KR101656884B1 - A network system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a network system.
A network system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a utility network including an energy generating unit; A home network including an energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit; An energy measuring unit provided in the utility network or the home network and recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information; An energy management unit provided in the utility network or the home network and managing the energy information or the additional information with respect to the energy consuming unit; And a storage unit for separately storing a function execution medium necessary for performing the function of the energy consuming unit based on the energy information or the additional information.

Description

A 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 an embodiment of the present invention includes a utility network including an energy generating unit; A home network including an energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit; An energy measuring unit provided in the utility network or the home network and recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information; An energy management unit provided in the utility network or the home network and managing the energy information or the additional information with respect to the energy consuming unit; And a storage unit for separately storing a function execution medium necessary for performing the function of the energy consuming unit based on the energy information or the additional information.

In addition, the network system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a utility network including an energy generation unit; A home network including a plurality of energy consuming units consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit; And an energy management unit provided in the utility network or the home network and managing the energy consuming unit according to additional information other than the recognized energy information or energy information; And a storage unit for storing a function execution medium produced in advance by a component constituting the energy consuming unit based on the energy information or the additional information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently produce, use, distribute, and store an energy source, thereby effectively managing the energy source.

In addition, it is possible to drive and control the electric appliances in the home using the energy information transmitted from the supplier, and it is possible to reduce the energy usage fee or power consumption.

1 is a schematic diagram of a network system according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a network system according to the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on the network system of the present invention.
4 (a) is a graph showing TOU (Time of use) information and CPP (critical peak pattern) information, and FIG. 4 (b) is a graph showing RTP real time pattern) information.
5 is a block diagram schematically showing a first embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.
6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a second embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.
7 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a third embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.
8 is a schematic diagram of a home network according to the present invention.
9 is an external perspective view of an energy consuming portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing the internal configuration of the energy consuming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a block diagram showing a network configuration related to the energy consuming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a block diagram showing a network configuration related to the energy consuming unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration related to an energy consuming unit according to a third 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 of a network system according to 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 one embodiment includes a power plant that produces 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 sent back to the outside (for example, a power company).

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 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 > In one example, the energy management unit 14 may generate commands relating 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, and 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 an article or a material to be used or processed in the operation of the energy consuming unit 26, for example. 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 energy distributing units 12 and 22, the energy storing units 13 and 23, the energy managing units 14 and 24, the energy measuring units 15 and 25, The central management 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 units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 exist as a single component, and each of the smart meters, the energy management device, 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 or the like) connected to each of the two components. As another example, the communication means may be zigbee, wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the like.

In the present specification, there is no limitation on 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). The energy consumption unit 26 may be connected to 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 of the components (for example, the energy consuming unit) can communicate with the communication unit (the second interface) (third interface). For example, when the energy consuming unit 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 is 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).

3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on the network system of the present invention. 4 (a) is a graph showing time of use (TOU) information and critical peak pattern (CPP) information, and FIG. 4 (b) 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, "energy information") by communication means. Further, the specific component (C) can be configured to include additional information (environmental information, program update information, time information, operation or status information of each component (failure), and consumer habit information using the energy consumption unit Can be further received.

The environmental information may include carbon dioxide emission amount, carbon dioxide concentration in air, temperature, humidity, rainfall amount, rainfall amount, insolation amount, air amount, 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 charge information (energy charge) and non-charge information (energy reduction, emergency situation, network safety, power generation, 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 of the signals as an on-peak signal and the other signal as an off-peak ) Signal.

Alternatively, a particular component may recognize information about at least one drive that includes an electricity bill, and the particular component may compare on-peak and off-peak values by comparing the recognized information value with a reference information value off-peak.

For example, when a specific component recognizes leveled information or actual price information, the specific component compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to determine on-peak and off-peak values, Lt; / RTI >

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 slope of power consumption amount 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.).

If the specific component (for example, the energy consuming unit) recognizes an on-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output may be set to 0 (stop or stop) and the output may be reduced. 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 use charge 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, if 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, a point-in-time). 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 can 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 total electricity charge during the entire drive period of a particular component, even when the output increases at the time of recognizing the on-peak, It can be reduced than the electricity rate.

If the specific component recognizes an off-peak (for example, a recognition time point), the output can 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 in off-peak in advance to be operated at an on-peak to be reached in the future, thereby reducing electric charges.

Or when a particular component recognizes an off-peak (for example, when it is recognized).

In the present invention, the particular component (e.g., the energy consuming unit) may 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, for example, be operated according to an instruction issued from the energy management unit.

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, such as a Boolean on a network system. 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 (Grid emergency) is information related to a power failure or the like, and can be transmitted and 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 may increase the output before arriving at the emergency time point and perform the same operation as the operation at the off-peak of the specific component described above . 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 electricity supplied or information about the quality of electric power. The grid reliability information is 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 judged 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 excess information is information about the 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 specific component recognizes the generated electricity excess information (eg, when it recognizes grid overfrequency or recognizes an 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 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, And may be transmitted 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 schematically showing a first embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first component 31 of the home network 20 may communicate directly with the utility network 10. The first component 31 may communicate with a plurality of components 32, 33, 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, for example, 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 acting 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 may be one of an energy generating unit, an energy distributing unit, an energy managing unit, an energy storing unit, an energy measuring unit, a central managing unit, have.

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, 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.

And each of the second to fourth components can 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 schematically illustrating a second embodiment of a network system according to the present invention.

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

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

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

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

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

Referring to FIG. 7, each of the components 51, 52, 53 constituting the home network of the present embodiment can directly communicate with the utility network 20. [ That is, there is no component acting 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.

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

Referring to FIG. 8, the home network 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an energy measuring unit 25 for measuring in real time power and / or electricity rates supplied from the utility network 10 to homes, For example, a smart meter, the energy measurement unit 25, and an energy management unit 24 connected to and controlling the operation of the electric product.

On the other hand, the electricity rate of each household can be charged by the hourly rate, and the electricity rate per hour becomes high in the time interval in which the electric power consumption is rapidly increased, and the electricity rate per hour becomes low when the electric power consumption is relatively low .

The energy management unit 24 is connected to the electric appliance such as the refrigerator 100, the washing machine 200, the air conditioner 300, the dryer 400, or the cooking appliance 500 as an energy consuming unit 26, And can be used for bi-directional communication.

Communication in the home can be done through wired such as Zigbee, wifi, or a power line communication (PLC, Power line communication), and one household appliance can be connected to communicate with other household appliances.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of the energy consuming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a view showing the internal configuration of the energy consuming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the refrigerator 100 is included in the energy consuming unit 26 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The refrigerator 100 includes a main body 110 having a refrigerator compartment 111 and a freezer compartment 113 as a storage compartment and refrigerator doors 120 and 130 for selectively shielding the main body 110. The refrigerator doors 120 and 130 include a freezer compartment door 120 rotatably provided in front of the freezer compartment 113 and a refrigerator compartment door 130 rotatably provided in front of the refrigerating compartment 111.

In detail, the refrigerating chamber 111 and the freezing chamber 113 can be partitioned by the partition 112 on both sides.

An evaporator 130 as a cooling device for generating cool air and a blowing fan 132 for blowing the cool air generated in the evaporator to the freezing chamber 113 are provided at the rear side of the freezing chamber 113.

A cool air discharge hole 115 for discharging cool air to the freezing chamber 113 is formed on the rear wall of the freezing chamber 113. A first flow path 134 for guiding the movement of the cool air from the blowing fan 132 to the cool air discharge hole 115 is provided at the rear side of the freezing chamber 113.

Meanwhile, the freezing chamber 113 may be divided into a plurality of spaces. One space of the plurality of spaces may form a cooling / cooling unit 150 for storing cold air.

A cooling and discharging hole 154 is formed in the cooling and heating unit 150 so that at least a part of the cooling air generated by the evaporator 130 is discharged to the cooling and heating unit 150.

A blocking part 152 is formed in front of the cooling part 150 to block the cooling part 150 from the space of the freezing room 113 except for the cooling part 150. The blocking part 152 may be provided on the front surface of the cooling part 150 to close the cooling part 150. That is, the cold storage part 150 may be formed as a space which is sealed by the inner wall of the main body 110 constituting the freezing chamber 113 and the blocking part 152.

The shutoff unit 152 is provided with a cool air supply hole 156 for supplying cool air stored in the cold storage unit 150 to the freezing chamber 113 and a damper member 158 for selectively opening the cool air supply hole 156 ).

When the blowing fan 132 is operated while the damper member 158 is opened, the cool air of the cooling unit 150 may be supplied to the freezing chamber 113 through the cooling air supply hole 156.

In addition, the portion constituting the cold storage portion 150 may be made of a material having excellent heat insulation performance to effectively store cold air.

And a second flow path 136 for guiding the movement of the cool air from the blowing fan 132 to the precooled discharge hole 154 is provided on the rear side of the freezing chamber 113. The second flow path 136 may be separated from the first flow path 134 and extend in different directions.

The partitioning part 112 is formed with a communication hole 117 through which cool air in the freezing chamber 113 can be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 111. The communication hole 117 may be provided with a damper (not shown) for selectively supplying cold air to the refrigerating chamber 111 side.

11 is a block diagram showing a network configuration related to the energy consuming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

11, the network system including the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an energy measuring unit 25 for recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information, An energy management unit 24 for managing the operation of the refrigerator 100 according to additional information and a communication unit 160 for communicating with the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

The energy measuring unit 25 and the energy managing unit 24 may be connected to each other to be able to communicate with each other. The communication unit 160 may be provided to the refrigerator 100 or may be connected to the refrigerator 100.

The refrigerator 100 is provided with a compressor 180 operated to drive a refrigeration cycle, a flow path switching portion 190 switching supply of cool air to the first flow path 134 or the second flow path 136, A blowing fan 132 for generating a blowing force for supplying cold air to the freezing chamber 113, and a control unit 170 for controlling these configurations.

The communication unit 160 may receive the information, that is, the energy information or additional information other than energy, from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

When the information is recognized to limit the driving of the refrigerator 100, for example, when the information is recognized as energy rate information exceeding a predetermined reference value (on-peak time period) (100) can be controlled to reduce the amount of electric power or electric bill.

The compressor 180 is an essential component of a refrigeration cycle for generating cold air, and can be understood as a component having a relatively large amount of power consumption among a plurality of components constituting the refrigerator 100.

If the information is recognized as an on-peak time period, the driving of the compressor 180 may be restricted. However, the refrigerator (100) is an electrical product in which a predetermined temperature must be maintained so that the stored product can be safely and hygienically stored.

The compressor 180 can be turned off when the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 111 or the freezing chamber 113 reaches a set temperature (target temperature). However, in the present embodiment, the compressor 180 may be driven for a predetermined time or longer to supply cold air to the cold storage unit 150 even after the temperature of the storage room reaches a target temperature.

When the driving of the compressor 180 is restricted, the cold air to be supplied to the storage rooms 111 and 113 of the refrigerator may be supplied from the cold storage unit 150.

As described above, the cooling / heating unit 150 may be a unit for cooling the freezing chamber 113 or the refrigerating chamber 111 during the on-peak time period.

The operation of the network system according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

The cool air generated in the evaporator 130 is supplied to the freezing chamber 130 through the cool air discharge hole 115. When the freezing chamber 130 is not in the on peak time period, (113). At this time, the flow path switching portion 190 operates to move the cold air to the first flow path 134.

When the temperature of the storage compartment reaches the set temperature (target temperature), the controller 170 controls the flow switching unit 190 to move the cool air to the second flow path 136. In this process, the cold cooler 150 can store cold cool air.

That is, one component (compressor) of the refrigerator 100 is driven in advance to generate cool air and store it. Here, the cool air can be understood as consumable as described above, and may be called a "function execution medium" necessary for performing the function of the refrigerator 100. [

The control unit 170 turns off the compressor 180 when the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25 receives the information from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25, Can be driven.

Then, the controller 170 may open the damper member 158. The cooling air of the cooling unit 150 can be supplied to the freezing chamber 113 by the wind power of the air blowing fan 132.

According to such a configuration, when the additional information other than the energy information or the energy information exceeds the preset reference value, the amount of power consumed in the energy consuming unit can be reduced and the energy cost can be reduced.

12 is a block diagram showing a network configuration related to the energy consuming unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the network system including the washing machine 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an energy measuring unit 25 for recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information, An energy management unit 24 for managing the operation of the refrigerator 100 according to additional information and a communication unit 160 for communicating with the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

The energy measuring unit 25 and the energy managing unit 24 may be connected to each other to be able to communicate with each other. The communication unit 160 may be provided in the washing machine 200 or may be connected to the washing machine 200.

The washing machine 200 includes a water supply unit 220 for supplying washing water to the washing machine 200, a heating unit 230 for heating the washing water supplied from the water supply unit 220, A hot water tank 240 for storing hot water (washing water) heated by the hot water tank 240, and a control unit 250 for controlling these structures.

The communication unit 160 may receive the information, that is, the energy information or additional information other than energy, from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

When it is recognized that the information is required to limit the driving of the washing machine 200, for example, when the information is recognized as energy rate information exceeding a preset reference value (on peak time period) The control unit 200 can be controlled to reduce the amount of electric power or electric charges.

The heating device 230 is a device for heating the washing water for hot water washing, and can be understood as a component having relatively high power consumption among a plurality of components constituting the washing machine 200.

If the information is recognized as an on-peak time period, the driving of the heating device 230 may be restricted. However, hot water stored in the hot water tank 240 may be used when hot water washing using a washing machine is required during the on peak time period.

The hot water tank 240 serves as means for storing a predetermined thermal medium (hot water), and can function to supply hot water during the on peak time period.

The operation of the network system according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

The washing water supplied from the water supply unit 220 is heated by the heating device 230 so as to be heated by the heating unit 230, And can be supplied to the washing space of the washing machine 200.

The heating device 230 may further heat the washing water by a preset amount after heating the washing water required for the hot water washing. The heated water may be stored in the hot water tank 240.

That is, the heating device 230 is driven in advance and stored in a predetermined place in case that specific information (on-peak time interval) is reached later. Here, the hot water stored in the hot water tank 240 can be understood as the consumable, and may be called a "functioning medium" necessary for performing the function of the washing machine 200. [

The control unit 170 turns off the heating unit 230 and turns on the hot water tank 240 when it is recognized as an on peak time period by the information transmitted from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25. [ So that hot water washing can be performed using the hot water stored in the hot water washing unit.

According to such a configuration, when the additional information other than the energy information or the energy information exceeds the preset reference value, the amount of power consumed in the energy consuming unit can be reduced and the energy cost can be reduced.

13 is a block diagram illustrating a network configuration related to an energy consuming unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the network system including the water purifier 600 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes an energy measuring unit 25 for recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information, An energy management unit 24 for managing the operation of the refrigerator 100 according to additional information and a communication unit 160 for communicating with the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

The water purifier 200 is provided with a compressor 620 for driving a refrigeration cycle, a heating device 630 for supplying hot water, and a controller 650 for controlling the driving of the compressor 620 or the heating device 630 ).

The communication unit 160 may receive the information, that is, the energy information or additional information other than energy, from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

When the information is recognized to limit the driving of the water purifier 600, for example, when the information is recognized as energy charge information exceeding a predetermined reference value (on-peak time period) The control unit 600 can be controlled so as to reduce the amount of electric power or electric charges.

The heating device 630 can be understood as a component that relatively consumes a large amount of power among a plurality of components constituting the water purifier 600 as a device for heating drinking water for supplying hot water.

The compressor 620 compresses the refrigerant to operate the cooling device (not shown), and can be understood as a component that consumes a relatively large amount of power among a plurality of components of the water purifier 600.

The hot water produced by the heating device 630 is stored in the first hot water tank 643 and the cold water produced by the compressor 620 and the cooling device is stored in the first cold water tank 641. The first hot water tank 643 and the first cold water tank 641 may have predetermined capacities.

The water purifier 600 further includes a second cold water tank 642 or a second hot water tank 644 for previously storing the cold water or hot water by driving the compressor 620 or the heater 630 in advance .

If the information is recognized as the on-peak time period, the driving of the heating device 630 or the compressor 620 may be restricted. When the amount of water stored in the first hot water tank 643 or the first cold water tank 641 is insufficient during the on peak time interval, the hot water stored in the second hot water tank 644 or the second cold water tank 642 Or cold water may be supplied.

The second cold water tank 642 and the second hot water tank 644 serve as means for storing a predetermined heating medium (cold water or hot water) and can function to supply cold water or hot water during the on peak time period.

The operation of the network system according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

The drinking water is cooled by the driving of the compressor 620 and is supplied to the first cold water tank 641 through the first cooling water tank 641, Or is heated by the heating device 630 and stored in the first hot water tank 643.

The cold water or hot water produced at this time may be stored in the second cold water tank 642 or the hot water tank 644 have.

The cold water or the hot water stored in the second cold water tank 642 or the hot water tank 644 may be understood as the consumable and may be referred to as a "functioning medium" necessary for performing the function of the water purifier 200 It will be possible.

The control unit 650 turns off the heating device 630 or the compressor 620 when it is recognized as an on peak time period by the information transmitted from the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25, The hot water or cold water previously stored in the second hot water tank 644 or the second cold water tank 642 can be controlled to be supplied.

According to such a configuration, when the additional information other than the energy information or the energy information exceeds the preset reference value, the amount of power consumed in the energy consuming unit can be reduced and the energy cost can be reduced.

The compressor or the heating device described in the above embodiments may be called a "power consuming part" which consumes power for performing the function of the energy consuming part.

Further, the cold storage portion, the hot water tank, the second cold water tank, and the second hot water tank may be referred to as a "storage portion "

10: utility network 20: home network
30: Component 40: Information
100: Refrigerator 200: Washing machine
600: Water purifier

Claims (20)

A home network including an energy consuming unit for consuming the generated energy from a utility network including an energy generating unit;
An energy measuring unit provided in the utility network or the home network and recognizing additional information other than energy information or energy information; And
And an energy management unit provided in the utility network or the home network and managing the energy information or the additional information with respect to the energy consuming unit,
The energy-
At least one power consumption unit driven to perform the function of the energy consuming unit,
And a storage unit for separately storing a function execution medium generated by driving the power consumption unit,
Wherein the function performing medium is any one of a cool air, a laundry hot water, a drinking cold water, or a hot water for cooling a stored product of a refrigerator,
The power consumption unit may be a heating device or a compressor,
The energy management unit,
Storing the function performing medium in the storage unit if the energy information is recognized as not exceeding the reference value,
Wherein when the energy information is recognized as exceeding the reference value, the function execution medium is used for performing the function of the energy consuming unit,
Wherein the operation of the power consumption unit is limited during the use of the function execution medium. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the function performing medium is a cool air for cooling a stored product of the refrigerator, and the storing unit is a condensing unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
In the energy consuming portion,
A first flow path for allowing cool air to be supplied to the refrigerator storage room other than the refrigerating and condensing section;
A second flow path for allowing cold air to be supplied to the constriction portion; And
And a flow path switching unit for controlling the opening of the first flow path or the second flow path. 14. The method of claim 13,
In the axial cold portion,
And a damper member for allowing cool air stored in the cold storage unit to be supplied to the refrigerator storage compartment when the energy information is recognized as exceeding the reference value. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the function execution medium is wash water, and the storage unit is a hot water tank. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the function performing medium is drinking cold water or drinking hot water, and the storing unit is a cold water tank or a hot water tank. delete delete

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