|Publication number||US7423546 B1|
|Application number||US 10/049,985|
|Publication date||Sep 9, 2008|
|Filing date||Feb 1, 2000|
|Priority date||Aug 20, 1999|
|Also published as||CA2382055A1, CA2382055C, CN1372713A, CN100340047C, EP1219004A1, WO2001015300A1|
|Publication number||049985, 10049985, PCT/2000/96, PCT/IB/0/000096, PCT/IB/0/00096, PCT/IB/2000/000096, PCT/IB/2000/00096, PCT/IB0/000096, PCT/IB0/00096, PCT/IB0000096, PCT/IB000096, PCT/IB2000/000096, PCT/IB2000/00096, PCT/IB2000000096, PCT/IB200000096, US 7423546 B1, US 7423546B1, US-B1-7423546, US7423546 B1, US7423546B1|
|Original Assignee||Indesit Comapny S.P.A.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (14), Referenced by (43), Classifications (12), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention relates to a device, a system and a method thereof for monitoring a household electric user, in particular a household appliance.
It is known that household electric users can be classed in two basic groups, i.e. users fitted with sophisticated control systems capable of dialog exchange with peripheral and external equipment, and more conventional users developed according to a “stand-alone” philosophy.
A common attribute for both groups of users is to be “user friendly”, i.e. allowing their use in an efficient manner, either when installed alone or inserted in a more complex context (such as a home automation system) and allowing both their maintenance and technical service in a most efficient way as possible.
It is known, for instance, that the components of certain household electric users, such as household appliances, are subject to wear and occasional faults and how repair operations in consequence of such faults are required in the daily practice.
Some household appliances may be equipped with a sophisticated electronic control system, provided with specific sensing means, through which the nature of a malfunction can be identified substantially in real time and appropriately signalled for its subsequent easier repair.
However, in most conventional household appliances, the identification of the fault nature of a component by the technical service personnel is not immediate; in fact, said personnel is often forced to check several components of the household appliance and/or simulate the performance of a standard work program in order to identify exactly the instant when such a malfunction occurs, and from this result attempt to go back to the actual origin of the problem.
This may entail several difficulties and a considerable waste of time, which reflect negatively on the costs of repairing.
On the other hand, it is also known that the “preventive” maintenance or servicing activity, being intended as the activity associated to the direct or indirect control of the wear status of some components of a household appliance, is practically non-existent so far.
Such an activity, in fact, is nearly exclusively restricted to the advice for the user to let the function or wear status of certain components be checked after a certain period of time elapsed from the installation date of the household appliance or from a previous maintenance operation.
However, such an approach does not ensure an actual control of the wear status of the components of the household appliance, on account of their real exploitation, nor a prompt detection of initial signs of irregularities in the appliance operation before the latter may turn into a problem for the person using the appliance (hereinafter referred to as “consumer”).
Let us think, for instance, of a household appliance (and in particular, to one of its specific operation programs) being used more frequently with respect to usual utilization standards, or vice-versa of a household appliance used only inconstantly with respect to the standard practice (and without a specific intensive use of a specific program).
It is obvious that, in the first case, a certain component of the household appliance will wear out much earlier than the “estimated” date for its replacement, whereas, in the second case, the component may be replaced earlier than necessary during a planned maintenance operation, even if not actually worn.
The present invention is based on the acknowledgement of the fact that it would be highly advantageous for the serviceman called for repair or maintenance operations to avail himself of information relating to the operating status and the “historical” events of a household electric user, above all if the latter is not equipped with a proper sophisticated “self-diagnose” system for the identification of faults or malfunctions.
Accordingly, the idea at the basis of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device which can be associated in a simple and fast manner to a generic household electric user, the latter being in particular deprived of dialog capability with the external environment, and which is capable of generating at least information of the diagnostic and statistical type, i.e. information representative, on one hand, of likely malfunctions the electric user is subject to (including those faults not directly detectable by the user) and, on the other hand, of the type of activity performed in the past by the electric user itself.
In this way, through the association of the above monitoring device to a household electric user, the possibility is offered to efficiently identify and/or signal the nature of a malfunction as soon as it occurs, and to detect any initial signs of operation irregularities of the electric user itself, before this may become a problem for the consumer. Similarly, through such a monitoring device it is possible to detect both the conditions and modes of use of the electric user in the time, for allowing a sufficiently exact estimation of the wear status of its internal components.
Other typical problems concerning most conventional electric users, i.e. those without a sophisticated control system, are related to home automation, which presumes a connection in a network of the household appliances, or more in general of the various electric users in the house.
In particular, such a connection to a network has an important role with reference to the automatic management of the electric power absorption in the home, in view of:
According to the present state of the art, two different modes are known, of automated managing of the household absorption of electric power, whose object is to rationalize the consumption both during the day and at night.
The first procedure, which is the widest spread, is based on a centralized system, where the individual household electric users have their absorption coordinated by an appropriate supervision apparatus, which carries out the following functions:
The main drawbacks of such a first known centralized managing procedure are substantially as follows:
In order to clarify the non-efficiency concept expressed in the above last point, let us to consider the case where the deactivated electric user is a washing machine performing its water heating phase; in this event, the complete power off of the machine hinders the exploitation of the thermal power accumulated in the water up to that time.
Vice-versa, such an exploitation would have been possible by letting the washing machine to continue at least to rotate its drum (e.g. just 0, 1 kW of power), as in this case only water heating is inhibited (generally associated to a power absorption of 2 kW).
The second mode of automated managing of the electric power absorption, being known from EP-A-0 727 668, is less spread than the centralized procedure, but it allows to overcome the previous problems, since it is based on a system architecture with “distributed intelligence”, which does not require a central controller.
To ensure correct operation, such a mode presumes:
The managing procedure disclosed in EP-A-0 727 668 has the advantage, with respect to the centralized procedure, that no intervention from the consumer is required (since no active central control unit is present), while an improved exploitation of the electric users is allowed.
The advantage of the better exploitation of the electric users is due to the fact that their self-adjusting capability (obtained through an appropriate “metering” of the power absorption, being consistent with the actual availability of power of the whole household environment at the moment) allows the simultaneous activation of several appliances without the risk of exceeding the maximum absorption of electric power (contractual power value).
However, the solution described in EP-A-0 727 668 has a drawback in that the conventional electric users (or the user anyway not programmed for self-adjusting their own power absorption) are unable to contribute in an active and efficient way to the automated managing system of the household power absorption.
Accordingly, the present invention has also the aim to indicate a monitoring device which can be associated in a simple and fast manner to a generic household electric user, the latter being in particular deprived of dialog capability with the external environment, and which is capable of generating at least information of the functional type, i.e. indicating the current operating mode of the electric user itself, to be used for realizing a more efficient management of the electric power absorption.
In this way, through the association of the above monitoring device to a generic household electric user; it is possible to extend also to conventional electric users (or not programmed to that purpose) the advantages being proper of the network connection of the products equipped with sophisticated electronic control systems; all the above for allowing to keep the electric power absorption below a maximum limit.
On the basis of the above considerations, it is the main aim of the present invention to provide a monitoring device capable of generating, and eventually storing in a non-volatile but updatable memory, information of the diagnostic and the statistical type relating to a household electric user, in order to let said information available for any person called for repair or maintenance operations to the electric user itself.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a monitoring device which allows the possible transmission of the information generated and/or stored by it to an appropriate external location, in view of allowing a remote service assistance, even of the “preventive” type, of the relevant household electric user.
A further aim of the invention is to provide a monitoring device which, whenever required, is capable of generating information relating to the current operation status of the electric user associated to it, which information are useful for an efficient management of a system for rationalizing the energy consumption in a household environment.
A further aim of the invention is to provide a monitoring device which, whenever required, allows for realizing a remote control of the operation of a household electric user, also from a location outside the household environment wherein the electric user is installed.
A further aim of the invention is to provide a monitoring device which can be adapted to various types of household electric users and which, for said reason, can be variably configured in a simple and cost-effective way.
One or more of the above aim and further ones that will become apparent later are achieved according to the present invention by means of a device, a system and a method for monitoring a household electric user, in particular a household appliance, incorporating the features of the annexed claims, which form an integral part of the present description.
Further aims, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non limiting example, wherein:
For the purposes of the above connection, the device AI is fitted with its own current socket PC1, wherein the plug S1 of the supply cable of the freezer COT is to be inserted, and with a supply cable C1 for connection to the household current socket PDC.
Therefore, as it can be noticed, the physical connection of the monitoring device AI to the relevant electric user COT is quite simple, along the electric supply line of the latter.
The internal components of the device AI, according to a first possible embodiment, are represented schematically in
In this figure, N indicates an interface module (of known operation and manufacture) to a communication network, or bus, consisting of the same electric network (power line carrier) being present in the household environment where the electric user COT is installed. This interface module forms the “communication node” through which each device connected to it is able to exchange information with the external environment through the known “carrier current waves” technique. Therefore, each communication node has appropriate interface means to the communication network itself and contains, additionally, the control logic for managing both the communication protocols towards the bus (in other words, the rules governing the information exchange with the other network nodes) and the information exchange with the associated device.
The technology related to the network communication nodes and the relevant protocols are known (reference is made for example to household bus systems such as LonWorks, CEBus, EHS, EIB . . . ) and therefore it is not further described herein.
Here it will be enough to point out that the module N contains the resources required for managing both the transmission and reception of information through the same electric line, to which the module N of the device AI is in fact connected through appropriate terminals 1 and 2, and its relevant communication protocols.
With RNC a normally closed relay is indicated, whose purpose is to impose—if required and on request of a microcontroller MC pertaining to the control system SC of the device AI—an interruption of the electric mains to the user COT. As it will be further seen, such an ON/OFF activity performed by the relay RNC of the device AI with respect to the relevant electric user may be performed within the frame of a process for adjusting the electric power absorption inside a household environment.
It will be noticed, anyway, that the availability of the relay RNC should be considered merely optional, in that it may be provided in those cases where, due to the high value of power installed in the electric user (such as an iron, an electric stove, a bread toaster, etc.), acceptance of the compromise of a management of the ON/OFF type is considered useful for adjusting its power absorption.
With A is indicated a generic current sensor, of known type, which has the function of detecting the quantity of current absorbed instant by instant by the electric user COT associated to the device AI, and consequently informing the already mentioned microcontroller MC, through a suitable interface ISC of the known type. By mere way of non limiting example, the sensor A may consist of a simple shunt (power resistor with a very low ohmic value) whose voltage at the terminals, being proportional to the current flowing through it, is duly measured by an 8-bit analog-digital converter, such as the one already fitted on the majority of low-cost microcontrollers in trade.
With SC the electronic control system of the monitoring device AI is indicated as a whole, which comprises:
All the above components of the device AI are individually known to the man skilled in the art, so that their detailed description is not required herein.
The innovative functions of the monitoring device AI according to the present invention are instead based on the two following main aspects:
The first aspect, in particular, represents the main innovative element of the present invention, since it sets forth that, through the study of the current absorptions of the electric users to which the device AI is associated to, it is possible to generate information which allow for evaluating the functional status of the electric user and identifying the type of work cycle or program being performed by the same electric user. Moreover, on the basis of the past history (i.e. the number and the type of work cycles performed), properly stored in a suitable permanent memory (such as an EEPROM or FLASH memory), the “wear status” of the main components of the electric user itself can be estimated and, consequently, an appropriate preventive maintenance plan can be elaborated.
From the analysis of the profile of the current absorptions, which the microcontroller MC carries out by interpreting the measurements performed by the sensor A, it is in fact possible, by knowing the type of electric user connected to the device AI, to monitor said user, to identify the number and type of work cycles performed both instantaneously and day by day, as well as to detect possible faults. This is obtained by comparing, through an appropriate software of the microcontroller MC, the profiles of absorbed current detected through the sensor A with reference profiles being representative of normal operating conditions of the electric user, and contained in the memory of the microcontroller MC itself.
The above reference profiles are conveniently coded in the memory of the microcontroller MC, on the basis of the results of experimental analysis performed on various types of products, to which the device AI can be associated to.
For a better understanding of the above concept of “reference profile” of current absorption, let us now consider for instance a standard operation cycle of a laundry washing machine which, starting from its initial phase, may typically comprise the following steps:
It is obvious that the above operations cause, into substance, a determined sequence of current absorptions from the electric mains by the washing machine, which differ between them; such a sequence of absorptions or current “profiles” may be described by means of appropriate parameters (a set of current absorption values correlated to their relevant duration), which are obtained through experimental activities, which constitute the “reference profiles” for the above household appliance.
Therefore, the memory associated to the micro-controller MC will contain a plurality of such reference profiles, each one of them relating to a given household electric user and representative of its usual operation. When installing the monitoring device AI, the associated electric user will be selected through the setting means STE of
By way of example, the above setting means STE may consist of a set of micro-switches, of the dip-switch type, each one featured by an ON (logic level “1”) and OFF (logic level “0”) position, in such a number to permit an adequate plurality of binary combinations. For instance, by a dip-switch with four micro-switches, one among 16 different electric users can be selected, to which the relevant operation profiles will be associated. Or, presuming always by way of example, the use of two dip-switches with 4 switches each, the first one may be associated for selecting the electric user family (such as refrigerating appliance) and the second for the product type (such as a horizontal freezer, or a simple refrigerator or still a refrigerator-freezer with a single compressor, or a refrigerator-freezer with two compressors, etc. . . . ).
From the above, it is clear how the microcontroller MC on receiving information of the type of electric user and the relevant reference profiles is able to detect with good approximation the operations being performed by the electric user and likely faulty operating conditions, on the basis of the current absorption actually detected instant by instant though the sensor A.
Obviously, different operation programs of a laundry washing machine determine, in general, current absorptions with different duration and different distribution in time, i.e. different reference profiles. In fact, in the case of a strong wash cycle, the water heating will be at a high temperature (e.g. 90° C.) and, additionally, the motional steps of the machine drum containing the laundry will be stronger (i.e. rotation phase lasting longer than rest interval); on the contrary, a wash cycle for delicate laundry will have water heating at a lower temperature (e.g. 40° C.) and a short and light drum motions.
Therefore, in the first instance (strong wash cycle), the current absorption time required by the water heater and the drum motor will last considerably longer compared to the second instance (delicate wash cycle).
Analogous considerations can obviously be made also with reference to other household electric users, being able to perform a plurality of different functions or work cycles as selected by the user, such as a dishwasher, an oven, a laundry dryer, and so on.
Therefore, as it can be seen, through the analysis of the current absorptions, the monitoring device AI is perfectly capable of recognizing with good approximation the operation cycle (or program) being performed by the electric user; now, if an appropriate non-volatile memory of the EEPROM or FLASH type is available, the device AI is also capable of permanently storing both the number and the type of performed programs, i.e. the history of the modes of use of the electric user.
It is also quite clear how the monitoring device AI, based on the above analysis principle, is capable of recognizing not only the number and type of programs performed, but also capable of detecting possible malfunctions of the electric user.
Let us still consider, by way of example, the same instance of a laundry washing machine, which is usually fitted with a wash water heater whose power is in the order of 2 kW. It is clear that in case the monitoring device AI, following the start of a machine cycle, does not detect the typical current absorption caused by the heater activation, this is indicative of a possible malfunction of the heater, or of the system controlling its activation.
Another example may be described in relation to the analysis of the operation ratio or duty cycle of the compressor of a refrigerator or freezer, i.e. the compressor ON time referred to the total cycle time (ON time+OFF time). It is in fact clear that if, at a same room temperature detected in a known way, the compressor activation time (whose current absorption is detected by the device AI) tends to slowly but gradually increase in time, this indicates a malfunction which is reducing the efficiency of the refrigerator, probably due to a leakage of the refrigerating fluid caused by micro-fractures in the refrigeration circuit ducts (typically in correspondence of welds), or to an unusual ice accumulation in correspondence of the evaporator area, leading to a consequent less efficient thermal exchange with the environment inside the refrigerator itself.
Another type of detection of malfunction, also related to a refrigerating appliance, may be referred to the analysis of the compressor “spurt”, i.e. the transitory current over-absorption which occurs in occasion of the activation of the compressor itself. In particular, if such a spurt is shorter than normal, this means that the compressor is encountering a low resistance torque associated to the starting of the circulation of the refrigerating fluid within the refrigeration circuit. This circumstance may indicate that the quantity of the refrigerating fluid available in the refrigeration circuit is reduced, due to micro-fractures as described above.
Another type of detection of malfunction, also referred to a refrigerator, concerns the situation where, due to a high temperature of the external environment (detected with known means by the monitoring device AI), the compressor remains permanently active, so causing an excessive accumulation of ice on the evaporator area, and consequently a gradual performance degradation, also associated to a very high power consumption. This is caused by the excessive thermal dispersions towards the external environment, which hinders to reach the compressor deactivation threshold, being managed by a conventional electromechanical thermostat. In such an event, the monitoring device AI, after easily detecting the malfunction, can solve the problem causing a forced pause to the compressor by interrupting the supply voltage. This interruption of the supply voltage, obtained by activating the relay RNC (
Finally, another type of detection of malfunction, related to the instance of a freezer, concerns the possibility of identifying a faulty condition of the compressor. A prompt detection of such a condition, which is very simple since being associated to an excessively long pause of the compressor (compared to those of normal cycling, being stored in the memory of the microcontroller of the device AI), is quite important if combined with an alarm signalling system (such as the activation of an acoustic alarm, or a remote signal), since it will protect the integrity of the preserved food.
So far, only the measurement of the current absorbed by the electric user monitored by the device AI has been taken into consideration, in view of its higher simplicity and lower costs reasons; however, it is clear that what said above is perfectly valid also when the electric quantity being measured is not the current alone, but the active power absorbed. Therefore, the monitoring device AI is capable, by virtue of an appropriate programming, of generating locally, and on the basis of the analysis of the current or power absorbed by the associated electric user, different types of information.
As it is clear from the above, for the purposes of the present invention, such information can be distinguished into information of the functional, diagnostic and statistical type. Information of the functional type relate to the present operational modes of the electric user connected to the device AI. Such information are obtained, as said, by comparing the instantaneous absorption of current or power by the user with the relevant reference absorption profile, which fact let the device AI to recognize, with a good approximation, what the electric user is doing and make such information available outside.
The information of the diagnostic type relate to the operating quality of the household electric user, i.e. they supply indications on the efficiency or functional status of its components. Such information are the result of the detection, by the monitoring device AI, of deviations which are considered significant between the current or power absorption measured for the user and the one defined by the relevant reference absorption profile. The information of the diagnostic type are stored by the microcontroller MC in a special area of the memory means MNV, and are then available for technical service purposes.
The information of the statistical type relate on the other hand to operation statistical data, which practically represent “the history” of the electric user (both from a standpoint of its operations and/or functions performed, and the modes of use by the consumer), which are suitable for supplying indications concerning the wear status of the components of the electric user. These information consist practically of the number and type of work cycles or programs performed by the electric user, which the microcontroller recognizes through an appropriate program utilizing the same junctional information, and which the microcontroller stores and updates in time in a suitable area of the memory means MNV.
As it will become further apparent with reference to the application example represented in
Finally, the information of the statistical type are used for carrying out an estimation of the wear status of the components constituting said electric user, in order to allow the planning of appropriate preventive maintenance activities.
A system is schematically represented in this figure, consisting of a plurality of household electric users connected through an appropriate communication network, whose purpose is to rationalize the electric power absorption of said users and avoid exceeding a determined prefixed power limit, which is represented by the value of the contractual power or another limit value being established for convenience by the consumer.
The general structure of the system represented in
Accordingly, some household electric users (FO, LS, FG) are conveniently pre-set for dynamically self-adjusting their own electric power absorption, constantly adapting it to the global energy requirements of the household environment where they operate, as they may change during the day.
In other words, according to the invention, such electric users are equipped with respective “smart” control systems, which have at least the following essential features:
Point 1) above indicates the need of means suitable for measuring the electric power (or, more simply, the current) absorbed by the household environment and the need of having an adequate communication system between the above measuring device and the electric users properly fitted with a dynamic self-adjustment system of their own power absorption. Points 2) and 3) above indicate the need of fitting the household electric users with a control system which is capable, on the basis of the information transmitted by the power (or current) measuring device, of contributing to maintain the total power (or current) absorption of the whole household environment below a maximum limit (either set forth by the power supply contract or set by the consumer for personal convenience), searching from time to time the best possible compromise between the need of reducing the absorbed power and ensuring anyway an acceptable performance.
To this purpose, in
Each interface module N, also called “communication node”, comprises for example a suitable microcontroller managing the communication protocol (i.e. the set of rules by which the microcontroller exchanges information with the other nodes of the network), and an appropriate electronic interface comprising a bi-directional modem for power line carrier of the half-duplex type (i.e. capable of exchanging information in both directions but at different times) and a suitable hardware interface towards the communication line, which, in the example, is represented by the power mains RE itself, as mentioned above. CE indicates a common power meter being associated to the household environment to which the system of
QE indicates the main electric board, which is located directly downstream the meter CE, or anyway at the entry of the household environment; it contains; besides the conventional actuation devices (switches) and safety devices (power limiters, “life savers”, etc. . . . ), an appropriate device MP connected to the network through a relevant communication node N, which is capable of constantly measuring the value of the total power (or current) absorbed by the household environment and sending on the network such a measurement value, along with the value of the maximum limit of usable power (or current).
FO, LS and FG indicate an oven, a dishwasher and a refrigerator, respectively, each one being fitted with an appropriate electronic control system, whose functions are as previously mentioned with reference to EP-A-0 727 668, adequately connected to the network through a relevant interface module N. For the above reasons, household appliances FO, LS and FG will also be indicated in the following as “smart” household appliances or electric users.
LB and COT indicate a laundry washing machine and a freezer, respectively, having a conventional control system (i.e. either electromechanical or electronic, but having no capabilities as indicated above with reference to EP-A-0 727 668), whereas AU indicates as a whole a set of other electric users being present in the home (such as an iron, a hair-dryer, a lighting system, etc.); the household appliances LB and COT, as well as the electric users AU are not intelligent or “dummy”, i.e. unable to self-adjust their own power consumption on the basis of the information supplied by the power (or current) measuring device MP located at the entry of the electric installation.
However, such conventional users LB, COT and AU may be turned into active part of the self-adjustment system of power absorptions by means of the relevant devices AI according to the present invention. In such an application, the control system SC of every monitoring device AI is obviously programmed for “emulating” the capabilities pertaining to the control systems of “smart” household appliances; accordingly, the control system SC of the various monitoring devices AI will be able, on the basis of the information transmitted on the network by the measuring device MP, to contribute to maintain the total power absorption of the whole household environment below a maximum limit (set forth by the power supply contract or set by the consumer for his personal convenience), searching from time to time the best possible compromise between the need of reducing the absorbed power through ON/OFF actions on the supply of the relevant electric user which are carried out by means of the normally closed relay RNC (
It will be appreciated that, since the monitoring device AI according to the invention is able to known the cycle phase reached by the relevant electric user, such ON/OFF action on more than one appliance can be decided on the basis of performance priority rules.
Since the device MP has to measure the total power (or current) absorbed by the household environment, it refers to the initial non-sectioned length of the power mains RE; through the relevant interface module N, it is able to send directly on the network RE the information containing the value of the total power (or current) absorbed by the household environment and the value of the allowed maximum limit (contractual power or other value established by the consumer for convenience).
The control logic, of the meter MP, based on the use of a nicroprocessor, performs at least three substantial functions:
Advantageously, the frequency of transmission of the information by the device MP depends right on the measured value of the electric power, which is related to the prefixed maximum limit; in other words, the more the value of the total power (or current) absorption detected by the meter MP approaches the maximum prefixed limit, the higher its transmission frequency; this will ensure prompt absorption self-adjustment interventions, actuated by the smart electric users and by those users that have become smart through the presence of the device AI according to the present invention Vice-versa, when the total power (or current) absorption is clearly below the maximum prefixed limit, the frequency of information transmission by the device MP will be low, since no particular actions for absorption self-adjustment are requested by the various electric users. As a result, the average engagement of the communication line will be a limited one, letting other possible devices also present in the house to utilize the same communication line for different purposes than those described above.
In general terms, the operation of the system represented in
The electric energy for the household environment is drawn from the external mains system through the energy meter CE. As previously said, the power absorbed by the household environment is limited by an appropriate limiting device (not represented), which limits the power installed according to the power supply contract; in the example, for instance, a maximum limit Pmax of usable power is assumed equal to 3 kWh (contractual power).
Both the “smart” household appliances FO, LS and FG and the “dummy” users LB, COT and AU are supplied through standard current sockets; however, on the electric supply line of the “dummy” users a monitoring device AI according to the invention is present.
The control system of each “smart” household appliance, as for the control systems SC of the monitoring devices AI, periodically receive from the measuring device MP, with a frequency being variable according to the principle described above, the measured value of the total power PT absorbed by the entire household environment and the prefixed value Pmax of the maximum usable power.
The control system of each active “smart” household appliance verifies if the present value of the total power PT absorbed by the entire household environment is going to exceeded the value of the maximum usable power Pmax, as defined by the power supply contract and controlled through the above mentioned power limiter.
With reference to a dishwasher LS, if the value of the total power absorbed PT by the household environment, at the moment a certain operation cycle of said dishwasher LS is started, exceeds Pmax, then the control system will immediately reduce the power consumption of the relevant “smart” household appliance LS by a quantity higher or equal to the difference PT-Pmax; subsequently, the control system of the dishwasher LS will update itself to the new value of the total power PT absorbed by the several active users of the household environment, using the periodic communication of the measuring device MP.
On the contrary, if PT is lower or equal to Pmax, then the control system will verify the power absorption status of the relevant “smart” appliance LS in function of a likely change of the dishwasher operation mode.
If following this control, the “smart” appliance LS results in operating according to normal conditions, i.e. its absorbed power at that time is exactly that as required for its normal operation, the control system of the dishwasher LS will only update its internal memory with the total power absorbed by the household environment; however, without changing its operating procedure.
If, vice-versa, the control system of the dishwasher LS had been previously compelled to reduce the power consumption of the relevant appliance, it may now to decide for an increase in the power absorption, considering, however, that the maximum quantity of additional power cannot overcome the difference Pmax-PT, anyway.
Therefore, the control system of each “smart” household appliance FO, LS and FG has the capability of reducing or bring back to normal the absorption of electric power required by the particular phase of the operation cycle being performed by the appliance.
The system of self-adjustment of the power absorbed by each “smart” user may obviously be much more sophisticated than described above by mere way of example, but a further investigation of this aspect is excluded from the purposes of the present invention.
Obviously, the system described above provides priority rules between the various electric users, so as to warrant a dynamic power sharing in function of the type of household appliances being simultaneously active from time to time, and in function of the importance of the role performed by said appliances with respect to the consumer.
In fact, should for example both the oven FO and dishwasher LS be simultaneously active, the latter may automatically decide to give priority to the oven, since food cooking is considered a priority item against washing-up; as a result, the dishwasher would heat the water, for instance, only during the natural rest intervals of oven heating.
As regards the appliances LB, COT and AU, they may generally be assigned maximum priority, due to the lack of capacity of the respective device AI to perform a refined “dosage” of power absorption, since power can only be managed by it according to the ON/OFF procedure.
However, as previously mentioned, the monitoring device AI is able to recognize with good approximation the function the relevant household electric user is performing; as a result, if the phase of operation being performed by the electric user is not considered a critical one, the monitoring device AI may decide to interrupt the flow of electric current to the electric user, should it be required in order to avoid exceeding the limit of the contractual power, by opening the relay RNC (
When the total power PT absorbed by the household environment is again below the value Pmax, the control system SC of the device AI may decide to close the relay RNC, so restoring the electric supply to the relevant user.
Moreover, also the fact that the monitoring device AI is able to generate and send on the network RE information being representative of the function the relevant electric user is performing, allows for further improving the efficiency of the energy management system in the household environment.
Let us assume, for instance, the case in which an air conditioner and a laundry washing machine LB both fitted with a monitoring device AI are simultaneously activated; let us also assume that the conditioner has by now determined the achievement of a room temperature close to the selected temperature, while the washing machine is just starting a spinning step. In this event, the control system SC of the device AI associated to the conditioner, duly programmed to that purpose, may decide to interrupt temporarily the current absorption of the conditioner (by opening its relay RNC), to let the washing machine accomplishing its operating phase; at the end of such a phase, the control system SC of the device AI associated to the conditioner will control the closure of the relay RNC, so allowing a new supply to the relevant electric user.
Concluding, through the managing procedure of the power absorption described above, the consumer will be able to activate several electric users simultaneously, both “smart” and conventional ones, the latter made “smart” by the presence of the device AI provided by the present invention. In this way, a theoretic global electric power by far higher than the power installed for the individual household environment can be engaged; however, without causing any blackouts or exceeding a prefixed maximum limit of usable power. Therefore, the monitoring device AI according to the present invention can be advantageously used also for the rationalization of the power consumption in a household environment.
With further reference to the description of
The node NT is equipped with proper means for
These functions are performed by the device NT through known means, such as a duly programmed microcontroller, fitted with a suitable power line carrier interface module N and electronic memory means, being non-volatile but electrically updatable (such as a EEPROM or FLASH memory).
As described above, all information the node NT is able to collect, store and express are generated by the “smart” appliances FO, LS, FG and the devices AI according to the invention. The control system of each “smart” household appliance, or made “smart” by the availability of the device AI according to the invention, is programmed, in fact, with known techniques for periodically storing at least information of the diagnostic and statistical type in its non-volatile memory means, and update their contents in the time.
Moreover, the control system of each “smart” appliance, or made “smart” by the presence of the device AI according to the invention, is capable of generating and sending information of the functional type of different nature to the node NT, which are relating for example to the program or operation cycle activated by the consumer, to the status or progress phase of said program, to the commands or options selected by the consumer, to the timings associated to the activations and deactivations of the individual power loads, to possible anomalous behaviours of some components, etc.
Similarly, the control system of the telephone node NT is programmed for periodically requesting (for example every 10 minutes or other time intervals possibly programmable through convenient external means that may be associated to the same power line communication system), always through the communication line consisting of the electric network RE itself, the new information becoming available from time to time, generated by the control systems of each activated “smart” household appliance and control systems SC of the monitoring devices AI associated to the conventional active electric users; said information are collected inside appropriate non-volatile memory means available to the telephone node NT itself.
Therefore, the “data base” associated to the memory means of the telephone node NT is constantly updated and represents the image of the contents of the information being present inside the memory means of each “smart” household appliance and each device AI paired, according to the present invention, to conventional electric users.
The contents of said “data base” can be periodically sent, by the telephone node NT, to a Service and Preventive Maintenance Centre for the above purposes. The node NT, in fact, can be programmed for sending periodically (such as every 24 hours or other time intervals possibly programmable through convenient external means that may be associated to the same power line communication system) to a remote Service and Preventive Maintenance Centre, through the conventional switched telephone line and an appropriate conventional analog modem, said “base” containing all information made available on the electric network RE from the various “smart” appliances and the monitoring devices AI.
Preferably, the node NT also has appropriate input means, such as a keyboard, through which the consumer can activate at his personal discretion the transmission of such a “data base” to said remote Service Centre.
Said Service Centre is provided for servicing and preventive maintenance activity of the various household electric users, said activities being governed for instance by a specific contract signed with the consumer.
The service assistance is based on the diagnostic data sent to the Centre by the consumer through the telephone node NT, whereas the preventive maintenance activity is based—in addition to said diagnostic data—also and above all on the statistical data sent to the Service Centre, always through the telephone node NT.
Concerning the procedure for the transmission of information to the above Service and Preventive Maintenance Centre, this may be manual, i.e. managed directly by the consumer, or performed automatically (periodical transmission of information based on a specific service contract); in both instances, the transmission of information can be performed advantageously for the consumer calling a special toll-free telephone number of the above Centre.
It should be noticed, anyway, that the likely transmission of information through the telephone node NT to said remote Service Centre occurs in conformity with the privacy protection Standards in force in the various countries; in other words, such a transmission occurs under the full consumer's control, who may decide the kind of information to be sent, the transmission procedure and the relevant recurrence.
In this way, the personnel called for repair or maintenance operations to the various electric users has the possibility of having available information relating to the operation status and the “historical” events of the same electric users; according to the present invention, this is made possible, through the monitoring device AI, also for those electric users LB, COT and AU whose internal control systems are unable to generate such information on their own.
Compared to the node NT previously described, the telephone node MC uses a GSM modem instead of an analog modem, and the wireless communication instead of the communication based on the transmission of signals through a conventional telephone line. Also the telephone node MC is connected to the electric network RE through a same interfacing power line carrier module N.
Additionally, with TC an external GSM mobile telephone is indicated, being capable of digital communication with the telephone node MC, in particular through SMS type alphanumerical messages, which are easier to be managed by the consumer.
In general, the telephone node MC may be equipped with a control system and relevant memory means which allow for performing, besides its specific digital dialog functions with the consumer's GSM mobile telephone, also the same functions of the telephone node NT described above. However, availability of the telephone node MC, though optional, is particularly advantageous, if paired to a mobile telephone, for example in order to allow the consumer to directly control in a remote way the electric users in the household environment, both for the “smart” appliances and the appliances made “smart” according to the invention through a monitoring device AI.
Accordingly, in fact, operation of a given electric user can be controlled from a remote position through the mobile telephone TC; additionally, it is also possible to operate a change of such an operation.
The system may be conceived, for instance, so that the consumer can send alphanumerical commands, such as in the form of SMS messages, to the telephone node MC by means of his personal mobile telephone TC. Such types of messages may consist for instance of just three alphabetical and/or numerical characters, two of them indicating the requested function (such as “CS” for Check Status), and the remaining character indicating the electric user for which the status is requested (such as 1 for the dishwasher, 2 for the oven, 3 for the laundry washing machine, and so on).
On receipt of said message, the control logic of the telephone node MC can obtain the requested information questioning directly, though the communication network RE, the control system of the “smart” user or of the monitoring device AI associated to the conventional electric user of interest.
After receipt of the requested information, the control logic of the telephone node MC will inform the consumer through an appropriate message SMS, sent to the mobile telephone TC.
The telephone node MC and the mobile telephone TC may also be programmed for allowing the deactivation of a household electric user.
This operation can be performed, for instance, if the answer to a question about the operation status as mentioned above indicates that a certain electric user is active and the consumer wishes to put it off.
In this event, the consumer will send an appropriate SMS message, containing a power-off instruction for the specific electric user, to the telephone node MC through the mobile telephone TC.
Upon receiving such a message, the control system of the telephone node MC will transmit, through the network RE, an instruction to the control system of the “smart” appliance of interest, and the control system will stop the running operation cycle.
In the event of “dummy” household appliances, vice-versa, the control system of the telephone node MC will transmit through the network RE an appropriate instruction to the control system SC of the monitoring device AI of interest, which will provide for the opening of the relay RNC, with a consequent power cut-off of the relevant electric user.
A perfectly similar technique as described above may also be used for activating a household electric user.
Obviously, such an event presumes that the “smart” user of interest, or the user made “smart” by the presence of a device AI according to the invention, is anyway prefixed for the activation, i.e. with its main supply switch (ON/OFF button) in closed position and that its control system, or the control system of the relevant device AI, is in a stand-by status, waiting for the arrival of the instructions to activate the electric user.
In the specific instance of the device AI, it will provide appropriate means to let the consumer to preliminarily bring the relay RNC in the opening condition, i.e. a sort of stand-by position. Such means may consist, for example, of a simple control key arranged on the device AI and associated to a warning light indicating the status of the contact of the relay RNC; said control key and warning light are represented in
Therefore, by means of the button KEY, the consumer will be able, before leaving the house, to interrupt upstream the electric supply to the relevant electric user, though the opening of the contact of the relay RNC, and then close the ON/OFF switch of the electric user.
Should the consumer wish to activate the electric user of interest from a remote position, it will be enough to send the relevant instruction in the form of an SMS message, by means of the mobile telephone TC to the telephone node MC.
On receipt of said instruction, the control system of the telephone node MC will transmit, through the network RE, an instruction to the control system SC of the monitoring device AI of interest, which in turn controls the closure of the relay RNC; as a result the relevant electric user is supplied with power since its ON/OFF button is already in its closed position.
As to the control systems of the telephone node MC, of the “smart” users and the devices AI, they will be duly programmed for achieving the above functions with known techniques, which may also change from the ones previously described by way of non limiting example.
A monitoring device AI according to the present invention is represented in
The differential current sensor SD can be provided for detecting possible current dispersions to ground and can be realized in accordance to any known technique. Also the temperature sensor NTC is of the known type (such as a classic negative temperature coefficient resistor), whose function is to detect the value of the room temperature.
The asynchronous serial line LSA has the function of allowing, through a suitable port CN1, the connection of the device AI to a likely external personal computer PC or any other analogous programmable apparatus; this may be eventually provided for changing and/or updating the parameters and reference profiles contained in the control system SC. Another important function of the line LSA is that of allowing the questioning of the contents of the memory MNV of the device AI at a local level, for example through the above cited personal computer PC or other appropriate programmable apparatus, at least in terms of diagnostic and statistical information; this will make required information available locally to the personnel called for repair or service of the electric user.
It should now be pointed out that the possibility of use of the devices AI according to the invention, in connection with a household communication network or “bus” and a telephone node for the transmission of information to a remote location (such as, respectively, the network RE and the node NT and/or the node MC described with reference to
However, the monitoring device AI can be also provided for simply generating and storing information locally, for making them accessible to the technical personnel locally.
Accordingly, therefore, the device AI according to the invention might not be fitted with the communication node N and the relevant interface LS, since the retrieval of the required information contained in the memory means MNV could be easily executed by the technical personnel through a personal computer PC or other appropriate programmable apparatus, connected to the control system SC through the line LSA and the relevant port CN1.
The signalling means BZ represented in
More generally, the acoustic signalling means BZ may be particularly useful should the monitoring device AI according to the invention be paired to particular electric users, which for their own nature may prove dangerous for the consumer if used improperly. This is, for example, the instance of a hair-dryer which, within the frame of the above described management of power absorption, should not be deactivated through the relay RNC of the device AI; this could induce the user to forget it near damp or even wet areas, with the possibility of being subsequently reactivated under high risk conditions for the consumer (electric shock or fire risks). In this event the device AI, by detecting according to the above procedures a situation of excessive power absorption of the entire household environment, will merely inform the consumer through an appropriate acoustic signal of the means BZ. The same applies also in the instance of an electric user consisting of an iron or similar appliance with a high power absorption.
The optical signalling means LED of
The input means KEY of
The interface AS of
Thus, in the event of any irregular situations detected by such sensing means SG, the control system SC of the device AI may cause activation of the signalling means BZ and/or control the transmission of an alarm signal through the telephone node NT and/or MC.
The features of the present invention result in being clear from the above, and are detailed in the annexed claims, which form an integral part of the present description.
Also the advantages of the present invention are clear from the above description and the relevant annexed claims.
In particular, according to the present invention, the person called for maintenance and/or repair of the household electric users equipped with the monitoring device AI, has the possibility of being informed of the operation status of said users, of their “historical” events and consequently of the wear status of theirs components.
Advantageously, the information of different types relating to the users equipped with the device AI can be transmitted to an appropriate external centre, with the aim of allowing an efficient remote servicing, even in the form of a “preventive” servicing of the users themselves, or be used locally to make it easier for servicemen to execute their task.
Moreover, the monitoring device AI according to the invention can also be used for the purposes of an efficient rationalization of the energy consumption in the household environment.
Finally, the device according to the invention can allow, when connected to appropriate communication means, the remote control of the associated electric user.
Therefore, the monitoring device AI according to the invention can be considered a universal accessory or tool, which can be adapted in a simple way to various types of household electric users, even of different manufacturers, and which is configurable in a simple and cost-effective way to this effect.
It is obvious that many changes are possible for the man skilled in the art to the monitoring device described above by way of example, without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea.
A possible variant embodiment of the system described above consists in connecting to the network RE also a personal computer PC, as represented in
In this instance, therefore, all information of the functional, diagnostic and statistical type would be displayed on the screen of the personal computer PC, as requested by the consumer from time to time, through said software. Similarly, said personal computer PC, if fitted with an appropriate modem connected to the telephone line and provided with said software support, may be used by the consumer for carrying out the remote transmission of the information of the diagnostic and statistical type, to the outside. In such an event, the access to the remote site of the Service and Preventive Maintenance Centre would be advantageously possible also through the Internet.
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|Feb 20, 2002||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: WRAP SPA, ITALY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AISA, VALERIO;REEL/FRAME:012924/0914
Effective date: 20000608
|Mar 9, 2012||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jun 11, 2014||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: INDESIT COMPANY S.P.A., ITALY
Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:WRAP, S.P.A. (FORMERLY MERLONI ELETTRODOMESTICI);REEL/FRAME:033074/0829
Effective date: 20070227
|Mar 9, 2016||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8


text:
ChatGPT and Finance
Generative AI is being used to make better investment decisions and to predict market trends.
- ChatGPT & Generative AI Finance is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can be used to automate and improve financial tasks. Generative AI Finance uses machine learning to learn from a large corpus of financial data. This data can include anything from stock market data to credit card transactions. Once the generative AI Finance model has been trained, it can be used to automate and improve a variety of financial tasks. These tasks can include: Generating investment portfolios. Generative AI Finance models can be used to generate investment portfolios that are tailored to the individual investor's risk tolerance and investment goals. Predicting stock prices. Generative AI Finance models can be used to predict stock prices, which can help investors to make better investment decisions. Managing risk. Generative AI Finance models can be used to manage risk, such as by identifying potential risks and developing strategies to mitigate those risks. Fraud detection. Generative AI Finance models can be used to detect fraud, such as credit card fraud and identity theft.
How It Works
How Generative AI Finance works
Generative AI Finance works by using a technique called deep learning. Deep learning is a type of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to learn from data.
In the case of Generative AI Finance, the artificial neural network is trained on a large corpus of financial data. This data is used to teach the neural network how to perform a variety of financial tasks.
The neural network learns to perform financial tasks by first identifying the different elements of finance, such as stocks, bonds, and currencies. Once the elements have been identified, the neural network then combines the elements to perform new financial tasks.
Benefits of using Generative AI Finance
Generative AI Finance has a number of benefits, including:
It can be used to automate financial tasks. Generative AI Finance models can automate tasks that are currently performed by humans, such as generating investment portfolios and managing risk. This can free up human financial workers to focus on other tasks, such as providing financial advice.
It can be used to improve the accuracy of financial tasks. Generative AI Finance models can learn from large amounts of data and identify patterns that humans may miss. This can lead to more accurate predictions and more effective risk management.
It can be used to personalize finance. Generative AI Finance models can be used to personalize finance to the individual investor. This can lead to better investment outcomes.
Future of Generative AI Finance
Generative AI Finance is still a relatively new technology, but it has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry. In the future, Generative AI Finance could be used to:
Generate investment portfolios that are more personalized and effective.
Predict stock prices more accurately.
Manage risk more effectively.
Detect fraud more efficiently.
Generative AI Finance has the potential to be a powerful tool for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the financial industry. However, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed before it can be widely used. These challenges include:
Generative AI Finance models can be difficult to train. This is because they require a large corpus of financial data to learn from.
Generative AI Finance models can be prone to generating errors. This is because the models are not always able to take into account the practical constraints of finance.
Despite these challenges, Generative AI Finance has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry. As the technology continues to develop, Generative AI Finance is likely to become more widely used and accessible.

domain: finance


text:
MY CLASSIC CAR: The Complete 2016 Season
Join Dennis Gage as he checks out the Vail Automotive Classic, Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, a Porsche Parade, some 4 Door Classics, a Rambler collection, the Wellborn Muscle Car collection, a BMW 507 and Fiat Dino, some '70s Fords and a host of other cool stuff. Includes 26 episodes on five DVDs. Over nine hours.
Publisher: My Classic Car
Item #: 2935848
This item is a DVD.

domain: hobby


text:
Akillis fascination with snakes brings us three new jewellery pieces, the Python Feather Cuffs collection. Melding reptile influences with birds of flight, these cuffs are an exquisite hybrid of precious animal and futuristic carapace. Designer Caroline Gaspard drew on her exuberant imagination and travels to faraway places to imbue this capsule line with a more tribal feel.
Caroline’s vision was to place two noble materials in diametric opposition, the weightless fluffiness of feathers set against chunky gold and crystalline diamonds.
This contrast between lightness and matter is deeply symbolic of the brand. At the core of Akillis there is always duality: between undulations and straight lines, softness and strength, femininity and virility, futuristic and ethnic, avant-garde and traditional- a recipe for timelessness.

domain: artistic


text:
Four high school students across central Indiana have died by suicide in just the last two years. Some close to the victims say they were bullied at school. One family of a bullied student has worked to see an anti-bullying program put into his Henry County school. IPR’s Cody Butler explains.
The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments today in the case of Ex-Secretary of State Charlie White – and is closer to naming who White’s permanent successor will be. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Brandon Smith reports.
Anderson’s electric vehicle developer Bright Automotive is closing its doors. IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.
A new annual state report out today says fewer Indiana children died from abuse or neglect in fiscal year 2010. The report from the state Department of Child Services shows that 25 children died as a result of abuse or neglect from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010. That’s a decrease from 38 deaths in fiscal year 2009.
In a press release accompanying the annual report, agency director James Payne praises the department’s centralized call center in Indianapolis, which he says is helping the department be more effective. But it was this call center that Indiana House Democrats targeted in a news conference late last week. House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer says the centralized call center causes cases to slip through the cracks.
From 2003 to 2006, Indiana saw more than 50 child abuse and neglect deaths each fiscal year. This year, 22 of the 25 deaths recorded were of children younger than five. Seventeen cases involved children under age three.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Over 100 people braved the slick roads on Saturday morning to hear Republican politicians debate in hopes of winning the support of precinct committeemen from Delaware and Henry counties. IPR’s Sarah Phinney reports.
The Indiana Election Commission ruled today that G-O-P gubernatorial hopeful Jim Wallace will not appear on the state’s May 8th primary ballot. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Brandon Smith reports.
Ousted Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White has been sentenced to a year of home detention on charges related to voter fraud. A Hamilton County jury found White guilty of six felonies on earlier this month. Today, he was sentenced on the charges including false registration, voting in another precinct, submitting a false ballot, theft, and two counts of perjury. Prosecutors said White listed his ex-wife’s address instead of a condo he had with his then-fiancee on his voter registration form … because he didn’t want to give up his Fishers Town Council salary after moving out of that district. White has said he stayed at his ex-wife’s house when he wasn’t on the road campaigning and did not live in the condo until after he remarried. White’s sentence includes community service hours and a fine. He is expected to appeal.
A decades-long process of revising the official definition of autism is drawing to a close, and the changes that revision might bring have many people who are living with the diagnosis concerned. Some experts say the changes will clarify the murky definition for the developmental disorder. But as StateImpact Indiana’s Kyle Stokes reports, others worry the changes could take away a label that’s often key in getting help for autistic students in Indiana schools.
A Senate committee today allocated more money for victims of last year’s State Fair stage collapse. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Brandon Smith reports.
The Indiana State Excise Police have begun a pilot program aimed at reducing underage drinking near college campuses. The new effort puts more excise police in target areas like bars and neighborhoods known for college parties in cities like Muncie. Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Gretchen Frazee reports.

domain: law


Applies to: C1, C2, C1 Pro, C2 Pro, RLC-423, RLC-423W, RLC-423WS, RLC-423S，E1 pro, E1zoom.
A Preset is a user-defined positions of the camera‘s pan tilt and zoom settings. Create camera presets in advance can allow it to go to wanted monitoring positions easily.
Cruise means you can specify the scanning route of the camera through a set of presets. The camera will scan according to the pre-set cruising speed and staying time.


PORTLAND — Late in a critical game at Portland, the Jazz (37-36) displayed what they haven't all season: resiliency on the road when they most needed it, beating Portland (33-39) 105-95.
Guards: The Jazz improved to 14-14 when Mo Williams dishes five-plus assists. (They are just 2-7 otherwise.) His 24 points (on an effective 10-of-19 shooting) marked his second-highest point total of the season, topped only by a 29-point outing in a Nov. 3 loss at San Antonio.
Williams was matched, however, by super-rookie Damian Lillard, whose 24 points and seven assists Friday only strengthen his case for Rookie of the Year.
Randy Foye's 1-of-5 outing — including 0-of-3 from distance — sure put a damper on his 18-of-29 stretch the past four games. GRADE: C+
Forwards: From his own stat box, Paul Millsap (25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 10 rebounds) played perhaps his finest game of the season. He has scored more points only once this season: a 30-point outing Nov. 12 at Toronto in which he had a few overtimes to do it. Portland's J.J. Hickson (17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 14 rebounds), however, did keep up.
Same goes for Nicolas Batum (17 points on 4-of-6 shooting) with regards to Gordon Hayward (10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, eight assists). Hayward's assist total was his highest of the season. GRADE: B-
Centers: Al Jefferson (22 points on 11-of-21 shooting, eight rebounds, four steals) definitely had one of his finer performances of the season — especially considering that Portland's rookie center Meyers Leonard (12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and just three rebounds in 32-plus minutes) was mediocre.
The Jazz could have used 15 good minutes from Enes Kanter, out with a dislocated left shoulder suffered after jostling with Hamed Haddadi for a loose ball during the second quarter of the Jazz's win Wednesday against the Suns. It certainly provided coach Tyrone Corbin an opportunity to feature Derrick Favors (13 points, 10 rebounds, 27 minutes) more. He would have seen more time had he not fouled out. Avoiding those situations is the next step in his career. GRADE: B+
Bench: It was a night for the starters. The Jazz bench nipped the Blazers' reserves by a lowly score of 15-13, as only Alec Burks scored outside of Favors. Utah's reserves did play 19 more minutes (73-54) than their opponents, however.
It remains strange that "The Junkyard Dog" DeMarre Carroll didn't play again. Friday marked his sixth game in the last eight that he didn't play after seeing 10-plus minutes in nine straight games. GRADE: C+
Overall: Since the Jazz were just 10-27 on the road entering the contest, one might have expected Utah to fold late — especially after trailing by seven with just more than four minutes remaining. It's a shocker, really, that this poor road team turned momentum its way in the final moments. GRADE: B-
Rhett Wilkinson studies interesting stuff at Utah State University. Co-founder of Aggie BluePrint (USU's first student magazine) and a two-time Deseret News intern, he now interns for Deseret Book's LDS Living. email@example.com or @wilklogan


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Former Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Stepherson was arrested in Whitley County for possession of marijuana, according to the Whitley County Sheriff’s Office who spoke to WNDU-TV.
The arrest took place late Friday evening, Jan. 26.
Stepherson bonded out of jail by late Saturday morning, according to the original report from Irish Sports Daily.
Stepherson was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of marijuana, visiting a common nuisance and possession of paraphernalia.
Stepherson was suspended from the Notre Dame football program in December, following multiple run-ins with the law, including an arrest for an attempted shoplifiting at University Park Mall. His dismissal from the football team was announced earlier this month.
Stepherson, a junior, caught 19 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns this season. He was held out of the first several games of 2017.
At the time of his December run-ins, Stepherson was on probation as part of a plea agreement following an August 2016 arrest in Fulton County for marijuana possession with four teammates.
Read more about Stepherson’s arrest in Whitley County from WNDU-TV and Irish Sports Daily.

domain: news


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Enter here for a chance to win a Grand Slam Tennis 2 for PlayStation 3 video game. I hope there’s a ‘beat up the umpire’ feature in the game. I like my video game experience to be as authentic as possible. Good Luck!
Entry Frequency: single
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domain: entertainment


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The duo released the videos to celebrate the release of their new album
Coinciding with the release of their self-titled debut album, the videos accompany songs ‘I Won’t Run From It’, ‘Gratitude’ and ‘Forest Green’.
Directed by Eric Timothy Carlson and Aaron Anderson, the video trio features colourful layerings of images, graphics and text.
You can watch the videos here:
Earlier this month, the two – together with Bryce Dessner – curated PEOPLE festival in Berlin, an artist led collective.
Speaking to The Creative Independent, Bryce Dessner said the trio wanted to create a festival with a difference.
He said: “It was more focused on work and process and collaboration and having no plan. It was the opposite of a normal festival – there was no set schedule, no program, no headliners, no artist fees. Even down to the last minute, there was no guarantee of who was going to play with whom.”
“Basically it allowed for musicians to come together with the least artifice and just be themselves. There was none of the baggage that comes with heavily promoting something. We were able to get in the room with each other and just make stuff.”
Big Red Machine, an album by Big Red Machine on Spotify
The release of Big Red Machine’s latest album was overshadowed yesterday when Vernon distanced himself from a collaboration with Eminem, who released an unexpected album, Kamikaze yesterday.
Appearing on song ‘Fall’, the track sees Eminem take aim at other rappers, most notably Tyler, The Creator. On the track, Eminem appears to rap: “Tyler create nothin’, I see why you called yourself a f*****, bitch.”
Vernon has since responded on Twitter, addressing the song in response to a fan. He wrote: “Was not in the studio for the Eminem track.”
He added: “Came from a session with BJ Burton and Mike Will. Not a fan of the message, it’s tired. Asked them to change the track, wouldn’t do it.”
In a series of further tweets, Vernon said he thought Eminem is “one of the best rappers of all time” before adding: “This is not the time to criticize Youth, it’s the time to listen. To act. It is certainly not the time for slurs.”
Vernon also revealed that he asked for the song to be changed. “Wish they would have listened when we asked them to change it.”
In a final tweet, Vernon said: “I was wrong and we are gonna kill this track.”
You can read some of the fan reaction to Big Red Machine’s new album below:


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Rubbing to edges and corners bumped. Spine and covers creased and worn.
Bob and Peter can't believe their eyes or ears. Towering above them is a tall, twisted, humpbacked shadow with a beaky nose and small jerky head. It utters a wild, shattering laugh.
But when they try describing it to Jupe they discover their impression is only a shadow ...
Maybe the tiny statuette they've found will explain something - but the message is in some unknown language - and it's written in blood!


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Keto-Crave Review [easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”420″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qhjjo16wL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]
Name: Keto Crave
Overall Rank: 80 out of 100
Keto Crave, Product Overview
This is a great tasting ketosis friendly snack with natural and organic ingredients that support your macronutrient intake for the ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets.
- The KetoCrave bars are perfect for your ketone needs. KetoCrave bars are formulated with five grams of net carbs, sixteen grams of fat and eight grams of fiber to ensure great results for people that care about ketones. They contain no added sugar.
- KetoCrave bars are created with premium ingredients for the ketogenic dieter. KetoCrave bars are made with MCT oil, cacao butter, grass fed whey protein, and almond butter. When you combine these powerful ingredients, you promote increased energy for the body and mind.
- KetoCrave bars will help people lose weight. KetoCrave bars are great for breakfast, lunch or after dinner. These snacks are not caffeinated and provide energy without jitters while supporting metabolism to encourage fat burning and weight control.
- Both beginners and advanced dieters will enjoy Keto Crave bars. KetoCrave bars are gluten free keto snacks, which are great for those who are interested in a faster per-workout solution, athletes, sports activities, weight lifting, running and biking.
The Good & the Bad
PRO #1: Excellent on the go energy bars. Easy to take with you when you don’t have time to eat. Very convenient.
PRO #2: Keto Crave bars are a great source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs promote ketone product which promotes improved mental focus, alertness and concentration. They will help you conquer your day.
[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]
PRO #3: Keto-Crave bars are a rich source of pre-biotic fiber, which helps to feed the gut microbiome. They can increase metabolism and support weight loss.
PRO #4: Keto-Crave bars are created with quality ingredients. Coconut oil, MCT oil and cacao are all the highest quality. They are very healthy and many people on the ketogenic diet implement these ingredients into their daily lives.
PRO #5: Great for curing a sweet tooth as you are transitioning to the ketogenic diet. The taste is delicious and you will discover many rave reviews of the flavor on Amazon as well. 77% of people gave these bars five stars! An overwhelming winner!
CON #1: Somewhat expensive. At $3 per bar, eating these on a daily basis can explode your grocery bill! These fit better into a rare treat category in my book.
CON #2: Some people complain that they seem to be a bit on the smaller side.
CON #3: Prebiotic fiber can cause gas in some people. Some people complained about the gas that these bars caused them and recommended not to eat them while at work.
Who is Keto Crave Bar For?
The KetoCrave bars are specifically designed for people who are adapting to the ketogenic diet. They are best suited for people who live busy, on-the-go lifestyles and don’t have time to cook and experiment with flavors in the kitchen.
Meal replacement and snack bars are also great for the athletes who don’t want to stop their training to eat.
Keto Crave Bars Price
At $3.33 each, these are a treat to have once in a while. This could be the same cost as a fast food restaurant, but you could easily make a meal from ingredients in your kitchen for a bit less.
My Final Opinion of Keto-Crave Bars
While these bars are quite delicious and fit nicely into the macronutrient profile of the ketogenic diet, they are a bit on the pricey side. KetoCrave bars are ideal if you are traveling and won’t know when you will be around low carbohydrate foods. It is also great for the professional or athlete that is always on the go. Having a snack bar or meal replacement bar on hand will help you stick with your diet when it seems impossible.
These bars can fend off cravings when you are stuck in traffic and getting hungry. For me, they are quite expensive and a rare treat rather than a regular part of my ketogenic diet.
These bars receive good ratings on Amazon. The average rating is four and a half stars. Many people write rave reviews of this product as it helped them transition from a higher carbohydrate diet to the ketogenic diet.
Keto-Crave Bars at a Glance…
Name: Keto-Crave Snack Bars
Owners: Zenwise Health
[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61fZZRZM9OL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]
Price: $39.97 or $3.33 each
Overall Scam Rank: 80 out of 100
VERDICT: LEGIT! These are great snacks or meal replacements for the ketogenic dieter. The macronutrients fit nicely into the ketogenic macro profile.[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”73″ identifier=”B078MLC2TD” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41R69X4X7FL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″]
9 thoughts on “Keto Crave | Keto Meal Replacement Bars and Snacks”
Hey I had never even heard of this diet. You really put out enough information to attract interest. I can trust your opinion because of the honesty with the pros and cons.
Thanks for the compliment. The ketogenic diet is traditionally used for people with epilepsy, but it is becoming more and more popular with the weight loss crowd because it helps people lose weight rapidly. It also reduces inflammation and prevents Alzheimer’s!
I use to have healthy bars and snacks in my handbag just in case of getting hungry between meals. I’ve heard about ketogenic diet before, but haven’t heard about Keto-Crave energy bar so far. Thanks for the great review though. I really like ingredients and the fact that they contain no added sugar, so I could give them a try. Cheers!
These look like they could be very useful. However I am allergic to Whey protein. Do you know of anything similar that does not have any Whey?
I really don’t think about $3 is too much for a meal replacement bar. For me, I look at it as a pretty inexpensive meal…3 bucks. You cannot buy a meal for that price and it won’t be as healthy or beneficial as the bar. These look great! The only thing I am not liking is the fact that they cause gas for some people LOL. I would not want this side affect from the bars. I guess I will have to try one out and see what happens before I go and purchase a bunch 🙂
Good point! Actually, anything with fiber is going to cause gas. It is just a matter of how much gas you can put up with, I guess.
Thanks for this detailed review! I always used to think that the expensive protein bars were a ripoff, but after seeing how well they are made and what they are useful for they seem a lot more respectable. What makes a brand like this worth your money over a cheap equivalent?
Yes that is quite expensive indeed for a candy bar! It’s great that there is no added sugar. I know that the keto diet looks down upon sugar. And that is correct because sugar feeds diseases. I laughed when you mentioned the “gas” and the recommendation not to eat at work, ha ha! This might turn a lot of people off. All in all though it is really good to see more and more healthier snacks (made with organic ingredients filled with macronutrients) on the market. God knows we need to become more healthy by developing healthier eating habits.
These look so yummy lol. I wonder if they’re available in Canada?
I have friends on the metro diet, so I’ll be sure to pass on your article.
I’ve often thought about starting this diet but I can’t imagine giving up my carbs! LOL

domain: food


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2 Arena Approach, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire, BL66LB ,
Scotts Bar in Bolton has no menu available, but can choose from many other options such as Sichuan Hot & Numbing Beef 水煮牛肉 or Sichuan Hot & Numbing Fish 水煮魚 from Shi Wei Xian Chinese Restaurant. The Swan offers many options including Cheese Board with Crackers & Spiced Tomato Chutney and Chocolate Fondant with Chantilly Cream & Seasonal Berries. The Britannia Lancaster includes a wide range like Sparkling Water Bottled or Still Water Bottled. Bottle Of Drink and Can of Drink from . Zazz offers Nandos Chickenland and Scoop of Vanilla Gelado.


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she shows me how her eyes hold water
and tells me he is an ocean.
i ask her why she doesn’t sail away.
rubs salt between her thighs.
takes off her eyes and rests them by the window sill.
maybe the weather will change, she tells me.
the wind blows and blows
there is a salt hurricane in her little room.
somewhere, her cat cries and pees into the bundle of horoscopes
by the door.
i tell her people don’t change.
i tell her rubbing salt on herself won’t make him love you.
i tell her she is not a lighthouse and he is not a lost ship.
she gathers her cat, she opens her legs and says he will come.
leave, she says.
i want to protect you
from every sadness in this world; this union
between us yearns to bring back the carefree in your laugh,
longs to bring light into the crevices of your soul
this is a longing that spans skies and horizons,
in this distance that is less than a distance, let me be there
your happiness has become my happiness, your sadness suddenly mine.
this is a love more than love,
in this depth there are no words, only a familiar happiness
with you, with only you. take my hand,
know i’ll never hurt you, this heart could never hurt any of you.
there are roads and bridges and dreams
that lead nowhere, and there is you- you have become
the road, the map, the destination.
if the universe wants me to forget about you
it’s one of the hardest things i’d had to do
i wake up and the dreams i have of you cling to me
like cobwebs; there is a pang in my heart. everything
in me feels more dead in your sudden absence.
it’s foreign, it’s different, i miss you, i miss
i feel less, i feel as if my other half is somewhere
leading some other life, and there was you and me, and now
this sudden change has left me here, wondering how i’m
going to get through this rest without you. please tell me
how you could throw away something so easy and magical
so easily, just like that.
i’m trying to forget about you, i’ve let you go
but i cannot help turning back for something more,
a sign, a word from you, something to let me know
this couldn’t be the goodbye to a perfect friendship.


I know the Gfx card is the part of the computer that uses most of your electricity. But is it true the GT 120 uses max 50 Watt... while the HD 4870 can take as much as 280 watt on load? Also do they have different power consumption when running idle? It is so hard to find out the facts about power usage, seems no body cares... I know the ATI card is a lot faster but at what cost? I want to know before I can make my decision.