Microcontroller-based power management system through PLC

• Main Authors: Pastrana, Irene Paula M., Quiday, Ramil Martin G., Rosita, Jade Ralph L., Tulay, Timothy John B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2010
• Subjects: Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Consumption (Economics)
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/14687
• Institution: De La Salle University

The Microcontroller-based Power Management System through PLC controls and limits the use of electrical appliances in a household to save energy. The system is composed of a host module (HM) and appliance modules (AMs) that communicate using the AC power line as the medium. AMs monitor and control individual appliances or set of appliances within each room of the household. They have three (3) switches/lines that are controlled by turning them ON or OFF depending on the limits reached. An electromechanical energy meter is used to measure the consumption of the appliances plugged to each AM. Motion sensors to be placed in strategic locations detect user presence on a certain area of a room. They are used in order to turn OFF a specific line of unattended appliance(s) and turn them back ON once the user returns to the area. The date/time setting of the system and the consumption limits of each AM be configured by accessing the user interface of the HM that consists of an LCD screen and push button switches. HM sends messages to the AMs that contain the consumption limit or preset (predefined setting) based on time of day and collects the consumption of each AM every (12) midnight. The collected data is then stored to the external EEPROM (Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory) connected to the microcontroller of the HM. The user has the option to extract these data anytime by connecting the HM's serial port to that of the PC's and accessing them through the HyperTerminal program. From these data, it can be seen which appliance(s) consume the most energy at a certain time. This system would help people to effectively manage and use the appliances at home and eventually reduce the expenses in electricity and conserve more energy.