KR101022307B1 - Power saving system and method using ethernet network based multi-outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for reducing the active power consumption and standby power of a plurality of devices connected to a multi-outlet by mounting an Ethernet and power control hardware in an electric multi-outlet and a power saving service UPnP middleware.

According to the present invention, a power supply (current / voltage) measurement is performed for each network outlet and a network module that can automatically locate a particular device connected to which inlet of which multi-outlet in a power supply network in which several multi-outlets are connected in a star or serial manner. Interlocking information devices such as network multi-outlets, gateways, remote controllers, and PCs equipped with sensors and power control relays to collect / recognize device usage and status information for each information device (user). It is a power saving system that can actively control the opening and closing.

Network, Multi-outlet, Gateway, Switching Hub, Current Sensor, Power Control, WOL, Agent, Ethernet, Remote Control, PLC, UPnP

Description

Power saving system and method using Ethernet communication-based multi-outlet {POWER SAVING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING ETHERNET NETWORK BASED MULTI-OUTLET}

The present invention provides a method for configuring a power control device of a multi-outlet device equipped with an Ethernet communication function and a power control hardware in an electric multi-outlet, and a power saving service middleware driven on the basis of the hardware, and connected to the network multi-outlet to supply power. The present invention relates to a method for implementing a power saving control service including an agent device such as a receiving PC, a home gateway, a wireless remote controller, and a time attendance management system.

With the convergence of information and communication services, power consumption is rapidly increasing due to the high performance, multifunctionality and continuous operation of various information and communication devices such as PCs, printers, lights, copiers, fax machines, and home appliances used in homes and offices. In other cases, it is necessary to operate the power without turning it off even in unnecessary situations after going home or leaving work for reasons such as working from home, causing power waste, fire, and environmental pollution.

The apparatus of the present invention is an Ethernet network module that can automatically locate a particular device connected to which outlet of which multi-outlet in a power supply network in which multiple power outlets are connected in a star or serial manner, and an information device connected to each outlet ( Power (current / voltage) measurement module that collects the usage and status information of the device by user), and driving and opening / closing the information device connected to the outlet by the command of the gateway that comprehensively analyzes and judges the self or power usage information. It is composed of power control relay and main CPU which can actively control.

The present invention is not only a network multi-outlet, but also a home gateway with TCP / IP and UPnP, an accessor that can know whether a worker is in a room, etc. Intelligent power management according to various situations is possible by recognizing, etc.It provides a convenient user interface function to access the service system anytime, anywhere from inside and outside by interworking with wireless remote control or telecommunication phone, especially communication port in multi outlet When each and the power outlets are connected to one information device, one-to-one mapping configuration between the communication port and the power outlet can be tracked to finally determine which information device is connected to which outlet of which multi-outlet. Remotely (WOL) / Shut Down Key, or relates to a network-based power control unit and a control method capable of controlling the automatic opening and closing of the power outlet to prevent the consumption of standby power.

By using a conventional technology similar to the present invention by measuring the operating time of the PC by a timer, by detecting the movement using the fuselage sensor (see, for example, Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-0063731), or by sensing the standby current of the outlet The state control technology is a non-network method, and there is a problem of inaccurate control action due to inflexibility in situation determination. Another method has recently been to install a zigbee or FM RF modem in a single outlet information device. Although a number of methods have been proposed that can be controlled remotely from an access point or gateway as an improved network method, management information of information equipment mounted in each outlet must be manually registered and managed in the control server, and in particular, multi-outlet When multiple information devices are plugged into the system, it is difficult to distinguish connected information devices by corresponding outlets. It is difficult to control the safe power off according to the existing procedure.

Of course, it may be possible to install a Zigbee or PLC (Power Line Communication) modem inside the device to collect device information, but because it is non-IP based, it is not possible to use control middleware such as UPnP or add these modem devices to the device such as PC separately. The disadvantage is that it costs a lot.

1 is a configuration diagram for performing a power management service of an information device based on a gateway in a home or office network. Existing method is equipped with current sensor, on / off control circuit and communication module such as Zigbee or PLC in power outlet to control the opening and closing of information equipment connected to the power outlet. In this case, communication module such as Zigbee or PLC should be installed in the home gateway, and if you want to operate the remote system by WOL (Wake On LAN) method, you can automatically find out which information equipment is connected to which outlet of the multi-outlet. There is a disadvantage. Of course, information devices can be equipped with these communication modules to perform power management by automatically checking the existence of each other through UPnP or other middleware-based communication between the information device and the outlet, but to mount these middleware in small devices such as outlets. It's not easy and it's not used really well.

The technical problem of the present invention is to improve the conventional problems, a method for recognizing which outlet of a certain information communication device is connected to which outlet of the multi-outlet, and information that is completely cut off the power not in the standby state The present invention provides a device and a control method for turning on a communication device by using a conventional WOL protocol, or turning off an information device in an active or standby state and completely shutting down the outlet.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a network-based power control system 200 (see FIG. 3), comprising: a power outlet control multi-outlet 100; A gateway 210 in which a power management service (PMS) program is embedded; An information device 230 equipped with a PMS agent; And a wireless remote controller 220, wherein the power outlet control multi-outlet 100 (refer to FIG. 2) includes: a power draw controller 110; An Ethernet switching hub 120 having a communication port portion assigned with a unique ID; A control CPU or processor 130 having a program for processing a related protocol to perform a unique ID based function; And a driving power supply unit 140, wherein the power drawing controller 110 measures a main power supply 111, a power outlet 112 for supplying power to an external information device, a power control unit 113, and a current / voltage measurement. A current sensor 114, each power outlet 112 is one-to-one hardware coupled to the communication port 121 of the Ethernet switching hub block 120, the processor 130 monitors this coupling state to determine Provided is a network-based power control system for identifying which power outlet 112 is connected to a specific information device that is operated by receiving power from the power outlet 112.

According to another feature of the invention, the unique ID is a MAC address or an IP address.

According to another feature of the invention, the gateway 210 has a user interface for control.

According to another feature of the invention, the information device 230 is a PC, printer, light, copier, fax or home appliance.

According to another feature of the invention, the power control unit 113 includes a triac.

According to another feature of the invention, the power outlet 112 and the main power source 111 can be opened and closed by a manual switch.

According to another feature of the present invention, the processor 130 monitors (sniffs) all relevant packets including power control related packets passing through the communication port 121 and all information connected to the corresponding power outlet 112. Determining the MAC or IP address of the device includes a DB for storing with the corresponding power outlet 112 number.

According to another feature of the invention, the process 130 detects the power consumption at the current sensor at each power outlet 112 and reports this value to the gateway 210 and supplies power when requested or required. Open and close.

According to another feature of the invention, the processor 130 communicates with the PMS agent of the information device 230 connected to the power outlet 112 to collect related data such as power, system operating time, login user, execution program, etc. To be used for power control.

According to another feature of the present invention, the multi-concentrator 100 has an internal battery 142 and a power management and charging circuit, so that if there is no information device connected to the multi-concentrator 100 or the battery charge state is good, It shuts off and supplies a main power when needed to recharge the battery 142.

According to another feature of the present invention, the PMS agent records the information of the user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time, used program or use time of each information device and grasp the user's usage pattern and situation information Manage device operating time.

According to another feature of the present invention, the wireless remote controller 220 communicates with the gateway 210 to receive the power usage status information of all the information devices in the office to show in a visual manner such as a screen or LED, having a button It receives the power opening and closing operation for each individual / group / all from the user to perform the function of transmitting to the gateway 210.

According to another feature of the invention, the PMS agent program of the information device 230 is automatically executed in the background at the time the information device is booted and the user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time to the gateway 210 Periodically report information about programs used or times of use.

According to another feature of the present invention, the PMS agent program of the information device 230 delivers the information required upon request to identify the information devices connected to the power outlet 112 of the multi-outlet 100.

According to another feature of the present invention, when the PMS agent of the information device 230 receives a system shutdown command from the gateway 210, the PMS agent executes a system shutdown operation, and the fact that the PMS agent of the information device 230 is connected to the gateway 210 is used. Propagates to the network so that it can know.

According to another feature of the present invention, the packet transmitted between the information device 230 is based on the Ethernet frame and uses the TCP / IP protocol, the PMS agent program uses middleware such as UPnP, Jini, OSGi It is a unique control method designed using protocols such as http, html and xml.

According to another feature of the present invention, a plurality of the multi-outlet 100 is present, MAC and IP address is assigned to each of the plurality of multi-outlet, so that the processor 130 reads the Ethernet communication port information of all the multi-outlet, Using this Ethernet communication port information, a connection diagram between extended multi-outlets is created.

According to another feature of the present invention, when the multi-concentration is extended in series in a state in which the connection configuration between the multi-outlets 100 is determined, the MAC addresses of all information devices connected to the rear end correspond to the corresponding ports of the front-end multi-outlets. The gateway 210 controls the power opening and closing by tracking the position of the final information device on a power arrangement diagram in which a plurality of multi-concentrations are connected in succession using the recorded MAC address.

According to another feature of the present invention, when the remote controller 220 transmits a command to the gateway 210 to turn off an individual, group, or entire information device, and the gateway transmits a command to turn off the information device, the corresponding multi After monitoring the command, the outlet determines whether the corresponding communication port is connected and cuts the outlet power.

According to another feature of the present invention, when the remote controller 220 transmits a command to the gateway 210 to turn off an individual, group, or entire information device, and the gateway transmits a command to turn off the information device, the corresponding multi After monitoring the command, the outlet checks the current amount of the power outlet and cuts out the outlet power when in standby.

According to another feature of the present invention, when an information device on command (eg WOL) packet is received from the gateway 210 in the multi-outlet 100, the command is temporarily stored in the multi-outlet DB and the MAC address is connected from the DB. Turn on the information device remotely by supplying electricity to the outlet and resending the information device on command to the information device.

According to another feature of the invention, the multi-concentrator 100 to determine the flow of the Ethernet packet to report the presence of the information device without the communication function to the gateway 210, and measure the power through the current sensor 114 It judges the standby state, notifies the gateway based on this, and receives the command from the gateway to open and close the corresponding power.

According to another aspect of the invention, after the processor 130 monitors that the system off command is sent to the information device 230 connected to the power outlet 112, the standby current measurement or the link state of the communication port to check If time passes, cut off the power supply.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a network-based power control method comprising the steps of: powering on the multi-outlet 100; Preparing a processor 130 of the multi-outlet 100 to automatically allocate an IP from the gateway 210 to transfer information device information and service information to the gateway 210 and to manage and operate the multi-outlet and the Ethernet switching block; Determining, by the multi-outlet, the power outlet of the information device 230 which cannot be located to determine which outlet is supplied with electricity; When the PMS agent program installed in the information device 230 transmits the relevant information to the gateway 210, the multi-outlet 100 observes (sniffs) PMS-related packets of the port where the Ethernet communication link operation is started, and the corresponding outlet and the Ethernet port. Learning a matching relationship; Requesting the information device 230 to obtain related information if necessary, reconfirming the learning result, and storing the connection information in the multi-concentration own DB; Notifying the gateway 210 of the wiring mapping information, the communication interface information, or the current consumption amount by the multi-outlet 100; The gateway 210 compares the related information received from each information device with the information transmitted from each multi-concentrator by the PMS server program to determine the power structure and the Ethernet connection tree structure thereof; And the gateway 210 PMS server collects information on the usage type of the information device, including usage time, usage program, and power consumption, through each information device and PMS agent of the network multi-centre, and stores the information in the gateway DB. Intelligently performing the power management function of the information device by processing; provides a network-based power control method comprising a.

According to another feature of the invention, the user further comprises the step of using the remote control 220 or gateway 210 user UI screen to remotely turn off the information device equipped with the PMS agent.

According to another feature of the present invention, the gateway 210 finds information on the information device in its own DB and makes a system off packet and transmits it to the network in a unicast manner.

According to another feature of the present invention, when the gateway 210 transmits a system shutdown command packet, the gateway 210 is delivered to the PMS agent of the final information device 230 through the Ethernet port 122 of the multi-outlet 100, and the PMS agent Terminating all running processors of the information device and notifying the gateway to enter the system shutdown mode, and then safely shuts down the system. The network multi-centre 100 uses the current sensor 114 to safely wait for the information device. It determines whether it has entered the state and reports the result to the gateway 210, the gateway updates the information power status information of the information equipment and commands the outlet power off command to the multi-outlet, the multi-outlet received this by blocking the power switch standby Do not consume even power.

According to another feature of the present invention, the multi-concentrator 100 catches the PMS or WOL packet transmitted by the gateway, stores it in a temporary storage or its own DB, performs a WOL agent that interprets the packet, and searches the own DB. After identifying the power outlet connected to the information device and applying power, the WOL packet is transmitted to the information device, and the information device receiving the WOL packet powers the entire system and starts the system operation according to the booting procedure.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method of recognizing connection map information of each power outlet and each Ethernet port pair of a network-based power control multi-outlet, wherein the power supply of all outlets of the network multi-outlet is cut off. Operating a default internal communication port (default pair) when the power switch of the information device of the device operates, checking whether a communication link is set up between the information device and the multi-outlet, and if so, setting the two as a configuration map; If it is not correct, operating the remaining communication ports in turn, and if one of them is found to be set up, setting them as one configuration map; If a corresponding port is not found, displaying it on a multi-outlet LED or displaying it on an administrator UI screen, thereby informing the user to manually create a management map; Once the first configuration map pair is established and the new information appliance is powered up, verify that the links of the default internal communication ports are set up in the same manner, and if they are correct, set them as one new configuration map, or link them one after the other. Locating a port for establishing a communication link between the information device and the multi-outlet and setting the port as one configuration map pair; Obtaining remaining outlets and Ethernet communication port configuration map information in the same manner; The multi-concentrator provides the connection map information recognition method comprising the step of storing the pair information of the power line and communication line configuration map in its own DB and transmitting to the gateway server to manage power switching.

According to another feature of the present invention, another bottom multi-outlet is connected in series to the multi-outlet 100 in order to extend the number of power supply lines, and the processor sniffs the packet of the communication port of the top outlet to send the PMS-related packet. By analyzing the information of a plurality of information devices connected to the bottom multi-outlet at the top outlet connected to the bottom multi-outlet and records in the DB of the multi-outlet 100.

According to another feature of the present invention, the processor in the multi-outlet reads the port map information of the Ethernet switching hub through a packet transmitted and received itself to perform location (connection information grasp) between neighboring multi-outlets.

According to the present invention, by combining the multi-outlet and the Ethernet switching hub to be managed in the network connected to the Ethernet port and the corresponding outlet, it is possible to process the driving state and power on / off of the information communication device in a network manner.

Identify the mechanism that describes the power outlet and which communication port is connected to one information device, and infer the connection network between the multi outlets through the Ethernet communication port information to find out where the specific information device is located in the power line and communication network. , Multi-outlets, and information devices can be linked to each other to control the opening and closing of the power supply.

2 is a power supply control block 110, an Ethernet switching hub block 120, a control CPU block or processor 130 and a driving power block 140, which is one of the features of the present invention for achieving the technical problem of the present invention. Block diagram of a network-based power outlet control multi-outlet 100 including a.

The power supply drawing control block 110 supplies power to the power control unit 113 and the external information device, which are implemented as a power sensor or a current sensor 114 and a triac, such as a current sensor or a voltage sensor, using a technology such as MEMS. It consists of circuits, such as the power outlet 112 to supply. Although not shown in FIG. 1, each outlet and the main power supply can be opened and closed by a manual switch.

Each power outlet 112 is one-to-one hardware-coupled with the communication port portions 121 and 122 of the Ethernet switching hub block 120, so that the processor 130 monitors this and receives power from a specific power outlet 112 to operate. It is possible to determine which outlet 112 is connected to a particular information device.

The built-in switching hub 120 may be assigned a MAC address, an IP address, or a unique ID to determine where it is in an Ethernet network or a power network.

The processor 130 has a program for processing related protocols for performing various functions based on a MAC, an IP address, or a unique ID because a flash and an SDRAM memory are embedded therein.

The processor 130 monitors (sniffs) all related packets including power control related packets passing through the communication port, grasps MAC or IP addresses of all information devices connected to the corresponding power outlet 112, and stores them in a DB. This is transmitted to the gateway 210 with the power outlet 112 number.

The process 130 detects the power consumption at the current sensor at each power outlet 112 and reports this value to the gateway 210, opening and closing the power when requested or required.

If necessary, the processor 130 communicates with the power management agent of the information device connected to the power outlet 112 and collects related data such as power, system operation time, login user, execution program, and utilizes the power control.

When a system shutdown command is sent to a specific information device from a remote location, the processor observes (sniffs) this command packet and observes the system shutdown operation response packet of the information device or measures the standby current to enter the standby state. After confirming that the power outlet 112 power is cut off.

When a system turn-on command is sent to a specific information device remotely in a WOL-like manner, when the command packet is observed (snipped), the processor 130 first stores the command packet in a buffer or its own DB, and then stores the target information device in its own DB. Find a power port 112 that matches the MAC or IP to supply power. Then, the command packet stored in the buffer or DB is retransmitted to the network device of the information device. The system of the information equipment monitors the activity state by observing the response / report packet transmitted from the power management agent of the information equipment or by measuring the current consumption value.

If the system is not turned on by the given time, the processor 130 reports this to the gateway 210.

The multi-outlet 100 has an internal battery 142 and a power management and charging circuit. When there is no information device connected to the multi-outlet 100 or the battery charge state is good, the multi-outlet 100 cuts off the main power and supplies the main power if necessary. 142) there is a function to recharge.

3 is a service configuration diagram consisting of a network multi-outlet 100, a gateway 210, a remote controller 220 and an information device for achieving the technical problem of the present invention.

The multi-outlet 100 performs the above-mentioned function.

The gateway 210 is a device that interconnects an internal network (LAN) and an external network (Internet) in a home or office by using an IP sharing method such as network address translation (NAT), and controls various devices in a home or office. It is a network device that can provide services.

The power management service (PMS) program embedded in the gateway 210 performs a management function of turning off or turning on information equipment in an internal network through a network.

PMS records information such as user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time, used program and usage time of each information device, and manages information equipment operation time by grasping user usage pattern and situation.

The gateway 210 has a wireless interface to provide the power state information of the information device to the wireless remote controller 220 or to receive the power shielding command to execute this. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the external PC 310 or the mobile terminal 320 through the Internet 300 and the gateway 210 may replace the wireless remote controller 220.

The wireless remote controller 220 communicates with the gateway 210 to receive power usage status information of all the information devices in the office and displays them in a visual manner such as a screen or LED, and has a button to perform power opening / closing operations by individual / group / all. It receives from the user and transmits to the gateway 210. The wireless remote control device 220 may use a dedicated device or any device such as an office mover (eg, a commute recorder) or a PC.

The information communication device or information device 230 is a device having a wired Ethernet or wireless LAN matching function having an IP or MAC address and executing a PMS agent program therein.

The PMS agent program automatically runs in the background at the time the information device is booted and periodically reports information such as user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time, used program and use time to the home gateway 210.

The PMS agent program delivers information required upon request to identify the information devices connected to the power outlet 112 of the multi-outlet 100.

When the PMS agent receives a command to shut down the system from the gateway, it executes this operation and propagates it to the network so that the multi-outlet connected to the gateway can see it.

Remote system startup and shutdown utilities to safely power off a PC remotely are currently being used, such as Windows' "shut down" command and many other freeware and commercial programs.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which a network multi-concentrator 100, a gateway 210, a remote controller 220, and an information device 230 interoperate with each other to accomplish a technical problem of the present invention.

 Packets transmitted between information devices are based on Ethernet frames and use the TCP / IP protocol. The PMS agent program may be a unique control method designed using middleware such as UPnP, Jini, OSGi, or using protocols such as http, html, xml, and the like.

When the power supply is turned on, the processor 130 of the multi-outlet 100 is automatically assigned an IP from the gateway 210 and transmits information device and service information to the gateway 210 and prepares to manage and operate the multi-outlet and the Ethernet switching block. Do

The location information device 230 that is not located can be turned on by transmitting a WOL packet manually or by a user. When the power is supplied and the booting is completed, the multi-centre senses power flow to determine which outlet supplies electricity. Then, when the agent program transmits the relevant information to the gateway 210, the multi-concentrator observes (sniffs) the PMS-related packet of the port where the Ethernet communication link operation is started, learns the corresponding outlet and the Ethernet port matching relationship, and if necessary, the information device. Obtain the relevant information by requesting the user to recheck the learning result and store the connection information in its own DB (S1).

When the port matching learning is completed, the multi-outlet 100 notifies the gateway 210 of the wiring mapping information, the communication interface information, and the current consumption amount (S2).

The gateway 210 PMS server program compares the related information received from each information device with the information sent by each multi-outlet, and grasps their power structure and Ethernet connection tree structure.

Gateway PMS server collects information on usage type of information equipment such as usage time, usage program, power consumption, etc. through each information equipment and network multi-centre PMS agent, stores it in DB, processes it, and manages power management of information equipment. Can be done intelligently.

The operation of remotely turning off the information device equipped with the specific PMS agent may be initiated by the user using the remote controller 220 or the gateway user UI screen (S3).

The gateway 210 finds information on the information device in its own DB and makes a system off packet and transmits it to the network in a unicast manner (S3).

When the gateway 210 transmits a system shutdown command packet, the gateway 210 transmits the shutdown command packet to the PMS agent of the final information device 230 through the Ethernet port 122 of the multi-outlet 100.

The PMS agent terminates all running processors of the information device and notifies the gateway to enter the system shutdown mode, and then safely shuts down the system (S4). The network multi-outlet 100 determines whether the information device has safely entered the standby state using the current sensor 114 and reports the result to the gateway 210. The gateway updates the power supply status information of the information device and issues a power outlet command to the multi-outlet, and the multi-outlet receives the power switch so that the standby power is not consumed (S5 and S6).

Information devices that are located on power and Ethernet networks are unable to perform remote system startup using traditional WOL packet transmissions, since information devices that are located on power and Ethernet networks are incapable of performing even WOL functions. However, in the present invention, instead of the information device whose power is cut off in order to reduce the standby power, the multi-outlet connected to the information device acts as a proxy for the WOL function (S7).

Multi-Concentrator catches the PMS or WOL packets sent by the gateway, stores them in a temporary repository, and performs the WOL agency that interprets the packets. It searches its own DB, finds the power outlet connected to the information device, applies power and sends the WOL packet to the information device. Receiving the WOL packet, the information device powers the entire system and starts the system operation according to the booting procedure (S8, S9). The subsequent steps are the same as the above descriptions, and thus will be omitted.

5 shows that a plurality of information devices are connected and used in a network multi-outlet to be used in the present invention. In FIG. 5, a mechanism for recognizing connection map information of each power outlet and each Ethernet port pair is as follows.

Basically, one outlet and Ethernet port operate in hardware as a pair. For example, since the internal processor 130 operates only the link of the Ethernet link 121A when the power is supplied to the outlet 112A, the two processors can be connected to the information device only as a pair. In addition, when the power line and Ethernet communication line managers connect and use only a predetermined pair, Multi-Concentrate can monitor (sniff) the Ethernet port status and communication information and accurately manage the power of connected information devices. However, when a plurality of information devices are all in operation, it cannot be excluded that a user cross-connects to different information devices for the purpose of inspecting a communication link or a power port. Even when the power outlet and the communication port cross each other, each connection map should be learned automatically.

Initially, if a single power supply switch is operated with all outlets powered off, the network multi-outlet will activate the default internal communication port (default pair) and verify that a communication link is established between the information device and the multi-outlet. , If so, make them both construction maps.

If it is not connected to other communication ports, otherwise, operate the remaining communication ports in turn, and if one of them is found to be set up, set them as one configuration map.

If a corresponding port is not found, it can be displayed on the multi-outlet LED, or on the administrator UI screen, telling you to create a management map manually.

When the first configuration map pair is established and then the new information appliance is powered up, verify that the links of the default internal communication ports are set up in the same way, and if they are correct, set them as one new configuration map, or link them one after the other. To find the port that establishes the communication link between the information device and the multi-outlet and set it as a configuration map pair.

The remaining outlets and Ethernet communication port configuration map information are also learned in this manner.

Multi-Concentrator maintains the pair information of the power line and communication line configuration map in its own DB and transmits it to the gateway server for power switching management.

If the information device connected to the outlet does not have a communication function such as a lamp, the multi-concentrator cannot determine the location of the information device. In this case, it is difficult to automatically find the location of the information outlet connected to the outlet, but the gateway server guarantees the advantage of being able to open and close the power intelligently according to the office or home environment.

When another bottom multi-outlet is connected in series to the multi-outlet to extend the number of power supply lines (100 to 100n in FIG. 3), information on a plurality of information devices connected to the bottom multi-outlet is connected to the top outlet connected to the bottom multi-outlet. Find out and record in DB. This can be understood by analyzing PMS-related packets by sniffing packets at the communication port of the upper outlet.

Even if several multi-outlets are continuously connected and extended in series, it is possible to extend the above mechanism by locating the specific information equipment connected to which outlet of which outlet in the network.

The connection information between the multi-outlets can be located between neighboring outlets through packets transmitted and received by the processor in the multi-outlet. This can be determined by reading the port map information of the Ethernet switching hub.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. It should be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims, and it should be interpreted that all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are included in the scope of the present invention.

Identify the mechanism that describes the power outlet and which communication port is connected to one information device, and infer the connection network between the multi outlets through the Ethernet communication port information to find out where the specific information device is located in the power line and communication network. , Multi-outlets, and information devices interoperate to control the opening and closing of power.

1 is a block diagram of an apparatus showing the use of the existing technology related to the practice of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for implementing a multi-outlet combining an Ethernet switch and an outlet control circuit of an outlet, which are essential components of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram showing an interworking method of the components according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an interlocking operation of mutual recognition and power on / off between components according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing that a plurality of information devices are connected to the network multi-outlet to be used in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of FIG. 5.

* Description of main parts of drawing *

100: multi-outlet

110: power take-out control block

111: main power

112: power outlet

113: power control unit

114: current sensor

120: switching hub

121: communication port

122: Ethernet port

130: processor

140: drive power block

141: AC / DC converter

142: battery

143: power battery control unit

200: network based power control system

210: gateway

220: remote control

230: information equipment

300: Internet

310: external information device

320: mobile terminal

Claims (28)

As a network-based power control system 200, Power outlet control multi-outlet 100; A gateway 210 in which a power management service (PMS) program is embedded; An information device 230 equipped with a PMS agent; And It includes; wireless remote control 220, The power outlet control multi-outlet 100, A power drawing control unit 110; An Ethernet switching hub 120 having a communication port portion 121, 122 assigned a unique ID; A processor 130 having a program for processing a related protocol to perform a unique ID based function; And It includes; drive power supply 140, The power supply drawing control unit 110 includes a main power source 111, a power outlet 112 for supplying power to the external information device 230, a power control unit 113 and a current sensor 114 for measuring the current / voltage, , Each power outlet 112 is one-to-one hardware coupled to the communication port 121 of the Ethernet switching hub block 120, the processor 130 monitors this coupling state to supply power from a specific power outlet 112 Network-based power control system, characterized in that to determine which power outlet 112 is connected to a specific information device 230 that operates by receiving. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique ID is a MAC address or an IP address. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein said gateway (210) has a user interface for control. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor 130 monitors (sniffs) all related packets including power control related packets passing through the communication port 121, and MACs of all the information devices connected to the corresponding power outlet 112. Network based power control system characterized in that it comprises a DB for identifying the address or IP address and stores it with the corresponding power outlet 112 number. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the process 130 detects power consumption at a current sensor at each power outlet 112 and reports this value to the gateway 210 and switches the power on and off as requested or required. Network based power control system. The power source of claim 1, wherein the processor 130 communicates with the PMS agent of the information device 230 connected to the power outlet 112 to collect related data such as power, system operating time, login user, and execution program. Network-based power control system, characterized in that used for the control. According to claim 1, The multi-outlet 100 has an internal battery 142 and a power management and charging circuit to shut off the main power when there is no information device connected to the multi-outlet 100 or the battery charge state is good, Network-based power control system, characterized in that having a function to recharge the battery (142) by supplying the main power when necessary. The method of claim 1, wherein the PMS agent records information of a user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time, used program or time of each information device, and grasps a user's usage pattern and situation. Network-based power control system, characterized in that for managing. The wireless remote controller 220 communicates with the gateway 210 to receive power usage status information of all the information devices in the office, and displays them in a visual manner such as a screen or an LED. Network-based power control system, characterized in that for performing the function of receiving the power opening and closing operation from the user to the whole by the gateway 210. The PMS agent program of the information device 230 is automatically executed in the background when the information device is booted, and the user ID, IP, MAC address, on / off time, and used program are used as the gateway 210. Or periodically reporting information of a use time. The network-based power supply of claim 1, wherein the PMS agent program of the information device 230 delivers information required upon request to identify the information devices connected to the power outlet 112 of the multi-outlet 100. Control system. According to claim 1, wherein the PMS agent of the information device 230 executes a system shutdown operation when receiving a system shutdown command from the gateway 210, the fact that the multi-concentrator 100 connected to the gateway 210 can know the fact. Network-based power control system characterized in that it propagates to the network. According to claim 1, The packet transmitted between the information device 230 is based on the Ethernet frame and uses the TCP / IP protocol, PMS agent program uses middleware such as UPnP, Jini, OSGi, or http, html Network-based power control system characterized in that it has a proprietary control scheme designed using a protocol such as xml. 15. The Ethernet communication port according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a plurality of the multi-outlets 100 exist, and a MAC and an IP address are assigned to each of the plurality of multi-outlets. A network-based power control system comprising reading the information and using the Ethernet communication port information to create a connection diagram between the extended multi-outlets. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein when the multi-outlet is extended in series in a state where the connection configuration between the multi-outlets 100 is determined, the MAC addresses of all information devices connected to the rear end are recorded in the corresponding ports of the front-end multi-outlet. And, the gateway 210 uses the recorded MAC address, the network-based power control system, characterized in that to control the opening and closing of the power source by tracking the location of the final information device on the power arrangement diagram that is connected to a plurality of multi-continuous. The method of claim 1, wherein when the remote controller 220 transmits a command to the gateway 210 to turn off individual, group, or all information devices, and the gateway transmits an instruction to turn off the information device, the corresponding multi-concentration is performed. A network-based power control system, characterized in that after disconnecting the outlet power by determining whether the communication port is connected after monitoring the command. The method of claim 1, wherein when the remote controller 220 transmits a command to the gateway 210 to turn off individual, group, or all information devices, and the gateway transmits an instruction to turn off the information device, the corresponding multi-concentration is performed. The network-based power control system, characterized in that after monitoring the command to check the current amount of the power outlet, and turns off the outlet power when the standby state. According to claim 1, When the information device turn-on command packet from the gateway 210 is received in the multi-outlet 100, the command is temporarily stored in the DB of the multi-outlet, the electricity from the DB to the outlet connected to the MAC address and information A network-based power control system, characterized in that to turn on the information device from the remote by re-sending the device on command to the information device. According to claim 1, the multi-concentrator 100 to determine the flow of the Ethernet packet to report the presence of the information device without the communication function to the gateway 210, and measure the power through the current sensor 114 to standby state The network-based power control system, characterized in that for determining and notifying the gateway based on this and receiving a command from the gateway to open and close the power. The method of claim 1, wherein after the processor 130 monitors that a system shutdown command is transmitted to the information device 230 connected to the power outlet 112, a predetermined time is determined by measuring a standby current or checking a link state of a communication port. A network based power control system, characterized in that when the power supply elapses. Network-based power control method, Powering on the multi-outlet 100; Preparing a processor 130 of the multi-outlet 100 to automatically allocate an IP from the gateway 210 to transfer information device information and service information to the gateway 210 and to manage and operate the multi-outlet and the Ethernet switching block; Determining, by the multi-outlet 100, a power outlet of the information device 230 which cannot be located to determine which outlet is supplied with electricity; When the PMS agent program installed in the information device 230 transmits the relevant information to the gateway 210, the multi-outlet 100 sniffs the PMS-related packet of the port from which the Ethernet communication link operation is started, and establishes an Ethernet port matching relationship with the corresponding outlet. Learning; Requesting, by the processor 130, the information device 230 to obtain related information, reconfirming the learning result, and storing the connection information in the multi-concentration own DB; Notifying the gateway 210 of the wiring mapping information, the communication interface information, or the current consumption amount by the multi-outlet 100; The gateway 210 compares the related information received from each information device with the information transmitted from each multi-concentrator by the PMS server program to determine the power structure and the Ethernet connection tree structure thereof; And The gateway 210 PMS server collects information on the usage type of the information device, including usage time, usage program, and power consumption, through each information device and PMS agent of the network multi-centre, and stores it in the DB of the gateway and processes it. And performing a power management function of the information device. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of the user remotely turning off the information device equipped with the PMS agent by using the remote control 220 or the gateway 210 user UI screen. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the gateway 210 finds information on the information device in its own DB and makes a system shutdown packet and transmits it to the network in a unicast manner. 22. The method of claim 21, when the gateway 210 transmits a shutdown command packet is delivered to the PMS agent of the final information device 230 through the Ethernet port 122 of the multi-concentrator 100, The PMS agent shuts down all running processors of the information appliance and informs the gateway that it has entered shutdown mode, and then safely shuts down the system. The network multi-outlet 100 determines whether the information device has safely entered the standby state using the current sensor 114 and reports the result to the gateway 210. The gateway updates the power supply status information of the information device and issues a power outlet command to the multi-outlet, and the multi-outlet receiving the cut-off shuts off the power switch so that even standby power is not consumed. 22. The method of claim 21, the multi-concentrator 100 is to capture the PMS or WOL packet transmitted by the gateway to store in a temporary storage or its own DB and perform the WOL agent task of interpreting the packet, and retrieves the own DB to retrieve the information device After identifying the power outlet connected to the power supply and the WOL packet is transmitted to the corresponding information device, the information device receiving the WOL packet drives power to the entire system and starts the system operation according to the booting procedure Network based power control method. A method of recognizing connection map information of each power outlet of each network-based power control multi-outlet and each Ethernet port pair. If the power switch of one information device is operated while the power supply of all outlets of the network multi-outlet is cut off, operate the default internal communication port (default pair) and confirm that the communication link is set up between the information device and the multi-outlet. If yes, setting the two as one configuration map; If it is not correct, operating the remaining communication ports in turn, and if one of them is found to be set up, setting them as one configuration map; If a corresponding port is not found, displaying it on a multi-outlet LED or displaying it on an administrator UI screen, thereby informing the user to manually create a management map; Once the first configuration map pair is established and the new information appliance is powered up, verify that the links of the default internal communication ports are set up in the same manner, and if they are correct, set them as one new configuration map, or link them one after the other. Locating a port for establishing a communication link between the information device and the multi-outlet and setting the port as one configuration map pair; Obtaining remaining outlets and Ethernet communication port configuration map information in the same manner; And The multi-outlet may include maintaining the pair information of the power line and the communication line configuration map in its own DB and simultaneously transmitting and managing the power switch to the gateway server to perform power switching management. 14. The terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein another bottom multi-outlet is connected in series to the multi-outlet 100 in order to extend the number of power supply lines, and the processor transmits a packet of a communication port of the top outlet. The network-based power control system, characterized in that by analyzing the PMS-related packet sniffing, the information on the information of a plurality of information devices connected to the bottom multi-outlet at the top outlet connected to the bottom multi-outlet is recorded in the DB of the multi-outlet (100). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the processor 130 in the multi-concentrator 100 reads port map information of the Ethernet switching hub through packets transmitted and received by itself to determine the location between neighboring multi-outlets (connection information). Network based power control system.

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