WO2017010806A1

WO2017010806A1 - Power management apparatus for managing system power including plurality of electronic devices, and operating method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2017010806A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/007619
Authority: WO
Inventors: 에일로히트; 키트 램익
Original assignee: 삼성전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2015-07-14
Filing date: 2016-07-13
Publication date: 2017-01-19

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for operating a power management apparatus which controls states of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system, comprising the steps of: obtaining an activation request for activating at least one electronic device from among the plurality of electronic devices; predicting a power consumption of the at least one electronic device; and determining scheduling information for activating the at least one electronic device, on the basis of the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system.

Description

A power management device for managing power of a system including a plurality of electronic devices and a method of operating the same

Various embodiments relate to a power management apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus related to power management of a system including a plurality of electronic devices.

In a system such as a building or a home, various electronic devices are connected by a circuit and powered by a power supply. A user may connect a plurality of electronic devices to one power supply device by using an extension wire including a multi-socket. In particular, when a large number of high power consuming electronic devices are using power at the same time, the total power consumption may exceed the maximum capacity of the system. If no protection device is installed, exceeding the maximum amount of power received by the system may cause damage to the power supply system of the electronic devices and the system. Even when a protective device such as a circuit breaker is provided, exceeding the maximum capacity is problematic and inconvenient because the tripping of the circuit breaker cuts off the power supplied to the electronic devices connected to the protective device. Cause. The user must reset the circuit breaker to power the electronic devices included in the system again, causing inconvenience. The above problem is expected to be further exacerbated by so-called intelligent electronic devices, in which a single system can be remotely switched on or off independently by multiple users.

Various embodiments obtain an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices included in the system, predict a power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and predict the power consumption and the current of the system. A power management device for determining schedule information for activating an electronic device corresponding to an activation request and a method of operating the same may be provided based on a power consumption amount.

As a technical solution for achieving the above technical problem, a method of operating a power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system, the method comprising: at least one electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices included in the system Obtaining an activation request for activating the data, predicting power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system, a schedule for activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request It may provide a method of operating a power management device comprising determining information.

1 is a schematic diagram of a system including a power management device and electronic devices according to one embodiment.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a power management apparatus according to an embodiment.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining schedule information based on a priority of a power management apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining schedule information based on a usage history by a power management apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining schedule information based on a priority and a usage history, according to an embodiment.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of updating schedule information by a power management apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

7 is a diagram illustrating a user interface screen provided by a power management apparatus, according to an exemplary embodiment.

8 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a power management device provides a user interface through a mobile device, according to an exemplary embodiment.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining, by a power management device, a defect of an electronic device included in a system and providing notification information, according to an exemplary embodiment.

10 is an example in which the system includes a plurality of power management devices.

11 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a power management apparatus according to an embodiment.

12 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a power management apparatus according to an embodiment.

A method of operating a power management device to control a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system includes obtaining an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices included in the system, and corresponding to the activation request. The method may include estimating power consumption of the electronic device to be determined, and determining schedule information for activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system.

According to an embodiment, if the sum of the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system is greater than a preset threshold power, determining the schedule information may be based on at least one of a priority and a usage history of the plurality of electronic devices. The method may include determining schedule information for deactivating at least one of the active electronic devices included in the system and activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

The determining of the schedule information may include deactivating one of the electronic devices in the active state by comparing the priority of the active electronic devices with the priority of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request. Activating an electronic device corresponding to the activation request, estimating a time when the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated based on a usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and using the estimated time The method may include determining schedule information for reactivating the deactivated electronic device according to the priority comparison result.

According to an embodiment, when the system includes at least one other power management device, a method of operating the power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in the system is managed by at least one other power management device. The method may further include receiving power consumption related information of electronic devices from at least one other power management device, and determining schedule information may include: power consumption of the electronic devices managed by the at least one other power management device; The schedule information may be determined based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system may include generating a control signal for activating the at least one electronic device based on schedule information. The method may further include transmitting to the electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system may include: monitoring a change amount of a current power consumption of the system as at least one electronic device is activated, The method may further include comparing the predicted power consumption amount and determining whether to update the schedule information according to the comparison result.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system may include comparing current power consumption and average power consumption of at least one electronic device, at least according to a comparison result. The method may further include determining a defect occurrence of one electronic device and providing notification information regarding the defect occurrence according to the determination result.

According to an embodiment, when the system includes at least one non-intelligent electronic device, a method of operating a power management device to control a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in the system may include obtaining power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices. The method may further include determining the schedule information based on the power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices, the predicted power consumption, and the current power consumption of the system.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an operation method of a power management device for controlling a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system may include providing a user interface including schedule information of at least one electronic device corresponding to an activation request. It may further include.

According to an embodiment, the operation method of the power management device for controlling the state of the plurality of electronic devices included in the system may further include updating schedule information in response to a user input through a user interface.

The power management device for controlling a state of the plurality of electronic devices included in the system may include estimating power consumption of the communication unit and the at least one electronic device that receive an activation request for activating at least one of the plurality of electronic devices. The controller may include a controller configured to determine schedule information for activating at least one electronic device based on the estimated power consumption and the current power consumption of the system.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the sum of the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system is greater than a predetermined threshold power amount, the controller may be included in the system based on at least one of a priority and a usage history of the plurality of electronic devices. Schedule information for deactivating at least one of the electronic devices in the active state and activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request may be determined.

The controller may compare the priority of the active electronic devices with the priority of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request, deactivate one electronic device among the active electronic devices, and respond to the activation request. Activates the electronic device, and estimates the time when the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated based on a usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and deactivates the electronic device according to the priority comparison result using the predicted time. The schedule information for reactivating the electronic device can be determined.

According to an embodiment, when the system includes at least one other power management device, the communication unit may obtain power consumption related information of electronic devices managed by the at least one other power management device from the at least one other power management device. The controller may determine the schedule information based on the power consumption of the electronic devices managed by the at least one other power management device, the predicted power consumption, and the current power consumption of the system.

According to an embodiment, the controller may generate a control signal for activating the at least one electronic device based on the schedule information, and the communication unit may transmit the generated control signal to the at least one electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as the at least one electronic device is activated, the controller may monitor a change amount of the current power consumption of the system, compare the change amount with the predicted power consumption, and determine whether to update the schedule information.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller may compare the current power consumption and the average power consumption of the at least one electronic device, determine a defect occurrence of the at least one electronic device, and generate notification information about the defect occurrence according to the determination result. The power management device may further include a user interface unit that provides notification information.

According to one embodiment, when the system includes at least one non-intelligent electronic device, the control unit obtains power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices, the power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices, the predicted power consumption and the current power of the system. Based on the consumption amount, schedule information may be determined.

According to an embodiment, the power management device may further include a user interface that provides schedule information of at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

According to one embodiment, obtaining an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices included in the system, predicting a power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and predicted power A computer readable program having a program recorded thereon for executing the method of operating the power management device, the method comprising determining schedule information for activating an electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on the consumption amount and the current power consumption of the system. A recording medium is provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment, the system 103 includes electronic devices 102 and a power management device 100 arranged in a predetermined space. For example, system 103 may include electronic devices and power management device 100 located in a home, office, building, assembly building, and the like.

According to one embodiment, system 103 may include a power supply for powering electronic devices 102. For example, the power supply may include a battery, a generator, and the like, which store, process, and supply externally provided power. System 103 can supply power to electronic devices 102 through a power supply. For example, the electronic devices 102 may be directly supplied with power from the power supply device or may be supplied with power through the power management device 100.

The electronic devices 102 may include, but are not limited to, a home appliance such as a display device, a computer, a security device, an audio, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a light control system, and the like. For example, the electronic devices 102 may include office devices, public devices, and the like.

According to an embodiment, the electronic devices 102 may include intelligent electronic devices and non-intelligent electronic devices. Here, the intelligent electronic device may be an electronic device in which a state (for example, an active state or an inactive state) of the electronic device may be controlled by the power management device 100, and the non-intelligent electronic device is the power management device 100. May be an electronic device whose state cannot be controlled. For example, the non-intelligent electronic device may be an electronic device that cannot receive a control signal from the power management device 100.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 based on the power consumption of the system 103. The power management apparatus 100 may maintain the power consumption of the system 103 within a predetermined range by controlling the states of the electronic devices 102.

For example, the power management device 100 may obtain an activation request or a deactivation request from the electronic devices 102 through the network 104. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may generate a control signal for changing the state of the electronic device or a control signal including schedule information for changing the state of the electronic device based on the power consumption of the system 103. have. The power management device 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 by transmitting the generated control signal to the electronic devices 102.

Or, when the power supply device supplies power to the electronic devices 102 via the power management device 100, the power management device 100 controls a power supply to the electronic devices 102 (eg For example, it may include a switch). The power management device 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 by controlling the amount of power supplied to the electronic devices 102 through the control device.

Alternatively, the power management apparatus 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 by controlling a power supply control switch or the like provided in the smart outlet. The smart outlet may include a communication device for receiving a control signal from the power management device 100.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may use a power line communication (PLC) to remotely control the states of the electronic devices 102. In this case, network 104 may be omitted in system 103.

The power management device 100 may be a mobile electronic device. For example, the power management device 100 may be a mobile phone, PDA, notebook computer, tablet PC, wearable device or other multifunctional communication / entertainment device. Alternatively, the power management device 100 may be a non-mobile electronic device connected to the power supply device and the electronic devices 102.

The power management device 100 may be implemented in at least one of the electronic devices 102. For example, the display device 105 of FIG. 1 may perform a function of the power management device 100 of the system 103.

According to one embodiment, system 103 may include a plurality of power management devices. For example, the plurality of power management devices included in the system 103 may have a hierarchical structure in which the power management device 100 includes at least one sub power management device. It may be configured to perform control of the state. Alternatively, the plurality of power management devices included in the system 103 may be configured to control the state of the electronic device in a distributed manner in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) environment.

The network 104 may be implemented as a wired network such as a local area network (LAN), or any kind of wireless network such as a mobile radio communication network, a Wi-Fi or a satellite communication network. For example, the network 104 may include Zigbee communications, Bluetooth communications, or Ultra-Wideband communications. In addition, the network 104 may include an Internet-of-Things (IoT).

Referring to FIG. 2, in operation 202, the power management device 100 obtains an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices 102 included in the system 103. Here, activating the electronic device may change the state of at least one electronic device in an inactive state to an active state.

The state of the electronic device may be classified into G0 (working), G1 (standby mode), G2 (soft shutdown), and G3 (mechanical shutdown) states according to ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)) standards. The active state may correspond to the G0 state and the inactive state may correspond to the G1, G2 or G3 state, respectively.

In detail, the active state may include a state in which a switch of the electronic device is turned on or a state G0 in which some function of the electronic device is being performed. For example, the active state of the display device may be a state of playing visual and / or audio content. In addition, the inactive state is that the electronic device is switched off and consumes no power (e.g., system off state (G3)), soft shutdown state (G2), or hibernation mode (G1). It may include a state operating as. For example, the inactive state of the display device may be a power off state or a hibernation state.

In addition, the activation request obtained by the power management device 100 may be obtained from the electronic devices 102 included in the power management device 100 or the system 103. For example, the activation request may be a control signal (or data) transmitted from one electronic device to the power management device 100 based on a user input input to one of the electronic devices 102. Can be. Alternatively, the activation request may be obtained through a user interface provided by the power management apparatus 100.

Alternatively, the power management device 100 may obtain an activation request from an electronic device (not shown) outside the system 103. Here, the electronic device outside the system 103 may be an electronic device that is pre-registered in the power management device 100, and may be a device that provides a user interface for controlling the power management device 100. For example, the external electronic device may transmit an activation request to the power management device 100 based on a user input input through the user interface.

In operation 204, the power management apparatus 100 At least one Predict the power consumption of the electronic device. Here, the at least one electronic device may be at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power management device 100 may estimate the power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on the usage history of the electronic device. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the power consumption predicted by the power management apparatus 100 is referred to as 'predicted power consumption'.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may monitor power consumption and power usage time of the electronic devices 102. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may monitor a current power consumption of the system 103, a current power consumption for each electronic device, a peak power consumption, a time when the electronic device is activated (or deactivated), and the like. In addition, the power management device 100 may obtain the usage history of the electronic devices 102 by analyzing the monitored information. For example, the power management device 100 analyzes the monitored information to accumulate power consumption, average power consumption, power consumption per hour, recent usage time, average usage time, and cumulative usage time of the system and the electronic device. It is possible to obtain a usage history including information on the back. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may store and / or manage information on the obtained usage history.

The power management device 100 may determine the estimated power consumption of the electronic device from which the activation request is obtained, using the average power consumption and the average usage time of the electronic device for a predetermined period of time. For example, when an activation request for the display device is obtained, the power management device 100 may determine the predicted power consumption of the display device using the average power consumption and the average usage time for one week of the display device.

Meanwhile, in the above description, the power management apparatus 100 monitors power consumption and power usage time of the electronic devices 102, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the power management device 100 may receive the power consumption and the power usage time monitored by the power supply, the smart outlet, or the electronic devices 102.

In addition, according to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may determine the predicted power consumption amount of the electronic device by using a look-up table stored inside or outside the power management apparatus 100. Here, the look-up table may include identification values, average power consumption, average usage time, and the like of the electronic devices 102. In addition, the lookup table may be updated at regular time intervals (eg, 24 hour intervals, weekly intervals, etc.). Therefore, when the activation request is obtained, the power management device 100 may determine a predicted power consumption amount of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request by accessing the lookup table.

Alternatively, the power management device 100 may receive the estimated power consumption of the electronic device from the electronic device corresponding to the activation request. For example, the activation request received by the power management device 100 from the display device may include a predicted power consumption value of the display device.

Meanwhile, the power management apparatus 100 may update the predicted power consumption whenever the activation request is obtained. Therefore, the updated predicted power consumption may exclude the predicted power consumption of the electronic device that is pre-activated at the update time.

If the power consumption of the system 103 exceeds the amount of power provided from the outside, the power supply may cut off the power supplied to the system 103. Accordingly, the power management apparatus 100 may control an operation of controlling a state (eg, an active state or an inactive state) of an electronic device that has sent an activation or deactivation request in order to prevent the power supply from blocking power supply. Can be done.

In operation 206, the power management apparatus 100 determines schedule information for activating at least one electronic device based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system 103. Here, the at least one electronic device may be at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request. In addition, the current power consumption of the system 103 may be a real time power consumption consumed by the electronic devices 102 of the system 103.

In addition, the schedule information may include at least one of information on the order of activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request and information on time.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the total power consumption, which is the sum of the current power consumption and the predicted power consumption of the system 103, with the threshold power amount. In this case, the threshold power amount may be determined according to at least one of a maximum acceptable power amount and a safety index indicating the maximum amount of power supplied to the system 103 from the outside.

When the total power consumption of the system 103 exceeds the threshold power amount, the power management device 100 is in an active state included in the system 103 based on at least one of the priority and usage history of the electronic devices 102. Schedule information for deactivating the electronic device and activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

For example, the power management device 100 compares the priority of the first electronic device corresponding to the activation request with the priority of the electronic devices in the active state, and among the electronic devices in the active state, the priority of the first electronic device. The schedule information for deactivating the second electronic device lower than the rank and activating the first electronic device may be determined. If the priority of the electronic devices in the active state is the same as the priority of the first electronic device, the power management device 100 uses the average usage among the electronic devices in the active state based on the usage history of the electronic devices in the active state. The third electronic device having the longest time may be deactivated and schedule information for activating the first electronic device may be determined.

Or, when an activation request is obtained from two or more electronic devices having the same priority, the power management device 100 schedules to first activate one of the electronic devices according to a usage history of the electronic devices for which the activation request is obtained. Information can be determined. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for activating the electronic device having the lowest average power consumption first based on the average power consumption of each electronic device. Alternatively, when an activation request is obtained from two or more electronic devices having the same priority, the power management device 100 schedules to first activate the electronic device having the shortest average use time based on the average use time of the electronic devices. Information can be determined. A method of determining the schedule information by the power management apparatus 100 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

In addition, the power management device 100 may control a state (eg, an active state or an inactive state) of the electronic devices 102 of the system 103 based on the schedule information. According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 by transmitting a control signal to the electronic devices 102 based on the schedule information. Alternatively, the power management device 100 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 by transmitting a control signal to the smart outlet or the power supply device based on the schedule information.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may provide a user interface including schedule information. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may update, change, and delete schedule information in response to a user input through a user interface.

Meanwhile, when the total power consumption of the system 103 is less than or equal to the threshold power of the system 103, the power management device 100 may transmit a control signal for activating a state of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request to the electronic device.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, when the system 103 includes at least one non-intelligent electronic device, the power management device 100 may use a non-intelligent electronic device using a control device such as a switch connected to a smart outlet or a power device. You can control the state of. Here, controlling the state of the non-intelligent electronic device may be that the power management device 100 controls the amount of power supplied to the non-intelligent electronic devices by using the control device. In this case, the power management apparatus 100 may cut off or supply power to the non-intelligent electronic device according to the schedule information by performing the operations of steps 202 to 206.

Alternatively, when the power management device 100 does not include a control device for controlling the power supplied to the non-intelligent electronic devices, the power management device 100 activates the non-intelligent electronic devices. Can be assumed. Accordingly, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information based on the estimated power consumption, the current power consumption of the system 103, and the average power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices in step 206. Meanwhile, the average power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices may be monitored by the power management device 100. As such, the power management apparatus 100 may prevent the power consumption of the system 103 from exceeding the threshold power amount even when the system 103 cannot directly control the state of the electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 3, in operation 302, the power management apparatus 100 may determine whether the total power consumption exceeds a threshold power amount. Here, the total power consumption may be the sum of the predicted power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request and the current power consumption of the system 103.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may determine the threshold power amount based on at least one of the maximum power capacity and the safety index of the system 103. The maximum amount of power received may be obtained from a power supply device or an external server (eg, a server operated by the power management corporation). In addition, the safety index may be a default value set in the power management device 100 or a value determined by a user input.

For example, when the safety index is 10%, the power management device 100 may determine 90% of the maximum amount of power received by the system 103 as the threshold power amount. According to one embodiment, when the power supply includes a protection device such as a circuit breaker or a fuse, the maximum amount of received power may be a value at which the function of the protection device is activated.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may determine the threshold power amount according to a user input. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may provide a user interface for determining the threshold power amount. Alternatively, the power management device 100 may receive a threshold power amount determined by a user input input from another electronic device.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the total power consumption with the threshold power and determine whether the total power consumption exceeds the threshold power.

If the total power consumption exceeds the threshold power amount, in step 304, the power management device 100 may compare the priority of the electronic devices in the active state with the priority of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power management apparatus 100 may assign the priorities to the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103 based on a predetermined criterion. For example, the power management device 100 may include the characteristics of the system 103, the acquisition frequency of activation requests for each electronic device, the preference of the electronic device according to a user input, the characteristics of the electronic device, the function of the electronic device, and the average of the electronic devices. The priority may be allocated according to the power consumption amount or a combination thereof. The characteristics of the system may include information about the environment (eg, home, kitchen, company, etc.) where the system is located. In addition, the characteristic of the electronic device may include information on whether the activated electronic device may be changed to an inactive state while performing a predetermined task.

For example, the power management device 100 may assign priority to the electronic devices 102 according to the characteristics of the system 103. If the system 103 is located at home, the power management apparatus 100 may assign a high priority (eg, a first priority) to home appliances such as a dishwasher or a washing machine. On the other hand, when the system 103 is located in an office, the power management apparatus 100 may assign a low priority (eg, a tenth rank) to the home appliance.

Alternatively, the power management device 100 may assign a priority according to the functions of the electronic devices 102. For example, since the dishwasher and the washing machine have the same washing function, the power management device 100 may assign the same priority (for example, the third rank) to the dishwasher and the washing machine.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the priorities of the electronic devices in the active state with the priorities of the electronic devices corresponding to the activation request, based on the predetermined priority. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the priority of the washing machine in the active state with the priority of the display device, which is an electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

In operation 306, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for activating an electronic device corresponding to the activation request, based on the result of the priority comparison in operation 304.

According to an embodiment, if the priority of the second electronic device in the active state is lower than that of the first electronic device corresponding to the activation request, the power management device 100 selects the second electronic device having a lower priority. Schedule information for deactivation may be determined. For example, when the priority of the display device, which is an electronic device corresponding to the activation request, is 'first priority', and the priority of the active washing machine is 'third priority', the power management device 100 may turn on the washing machine. Deactivation and schedule information for activating the display device may be determined.

Meanwhile, the power management apparatus 100 may update schedule information whenever a new activation request is obtained. For example, the power management device 100 may obtain an activation request for a display device assigned a higher priority than the dishwasher while the activation request of the dishwasher is waiting according to the schedule information. In this case, the power management apparatus 100 may update the schedule information to determine schedule information for activating the display device first.

Meanwhile, when the total power consumption is less than or equal to the threshold power in step 302, the power management device 100 may transmit a control signal for sequentially activating electronic devices corresponding to the activation request according to priority.

As described above, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for efficiently performing a function of an electronic device having a high priority without exceeding the maximum amount of power received by the system 103.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power management device 100 uses electronic devices in an active state. Based on the history, the time at which the electronic devices in the active state are deactivated may be predicted, and schedule information including the predicted time information may be determined.

In operation 402, the power management apparatus 100 may determine whether the total power consumption of the system 103 exceeds a threshold power amount. Since the embodiment of step 302 of FIG. 3 may be applied to step 402, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the total power consumption exceeds the threshold power amount, in step 404, the power management device 100 may predict the time when the electronic devices in the active state are deactivated based on the usage history of the electronic devices in the active state.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the usage history may include an average usage time, an average power consumption amount, and a recent usage start time.

The power management device 100 may obtain relationship information between the electronic devices, state information of the electronic device for each time, time information when the electronic device is activated, and the like based on the usage history of the electronic devices. Here, the relationship information between electronic devices may indicate a relationship in which another electronic device is activated when one electronic device is deactivated.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power management device 100 may predict a time for deactivating an electronic device that is in an active state, based on state information of the electronic device for each time. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may predict that the washing machine in the active state will be deactivated at 11 pm based on the state information of the washing machine for each hour.

Alternatively, the power management device 100 may estimate a time when the electronic device in an active state is deactivated based on the average usage time and the latest usage start time for each electronic device. For example, the power management device 100 is based on the average usage time of the cleaner (eg, 30 minutes) and the latest usage start time (eg, 10:40 pm), so that the active washing machine is in the afternoon. We can expect it to deactivate at 11:20.

In operation 406, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information including time information at which an electronic device in an active state is deactivated.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power management device 100 selects one electronic device among active electronic devices and activates the electronic device corresponding to the activation request at a time when the selected electronic device is expected to be deactivated. Information can be determined. The power management device 100 may select one electronic device from among the electronic devices in the active state by comparing the current time with the time when the electronic devices in the active state are expected to be deactivated.

For example, when the activation request is obtained from the display device at 10:50, the power management device 100 may compare the current time (that is, 10:50) with the estimated time when the washing machine and the cleaner in the active state are deactivated. Can be compared. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for deactivating the washing machine at 11 pm and activating the display apparatus at 11 pm. Also, according to the schedule information, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit a control signal for changing the washing machine to an inactive state to the washing machine at 11 o'clock, and transmit a control signal for changing the display device to the active state to the display device.

Meanwhile, the power management device 100 may provide a user interface including schedule information indicating that the washing machine is deactivated at 11 o'clock and the display device is activated at 11 o'clock. In this case, the power management device 100 may change the schedule information to deactivate the washing machine at 11:10 and activate the display device at 11:10 in response to a user input to the user interface.

In operation 402, when the total power consumption is less than or equal to the threshold power amount, the power management device 100 may transmit a control signal for activating a state of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request to the electronic device.

On the other hand, the power management device 100 has been described as determining the schedule information by estimating the time when the electronic device in the active state is deactivated, but is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information based on a relationship between an electronic device in an active state and the electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

For example, based on the relationship between the lighting device and the security device, the power management device 100 may determine schedule information for deactivating an active lighting device and activating the security device when an activation request for the security device is obtained. have.

Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 502, the power management device 100 compares the priorities of active electronic devices with priorities of at least one electronic device corresponding to an activation request, and among the active electronic devices. One electronic device may be deactivated.

According to an embodiment, the power management device 100 may extract electronic devices having a lower priority than the first electronic device corresponding to the activation request, from among the electronic devices in the active state. In addition, the power management device 100 may deactivate the second electronic device having the lowest priority among the extracted electronic devices. For example, the power management device 100 may generate a control signal for deactivating the second electronic device and transmit the generated control signal to the second electronic device. For example, when an activation request for the display device is obtained, the power management device 100 may deactivate the cleaner having a lower priority than the display device among the electronic devices in the active state.

In operation 504, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit a control signal for activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

According to an embodiment, the power management device 100 may generate a control signal for activating the first electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and transmit the generated control signal to the first electronic device. For example, the power management device 100 may transmit an activation control signal to the display device.

In operation 506, the power management device 100 may estimate a time when the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated based on the usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request. For example, the power management device 100 may predict a time at which the electronic device is deactivated based on state information of the electronic device for each time, an average usage time for each electronic device, or a recent usage start time.

For example, the power management device 100 may predict that the display device will be deactivated after a predetermined time (or a specific time) based on the usage time information for each electronic device of the display device.

In operation 508, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for reactivating the deactivated electronic device according to the priority comparison result based on the information about the estimated time.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for reactivating the electronic device deactivated in operation 502 at the estimated time in operation 506. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information for reactivating the cleaner at a time when the display apparatus is expected to be deactivated.

In operation 602, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit a control signal for activating at least one electronic device based on the schedule information.

In operation 604, the power management apparatus 100 may monitor the amount of change in power consumption of the system 103.

For example, the power management apparatus 100 may determine the difference between the power consumption of the system 103 before and after the at least one electronic device is activated as the amount of change in the power consumption of the system 103.

In operation 606, the power management apparatus 100 may compare a change in power consumption of the system 103 with a predetermined predicted power consumption.

For example, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the predicted power consumption determined in step 204 of FIG. 2 with the amount of change in power consumption of the system to determine schedule information of the electronic device.

For example, after transmitting the control signal to the display device, the power management device 100 may compare the difference in power consumption of the system 103 with the predetermined predicted power consumption before and after the display device is activated.

In operation 608, the power management apparatus 100 may determine whether the comparison result is within a predetermined range. For example, the predetermined range may be an error range (eg, + 10% to -10%) with respect to the predicted power consumption. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power management apparatus 100 may determine a predetermined range based on a default value stored in the power management apparatus 100 or a value set by a user.

If the comparison result is out of a predetermined range, in operation 610, the power management apparatus 100 may update schedule information.

Referring to FIG. 7, the power management device 100 may provide a user interface 700 including information 701 about a current state of an electronic device included in the system 103. For example, the information 701 about the current state of the electronic device may include an image indicating that the refrigerator and the display device are in an active state, and that the washing machine and the dishwasher are inactive.

In addition, the user interface 700 may include icons 711 to 714 that intuitively represent the electronic devices 102. The power management device 100 may determine schedule information for changing the states of the electronic devices 102 corresponding to the icons 711 to 714 in response to a user input for the icons 711 to 714. For example, when a user input for the icon 711 of the display device is received, the power management device 100 may determine schedule information for activating the state of the display device.

In addition, the user interface 700 may include a 'schedule information' button image 702 for providing schedule information. When a user input for the 'schedule information' button image 702 is received, the power management apparatus 100 may provide a user with text, an image, or an animation indicating schedule information. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may provide the user with information about an identification value, priority, activation (or deactivation) operation order or time of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request.

In addition, the user interface 700 may include an 'activation request list' button image 703 for providing information on electronic devices that transmit the activation request. When the user input for the 'activation request list' button image 703 is received, the power management apparatus 100 may provide an activation request list. The activation request list may include, for example, an acquired time of the activation request for a predetermined period and an identification value of the electronic device that transmitted the activation request. In addition, the activation request list may provide a list of electronic devices that transmit an activation request by date, and may provide a list of electronic devices waiting to be activated.

In addition, the user interface 700 may further include an 'electronic device information' button image 704 for providing information about the electronic devices in the system 103. When a user input for the 'electronic device information' button image 704 is received, the power management device 100 may start using the electronic device 102 included in the system 103, usage period, power consumption efficiency, Text, an image, or an animation indicating information on the life of the electronic device may be provided.

In addition, the user interface 700 may include an 'electronic device power consumption' button image 705 for providing information on the amount of power consumption for each electronic device. When a user input for the 'electronic device power consumption' button image 705 is received, the power management device 100 may provide power consumption related information of the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may display text, an image, or an animation indicating information such as average power consumption, average power consumption, and the like, for a predetermined time period of each of the electronic devices 102 through the user interface 700. Can provide.

According to one embodiment, the user interface 700 may be provided from an external server (eg, a cloud server, a web server, etc.). In addition, the user interface 700 may be provided in the form of a downloadable mobile application. Alternatively, the user interface 700 may be provided through a display device provided in the power management device 100.

Referring to FIG. 8, the power management apparatus 100 may provide the schedule information window 810 of the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103 through the mobile device 800. For example, the power management device 100 may transmit schedule information to the mobile device 800 so that the mobile device 800 provides a schedule information window 801 including schedule information.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the schedule information window 810 includes at least one of an identification value 811, a priority 815, an execution operation 812, an execution order 813, and an execution time 814 of the electronic device. can do. Here, the identification value 811 of the electronic device may be a text, an image, etc. indicating the name or ID (eg, the number '1') of the electronic device. For example, in FIG. 8, 'computer' 823 represents the identification value 823 of the computer device.

For example, the schedule information window 810 may provide an identification value 822 of the washing machine, priority 842 of the washing machine, and schedule information 832 indicating that the washing machine will be 'deactivated' in the 'first' order. Can be.

In addition, the schedule information window 810 may provide an identification value 823 of the computer device, a priority 843 of the computer device, and schedule information 833 indicating that the computer will be 'activated' in the 'second' order. Can be.

In addition, the schedule information window 810 may include an identification value 824 of the refrigerator, a priority 844 of the refrigerator, and schedule information indicating that the refrigerator will be 'deactivated' at '13: 05 'in a' third 'order. 834 may be provided.

In addition, the schedule information window 810 may provide schedule information 835 indicating that the washing machine is to be activated again at 14:00 in the fourth order.

Meanwhile, the schedule information window 810 of FIG. 8 may be text, an image, or an animation provided on a screen converted by a user input to the 'schedule information' button image 702 of FIG. 7.

In operation 902, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit a control signal for activating at least one electronic device based on the obtained schedule information.

In operation 904, the power management apparatus 100 may compare the current power consumption and the average power consumption of each electronic device.

According to an embodiment, the power management apparatus 100 may obtain current power consumption of each electronic device by monitoring power consumption of each electronic device. In addition, the power management device 100 may obtain an average power consumption amount of each electronic device based on the usage history.

In operation 906, the power management apparatus 100 may determine whether the at least one electronic device is defective according to the comparison result.

For example, the power management device 100 may determine whether the active electronic device consumes excessively much power or excessively little power according to the comparison result. For example, if the difference between the current power consumption and the average power consumption of the electronic device exceeds a threshold value (eg, about 0.5 times the average power consumption, etc.), the electronic device may fail. It can be judged that it occurred.

If it is determined that a defect occurs in the electronic device, in operation 908, the power management device 100 may provide visual or audio notification information for notifying that the electronic device is defective. For example, the notification information may include a pop-up message notification message, a warning sound, a vibration, and the like.

In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may provide defect information of the electronic device through a user interface. For example, the power management apparatus 100 may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) indicating an electronic device, a defect history, and the like, in which a defect is found. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit defect information to a maintenance service providing server (eg, an A / S reception server) of the electronic device in response to a user input to the GUI.

Referring to FIG. 10, according to an embodiment, the system 103 may include a plurality of power management devices. In addition, the plurality of power management devices may be implemented in a hierarchical structure. In this case, the system 103 may include a power management device 100 located in an upper layer and first to third sub

power management devices

1011, 1012, 1013, etc. located in a lower layer.

The first to third sub power management apparatuses 1011 to 1013 obtain power consumption related information of some electronic devices of the system 103 and transfer the obtained power consumption related information of the electronic devices to the power management device 100. Can transmit In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information using the power consumption related information 1021 of the electronic devices received from the first to third sub power management apparatuses 1011 to 1013. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit a control signal 1022 according to the schedule information to the first to third sub power management apparatuses 1011 to 1013 through the network 104.

According to an embodiment, when the system 103 is a single building, the first sub power management device 1011, the second sub power management device 1012, and the third sub power management device 1013 for each floor of a building. The power management device 100 may be arranged to control the power consumption of the entire building system 103. In addition, the power management device 100 may perform a gateway function in the IoT environment.

Meanwhile, the plurality of power management devices may not be implemented in a hierarchical structure. In this case, the power management apparatus 100 may transmit / receive power consumption related information of some electronic devices of the system 103 controlled by the other power management apparatus through the network 104 with other power management apparatuses. . In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may request the other power management apparatus for power consumption related information of electronic devices controlled by the other power management apparatuses through the network 104. For example, the power consumption related information may include schedule information of the electronic devices, monitored power consumption amount, state (eg, active state or inactive state) information of the electronic device, usage history of the electronic device, and the like. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may determine schedule information based on power related information received from another power management apparatus.

On the other hand, the power management device 100 may search whether another power management device exists in the system 103. For example, the power management device 100 may broadcast a signal (eg, a beacon signal) searching for another power management device. In addition, the power management apparatus 100 may obtain a signal broadcast by another power management apparatus. Alternatively, the communication between the power management device 100 and another power management device may be performed in a distributed manner in the Internet of Things environment (IoT).

11 and 12 are configuration diagrams showing the detailed configuration of a power management apparatus according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the power management apparatus 100 includes a control unit 11 and a communication unit 12.

However, not all components shown in FIG. 11 are essential components of the power management apparatus 100. The power management apparatus 100 may be implemented by more components than those illustrated in FIG. 11, or the power management apparatus 100 may be implemented by fewer components than the components illustrated in FIG. 11.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the power management apparatus 100 according to the embodiment may further include a user interface unit 13 and an output unit 14 in addition to the control unit 11 and the communication unit 12. have.

The controller 11 may control the overall operation of the power management apparatus 100. According to an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the communication unit 12, the user interface unit 13, and the output unit 14 to activate or deactivate the states of the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103. Can be controlled.

In detail, the controller 11 may obtain an activation request of the electronic device through the communication unit 12 or the user interface unit 13. In addition, the controller 11 may estimate power consumption of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request. For example, the controller 11 may determine the predicted power consumption amount based on the usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request. The controller 11 may monitor power consumption, power usage time, and the like of the electronic devices 102. In addition, the controller 11 may analyze the monitored information to obtain a usage history of the electronic devices 102.

In addition, the controller 11 may select schedule information for activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on the estimated power consumption of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request and the current power consumption of the system 103. You can decide. For example, the controller 11 may determine schedule information including at least one of information on an order of activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request and information on time.

Meanwhile, when the system 103 includes at least one non-intelligent electronic device according to an embodiment, the controller 11 may use a control device such as a smart outlet or a switch connected to a power supply, and the state of the non-intelligent electronic device. Can be controlled. For example, the controller 11 may cut off or supply power to the non-intelligent electronic device according to the schedule information.

When the controller 11 does not include a control device for controlling power supplied to the non-intelligent electronic devices, the power management device 100 may assume the non-intelligent electronic devices to be in an active state. Accordingly, the controller 11 may determine the schedule information based on the estimated power consumption, the current power consumption of the system 103, and the average power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices. Meanwhile, the average power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices can be obtained by the controller 11 monitoring the power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices.

According to an embodiment, the controller 11 may compare the total power consumption, which is the sum of the current power consumption and the predicted power consumption, with the threshold power amount. In addition, the controller 11 may determine the threshold power amount based on at least one of the maximum power capacity and the safety index of the system 103.

When the total power consumption of the system 103 exceeds the threshold power amount, the controller 11 may determine an active state of the active state included in the system 103 based on at least one of a priority and a usage history of the electronic devices 102. The schedule information for deactivating the electronic device and activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request may be determined.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 11 may compare the priorities of the electronic devices in the active states of the electronic devices 102 with the priorities of the electronic devices corresponding to the activation request. The controller 11 may assign a priority to the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103 based on a predetermined criterion.

In addition, the controller 11 may determine schedule information for activating the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, based on the priority comparison result.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 11 may estimate the time when the electronic devices in the active state are deactivated and determine schedule information including the predicted time information, based on the usage history of the electronic devices 102. . In detail, the controller 11 may determine schedule information for activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request at a predicted time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 11 compares the priority of the electronic devices in the active state with the priority of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request and selects one electronic device from among the active electronic devices. Can be disabled. For example, the controller 11 may provide a control signal for deactivating at least one of the electronic devices having a lower priority than the display device among the active electronic devices to activate the display device corresponding to the activation request. Can be generated.

In addition, the controller 11 may generate a control signal for activating at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request, and the communication unit 12 may transmit a control signal generated by the controller 11.

In addition, the controller 11 may estimate the time when the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated based on the usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request. For example, the controller 11 may predict that the display device will be deactivated after a predetermined time (or a specific time) based on the usage time information for each electronic device of the display device.

In addition, the controller 11 may determine schedule information for reactivating the deactivated electronic device according to the priority comparison result using the predicted time.

According to an embodiment, the controller 11 may control the states of the electronic devices 102 of the system 103 based on the schedule information. For example, the controller 11 may generate a control signal for controlling the states of the electronic devices 102 based on the schedule information. In addition, the communication unit 12 may transmit the control signal generated by the control unit 11 to the electronic devices 102, the smart outlet, or the power supply device.

According to an embodiment, the controller 11 may update schedule information. In detail, the controller 11 may monitor the amount of change in the power consumption of the system 103. For example, the controller 11 may determine the difference between the power consumption of the system 103 before and after the at least one electronic device is activated as the change amount of the power consumption of the system 103. In addition, the controller 11 may compare the amount of change in power consumption of the system 103 with a predetermined predicted power consumption. In addition, the controller 11 may determine whether the comparison result is within a predetermined range. For example, the controller 11 may determine a range of + 10% to -10% of the power consumption of the system 103 according to the schedule information as a predetermined range, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the controller 11 may update schedule information when the comparison result is out of a predetermined range.

According to an embodiment, the controller 11 may compare the current power consumption and the average power consumption of each electronic device to determine whether the at least one electronic device is defective. For example, the controller 11 may determine that a defect occurs in the electronic device when the current power consumption of the electronic device exceeds twice the average power consumption. In addition, when it is determined that a defect occurs in the electronic device, the controller 11 may generate visual or audio notification information for notifying that there is a defect in the electronic device. In addition, the user interface unit 13 may provide notification information generated by the controller 11 to the user.

According to an embodiment, when the system 103 includes a plurality of power management devices, the controller 11 may control the sub power management devices. For example, the controller 11 may determine schedule information and generate a control signal according to the power consumption related information of the electronic devices received from the sub power management devices.

Also, the control unit 11 is based on power consumption related information of the electronic devices controlled by the at least one other power management device received through the communication unit 12 from at least one other power management device included in the system 103. The schedule information can be determined.

In addition, the controller 11 may control the user interface 13 to provide a user interface.

The communication unit 12 communicates with at least one of the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103, a power supply device, a smart outlet, another power management device (eg, a sub power management device, etc.), and an external server. It may include one or more components to make it.

According to an embodiment, the communication unit 12 may receive an activation request for activating at least one electronic device included in the system 103. For example, the communication unit 12 may receive an activation request from the electronic devices 102 included in the system 103. In addition, the communication unit 12 may provide the received activation request to the control unit 11.

In addition, the communication unit 12 may transmit a control signal for activating or deactivating the states of the electronic devices 102 to the electronic devices 102, the smart outlet, or the power supply device under the control of the control unit 11.

In addition, the communication unit 12 may receive information such as power consumption and power usage time monitored from the electronic devices 102, the smart outlet, or the power supply device included in the system 103.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 12 may transmit notification information related to whether the electronic device is determined by the control unit 11 to the maintenance service providing server of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment, when the system 103 includes a plurality of power management devices, the communication unit 12 may be configured by at least one other power management device from at least one other power management device included in the system 103. The power consumption related information of the controlled electronic devices may be received. In addition, the communication unit 12 may broadcast a signal for searching for the presence of another power management device (eg, a beacon signal), or may receive a signal broadcast by another power management device.

In addition, the communication unit 12 may transmit a control signal according to schedule information to the sub power management apparatus. In addition, the communication unit 12 may transmit a control signal for controlling the sub power management device to the sub power management device.

In addition, when the user interface is provided through another electronic device (eg, a mobile device of a user of the system 103, etc.), the communication unit 12 may transmit / receive information necessary for providing the user interface.

The user interface unit 13 may provide the user with the information processed by the control unit 11. According to an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 13 may provide schedule information determined by the controller 11. In addition, the user interface unit 13 may provide the user with a list of the obtained activation request for a predetermined period and a defect notification of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment, the user interface unit 13 may include an input device. For example, the input device may be a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad, a jog wheel, a jog switch, but is not limited thereto. The user interface 13 may obtain an activation request for activating at least one electronic device through a user input. In addition, the user interface 13 may provide the obtained activation request to the controller 11.

In addition, the user interface unit 13 may include a GUI. For example, the user interface 13 may include a GUI including at least one of schedule information generated by the controller 11, status information of each electronic device, an activation request list, electronic device information, and power consumption of the electronic device. Can be. In addition, the user interface 13 may provide information requested by the user in response to a user input to the GUI.

The output unit 14 may include at least one device for outputting visual, audio and / or sensory data provided by the user interface unit 13. For example, the output unit 14 may include a display unit 15, a sound output unit 16, and a vibration motor (not shown).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the display unit 15 may display schedule information provided from the user interface unit 13. In addition, when it is determined by the control unit 11 that a defect occurs in the electronic device, the display unit 15 may provide a visual notification for notifying the defect of the electronic device provided by the user interface unit 13.

According to an embodiment, when the sound output unit 16 determines that a defect occurs in the electronic device by the controller 11, the sound output unit 16 detects a defect of the electronic device provided by the user interface unit 13. An audible notification may be provided to inform.

Meanwhile, the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be written as a program that can be executed in a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium.

The computer-readable recording medium may include a magnetic storage medium (for example, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, etc.), an optical reading medium (for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc.) and a carrier wave (for example, the Internet Storage medium).

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. You will understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims

A method of operating a power management device to control a state of a plurality of electronic devices included in a system,

Obtaining an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices;

Estimating power consumption of the at least one electronic device; And

Determining schedule information for activating the at least one electronic device based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system.
The method of claim 1,

If the sum of the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system is greater than a preset threshold power,

Determining the schedule information,

Deactivating at least one of the active electronic devices included in the system and activating the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on at least one of a priority and a usage history of the plurality of electronic devices; Determining the schedule information.
The method of claim 2,

Determining the schedule information,

Deactivating one of the electronic devices in the active state by comparing the priority of the electronic devices in the active state with the priority of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request;

Activating an electronic device corresponding to the activation request;

Estimating a time when the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated based on a usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request; And

And determining schedule information for reactivating the deactivated electronic device according to the priority comparison result using the predicted time.
The method of claim 1,

If the system includes at least one other power management device,

Receiving power consumption related information of electronic devices managed by the at least one other power management device, from the at least one other power management device;

Determining the schedule information,

And determining the schedule information based on power consumption of the electronic devices managed by the at least one other power management device, the predicted power consumption, and the current power consumption of the system.
The method of claim 1,

And transmitting a control signal for activating the at least one electronic device to the at least one electronic device based on the schedule information.
The method of claim 5,

Monitoring the amount of change in current power consumption of the system as the at least one electronic device is activated;

Comparing the variation amount with the predicted power consumption; And

And determining whether to update the schedule information according to the comparison result.
The method of claim 5, wherein

Comparing a current power consumption and an average power consumption of the at least one electronic device;

Determining a defect occurrence of the at least one electronic device according to the comparison result; And

And providing notification information on the occurrence of a defect according to the determination result.
The method of claim 1,

If the system includes at least one non-intelligent electronic device,

Obtaining power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices;

Determining the schedule information,

Determining the schedule information based on power consumption of the non-intelligent electronic devices, the predicted power consumption, and the current power consumption of the system.
The method of claim 1,

And providing a user interface including schedule information of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request.
The method of claim 9,

In response to a user input through the user interface, updating the schedule information.
In the power management device for controlling the state of a plurality of electronic devices included in the system,

A communication unit configured to receive an activation request for activating at least one electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices; And

And a control unit for predicting power consumption of the at least one electronic device and determining schedule information for activating the at least one electronic device based on the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system. .
The method of claim 11,

The control unit,

If the sum of the predicted power consumption and the current power consumption of the system is greater than a preset threshold power,

Deactivating at least one of the active electronic devices included in the system and activating the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request based on at least one of a priority and a usage history of the plurality of electronic devices; A power management device for determining schedule information.
The method of claim 12,

The control unit,

Deactivate one electronic device among the electronic devices in the active state by comparing the priority of the electronic devices in the active state with the priority of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request,

Activates the electronic device corresponding to the activation request;

Based on a usage history of the electronic device corresponding to the activation request, predicting a time at which the electronic device corresponding to the activation request is deactivated,

And determining schedule information for reactivating the deactivated electronic device according to the priority comparison result using the predicted time.
The method of claim 11,

And a user interface configured to provide schedule information of the at least one electronic device corresponding to the activation request.
A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1 on a computer.