KR101605209B1 - Network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system. A network system according to one aspect includes: a utility network including a first energy generating unit for generating energy; A second energy generation unit for generating energy, and an energy consumption unit for consuming energy generated by the first and second energy generation units and performing an operation for achieving a predetermined target; An energy distributor for distributing energy received from the first and second energy generators to the energy consuming unit; An energy manager for adjusting a ratio of energy received from the first and second energy generators according to information about energy generated in the first and second energy generators; A display unit for displaying information on energy generated in the first and second energy generators; . According to the present invention, it is possible to expect an effect that the operation of the home appliance can be performed at a lower cost.

Description

Network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

Suppliers simply supply energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas, and demanders simply use the supplied energy sources. Therefore, effective management in terms of energy production, distribution, or energy use is difficult to perform.

In other words, energy is a radial structure that is distributed from an energy supplier to a large number of consumers, that is, from the center to the periphery, and is characterized by a one-way supplier center rather than a consumer center.

The price information of electricity can not be known in real time, but it can be seen only through the power exchange, and because the price system is also a fixed price system, incentives such as incentives for consumers through price changes can not be used There was also a problem.

In order to solve these problems, there has been a lot of efforts recently to implement a horizontal, cooperative and distributed network that can efficiently manage energy and enable interaction between a consumer and a supplier.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a network system capable of effectively managing an energy source and reducing electricity bill and / or energy consumption.

A network system according to one aspect includes: a utility network including a first energy generating unit for generating energy; A second energy generation unit for generating energy, and an energy consumption unit for consuming energy generated by the first and second energy generation units and performing an operation for achieving a predetermined target; An energy distributor for distributing energy received from the first and second energy generators to the energy consuming unit; An energy manager for adjusting a ratio of energy received from the first and second energy generators according to information about energy generated in the first and second energy generators; A display unit for displaying information on energy generated in the first and second energy generators; .

A network system according to another aspect includes: a first utility network including a first energy generating unit for generating energy; A second utility network including a second energy generating unit for generating energy; A home network including an energy consumption unit for consuming energy generated by the first and second energy generators to perform an operation for achieving a preset target; An energy distributor for distributing energy received from the first and second energy generators to the energy consuming unit; An energy manager for adjusting a ratio of energy received from the first and second energy generators according to information about energy generated in the first and second energy generators; A display unit for displaying information on energy generated in the first and second energy generators; .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a network system comprising: a plurality of power generation units generating power; A power consumption unit for consuming power generated by the power generation unit to perform an operation for achieving a predetermined target; A power controller for controlling power including an operation of distributing power generated by the power generator to the power consuming unit; A display unit for displaying information on power generated by the power generation unit; And an input unit for receiving a signal generated by the power generation unit and controlling a ratio of power consumed by the power consumption unit. Wherein the power controller adjusts a ratio of power received from the power generator to minimize a charge of power consumed in the power consuming part according to information about power generated in the power generator, And the input unit adjusts the ratio of the power received by the power generation unit according to the input signal.

According to the network system of the present invention, it is possible to control the amount of power supplied from the first power generation unit or the second power generation unit based on the information about the power supplied from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit, .

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1 schematically shows a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining the form of the electricity bill; FIG.
5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a block diagram showing another example of a network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the generated amount or the used amount can be measured.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the network system of the present embodiment 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 that uses eco-friendly energy such as hydro, solar, and wind power.

Electricity generated by the power plant is transmitted to a power station through a transmission line, and electricity is transmitted to a substation in a substation so that electricity is distributed to consumers such as a home or an office.

Electricity generated by environmentally friendly energy is also transmitted to the substation and distributed to each customer. Electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed through an electric storage device or directly to the office or each household.

In the home using a home network (HAN, home area network), electric power can be produced, stored, distributed, or distributed through a solar cell or a fuel cell mounted on a PHEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) The remaining electricity can be re-exported to the outside (for example, electric power companies).

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time monitoring of electricity consumption of a consumer (home or office), an AMI (Advanced Metering infrastructure) for measuring electricity usage of a large number of consumers, May be included. That is, the measurement apparatus can measure the amount of electricity used by receiving information measured by a plurality of smart meters.

In this specification, the measurement includes not only what the smart meter and the measuring apparatus itself measure, but also what the smart meter and the measuring apparatus can recognize by receiving the amount of generated or used amount from other components.

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

The function or solution performed by the energy management apparatus in this specification may be referred to as an energy management function or an energy management solution.

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

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

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the network system of the present invention is configured by a plurality of components. For example, power plants, substations, power stations, energy management devices, household appliances, smart meters, capacitors, web servers, measuring devices, and home servers are components of the network system.

Further, in the present invention, each component can be constituted by a plurality of detailed components. For example, when one component is a household appliance, the microcomputer, the heater, the display, and the motor constituting the household appliance may be detailed components.

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

Further, one network may be a single component or may be composed of a plurality of components.

In this specification, a network system in which communication information is related to an energy source may be referred to as an energy grid.

The network system of one embodiment may be composed of a utility network (UAN) 10 and a home network (HAN) 20. The utility network 10 and the home network 20 can be wired or wirelessly communicated by communication means.

In this specification, assumption means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, and the like, as well as assumptions of a dictionary meaning. A utility is a collection 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 An energy storage component 13 for managing energy, an energy management component 14 for managing energy, and an energy metering component 15 for measuring energy related information.

When one or more components of the utility network 10 consume energy, the energy consuming component may be an energy consuming part. That is, the energy consuming part may be a separate component or included in another component.

The energy generating unit 11 may be, for example, a power plant. The energy distribution unit 12 distributes or transfers the energy generated by the energy generation unit 11 and / or the energy stored in the energy storage unit 13 to the energy consuming unit. The energy distribution unit 12 may be a power transmission unit, a substation, a power station, or the like.

The energy storage unit 13 may be a battery and the energy management unit 14 may include an energy generation unit 11, an energy distribution unit 12, an energy storage unit 13, an energy consumption unit 26). ≪ / RTI > For example, the energy management unit 14 may generate commands related to 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, an AMI. The energy management unit 14 may have a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in another component.

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 way. These terminal components may be provided in at least one 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, an energy storage component for storing energy a storage component 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring energy related information, and an energy consuming part a consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a number of components, an energy grid assistance component 28, an accessory component 29, a consumable handling component 29, component: 30).

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

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

The energy consuming unit 26 may be a heater, a motor, a display, or the like that constitutes a home appliance (a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, a cleaner, a drier, a dishwasher, a dehumidifier, . It is to be noted that there is no limitation in the kind of the energy consuming section 26 in the present 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 generating unit 21, the energy distributing unit 22, and the energy storing unit 23 may be individual components or a single component.

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

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

The accessory component 29 is a dedicated energy network component that performs an additional function for the energy network. For example, the accessory component 29 may be an energy-network-dedicated weather-receiving antenna.

The Consumable handling component 30 is a component that stores, supplies, and delivers a consumable, and can confirm or recognize information on a consumable. The consumable may be, for example, an article or a material to be used or processed in operation of the energy consuming unit 26. [ The consumable processing unit 30 may be managed by the energy management unit 24 in the energy network.

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

The above-mentioned energy generating units 11 and 21, the energy distributing units 12 and 22, the energy storing units 13 and 23, the energy managing units 14 and 24, and the energy measuring units 15 and 25 ), The energy consumption unit 26, and 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 (24), the energy measurement unit 15 (25), and the central management unit 27 exist as a single component and each function as a smart meter, an energy management device, Home server, or the energy management units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 may constitute a single component mechanically.

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

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

On the other hand, the utility network 10 and the home network 20 can communicate by communication means (first interface). At this time, a plurality of utility networks 10 can communicate with a single home network 20, and a single utility network 10 can 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 (e.g., a modem, etc.) connected to the two components, respectively. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

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

The two components constituting the utility network 10 can communicate by communication means.

In addition, the two components constituting the home network 20 can be communicated by communication means (second interface). For example, the energy consumption unit 26 may communicate with at least one of the energy management unit 24, the energy measurement unit 25, the central management unit 27, the energy network auxiliary unit 28, As shown in Fig.

The microcomputer of each component (for example, the energy consuming unit) can communicate with the communication unit (the second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consumption is an appliance, the energy consuming unit may receive information from the energy management unit by a communication means (second interface), and the received information may be transmitted to the microcomputer Lt; / RTI >

Further, the energy consuming unit 26 can communicate with the accessory component 29 through a communication means (fourth interface). Further, the energy consuming unit 26 can communicate with the consumable processing unit 30 through a communication means (fifth interface).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an information delivery process on a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining a form of an electricity bill. FIG. 4A is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4B is a graph showing RTP (real time pattern) information.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the network system of the present invention, the specific component C can receive information related to energy (hereinafter referred to as "energy information") by communication means. Further, the specific component (C) is configured such that, in addition to the energy information, the specific component (C) includes additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation of each component or status information Information, etc.).

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

In another aspect, the information includes internal information such as information relating to each component (operation or status information (failure) of each component, energy usage information of the energy consumption unit, consumer habits information using the energy consumption unit, etc.) (Energy-related information, environmental information, program update information, and time information), which are information.

At this time, the information can be received from other components. That is, the received information includes at least energy information.

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

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

For example, the types of information related to electricity include time-based pricing, energy curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy generation amount, (operation priority), and energy consumption amount (energy consumption amount). In this embodiment, the charge related to the energy source is an energy charge.

That is, energy related information can be classified into information related to charge (electric charge) and information other than charge (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, generation amount, operation priority, energy consumption, etc.).

Such information can be divided into scheduled information generated in advance based on previous information and real time information that varies in real time. The schedule information and the real-time information can be classified according to the prediction of the information after the present time (future).

The energy information I may be divided 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 vary with time.

Referring to FIG. 4 (a), according to the TOU information, data is changed stepwise according to time. According to the CPP information, the data changes stepwise or real-time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. That is, in the case of the CPP pattern, the general charge is cheaper than the charge of the TOU pattern, but the charge at the specific point in time is significantly more expensive than the charge in the TOU pattern.

Referring to FIG. 4 (b), according to the RTP information, data changes in real time according to time.

On the other hand, the energy information I may be transmitted or received as true or false signals such as Boolean on the network system, actual price information may be transmitted or received, or a plurality of levels may be transmitted and received. Hereinafter, an example of information related to electricity will be described.

When the specific component C receives a true or false signal such as a Boolean signal, it recognizes one signal as an on-peak signal and the other signal as an off-peak signal -peak signal.

Alternatively, a particular component may be aware of information regarding at least one drive that includes an electricity bill, and the particular component may compare on-peak and off- It is possible to recognize an off-peak.

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

At this time, the information value about the driving may be at least one of an electricity rate, a power rate, a rate of change of the electricity rate, a rate of change of the electric power rate, an average value of the electricity rate and an average value of the electric power amount. The reference information value may be at least one of an average value, an average value of a minimum value and a maximum value of power information during a predetermined section, and a reference change rate of power information during a predetermined section (for example, a power consumption amount slope per unit time).

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

When the specific component (for example, the energy consuming unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, at the time of recognition), the output may be set to 0 or the output may be reduced (maintained or stopped). The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, and may change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after the operation starts.

And, if a particular component recognizes off-peak, it can recover or increase its output when needed. That is, when a particular component that recognizes an on-peak recognizes an off-peak, the output can be restored to its previous state or increased further than the previous output.

At this time, the total consumed power and / or the total electricity usage fee during the entire driving time of the specific component is reduced, even when the output of the specific component is recovered or the output is increased after recognizing the off-peak.

Alternatively, when the specific component recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output can be maintained if the condition is operable. At this time, the operable condition means that the information value of the driving is below a certain standard. The information value of the driving may be information on an electric charge, an amount of power consumption, or an operation time. The constant criterion may be a relative value or an absolute value.

The predetermined criteria may be set in real time or may be set in advance. The predetermined criteria may be set in the utility network or in a home network (input by a consumer direct input, energy management unit, central management unit, etc.).

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

Alternatively, the total power consumption or the total electricity charge during the entire drive period of a particular component, even when the output is increased at the time when the on-peak is recognized, Can be reduced than the total electricity rate.

If the particular component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a point-in-time), the output may be increased. For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first.

Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water in the hot water tank by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or in the case of a washing machine or a washing machine, by driving the heater ahead of the scheduled operation time of the heater. This is to operate the off-peak in advance to be operated in the future on-peak to reduce the electricity bill.

Or when a particular component recognizes an off-peak (for example, at the time of recognition).

In the present invention, the particular component (e.g., the energy consuming unit) can maintain, reduce or increase the output. Thus, a particular component may include a power changing component. Since the power can be defined by current and voltage, the power variable component may include a current regulator and / or a voltage regulator. The power variable component may be operated according to an instruction issued from the energy management unit, for example.

On the other hand, the energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which the component is stopped or the electricity fee is reduced. The energy reduction information may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal on a network system, for example, as a Boolean. That is, a stop signal (turn off signal) or a reduction signal (lower power signal) can be transmitted and received.

When the specific component recognizes the energy reduction information, it can reduce the output (when the lower power signal is recognized) or to zero the output as described above (if the stop or stop state is maintained) have.

The emergency information is information related to a power failure or the like, and can be transmitted or received as a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean. The information related to the power failure or the like is related to the reliability of components using energy.

If the particular component recognizes the emergency information, it may be immediately shut down.

When the specific component receives the emergency information as the schedule information, the specific component increases the output before arriving at the emergency time point, and performs the same operation as the off-peak operation of the specific component described above have. And, at the time of the emergency, the specific component can be shut down.

The grid reliability information is information about the amount of electricity supplied or the amount of electric power supplied or information about the quality of electricity. The grid reliability information may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal such as a Boolean or supplied to a component (for example, The component may determine the frequency of the AC power source.

That is, when the underfrequency of the AC power supplied to the component is detected (recognized), it is determined that the supplied electricity quantity is small. If an overfrequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power supply is detected (recognized) Can be judged to be many.

When the specific component recognizes that the amount of electricity is low or the quality of the electricity is poor, the specific component may set the output 0 (stop or stop) depending on the case, as mentioned above, The output can be reduced, the output can be maintained, or the output can be increased.

The electricity generation amount overage information is information about a state where the electricity consumption of the component consuming energy is smaller than that of the electricity generation and the surplus electricity is generated and can be transmitted or received as a true or false signal such as Boolean.

The output can be increased if the particular component recognizes the generated electricity excess information (eg, when recognizing the grid overfrequency or recognizing the over energy signal). For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first. Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater in advance of the operation time of the heater in the case of the washing machine or the washing machine.

Specifically, each type of information related to the energy includes first information (I1) that is not processed, second information (I2) that is information processed in the first information, And third information (I3), which is information for performing a function of the 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.

And, energy related information is included in the signal and transmitted. At this time, at least one of the first to third information may be converted only the signal, but the content may be transmitted a plurality of times without being converted.

For example, as shown in the figure, a component receiving a signal including the first information I1 may simply convert a signal and transmit a new signal including the first information I1 to another component.

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

However, the third information may be transmitted a plurality of times in a state in which the contents are converted, or may be transmitted a plurality of times in a state in which signals are converted while maintaining the same contents.

In detail, when the first information is unprocessed electricity rate information, the second information may be processed electricity rate information. The processed electricity bill information is information or analytical information in which electric bill is divided into multiple levels. The third information is an instruction generated based on the first information or the second information.

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

For example, a plurality of third information can be transmitted and received in sequence or in parallel without 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.

In one example, when a particular component receives the first information, the particular component may transmit the second information, transmit the second information and the third information, or may transmit only the third information.

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

On the other hand, in the relationship between two pieces of information, one piece of information is a message and the other piece of information is a response to a message. Accordingly, each component constituting the network system can transmit or receive a message, and can respond to a received message when receiving a message. Therefore, the transmission and correspondence of a message is a relative concept for individual components.

The message may comprise data (first information or second information) and / or instructions (third information).

The command (third information) includes at least one of a data storage command, a data generation command, a data processing command (including generating additional data), an additional command generation command, a further generated command transmission command, Command, and the like.

In this specification, responding to a received message means that it is necessary to store data, to process data (including generating additional data), to generate a new command, to send a newly created command, ), Operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of an acknowledge character or negative acknowledge character, etc.

For example, if the message is first information, the component that received the first information may generate a second information by processing the first information, generate second information, and generate new third information, Only the third information can be generated.

Specifically, when the energy management unit 24 receives the first information (internal information and / or external information), the energy management unit 24 generates the second information and / or the third information, To one or more constituent components (e.g., an energy consuming unit). The energy consuming unit 26 may operate according to the third information received from the energy managing unit 24. [

5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of 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 may communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33 and 34 (second to fourth components) of the home network. It is noted that there is no limit to the number of components of the home network that communicate with the first component 31 at this time.

That is, in this embodiment, the first component 31 serves as a gateway. The first component 31 may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measurement unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

A component serving as a gateway in the present invention not only enables communication between components communicating using different communication protocols, but also enables communication between components communicating using the same communication protocol.

Each of the second to fourth components 32, 33 and 34 includes an energy generating unit, an energy distributing unit, an energy managing unit, an energy storing unit, an energy measuring unit, a central managing unit, Lt; / RTI >

The first component 31 may receive information from the utility network 10 or one or more components that make up the utility network 10 and may forward or process the received information so that the second component- (32), (33) and (34). For example, when the first component 31 is an energy measurement unit, the first component may receive electric bill information and transmit it to an energy management unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

Each of the second to fourth components 32, 33, and 34 may communicate with another component. For example, the first component 31 may be an energy measurement unit, the second component may be an energy management unit, and the energy management unit may communicate with one or more energy consumption units.

6 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

That is, the present invention includes a plurality of components (first and second components 41 and 42) serving as a gateway. The first and second components 41 and 42 may be homogeneous components or other types of components.

The first component 41 may communicate with one or more components (e.g., third and fourth components 43 and 44), and the second component 42 may communicate with one or more components 5 and the sixth component 45, 46).

For example, each of the first and second components 41 and 42 may be one of an energy management unit, an energy measurement unit, a central management unit, an energy network auxiliary unit, an energy consumption unit, and the like.

Each of the third to sixth components 43, 44, 45 and 46 is one of an energy generating unit, an energy distributing unit, an energy managing unit, an energy measuring unit, a central managing unit, .

7 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a home network applicable to a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

Hereinafter, another example of a network according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8 is a block diagram showing another example of a network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8, the present embodiment includes a plurality of power generation units 110, 120, home appliances 210, 220, 230, a control unit 310, an input unit 320, and a display unit 330 . The power generation units 110 and 120 generate electric power, which is consumed by the electric appliances 210, 220 and 230. The home appliances 210, 220 and 230 consume power generated by the power generation units 110 and 120 to perform an operation to achieve a predetermined target. The power control unit 310 controls power consumed by the home appliances 210, 220, and 230 supplied from the power generators 110 and 120. The input unit 320 receives a signal for controlling power, and the display unit 330 displays information about power.

In more detail, the power generation units 110 and 120 include first and second power generation units 110 and 120. FIG. For example, the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 may be, for example, a power generation plant generating power or a household power generation. In this case, the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 are substantially connected to the energy generating unit 11 (see FIG. 2) of the utility network 10 or the energy generating unit 110 of the home network 20 (21). ≪ / RTI > The energy generating unit 11 of the utility network 10 and the energy generating unit 21 of the home network 20 differ in whether or not they pay the electric power. That is, in the case of the power generated by the energy generating unit 11 of the utility network 10, the user has to pay a fee for use, that is, a fee. However, the power generated by the energy generating unit 21 of the home network 20 In this case, it is not necessary to pay the price accordingly.

The home appliances 210, 220 and 230 perform an operation to achieve a predetermined purpose by using power generated by the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 substantially. In the present embodiment, the home appliances 210, 220 and 230 include the second home appliances 210, 220 and 230 in the first home appliance 1. Various appliances such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, a cooking appliance, and an air conditioner can be used as the home appliances 210, 220 and 230. It can be said that the home appliances 210, 220, and 230 substantially correspond to the energy consuming unit 26 (see FIG. 2). Of course, any one of the configurations of the home appliances 210, 220, and 230 that substantially consume power to perform a predetermined operation, for example, a compressor or a fan of a refrigerator or an air conditioner, It may be understood that the magnetron or the heater of the cooking appliance corresponds to the energy consuming portion 26. [

The control of the power by the power control unit 310 is performed by at least the distribution of the power to the home appliances 210, 220 and 230 and the power distribution from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 Of the consumption rate. That is, the power controller 310 distributes the power generated by the first and second power generators 110 and 120 to the second home appliances 210, 220 and 230 in the first tier 1. Also, the power controller 310 adjusts the ratio of the power received from the first and second power generators 110 and 120. For example, the power control unit 310 may control the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 (i.e., the first and second power generation units 110 and 120) ) Can be adjusted between 0 and 100%.

The input unit 320 receives a signal for controlling power consumed by the first and second power generators 110 and 120 and consumed by the second home appliances 210, . Particularly, the input unit 320 receives a signal for controlling the ratio of the power supplied from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120.

The display unit 330 displays information on the power supplied from the first and second power generating units 110 and 120 and distributed to the second home appliances 210, Display. For example, the display unit 330 may display a rate per unit electric power of the electric power supplied from the first and second electric power generators 110 and 120, a rate per unit electric power of the first and second electric power generators 110 and 120, The amount of power used in the second home appliances 210, 220, and 230 in the first tier 1, and the like. Particularly, in the present embodiment, the display unit 330 displays information on the ratio of the power supplied from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120. The information on the power displayed on the display unit 330 may be transmitted from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 or the power control unit 310 to the energy measurement unit 25 2). ≪ / RTI >

Hereinafter, the operation of another example of the network according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

The electric power generated and supplied from the first and second electric power generating units 110 and 120 is distributed to the second electric home appliances 210, 220 and 230 in the first electric power control unit 310 by the electric power control unit 310. The second home appliances 210, 220, and 230 in the first tier 1 consume the distributed power to perform an operation to achieve a predetermined target.

On the other hand, the display unit 330 displays information on the power, in particular, the cost per unit electric power of the electric power generated by the first and second electric power generators 110 and 120, or the maximum electric energy that can be generated. When the input unit 320 receives a signal for controlling the power from the user, the power control unit 310 controls the power according to the signal received by the input unit 320.

For example, the power supplied from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 is adjusted to a ratio of 5: 5, and the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 It can be assumed that the cost per unit power of the supplied power is 30 won per 1 kW and 60 per 1 kW, respectively. In such a case, the electric power charge by the use of the electric power supplied from the second electric power generation section 120 is higher than the electric power charge by the use of the electric power supplied from the first electric power generation section 110. The user inputs a signal to the input unit 320 to control the amount of power supplied from the first power generation unit 110 to be increased and the amount of power supplied from the second power generation unit 120 to be decreased . Accordingly, it is possible to reduce electric power charges consumed by the first and third third domestic appliances 210, 220, and 230. In addition, according to the passage of time, the rates of charges per unit electric power supplied from the first and second power generation units 110 and 120 can be changed. At this time, the user adjusts the amount of electric power supplied from the first and second electric power generators 110 and 120 so that the first to third electric home appliances 210, 220, It is possible to reduce the electric power cost consumed.

Of course, the power control unit 310 may control the power of the first and second power generation units 110 and 120, substantially regardless of the input of the signal of the input unit 320, The ratio of the electric power delivered from the first and second power generating units 110 and 120 is adjusted so that the electric power charges consumed in the operation of the second home appliances 210, It is possible.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. will be.

110, 120: power generating unit 210, 220, 230:
310: power control unit 320: input unit
330:

Claims (9)

delete delete delete delete delete delete A plurality of power generation units having a first power generation unit and a second power generation unit for generating power;
A power consumption unit for consuming power supplied from the first and second power generation units to perform an operation for achieving a predetermined target;
A power controller for controlling power including an operation of distributing power supplied from the first and second power generators to the power consuming unit;
A display unit in which the cost per unit electric power of the electric power supplied from the first and second electric power generators and the maximum electric power producible amount are comparably displayed; And
An input unit for receiving a signal for controlling a ratio of power supplied from the first and second power generators; Lt; / RTI >
When the display unit displays that the cost per unit power of the second power generation unit is higher than the cost per unit power of the first power generation unit,
Wherein the input unit is operable to reduce the amount of power supplied from the second power generation unit and to increase the amount of power supplied from the first power generation unit through the input unit. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising: an energy measurement unit for measuring a power amount and cost information supplied from the first and second power generation units. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the power consumption unit is a home appliance that operates to achieve a set target.

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