KR102076273B1 - A home appliance and a control method the same - Google Patents

Abstract

This embodiment relates to an electrical appliance and a control method thereof.
An electrical appliance according to the present embodiment includes: a first communication module connected to a second communication unit of an external component so as to be communicable, and receiving energy charge related information from the second communication unit; A driving unit operated based on the energy fee related information; A main control unit controlling an operation of the driving unit based on the information received from the first communication module; And an initialization input unit configured to be input to initialize the first communication module, wherein the first communication module includes: a first communication unit connected to the second communication unit; And a communication control unit configured to disconnect the first communication unit from the second communication unit and perform communication reconnection between the first and second communication units when the initialization input unit is input.

Description

Electrical appliances and a control method {A home appliance and a control method the same}

The present invention relates to an electrical appliance and a control method thereof.

Generally, electrical appliances provided at home include products such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, a cooking appliance, or a cleaner. In the past, the electrical appliances were driven using electric power having constant power information. In one example, the electricity bill supplied to the home is constantly formed over time.

However, in recent years, in conjunction with the energy saving policy, it is possible to supply power with power information that changes over time. The manner of operation of the electrical appliance can be controlled based on the changing power information.

The electrical appliance may receive the power information from an external component. To this end, the electrical appliance may be communicatively coupled with the external component. For example, each of the electrical appliances and the external components is provided with a communication module, and when the communication modules are connected to each other, transmission or reception of data may be performed between the electrical appliances and the external components.

However, when the electrical appliance and the external component are not communicatively connected, power information may not be received from the external component, and thus, operation control of the electrical appliance may not be performed smoothly.

In the related art, when communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is limited, the communication connection between the electrical appliance and the external component is removed, and then the communication reconnection is performed.

At this time, in order to remove the communication connection between the electrical appliance and the external component, it was inconvenient to turn off the electrical appliance and to turn it on again, or to disconnect and reconnect the communication module provided to the electrical appliance to the electrical appliance. .

In addition, according to the conventional electrical appliances, if it is determined that communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is not possible because the communication reconnection process as described above is failed, the service technician must visit the home to repair the electrical appliance or the external component, Until the completion of the electric product has been a problem that the operation control according to the power information is limited.

In order to solve this problem, an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrical product and a control method thereof in which a communication reconnection process with an external component can be easily performed.

An electrical appliance according to the present embodiment includes: a first communication module connected to a second communication unit of an external component so as to be communicable, and receiving energy charge related information from the second communication unit; A driving unit operated based on the energy fee related information; A main control unit controlling an operation of the driving unit based on the information received from the first communication module; And an initialization input unit configured to be input to initialize the first communication module, wherein the first communication module includes: a first communication unit connected to the second communication unit; And a communication control unit configured to disconnect the first communication unit and the second communication unit when the initialization input unit is input and perform communication reconnection between the first and second communication units.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling an electrical appliance includes: connecting an electrical appliance and an external component so as to transmit or receive data; If communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is restricted, recognizing whether a communication initialization command is input to the electrical appliance or the external component; Recognizing that the communication initialization command is input, initializing a communication program provided in the electrical appliance or an external component, and releasing the communication connection; And when the communication program is initialized, reconnecting the communication between the electrical appliance and the external component.

According to the proposed embodiment, when the communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is restricted, the initialization module may be used to initialize the communication module and perform a communication reconnection process.

That is, as in the related art, the inconvenience of turning off the electrical appliance or removing the communication module to remove the communication connection between the electrical appliance and the external component can be eliminated.

In addition, since the electrical appliance includes pre-mapped information on the cause of the inability to communicate, when the inability to communicate between the electrical appliance and external components occurs, the pre-mapped information may be checked to solve the problem. The advantage is easy to control.

In addition, the pre-mapped information includes the first information that can be solved by itself and the second information that cannot be solved, and when the cause of communication failure corresponds to the first information, the recovery program is operated to operate the normal state. As it can be quickly recovered, it is easy to cope with the communication failure.

On the other hand, if the cause of communication failure is the second information, it is possible to solve the problem by resetting the communication network between the electrical appliance and external components. As a result, by using the pre-mapped information on the cause of the communication failure, it is possible to quickly solve the communication problem.

In addition, in the process of determining whether communication between the electrical appliance and the external component, it is possible to use the number of transmissions, the transmission time or the communication strength of the communication message, there is an advantage that it is easy to determine whether the communication.

The electrical appliance may receive energy charge related information from an external component and may perform driving to reduce costs based on the received energy charge related information.

1 is a view showing an electrical appliance and an external component according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical appliance and the external component according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method when a communication restriction situation between an electric appliance and an external component occurs according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating a control method associated with communication reconnection of an electric appliance according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of restoring communication when an electrical appliance according to the first embodiment of the present invention is in an incapable communication state.
7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electrical appliance and an external component according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electrical appliance and an external component according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

1 is a view showing an electrical appliance and an external component according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical appliance and external components according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the network system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an electrical appliance 100 that performs a preset function as one component constituting the network system 10; As another component constituting the network system 10, an external component 200 provided to communicate with the electrical appliance 100 is included.

1, a washing machine is shown as an example of an electrical appliance. However, there is no limitation in the type of electrical appliances, refrigerators, cooking appliances, dryers, air conditioners, cleaners or water purifiers in addition to the washing machine can be applied.

The electrical appliance 100 includes a driving unit 180 that is driven to perform the function of the electrical appliance. The driving unit 180 may be driven based on information about energy supplied from the outside. The information about the energy includes information related to the energy fee.

The driving unit 180 may include a motor, a compressor, a heater, or a fan.

For example, the information related to the energy bill may include a power bill, and the driving unit 180 may be driven at a time or manner in which the power bill may be reduced during the driving of the electrical appliance 100. .

The external component 200 may be understood as a component that provides the electrical appliance 100 with information about energy supplied from an external energy source. Here, the external energy source may be at least one of an energy generating unit (power company), an energy distribution unit (power distribution company), and an energy storage unit (energy storage / supply company).

For example, the external component may include a smart meter that can measure the electricity usage of the electrical appliance, and an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or the measurement device that measures the electricity usage of a plurality of electrical appliances or a customer in real time. An energy management system (EMS) for controlling power saving driving of electrical appliances may be included.

In this case, the external component may be connected to a network with one or more electrical appliances to provide information about the energy to the electrical appliance. The external component may open a new network, join or leave the appliance in the network, and send a key message or channel change message to the appliance for network communication. Can transmit

The external component may be referred to as a "server" in that it serves as a master of the network. On the other hand, the electrical appliance 100 may be understood as a slave of the network.

The electrical appliance 100 includes a first communication module 110 for enabling the electrical appliance 100 to communicate with the external component 200 and a display for displaying an operating state of the electrical appliance 100. The unit 120 and a first input unit 130 for inputting a predetermined command for the operation of the electrical appliance 100 is included.

The first communication module 110 is connected to the first communication unit 114 and the first communication unit 114 that transmits or receives data to and from the external component 200, and a communication control unit that controls driving of a communication program. 112 is included. The communication program may be provided in the first communication module 110 or may be stored in the memory unit 140 or a separate memory.

In addition, the electrical appliance 100 further includes an initialization input unit 135 that can be input to initialize a communication connection environment between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200. The initialization input unit 135 may be input when the communication connection between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 is limited for some reason.

The predetermined reason may include a case where a failure occurs in the operation of the communication module 110 of the electrical appliance 100 or the first communication module 110 of the external component 200.

When the initialization input unit 135 is input, the communication program provided in the first communication module 110 is initialized, whereby the communication connection state between the first communication module 110 and the second communication module 120 is You are in a state of disconnection and need to be reconnected.

The electrical appliance 100 further includes a memory unit 140 in which operation information of the electrical appliance 100 or information on energy supplied to the electrical appliance (hereinafter, energy information) is stored. For example, the energy information may be power information.

The electrical appliance 100 further includes control units 125 and 150. The controllers 125 and 150 include a display controller 125 that controls the operation of the display unit 120 by recognizing a command input from the first input unit 130 or the initialization input unit 135. In addition, the display controller 125 may be connected to the communication module 110 to control the operation of the communication module 110.

The main controller 150 is connected to the display controller 125 and controls the operation of the driving unit 180 based on the information received from the first communication module 110. ) Is included.

For example, when a reset command is input from the initialization input unit 135, the display controller 125 transmits the initialization command to the communication module 110.

The communication control unit 112 of the first communication module 110 receives the initialization command and initializes the setting of the first communication module 110. That is, the driving program (or communication program) of the first communication module 110 may be initialized. In addition, the communication control unit 112 may perform a communication rejoining process between the first communication module 110 and the second communication unit 210 of the external component 200.

Meanwhile, the first communication unit 110 may be understood as a gateway connected to the external component 200. In addition, the first communication unit 110 may be detachably provided as a “communication module” on an upper portion of the electrical appliance 100. However, the first communication unit 110 may not be provided outside the electrical appliance 100, but may be provided inside the electrical appliance 100.

The first communication unit 110 may receive external information according to a control command of the communication control unit 112, or transmit internal information of the electrical appliance 100 to the outside (for example, the external component 200). .

The memory unit 140 may include a plurality of mapping information that may cause a communication failure state when the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 are in a communication failure state.

A plurality of mapping information included in the memory unit 140 will be described with reference to the table below.

division Cause of inability to communicate First mapping information Changing the server's network key without receiving a network key update message Second mapping information Channel change of external component without receiving channel change message Third mapping information Power off external components Fourth mapping information Open a new network of external components

When it is determined that the communication device is in an inoperable state after attempting a communication connection according to a predetermined procedure between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200, the mapping information stored in the memory unit 140 is checked.

The mapping information includes first mapping information indicating that a key of a communication network established between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 is changed as one cause of the communication failure state.

Here, a key of the network is understood as a security code necessary for connecting the external component 200 and the electrical appliance 100. In addition, the electrical appliance 100 may be linked to the network by transmitting information about a key of the network to the external component 200 at an initial communication connection.

If the information of the network key provided by the external component 200 and the information of the network key recognized by the electrical appliance 100 do not match, the control unit 250 of the external component 200 or the communication control unit 112 recognizes a link failure of the electrical appliance 100.

If the external component 200 and the plurality of electrical appliances 100 are connected to form a network, the external component 200 and the plurality of electrical appliances 100 may share a single network key.

The network key may be updated or changed periodically or according to a predetermined condition, and the updated or changed network key may be transmitted from the external component 200 to the electrical appliance 100.

However, in the state where the transmission of the updated or changed network key fails, when the external component 200 changes the network key, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be in an incapable communication state. It is the first mapping information that defines the unavailability state for this reason.

The mapping information includes two mapping information indicating that a communication channel that can be used in the communication process between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 is changed as another cause of the incommunication state.

Here, a plurality of channels available for communication between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be provided, and the plurality of channels may be divided according to frequencies. That is, a plurality of channels having different frequencies may be provided.

Meanwhile, even when the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 communicate using any one channel, interference between a plurality of channels may occur during communication, in which case, the communication quality may be changed to another channel having good communication quality. A need arises.

Thus, a channel change message can be sent from the external component 200 to the electrical appliance 100.

However, when the transmission of the channel change message fails, when the external component 200 changes the channel, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be in an incapable communication state. It is the second mapping information that defines the unavailability state for this reason.

If the channel information provided by the external component 200 and the channel information recognized by the electrical appliance 100 do not match, the control unit 250 or the communication control unit 112 of the external component 200 The failure to share the channel information of the electrical appliance 100 is recognized.

The mapping information may further include third mapping information indicating that an unexpected problem occurs and suddenly the power of the external component 200 or the electrical appliance 100 is turned off as another cause of the communication failure state.

The unexpected problem includes an emergency situation such as a power failure or a failure state, and when the unexpected problem occurs, the second communication unit 210 of the communication module 110 of the electrical appliance 100 or the external component 200 occurs. ), The power supply is cut off and the communication between the modules is disabled.

When the power of the electrical appliance 100 or the external component 200 is normally turned off, standby power is supplied to the first communication module 110 or the second communication unit 210 to maintain communication connection between modules. Can be distinguished from the state.

The mapping information includes fourth mapping information indicating that the external component 200 deletes an existing network and opens a new network. That is, when it is recognized that the cause of communication failure is the fourth mapping information, the electrical appliance 100 may be determined to be withdrawn from the network.

For example, when the user moves and joins a network that depends on the new external component 200, the fourth mapping information may be recognized.

In the case of the non-communication state according to the first to third mapping information, a recovery program included in the electrical appliance 100 or the external component 200 may be operated to switch to the communicable state. The recovery program may be stored in the memory unit 140 of the electrical appliance 100 or the memory unit 240 of the external component 200. Of course, the recovery program may be stored in both of the memory units 140 and 240.

On the other hand, in the case of the incommunication state according to the fourth mapping information, problem solving using the self-repair program is limited, and a new network connection attempt is made between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200. A description thereof will be provided later using a flow chart.

On the other hand, the memory unit 140 may be disposed separately from the first communication unit 114, may be provided as a memory disposed in the communication module when the first communication unit 114 is provided as a module.

The external component 200 may include a second communication unit 210 communicatively connected to the first communication module 110, a display unit 220 displaying a user interface of the external component 200, and the external device. A second input 230 is included to cause the component 200 to input a predetermined command.

The communication interface 190 is defined between the first communication module 110 and the second communication unit 210. The communication interface 190 may be configured by wire or wirelessly. When the communication interface 190 is configured wirelessly, for example, it may be configured as Zigbee, wifi or Bluetooth.

The second communication unit 210 may transmit power information transmitted from the outside to the first communication module 110, and receive operation information of the electrical appliance 100 from the first communication module 110. have.

The display unit 220 may display operation information of the electrical appliance 100 or power information provided to the electrical appliance 100.

The external component 200 may further include a memory unit 240 for storing operation information of the electrical appliance 100, and based on information recognized by the second communication unit 210 and the second input unit 230. A control unit 250 for controlling the operation of the display unit 220 is included. Operation information of the electrical appliance 100 may include power usage information of the electrical appliance.

The memory unit 240 may store a plurality of information for performing a function of the external component 200. The plurality of pieces of information include first information on power supplied to the electrical appliance 100 and second information on the operation or power consumption of the electrical appliance 100.

In addition, as described above, the memory unit 240 may store a recovery program for solving the cause of the communication failure state. The recovery program may include a plurality of programs that are classified according to the cause of the uncommunicable state.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical appliance and the external component according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control method of the electrical appliance according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

When a communication connection is made between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200, time synchronization may be performed and certain data may be transmitted or received.

The time synchronization process will be described briefly.

Power supplied from the external energy source may include power information, and the power information may include time information. The time information is required to be reflected in the electrical appliance 100 or the external component 200, and the process of matching the time information between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 is referred to as "time synchronization". Can be understood.

When time information of the external component 200, that is, time information included in power information and time information of the electrical appliance 100 are different, operation control of the electrical appliance 100 may be performed in an undesired direction. . For example, in a situation where the power bill is expensive, there may be a problem that the electrical appliance 100 or the components constituting the electrical appliance 100 are operated.

Accordingly, first time information transmitted from the external component 200 and second time information included in the electrical appliance 100 may be compared.

If the first time information is the same as the second time information, it may be determined or confirmed as being in a time synchronization state. On the other hand, if it is recognized that the first time information is not the same as the second time information, the second time information of the electrical appliance 100 is changed to the first time information.

The synchronization status check or synchronized result signal may be transmitted to the external component 200. In this way, the time information of the electrical appliance 100 is the same as the time information included in the power information, it is possible to easily control the electrical appliance 100 based on the power information (S11, S12).

In the process of establishing a communication connection between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 and performing data transmission / reception, it is recognized whether a communication restriction situation has occurred.

For example, it may be recognized whether an error occurs in data transmission / reception of the first and second communication units 114 and 210 due to an overload occurring in the first communication module 110 or the second communication unit 210. When the communication restriction situation occurs, transmission and reception of the power information, time information, or power usage information of the electrical appliance may be restricted.

When the communication restriction situation occurs, the recovery program may be started by initializing the communication module or being recognized as a communication incapable state of the communication module (S13 and S14).

In detail, when a communication restriction situation occurs, the user may input the initialization input unit 135 to initialize the first communication module 110. When the communication control unit 112 recognizes a communication initialization command through the initialization input unit 135, the communication control unit 112 may initialize a communication program included in the first communication module 110 (S15 and S16).

When the initialization of the first communication module 110 is performed, the communication connection state between the first communication module 110 and the second communication unit 210 is released, so that the communication control unit 112 is the second communication unit 210. Communication reconnection with). As a result of performing the communication reconnection process, if communication reconnection is not possible, steps S18 and S19 to be described later may be performed (S17).

The communication reconnection process may be understood as being the same as the process of communication connection between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 in step S11. Details thereof will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In the step S15, when the communication initialization command is not recognized, that is, in the communication limitation situation, when the problem cannot be solved by the communication initialization method, it is recognized that the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 are in a communication incapable state. Can be. For example, even if a user inputs the initialization input unit 135, it may be considered that the initialization of the first communication module 110 is not performed.

If it is recognized that the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 are in a communication incapable state, a problem may be solved by operating a recovery program according to the cause of the inability to communicate. The cause of the inability to communicate may correspond to the plurality of mapping information described above. Details related to this will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating a control method associated with communication reconnection of an electric appliance according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

A communication reconnection process between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 described in step S17 of FIG. 3 will be described in detail.

When a communication reconnection process is started between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200, a check signal is transmitted from the first communication module 110 to the second communication unit 210 (S21 and S22).

Then, it is recognized whether there is a response signal from the second communication unit 210 with respect to the transmitted check signal (S23). However, the check signal may be transmitted from the second communication unit 210 and the response signal may be transmitted from the first communication module 110.

If there is no response signal, it is determined once whether the check signal transmission frequency m has exceeded the predetermined reference number n.

This is to determine whether the first communication module 110 can communicate by transmitting the check signal only once, so there may be a reliability problem, and thus, it is to determine whether the communication is possible by transmitting the check signal several times. If there is no response even if transmitted several times, it may be determined that communication is impossible (S24).

If the transmission frequency m of the check signal does not exceed the reference frequency n when there is no response signal, the transmission frequency is integrated (m = m + 1), and the check signal is transmitted again (S25). On the other hand, when there is no response signal when the transmission frequency (m) of the check signal exceeds the reference number (n) it is finally recognized as a communication incapable state of the first communication module (110) (S26).

In addition, the communication disabled state is displayed on the display unit of the external component 200 or the electrical appliance 100 so that a user can quickly and easily recognize the communication disabled state of the first communication module 110 ( S27). In this case, not only the time display but also the voice display such as an alarm sound can be displayed.

In FIG. 4, in order to determine whether the first communication module 110 can communicate, it is determined based on the transmission frequency of the check signal. However, it may be determined based on the transmission time of the check signal. That is, the check signal is continuously transmitted, and when the transmitted time is longer than the set time, it is determined that the communication is in an incapable state. For example, the set time may be 20 seconds.

On the other hand, if there is a response signal to the check signal in step S23, it is recognized whether the signal strength of the response signal is greater than or equal to the set strength (S31).

If the signal strength is greater than or equal to the set strength, the first communication module 110 and the second communication unit 210 is recognized as a state capable of communication, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 to perform communication. (S32, S33).

In this way, even if a response signal to the check signal is detected, if it is determined that there is a limitation in smooth communication due to the weak signal strength, it can be controlled to transmit the check signal once again considering that there is no response signal. As a result, when receiving a response signal of a certain intensity or more, there is an advantage that can be recognized as being in a communication possible state.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of restoring communication when an electrical appliance according to the first embodiment of the present invention is in an incapable communication state.

As described in steps S18 and S19 of FIG. 3, when a communication incompatibility state is recognized between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200, a recovery program may be operated according to the cause of the communication incompatibility. That is, when it is recognized that the communication is in a disabled state, the cause of the communication failure may be recognized using a plurality of mapping information stored in advance, and a solution corresponding thereto may be suggested (S41).

In detail, when the incompatibility state is recognized, it is recognized whether the cause is the first mapping information. Whether the cause is the first mapping information may be determined by the controller 250 or the communication controller 112 of the external component 200 recognizing that the electrical appliance 100 is not linked on a network. It may be (S42).

If the cause of the uncommunicable state is the first mapping information, the first communication recovery program is started. In the first communication recovery program, the external component 200 transmits a network key update message to the electrical appliance 100, and the electrical appliance 100 transmits a confirmation signal thereto to the external component 200. It consists of doing (S43).

When the confirmation signal is received by the external component 200, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be switched to a state in which they can communicate with each other (S44).

In step S42, if the cause of the communication failure state is not the first mapping information, it is recognized whether the cause is the second mapping information. Whether the cause is the second mapping information may be determined by the controller 250 of the external component 200 recognizing that the electrical appliance 100 is not connected to the communication channel (S45).

If the cause of the uncommunicable state is the second mapping information, the second communication recovery program is started. In the second communication recovery program, the external component 200 transmits a network channel change message to the electrical appliance 100, and the electrical appliance 100 transmits an acknowledgment signal to the external component 200. It consists of doing (S46).

When the confirmation signal is received by the external component 200, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be switched to a state in which they can communicate with each other (S44).

In step S45, if the cause of the communication failure state is not the second mapping information, it is recognized whether the cause is the third mapping information. For example, the third mapping information may be a case where the power of the external component 200 is turned off due to a power failure (S47).

If the cause of the uncommunicable state is third mapping information, the third communication recovery program is started. The third communication recovery program waits until the power of the external component 200 is turned on, and when the power is turned on, a communication ready status message is transmitted from the external component 200 to the electrical appliance 100 and the The electrical appliance 100 is configured to transmit a confirmation signal for this to the external component 200 (S48).

When the power of the external component 200 is turned on and a communication ready status message and a confirmation signal are transmitted and received, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be switched to a state in which they can communicate with each other (S44).

In step S47, when the cause of the communication failure state is not the third mapping information, the cause is recognized as the fourth mapping information. Whether the cause is the fourth mapping information may be determined by the controller 250 of the external component 200 recognizing that the electrical appliance 100 is in a state in which it is withdrawn from the network (S49).

If the cause of the uncommunicable state is the fourth mapping information, an attempt is made to reconnect the network between the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200.

When attempting to reconnect the network, the network construction environment by transmitting a network participation request signal from one of the external component 200 and the electrical appliance 100 to the other, and the receiving side transmits a permission signal for this. Can be set.

In the process of establishing a network, a network key using the external component 200 as a server and at least one channel information for communication use may be transmitted from the external component 200 to the electrical appliance 100. (S50).

When the network connection between the external component 200 and the electrical appliance 100 is reestablished, the electrical appliance 100 and the external component 200 may be switched to a state in which they can communicate with each other (S44).

In this way, as to the cause of the communication failure state, a plurality of checkable mapping information can be determined in advance, and when communication failure occurs, the communication can be recovered by finding the cause from the plurality of mapping information. The effect is that the procedure can be made clear and simple.

Hereinafter, the second and third embodiments of the present invention will be described. Since these embodiments differ in only some configurations compared with the first embodiment, the description will be mainly focused on the differences, and the same reference numerals are used to describe the first embodiment.

7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electrical appliance and an external component according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the external component 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, an initialization input unit 235 that can be input for communication initialization of the second communication unit 210 included in the external component 200 is provided. Included. In order to distinguish it from the initialization input unit 135, the initialization input unit 235 is referred to as an "external initialization input unit".

In a state in which the first communication module 110 and the second communication unit 210 are connected in communication, when the communication restriction situation occurs, the second communication unit 210 may be initialized by inputting the initialization input unit 235. That is, when the initialization input unit 235 is input, the communication program provided in the second communication unit 210 may be initialized and the communication connection of the first and second communication modules 110 and 210 may be released.

At this time, the communication control unit 112 provided in the electrical appliance 100 is based on the communication initialization signal or the communication connection release signal from the external component 200, the first communication module 110 or the first. The communication program provided in the communication unit 114 may be initialized.

4 and 5, a communication reconnection process may be performed between the first and second communication modules 110 and 210.

In FIG. 7, it has been described that the initialization input unit is not provided in the electrical appliance 100, but as described in FIG. 2, the initialization input unit may be provided in the electrical appliance 100.

8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electrical appliance and an external component according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the network system 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes an image device 300 for displaying operation information of one or more home appliances, that is, a refrigerator, a cleaner, an air conditioner, or a washing machine. For example, the imaging apparatus 300 may be a TV. The imaging apparatus 300 may be referred to as a "display apparatus" and may be referred to as an electric product in a broad sense.

The imaging apparatus 300 includes a first communication module 310, a display unit 320, a first input unit 330, a memory unit 340, and a driver 380. In addition, a communication interface 390 is defined between the first communication module 310 and the second communication module 320 of the external component 200.

The driver 380 may include an output device for outputting a predetermined image, for example, a projector.

The image apparatus 300 may include a first input unit 335 that is inputable to initialize a communication connection between the image apparatus 300 and the external component 200, and a command input from the input units 330, 335. 1 further includes a device controller 350 for controlling the operation of the communication module 310 and the display 320.

When a communication restriction occurs while communication is performed between the imaging apparatus 300 and the external component 200, the initialization input unit 335 may be input to initialize the first communication module 310 and the first communication module may be initialized. , 2 The communication connection of the communication module (310, 210) can be released. In addition, the communication reconnection process between the first and second communication modules 310 and 210 may be performed.

100: electrical product 110: first communication module
112: communication control unit 114: first communication unit
120: display unit 125: display control unit
130: first input unit 135,235,335: initialization input unit
140: memory unit 150: main control unit
200: external component 210: second communication unit

Claims (14)

A first communication module communicatively connected to a second communication unit of an external component and receiving energy charge related information from the second communication unit;
A driving unit operated based on the energy fee related information;
A main control unit controlling an operation of the driving unit based on the information received from the first communication module; And
In order to initialize the first communication module, an initialization input unit provided to be input is included,
In the first communication module,
A first communication unit connected to the second communication unit; And
When the initialization input unit is input, a communication control unit for disconnecting the first communication unit and the second communication unit, and performs communication reconnection between the first and second communication units,
If the communication reconnection between the first and second communication units fails, the communication controller determines that the communication is in an inoperable state and recognizes the cause of the inability to communicate from a plurality of predetermined mapping information.
In the plurality of mapping information,
First mapping information relating to a change of a network key having the external component as a master device;
Second mapping information about a communication channel change used by the external component and a communication unit;
Third mapping information relating to a power off state of the external component; And
Electrical appliances including fourth mapping information for the initialization of the network connecting the external component and the communication unit. The method of claim 1,
A first input unit provided to be input for operation of the driving unit;
A display unit which displays operation information of the electrical appliance; And
The electronic product of claim 1, further comprising a display control unit for controlling the operation of the display unit based on the information input from the first input unit. The method of claim 2,
The display control unit,
And controlling the operation of the first communication module based on a command input from the initialization input unit. The method of claim 1,
The external component may include an external initialization input unit that may be input for initializing communication between the first and second communication units.
The communication control unit,
When the external initialization input unit is input, the electrical appliance to initialize the communication program provided in the first communication module. delete The method of claim 1,
A memory unit for storing the plurality of mapping information is further included,
In the uncommunicable state, the cause of the uncommunication is determined as one of the plurality of mapping information. The method of claim 1,
And if it is recognized that the cause of the incommunication is one of the plurality of mapping information, the communication recovery program is started and is switched to a communicable state. The method of claim 1,
The incommunication state is,
Transmits a check signal from one device of the first communication unit and the second communication unit of the external component,
An electric product characterized in that a check signal is transmitted more than a set number of times or a response signal is not received from another device even after a set time is transmitted. The method of claim 1,
The incommunication state is,
Transmits a check signal from one device of the first communication unit and the second communication unit of the external component,
An electric product, characterized in that the strength of the response signal from another device is less than the set strength. The method of claim 1,
The external component,
Smart meter which can understand electricity consumption of electric appliance,
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to measure electricity usage of multiple electrical appliances or demand sources in real time
An electrical appliance including any one of an energy management system (EMS) for controlling power saving driving of the electrical appliance. An electrical component and an external component are communicatively connected to transmit or receive data;
If communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is restricted, recognizing whether a communication initialization command is input to the electrical appliance or the external component;
Recognizing that the communication initialization command is input, initializing a communication program provided in the electrical appliance or an external component, and releasing the communication connection;
When the communication program is initialized, reconnecting the electrical appliance and an external component with communication;
Recognizing that communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is impossible when the communication reconnection between the electrical appliance and the external component fails; And
If it is recognized that the communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is not possible includes the step of recognizing the cause of the communication failure from a plurality of predetermined mapping information,
In the plurality of mapping information,
First mapping information relating to a change of a network key having the external component as a master device;
Second mapping information about a communication channel change used by the external component and a communication unit;
Third mapping information relating to a power off state of the external component; And
And a fourth mapping information relating to initialization of a network connecting the external component and the communication unit. delete The method of claim 11,
If it is recognized that communication between the electrical appliance and the external component is impossible, the control method of the electrical appliance further comprises the step of operating a recovery program in accordance with the cause of the communication failure. The method of claim 11,
And the external component is a smart meter for receiving power information from the outside.

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