transport network (10) to the receiving side,
receiving means (48) for receiving the incoming video stream,
monitoring means (49) for presenting the monitored program to the user, and
controlling means (50) for controlling the receiving means (48) and the monitoring means (49).
2. A digital transmission system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means comprises
storing and forwarding means (19), and
multiplexing means (6) for multiplexing different digital video program streams and digital data streams into a multi-program transport stream, and
sending means (9), so that
the storing and forwarding means (19) receives application data from different applications (20), and forwards the appropriate application data to the multiplexing means (6).
3. A digital transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas to the said multiplexing means (6) via the storing and forwarding means (19).
4. A digital transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas to the said multiplexing means (6) via a system information table (8).
5. A digital transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas directly to the said multiplexing means (6).
6. A digital transmission system according to any of the claims 2-5, wherein said storing and forwarding means (19) has a Carousel unit (25) and a Database server (24) having a connection to one or more client units (21)-(23), so that
the Database server (24) receives information from the client units (21)-(23), stores the client information, and forwards the client information to the Carousel unit (25), and that
the Carousel unit (25) forwards the appropriate application data corresponding to the active areas to the multiplexing means (6).
7. A digital transmission system according to any of the claims 2-6, wherein said storing and forwarding means (19) has also an automation system (26), which controls both the Database server (24) and the Carousel unit (25).
8. A data combining arrangement for combining application data to a video program stream in a digital transmission system, said data combining arrangement comprising:
processing means (15) for combining recorded signals from different audio and video sources to a single video program stream,
motion tracking means (16) for defining active areas in a selected video program stream, and
linking means for linking appropriate application data to the corresponding active areas in the video program stream, and
transmitting means for transmitting the video stream over a transport network (10) to the receiving side.
9. A data combining arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said transmitting means comprises
storing and forwarding means (19), and
multiplexing means (6) for multiplexing different digital video program streams and digital data streams into a multi-program transport stream, and
sending means (9), so that
the storing and forwarding means (19) receives application data from different applications (20), and forwards the appropriate application data to the multiplexing means (6).
10. A data combining arrangement according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas to the said multiplexing means (6) via the storing and forwarding means (19).
11. A data combining arrangement according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas to the said multiplexing means (6) via a system information table (8).
12. A data combining arrangement according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said motion tracking means (16) forwards the knowledge of the active areas directly to the said multiplexing means (6).
13. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 9-12, wherein said storing and forwarding means (19) has a Carousel unit (25) and a Database server (24) having a connection to one or more client units (21)-(23), so that
the Database server (24) receives information from the client units (21)-(23), stores the client information, and forwards the client information to the Carousel unit (25), and that
the Carousel unit (25) forwards the appropriate application data corresponding to the active areas to the multiplexing means (6).
14. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 9-13, wherein said storing and forwarding means (19) has also an automation system (26), which controls both the Database server (24) and the Carousel unit (25).
15. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 9-14, wherein the active areas in a selected video program stream are defined by
selecting locking points,
defining the active areas around the locking points, and
tracking the movement of the locking points and the active areas in a selected video program stream using motion tracking means (16).
16. A data combining arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the movement of the locking points is calculated based on differences between frames following each other.
17. A data combining arrangement according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the locking points are defined with vectors.
18. A data combining arrangement according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the locking points are defined with coordinates.
19. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 15-18, wherein the active area corresponding to a specific locking point is defined as a function or a group of functions relating to the locking point.
20. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 15-19, wherein the active area is updated for every frame.
21. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 15-19, wherein the active area remains same for X frames and is updated for every Xth frame, where X is an integer.
22. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 15-21, wherein the size and the shape of the active areas depend on the distance between locking points located close to each other.
23. A data combining arrangement according to any of the claims 15-21, wherein the size and the shape of the active areas depend on the distance between active areas located close to each other.
24. A data presenting arrangement for presenting a video program stream combined with application data in a digital transmission system, said data presenting arrangement comprising:
receiving means (48) for receiving the incoming video stream from a digital broadcasting system, in which the application data is linked to the relating video program stream, and all the different video program streams are multiplexed into a multi-program transport stream,
monitoring means (49) for presenting the monitored program to the user, and
controlling means (50) for controlling the receiving means (48) and the monitoring means (49).
25. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the receiving unit (48) and the monitoring unit (49) are combined as one unit.
26. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the receiving unit (48), the monitoring unit (49) and the user control device (50) are combined as one unit.
27. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 24, said data presenting arrangement also comprises:
transmitting means (51) for transmitting information from the user to a service provider (53) over a transport network (52).
28. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the said controlling means (50) is also used for controlling the transmitting unit (51).
29. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 27 or claim 27, wherein the transmitting unit (51) is equipped for sending a business transaction request from the user to a service provider (53).
30. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 27-29, wherein the transmitting unit (51) is equipped for receiving a confirmation from the service provider (53) to the user.
31. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 27-30, wherein the receiving unit (48), the monitoring unit (49) and the transmitting unit (51) are combined as one unit.
32. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 27-30, wherein the receiving unit (48), the monitoring unit (49), the user control device (50) and the transmitting unit (51) are combined as one unit.
33. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 24-32, wherein the said monitoring device (49) has a screen display (54), (57) with a movable cursor (55), and means for cursor location detection.
34. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 33, wherein incoming multi-program stream also includes an application, which is used to produce a movable cursor (55) for the monitoring device (49).
35. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 33 or claim 34, wherein the said movable cursor (55) can be controlled with the user control device (50).
36. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 33-35, wherein the incoming multi-program stream also includes an application, which is used for constantly tracking the movements of the selected locking points in a digital video program, and constantly comparing the location of the active areas relating to the locking points with the movements of the cursor.
37. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 36, wherein the said screen display (54), (57) has a set of selecting buttons (56), which selecting buttons (56) can be controlled with the user control device (50).
38. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 36 or claim 37, wherein when the cursor is moved to be on a defined active area, the first data application will start automatically.
39. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 36-38, wherein the data application first shows a confirmation prompt (58) to the user and asks the user to confirm with the user control device (50), that the user is willing to proceed with the data application.
40. A data presenting arrangement according to any of the claims 36-39, wherein the data application shows information (59) relating to the selected active area.
41. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 40, wherein the data application displays selection buttons to the user.
42. A data presenting arrangement according to claim 41, wherein the data application shows a selection button (60), (64) confirming a purchase of a product.
43. A method for transmitting and receiving a combined video stream with data, said method comprising the steps of:
defining (65) data for active areas on a video stream,
sending (66) data and video program over a transport network (10) to the receiving side,
receiving (67) data and video program at the receiving side, and
presenting (68) data and video program stream to the user.
44. A method for combining video stream with data, said method comprising the steps of:
selecting (69) locking points in a single picture of a incoming digital video program in a video stream,
defining (70) active areas for the selected locking points, and
defining (71) data and applications for the active areas.
45. A method for presenting a combined video stream with data, said method comprising the steps of:
announcing (72) to the user that there is a data service present,
detecting (73) the location of the cursor, and comparing the location of the cursor to the location of the active areas detected by an application received in the multi-program transport stream, and
when it is detected (74) that the cursor is on the active areas, presenting (75) the retrieved data from the data application.
46. A presenting method according to claim 45, wherein when it is detected (74) that the cursor is on the active areas,
it is announced (72) to the user that there is data service present,
user approval is detected (77), and
the retrieved data from the data application is presented (75).
47. A method for performing a business transaction in a digital transmission system, said method comprising the steps of:
announcing (72) to the user that there is a data service present,
detecting (73) the location of the cursor,
when it is detected (74) that the cursor is on the active areas, presenting (75) the retrieved data from the data application, and
the user performing (78) a business transaction.