KR20120066848A - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A network system is provided to prevent the increase of energy consumption or energy charges by determining the operation condition of other components based on a reference component. CONSTITUTION: An energy management unit(24) controls one or more components among a plurality of components. A memory unit(244) of the energy management unit stores the operation information of the reference component. The energy management unit predicts the operation of the reference component based on the operation information of the reference component. The operation information of the reference component is the energy consumption of the reference component or the energy charges.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

The supplier simply supplied energy sources such as electricity, water and gas, and the consumer simply used the supplied energy sources. Therefore, effective management in terms of energy production, distribution, or energy use has been difficult to carry out.

In other words, energy is a radial structure that is distributed from energy suppliers toward multiple demand sources, that is, spreads from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by unidirectional supplier center, not consumer center.

The price information for electricity was not only available in real time, but only limitedly through the power exchange, and since the price system is also a de facto fixed price system, incentives such as incentives to consumers through price changes cannot be used. There was also a problem.

In order to solve this problem, there have been a lot of efforts in recent years to implement a horizontal, cooperative, and distributed network that effectively manages energy and enables interaction between consumers and suppliers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a network system for effectively managing an energy source.

According to an aspect, a network system includes a plurality of components capable of receiving energy, and at least one of the plurality of components may be controlled to operate based on energy information, and operation of a reference component among the plurality of components. The operation of other components is controlled based on the information.

According to the proposed invention, since the operating conditions of other components are determined based on the operation information of the reference component, it is possible to prevent an increase in the energy consumption or the energy usage fee for a specific time period. In particular, when the specific time zone is a high cost period, the energy consumption rate or energy use rate is prevented from increasing, thereby reducing the total energy consumption rate or energy use rate in the home.

In addition, since the amount of energy consumption or energy use in the home can be reduced, there is an advantage that it is possible to effectively manage the energy source.

1 shows schematically a network system according to the invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing an information transfer process on a network system of the present invention.
4 is a graph illustrating a variation pattern of an electric charge.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first embodiment of a network system according to the present invention;
6 is a block diagram schematically showing a second embodiment of a network system according to the present invention;
7 is a block diagram schematically showing a third embodiment of a network system according to the present invention;
8 is a schematic diagram of a home network according to the invention;
9 is a block diagram of one component of a network system of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a network system according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.

This network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the amount of generation, the amount of use, etc. can be measured.

Thus, energy sources not mentioned above may also be included in the management of this system. Hereinafter, as an energy source, electricity will be described as an example, and the contents of the present specification may be equally applied to other energy sources.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary network system includes a power plant that generates electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant using hydro, solar, wind, and the like, which are environmentally friendly energy.

In addition, the electricity generated in the power plant is transmitted to the power station through the transmission line, and in the power station (substation) to transmit electricity to the substation so that the electricity is distributed to the demand destination, such as home or office.

In addition, the electricity produced by the environmentally friendly energy is also transmitted to the substation to be distributed to each customer. Then, the electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed to the office or home via the electrical storage device or directly.

Even in homes that use a home area network (HAN), they can produce, store, or distribute their own electricity through solar light or fuel cells mounted on a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), The surplus electricity can also be sold back to the outside world (for example, the utility).

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time measuring the electricity usage of the demand destination (home or office, etc.), and a meter (AMI: Advanced Metering infrastructure) for real-time measurement of the electricity usage of a plurality of demand destinations. May be included. That is, the measuring device may receive the information measured by the plurality of smart meters to measure the electricity usage.

In this specification, the measurement includes not only the smart meter and the measuring device itself measuring, but also that the smart meter and the measuring device can recognize the generation amount or the usage amount from other components.

The network system may further include an energy management system (EMS) for managing energy. The energy management device may generate information about the operation of one or more components in relation to energy (generation, distribution, use, storage, etc.) of energy. The energy management device can generate instructions relating to the operation of at least the component.

In the present specification, the function or solution performed by the energy management device may be referred to as an energy management function or an energy management solution.

In the network system of the present invention, one or more energy management devices may be present in separate configurations, or may be included in one or more components as an energy management function or solution.

2 is a block diagram schematically showing a network system according to the present invention.

1 and 2, the network system of the present invention is constituted by a plurality of components. For example, power plants, substations, power stations, energy management devices, appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, instrumentation devices, and home servers are the components of network systems.

In addition, in the present invention, each component may be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a home appliance, a detailed component may be a microcomputer, a heater, a display, a motor, etc. constituting the home appliance.

That is, in the present invention, everything that performs a specific function can be a component, and these components constitute the network system of the present invention. In addition, the two components may communicate by a communication means.

In addition, one network may be one component or may be composed of multiple components.

In the present specification, a network system in which communication information is associated with an energy source may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system according to an exemplary embodiment may be configured of a utility network (UAN) 10 and a home network (HAN) 20. The utility network 10 and the home network 20 may communicate by wire or wirelessly by communication means.

In this specification, a home means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, as well as a home in a dictionary meaning. And, utility means a group of specific components outside the home.

The utility network 10 includes an energy generation component 11 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 12 for distributing or transferring energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. An energy storage component 13), an energy management component 14 for managing energy, and an energy metering component 15 for measuring energy related information.

When one or more components constituting the utility network 10 consume energy, the component that consumes energy may be an energy consumer. That is, the energy consumption unit may be a separate configuration or may be included in other components.

The energy generator 11 may be, for example, a power plant. The energy distribution unit 12 distributes or delivers the energy generated by the energy generator 11 and / or the energy stored in the energy storage unit 13 to the energy consumption unit. The energy distribution unit 12 may be a power transmitter, a substation, or a power station.

The energy storage unit 13 may be a storage battery, and the energy management unit 14 is related to energy, the energy generating unit 11, energy distribution unit 12, energy storage unit 13, energy consumption unit ( 26) generates information for one or more of driving. For example, the energy management unit 14 may generate a command regarding the operation of at least a specific component.

The energy management unit 14 may be an energy management device. The energy measuring unit 15 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like, and may be, for example, a measuring device (AMI). The energy management unit 14 may be a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in other components.

The utility network 10 may communicate with the home network 20 by a terminal component (not shown). The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway. Such terminal components may be provided in one or more of the utility network 10 and the home network 20.

Meanwhile, the home network 20 includes an energy generation component 21 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 22 for distributing energy, and an energy storage unit for storing energy. storage component 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring information related to energy, and an energy consuming unit for consuming energy consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a plurality of components, an energy grid assistance component 28, an accessory component 29, and a consumer processing component component: 30).

The energy generation component 21 may be a household generator, the energy storage component 23 may be a storage battery, and the energy management component 24 may be an energy management device. have.

The energy metering component 25 may measure information related to generation, distribution, consumption, storage, and the like of energy. For example, the energy metering component 25 may be a smart meter.

The energy consumption unit 26 may be, for example, a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a dryer, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, a display device, a lighting device, etc.) or a heater, a motor, a display, etc. constituting the home appliance. Can be. Note that there is no restriction on the type of energy consumption unit 26 in this embodiment.

The energy management unit 24 may be an individual component or may be included as an energy management function in another component. The energy management unit 21 may communicate with one or more components to transmit and receive information.

The energy generator 21, the energy distributor 22, and the energy storage unit 23 may be individual components or may constitute a single component.

The central management unit 27 may be, for example, a home server controlling a plurality of home appliances.

The energy network assistant 28 is a component having an original function while performing an additional function for the energy grid. For example, the energy network assistant 28 may be a web service provider (eg, a computer), a mobile device, a television, or the like.

The accessory component 29 is an energy network only component that performs additional functions for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 29 may be a weather network antenna dedicated to the energy network.

The consumer handling component 30 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers the consumer, and may identify or recognize information about the consumer. The consumer may be, for example, an article or material that is used or processed when the energy consumption unit 26 operates. In addition, the consumer processor 30 may be managed by the energy manager 24 as an example in an energy network.

For example, the consumer may be a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a food in a cooking appliance, a detergent or a fabric softener for washing a laundry cloth in a washing machine, a seasoning for cooking food, and the like.

Energy generation unit 11, 21, energy distribution unit 12, 22, energy storage unit 13, 23, energy management unit 14, 24, energy measuring unit 15, 25, energy consumption unit mentioned above (26), the central management unit 27 may exist independently of each other, or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the energy management unit 14 and 24, the energy measuring unit 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 each exist as a single component, and perform smart functions, energy management devices, and home servers that perform their respective functions. Or, the energy management unit 14, 24, the energy measuring unit 15, 25, the central management unit 27 may form a single component mechanically.

In addition, in performing one function, the function may be sequentially performed in a plurality of components and / or communication means. For example, energy management functions may be sequentially performed in a separate energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, and an energy consumption unit.

In addition, a plurality of components of a specific function constituting the utility network and the home network may be provided. For example, there may be a plurality of energy generating units or energy consuming units.

On the other hand, the utility network 10 and the home network 20 can communicate by a communication means (first interface). At this time, the plurality of utility networks 10 may communicate with a single home network 20, and the single utility network 10 may communicate with a plurality of home networks 20.

For example, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (eg, a modem) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on the method for wired communication or the method for wireless communication.

Two components constituting the utility network 10 may communicate by means of communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 20 may communicate by a communication means (second interface). For example, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with one or more of the energy management unit 24, the energy measurement unit 25, the central management unit 27, the energy network assistance unit 28, and the like (second interface). Can communicate by

In addition, the microcomputer of each component (for example, the energy consumption unit) may communicate with the communication means (second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consumption unit is a home appliance, the energy consumption unit may receive information from the energy management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information is a microcomputer of the home appliance by a third interface. Can be delivered.

In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the accessory component 29 by a communication means (fourth interface). In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with the consumer processor 30 by a communication means (a fifth interface).

3 is a block diagram showing a process of transferring information on a network system of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a variation pattern of an electric charge. FIG. 4A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4B is an RTP. (real time pattern) This graph shows information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the network system of the present invention, a specific component C may receive information related to energy (hereinafter, “energy information”) by communication means. In addition, the specific component (C) may be additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (breakdown, etc.), in addition to the energy information by the communication means, consumer habit information using the energy consumption unit, etc. ) Can be received further.

The environmental information may include carbon dioxide emissions, carbon dioxide concentration in the air, temperature, humidity, rainfall, rainfall or the like, solar radiation, air volume, and the like.

In another aspect, the information may include internal information, such as information related to each component (operation or state information of each component (such as a failure), energy usage information of the energy consumer, consumer habit information using the energy consumer, and the like), and the like. Information may be divided into external information (energy-related information, environmental information, program update information, time information).

At this time, the information may be received from other components. In other words, the received information includes at least energy information.

The specific component may be one component constituting the utility network 10 or one component constituting the home network 20.

As described above, the energy information I may be one of information such as electricity, water, and gas.

For example, information related to electricity includes time-based pricing, energy reduction, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy increment, and energy generation. generation Amount, operation priority and Energy consumption Amount. In this embodiment, the fee associated with the energy source may be referred to as an energy fee.

That is, information related to energy may be classified into charge information (energy charge) and non-charge information (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation, energy increase, operation priority, energy consumption, etc.).

Such information may be classified into schedule information previously generated based on previous information and real time information that changes in real time. The schedule information and the real time information may be distinguished by predicting information after the current time (future).

The energy information I may be classified into time of use (TOU) information, critical peak pattern (CPP) information, or real time pattern (RTP) information according to a change pattern of data over time. The energy information I may change with time.

Referring to FIG. 4A, according to the TOU information, data is gradually changed in time. According to the CPP information, the data changes step by step or in real time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. That is, in the case of the CPP pattern, the general fee is lower than that of the TOU pattern, but the charge at a specific time point is significantly higher than that in the TOU pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4B, according to the RTP information, data changes in real time with time.

Meanwhile, the energy information I may be transmitted and received with a true or false signal, such as a Boolean on a network system, or actual price information may be transmitted or received, or may be leveled and transmitted. Hereinafter, information related to electricity will be described by way of example.

When the specific component C receives a true or false signal such as a Boolean, one of the signals is recognized as an on-peak signal, and the other signal is off-peak. ) Can be recognized as a signal.

In contrast, a particular component may recognize information about at least one driving including an electric charge, and the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to compare the on-peak and off-peak ( off-peak).

For example, when a specific component recognizes leveled information or actual price information, the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to turn on-peak and off-peak. Recognize.

In this case, the information value related to the driving may be at least one of an electric charge, a power amount, a change rate of the electric charge, a change rate of the power amount, an average value of the electric charge, and an average value of the electric power. The reference information value may be at least one of an average value, an average value of minimum and maximum values of power information during a predetermined section, and a reference rate of change of power information (eg, slope of power consumption per unit time) during the predetermined section.

The reference information value may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The reference information value may be set in a utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an energy manager, a central manager, etc.).

When the specific component (for example, the energy consumption unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be zero (stopped or stopped) and the output may be reduced. The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, or may change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after starting the operation.

And, if a particular component recognizes an off peak, the output can be restored or increased as needed. That is, when a specific component that recognizes an on peak recognizes an off peak, the output may be restored to a previous state or increased more than the previous output.

At this time, even when the specific component recovers the output or increases the output after recognizing the off-peak, the total power consumption and / or the total electricity bill for the entire operating time of the specific component is reduced.

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time), the output may be maintained when the specific component is operable. In this case, the operable condition means that the information value related to driving is equal to or less than a predetermined standard. The information value related to the driving may be information on an electric charge, power consumption amount or operation time. The predetermined criterion may be a relative value or an absolute value.

The schedule standard may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The schedule criterion may be set in the utility network or in a home network (input from a consumer direct input, an energy manager, a central manager, etc.).

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (eg, a recognition time), the output may be increased. However, even when the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component may be reduced or maintained than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output.

Or, even if the output is increased when the on-peak is recognized, the total power consumption or total electric charge for the entire operating period of the specific component is the total power consumption or total power when the specific component operates at the normal output. It can be lower than the electricity bill.

When the specific component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a recognition time), the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first.

In addition, in the case of a refrigerator, the output may be overcooled by increasing the output, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water may be stored in the hot water tank by driving the heater in advance than the scheduled time of operation of the heater. This is to reduce the electric charge by operating in the off-peak in advance to operate in the on-peak to come later.

Alternatively, when a specific component recognizes an off-peak (eg, a recognition time), power storage may be performed.

In the present invention, the specific component (for example, the energy consumption unit) may maintain, reduce or increase the output. Thus, a particular component can include a power changing component. Since the power can be defined by current and voltage, the power variable component can include a current regulator and / or a voltage regulator. For example, the power variable component may be operated according to a command generated from an energy management unit.

Meanwhile, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which a component is stopped or a low electric charge is used. The energy saving information may be transmitted and received with a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system. That is, a turn off signal or a lower power signal may be transmitted and received.

When the specific component recognizes the energy saving information, as described above, the output can be zeroed (if the stop or stop state is recognized) or the output can be reduced (if the lower power signal is recognized). have.

The grid emergency information is information related to a power failure and the like, and may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal such as Boolean. Information related to the power outage is related to the reliability of the component using energy.

When the specific component recognizes the emergency information, it may be immediately shut down.

When the specific component receives the emergency information as schedule information, the specific component may increase the output before the arrival of the emergency time point, thereby performing the same operation as the above-described operation at the off peak of the specific component. . In addition, the specific component may be shut down at an emergency time.

The grid reliability information is information about the high and low supply electricity or information on the quality of electricity, and is transmitted / received by a true or false signal, such as a Boolean, or supplied to a component (for example, a home appliance). The component may determine the frequency of the AC power.

That is, if an under frequency is detected (recognized) below the reference frequency of the AC power supplied to the component, it is determined that the amount of supply electricity is low (supply electricity shortage information), and the frequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power is over. If detected (recognized), it may be determined that the amount of supply electricity is large (supply amount of electricity information).

When the specific component recognizes that the amount of electricity is low in the network safety information or that the information indicating that the electrical quality is not good (supply electricity quantity lacking information), as described above, the specific component is sometimes output 0 (stop) Or maintain a still state), reduce the output, maintain the output, or increase the output.

On the other hand, if the electricity supply excess information is recognized, the specific component can be increased in output or switched from off to on.

The energy increase information is information on a state in which surplus electricity is generated since the amount of electricity consumed by the component consuming energy is small compared to the amount of power generation, and may be transmitted / received as a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean.

When the specific component recognizes the energy increase information, the output may be increased. For example, when an operation reservation is set, a specific component may start driving before a set time, or a component having a larger output among a plurality of components may be driven first. In addition, in the case of a refrigerator, the output may be supercooled by increasing the output, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, the hot water may be stored by driving the heater in advance than the scheduled time of operation of the heater.

On-peak information, energy reduction information, and supply electricity shortage information among the energy-related information described above may be recognized as high-price information that is understood to be relatively expensive. In this case, the section in which the high cost information is recognized may be referred to as low cost section information.

On the other hand, off-peak information, energy increase information, and excess electricity supply information among energy-related information may be recognized as low-price (low cost) information that is understood to be relatively low in energy bills. In this case, a section in which the low cost information is recognized may be referred to as a low cost section.

On the other hand, each kind of information related to the energy, specifically, the unprocessed first information (I1), the second information (second information (I2)) that is processed information from the first information, and the specific The information may be divided into third information I3 which is information for performing a function of a component. That is, the first information is raw data, the second information is refined data, and the third information is a command for performing a function of a specific component.

In addition, information related to energy is included in the signal and transmitted. In this case, one or more of the first to third information may be transmitted only a plurality of times without converting only the signal.

For example, as shown in the figure, any component that receives a signal including the first information I1 may only convert a signal and transmit a new signal including the first information I1 to another component.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the signal conversion and the information conversion are described as different concepts. At this time, it will be easily understood that the signal is also converted when the first information is converted into the second information.

However, the third information may be delivered a plurality of times in the state where the contents are converted or in a state where only the signal is converted while maintaining the same contents.

In detail, when the first information is raw electricity price information, the second information may be processed electricity price information. The processed electricity rate information is information or analysis information in which electricity rates are divided into multiple levels. The third information is a command generated based on the first information or the second information.

The particular component may generate, transmit or receive one or more of the first to third information. The first to third information are not necessarily sequentially transmitted and received.

For example, only a plurality of third information may be transmitted or received sequentially or in parallel without the first and second information. Alternatively, the first and third information may be transmitted or received together, the second and third information may be transmitted or received together, or the first and second information may be transmitted or received together.

For example, when a specific component receives the first information, the specific component may transmit the second information, the second information and the third information, or may transmit only the third information.

When the specific component receives only the third information, the specific component may generate and transmit new third information.

Meanwhile, in the relationship between the two informations, one information is a message and the other information is a response to the message. Accordingly, each component constituting the present network system may transmit or receive a message, and when the message is received, may correspond to the received message. Thus, the transmission of messages and their corresponding responses is a relative concept for individual components.

The message may include data (first information or second information) and / or command (third information).

The command (third information) includes a data storage command, a data generating command, a data processing command (including generating additional data), a generating command of an additional command, a sending command of an additional generated command, and a received command. Commands and the like.

In the present specification, corresponding to a received message means storing data, processing data (including generating additional data), generating a new command, sending a newly generated command, and simply passing the received command to another component. Command can be generated together), operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of acknowledgment character or negative acknowledgment character.

For example, when the message is the first information, the component that has received the first information corresponds to this to generate the second information by processing the first information, generate the second information, and generate new third information, Only third information can be generated.

In detail, when the energy management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the energy management unit 24 generates second information and / or third information to establish the home network. It may transmit to one or more components (for example, energy consumption unit) constituting. In addition, the energy consumption unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the energy management unit 24.

5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first component 31 of the home network 20 may communicate directly with the utility network 10. The first component 31 can communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33, 34: second to fourth components of the home network. At this time, it is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network to communicate with the first component 31.

That is, in the present embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. For example, the first component 31 may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network assistance unit, and an energy consumption unit.

In the present invention, the component acting as a gateway not only enables communication between components that communicate using different communication protocols, but also enables communication between components that communicate using the same communication protocol.

The second to fourth components 32, 33, and 34 may each be one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy manager, an energy storage unit, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer. have.

The first component 31 may receive information from the utility network 10 or one or more components constituting the utility network 10, and transmit or process the received information to process the second to fourth components. Can be sent to (32, 34). For example, when the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the first component may receive electric charge information and transmit the electric charge information to an energy management unit, an energy consumption unit, or the like.

Each of the second to fourth components may communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 is an energy measuring unit, the second component is an energy management unit, and the energy management unit may communicate with one or more energy consumption units.

6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a second embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of components constituting the home network 20 of the present invention may directly communicate with the utility network 10.

That is, in the present invention, a plurality of components (first and second components 41 and 42) serving as gateways are included. The first and second components may be homogeneous components or other kinds of components.

And, the first component 41 can communicate with one or more components (eg, third and fourth components 43, 44), and the second component 42 can be one or more components (eg, a fifth And sixth component 45, 46.

For example, each of the first and second components may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measuring unit, a central management unit, an energy network assistance unit, and an energy consumption unit.

Each of the third to sixth components may be one of an energy generator, an energy distributor, an energy manager, an energy measurer, a central manager, an energy network assistant, and an energy consumer.

7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a third embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, each of the components 51, 52, and 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment may directly communicate with the utility network 20. That is, as in the first and second embodiments, there is no component serving as a gateway, and each of the components 51, 52, and 53 may communicate with the utility network.

8 is a schematic diagram of a home network according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the home network 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an energy measuring unit 25 capable of measuring in real time power and / or electricity rates supplied from the utility network 10 to each home is provided. For example, a smart meter, the energy measuring unit 25 and the energy management unit 24 is connected to the electrical appliances and control their operation.

On the other hand, the electricity bill of each household can be charged as an hourly rate, and the hourly electricity bill becomes expensive in the time period when the power consumption is rapidly increased, and the hourly electricity bill becomes cheaper at night time, such as relatively low power consumption. Can be.

The energy management unit 24 is an electrical appliance as the energy consumption unit 26, that is, a refrigerator 61, a washing machine 62, an air conditioner 63, a dryer 64, or a cooking appliance 65 through a network inside the home. It can be connected to electrical appliances such as two-way communication.

The communication in the home can be made through a wireless method such as Zigbee, wifi or a wire such as power line communication (PLC), and one electric product can be connected to communicate with other electric products.

9 is a block diagram of one component of a network system of the present invention.

9 shows an example of the configuration of the energy management unit, the configuration of the energy management unit may be equally applicable to other components other than the energy management unit.

Referring to FIG. 9, the energy management unit 24 includes a control unit 241, a communication unit 242, an input unit 243, a memory unit 244, and a display unit 245.

The energy management unit 24 may communicate by wire or wirelessly with one or more other components 25, 61, and 65 by the communication means 242. The energy manager 24 may recognize information related to the operation of one or more other components, or generate and transmit information related to the operation.

In addition, the communication means 242 may communicate with the control unit 241. The controller 241 may recognize a plurality of types of information.

The controller 241 may recognize energy information, additional information other than energy information, and new information based on at least one of the energy information and the additional information. In addition, the controller 241 may generate new information based on one or more of the energy information, additional information, the energy information, and additional information.

The controller 241 may recognize the operation information of the energy management unit by itself, and information related to other components may be received and recognized through the communication means 242.

The input unit 243 may input an operating condition of the energy management unit or an operating condition of one or more other components.

In addition, the input unit 243 may select a power saving mode for performing a function based on energy information and a general mode for performing a function without the basis of energy information. The power saving mode and the normal mode may be set or switched manually or set or switched automatically.

When the power saving mode is selected, the energy manager itself may operate to reduce energy, or the energy manager itself may generate an operation command to reduce energy of other components.

The display unit 245 may display energy information, additional information, and new information based on one or more of the energy information and additional information.

In the above, it has been described that the energy management unit exists separately from the energy consumption unit. Alternatively, the energy management unit may exist in any one of the energy consumption units, or the energy consumption unit may include an energy management function.

In this case, the energy consuming unit provided with the energy management unit or the energy consuming unit including an energy management function may generate an operation of another component or recognize operation information of another component.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a network system according to the present invention.

9 and 10, when the energy manager 24 is turned on, the energy manager 24 may recognize operation information of one or more other components (S1). The operation information may be an operation time of another component, energy consumption for a specific period of time, an energy usage fee, and the like.

For example, the energy manager 24 may recognize information such as an energy consumption pattern, an energy usage fee pattern, and the like during the day of the refrigerator. The recognized information is stored in the memory unit 244.

In addition, the energy management unit 24 determines an operation condition of another component based on the recognized operation information to predict an operation pattern of a future refrigerator (S2). For example, when the operation information of the refrigerator of yesterday (or last week, last month) is stored, the energy management unit 24 predicts the operation pattern of the refrigerator of today (or this week, this month) to determine the operating conditions of the other components. Decide

At this time, the energy management unit 24 determines the operating conditions of other components (for example, products that drive intermittently) based on the operation information of the component (reference component), such as a refrigerator, a water purifier, which is always driven. The reason for this is to determine the operating conditions of other components based on the always-on product because the always-on product continuously consumes energy only in terms of energy consumption or energy usage fee. In the present specification, the product that drives intermittently means a product that operates only when necessary, such as a washing machine, a dishwasher, a dryer, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, and the like.

The operating conditions include the method and / or timing of operation of the other components.

As another example, operation information recognized by the energy management unit 24 may be displayed on the display unit 245. Based on the information displayed on the display unit 245, the user may determine an operating condition of another component using the input unit 243.

In other words, the operating conditions of the other components can be determined manually or by operation. The determined condition may be changed automatically or manually.

In addition, the other component is operated in the operating condition determined by the user or in the energy management unit 24 (S3).

For example, when other components work together during a time when the energy consumption or energy usage fee of the refrigerator is high, the total energy consumption or energy usage fee increases, so the time when the energy consumption or energy usage fee of the refrigerator is high. The operation of other components may be limited. In this case, the operation restriction information may be displayed on the display unit of another component whose operation is limited or the display unit of the energy management unit.

A large and small amount of energy consumption or energy usage fee of the refrigerator may be determined based on a specific reference value. That is, when the amount of energy consumption or energy use rate is more than a certain reference value, it may be determined that the amount of energy consumption or energy use rate is high.

The specific reference value may be set or changed by the user or set or changed automatically. In addition, the time period during which the energy consumption rate or the energy usage fee is high or when the time period is low may vary according to an operation pattern of the refrigerator.

The operational limitation includes one or more other components inoperable or one or more other components operating in a power saving mode.

Alternatively, the operation limitation may include limiting the operation of another component having a lower priority when a priority among a plurality of other components is determined.

Criteria for limiting operation may be the number of operable components, the total energy consumption or the total energy usage fee, and the like.

For example, when the number of operable components is set to three, and five other components are in operation, when the time when the energy consumption or energy usage of the refrigerator is high arrives, the operation of the other three components including the refrigerator is stopped. May be limited.

As another example, when the total operable energy consumption is set, the operation of one or more other components is restricted so that the current total energy consumption (or energy charge) of the refrigerator and a plurality of other components that are operated does not exceed the set consumption rate (charge). Can be.

On the other hand, other components can be operated without limitation during the time period when the energy consumption of the refrigerator is low. At this time, the other components previously limited in operation may operate at a higher output than the normal output before the operation limit or after the operation limit when the time period when the energy consumption or the energy usage fee of the refrigerator is low (the operation limit is released). Can be.

At this time, the time when the energy consumption or the energy usage fee of the refrigerator is high, may be when the compressor is operating, when the number of times of opening or opening of the refrigerator door is large, when the compressor and the heating unit are operated together.

In the above, it is described that the future operation of the reference component is predicted based on the operation information of the reference component to determine the operating condition of the other component. Alternatively, based on the real time operation information of the reference component, Operating conditions can be determined. For example, the operation of other components may be limited if the energy consumption rate or energy usage fee of the current reference component is above a certain reference value. That is, the operation of other components may be restricted in a section in which the energy consumption rate or energy usage fee of the reference component is higher than a certain reference value. In addition, when the energy consumption amount or the energy usage fee becomes less than a specific reference value during the operation of the reference component, the operation restriction of another component may be released.

According to the proposed invention, since the operating conditions of other components are determined based on the operation information of the reference component, it is possible to prevent an increase in the energy consumption or the energy usage fee for a specific time period. In particular, when the specific time zone is a high cost period, the energy consumption rate or energy use rate is prevented from increasing, and thus, the total energy consumption rate or energy use rate in the home can be reduced.

24: Energy Management Department 26: Energy Consumption Department

Claims (13)

Includes a number of components that can be energized,
One or more of the plurality of components may be controlled to operate based on energy information,
The network system of the operation of the other component is controlled based on the operation information of the reference component of the plurality of components. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising an energy management unit for controlling one or more components of the plurality of components,
The energy management unit includes a memory unit for storing operation information of the reference component. The method of claim 2,
And the energy management unit determines an operation condition of the other component by predicting a future operation of the reference component based on the operation information of the reference component stored in the memory unit. The method of claim 2,
The energy management unit determines the operating conditions of the other component based on the operation information of the reference component currently in operation. The method according to claim 3 or 4,
The operation information of the reference component is an energy consumption amount or energy usage fee of the reference component. The method of claim 5, wherein
The network system of the operation of the other component is limited in the section in which the energy consumption rate or energy usage fee of the reference component is above a certain reference value. The method according to claim 6,
Limiting the operation of the other components may include one or more other components inoperable or one or more other components in power saving mode. The method according to claim 6,
The criteria for operating limits include the number of operable components, the total energy consumption or the total energy usage fee. The method of claim 5, wherein
And when the operation restriction of the other component is released, the other component from which the operation restriction is released operates at a higher output than the normal output before or after the operation restriction. The method of claim 2,
The energy management unit is separate from the plurality of components, or the network system provided in the reference component. The method of claim 2,
The energy management unit may display a display unit for displaying the operation information of the reference component;
And an input unit capable of inputting operating conditions of the other component. The method of claim 1,
The reference component is a network system that is always running electrical appliances. The method of claim 1,
At least one of said other components is an electrical appliance that is intermittently driven by user selection.

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