KR101731361B1 - Electronic device for controlling consumption power and method of operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for limiting power consumption of an electronic device is disclosed. A power consumption limiting method according to the present invention includes: a request receiving step of receiving a consumption power restricting request including a restricted consumption power value; And a response transmission step of transmitting a response to the power consumption restriction request based on the limited power consumption value and a required consumption power value required for a requested operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device for controlling power consumption and a method of operating the electronic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus that operates within a limited power consumption by limiting power consumption and a control method thereof.

Recently, introduction of an intelligent power grid (smart grid) for efficient use of electricity in power consumers has become a big issue in the state of energy conservation and efficiency, and when such an intelligent power grid is introduced, Flexible rates can be introduced.

According to this tendency, it is required to develop a technology capable of efficiently controlling various electronic devices used in the home in connection with the introduction of the smart grid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method of an electronic apparatus and an electronic apparatus which operate in accordance with operating power determined by receiving a restriction request for power consumption required for operation.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, It will be possible.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication apparatus including: a communication unit; And a power restricting request including a restricted power value through the communication unit, and based on the limited power value and a required power value required for the operation, And a controller for sending a response to the power limit request and determining a restricted operating power for a restriction for consumption power in view of the limited power value and the required power value. The device is started.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for limiting power consumption of an electronic device is disclosed. The present invention provides a method for controlling a power consumption of a device, comprising: receiving a request for power consumption restricting request including a restricted consumption power value; And a response transmission step of transmitting a response to the power consumption restriction request based on the limited power consumption value and a required consumption power value required for a requested operation.

The present invention has the following effects.

First, by appropriately redistributing power consumption between electronic devices connected to a network, it is possible to control the amount of power consumed by all the electronic devices connected to the network, thereby reducing power consumption.

Secondly, the power consumption of the electronic apparatuses connected to the network is allocated, and the electronic apparatuses can operate within the range of the allocated power, thereby reducing the overall power consumption.

Third, degradation of performance for performing a requested operation, if necessary, so that the electronic apparatuses to which the power consumption is allocated can perform the requested operation within the range of the allocated power consumption, .

Fourth, when the electronic apparatuses can not perform the requested operation within the range of the power allocated to the electronic apparatuses, the power reallocation procedure according to the operations can be performed, so that the convenience of the user can be increased.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a smart grid.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a gateway network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of an energy management apparatus connected to a power management network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of a DTV which is one of electronic apparatuses connected to a power management network.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the energy management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a negotiation procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing that the energy management apparatus displays a user interface for querying the user of the priority.
9 is a diagram showing that the energy management apparatus displays a user interface for querying an electronic apparatus to be stopped by the user.
10 is a flowchart for explaining that the electronic device performs the power limiting operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart for explaining that the electronic device performs the power limiting operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a diagram for explaining an operation mode of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display of an operation restriction message to a user by a power limitation operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure in which an electronic device requests power reallocation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
16 is a table showing various operation modes that can be set in the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention and a table in which the power amount per module allocated to each component is matched.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a table in which various operation modes that can be set in the refrigerator and the power amount per module allocated to each component are matched thereto.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a PC according to an embodiment of the present invention.
20 is a diagram showing a table in which various operation modes that can be set in a PC and a power amount for each module allocated to each component are matched.

The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

<Overall system configuration>

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a smart grid. The smart grid includes a power plant generating electricity through thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, or hydroelectric power generation, and a photovoltaic power generation plant and a wind power generation plant using solar power or wind power .

The thermal power plant, nuclear power plant or hydroelectric power plant transmits electric power to the electric power plant through a transmission line, and electric power is sent to the substation in the electric power plant so that electric power is distributed to the consumer such as the home or the office.

Electricity generated by renewable energy is also sent to the substation and distributed to each customer. Electricity transmitted from the substation is distributed to the office or each household through the electric power storage device.

Even at home using a home power network (HAN), it is possible to produce electricity by itself through the fuel cell installed in the solar cell or the hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) , And the remaining electricity can be returned to the outside.

In the office or home, a smart measuring device and / or a smart server are provided to grasp the electric power and electric power charges used in each customer in real time, thereby enabling the user to recognize the electric power and the electric power charge currently used, You can find ways to reduce power consumption and electricity costs.

In addition, since the power plant, power station, storage device, and consumer are two-way communication, it is necessary to notify the storage device, the power station and the power station of the situation of the demanding place separately from the one- Electric distribution can be performed.

Meanwhile, in the above-mentioned smart grid, an energy management system (EMS) that real time power management of a customer and a real-time prediction of required power and an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that measures power consumption in real- It is responsible for the role of

The measurement device under the Smart Grid is based on an open architecture and is an underlying technology to integrate consumers. It provides consumers with the ability to use electricity efficiently, and power suppliers to detect system problems and efficiently operate the system do.

Here, open architecture is a standard that allows all electric devices to be connected to each other regardless of which manufacturer manufactures the electric devices in a smart grid system, unlike a general communication network.

Thus, the metering devices used in the Smart Grid enable consumer-friendly efficiency concepts such as &quot; Prices to Devices &quot;.

That is, the real-time price signal of the electric power market is relayed through the energy management device (EMS) installed in each home. The energy management device (EMS) communicates with each electric device and controls it. It is possible to save the energy and cost by recognizing the power information of each electric device and performing the power information processing such as setting the consumed electric power or the electric power charge limit based on the information.

Wherein the energy management device (EMS) communicates with a local energy management device (EMS) used in the office or home and bi-directional communication with the local energy management device (EMS) to process the information collected in the local energy management device And a central energy management device (EMS). In the present specification, the energy management device is referred to as an energy management device (EMS). However, the energy management device may include a smart server, a smart home server, a power managing server, Server) and other similar other names.

Since the smart grid enables real-time communication of power information between the supplier and the consumer, it is possible to realize a "real-time power grid reaction", thereby reducing the high cost required to meet the peak demand.

FIG. 2 shows a power management network 10 in a home, which is a major demand source of the smart grid.

The power management network 10 includes a measurement device (smart meter) 20 or an energy management device (EMS) 30 capable of real-time measurement of power and power charges supplied to each home.

Here, the electricity rate can be charged based on the hourly rate plan. In the time zone in which the electric power consumption is rapidly increased, the electricity rate per hour becomes high, or the electricity rate per hour is low when the electric power consumption is relatively low .

Here, the energy management device 30 includes a screen 33a for displaying the current consumption state and the external environment (temperature and humidity), and is provided with an input button 32, . &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The energy management device 30 or the measurement device 20 may be connected to a DTV (Digital Television) 100, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a dryer, an air conditioner, a lighting device, a shading device, a dishwasher, A home server, or a personal computer, and can perform bi-directional communication with them. That is, the energy management device 30 can manage the power consumed in the electronic devices included in the power management network 10, and can supply power to the electronic devices. In some cases, . For example, the energy management device 30 can control the On / Off state of the electronic devices through the power management network 10. [ Meanwhile, when the electronic device is an air conditioner, the energy management device 30 can control a set temperature, an air flow rate, an operation mode, and the like of the air conditioner.

Communication within the house can be done wirelessly or via wire. For example, the communication between the energy management device 30 and the electronic device may be performed through a wireless communication technology such as ZigBee, WiFi, or Bluetooth, PLC). &Lt; / RTI &gt; The electronic devices may be capable of communicating with different electronic devices.

The power management network 10 includes an auxiliary power source 50, ie, a home power generation facility 51 such as a photovoltaic power generation device, and a storage battery 50 capable of storing power generated in the self power generation facility. (52).

In addition to the battery 52, the fuel cell 53 may also be connected to the power management network 10 to serve as an auxiliary power source.

Here, the auxiliary power source 50 serves to supply power to the home without receiving power from an external power source such as a power company.

The amount of power that can be supplied from the auxiliary power source or the amount of power that is charged to the auxiliary power source 50 may be displayed on the energy management device 30 or the measurement device 20.

<Configuration of energy management device>

3 shows a block diagram of an energy management device connected to a power management network.

The energy management device 30 may include a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, an output unit 33, a memory 34, a power source unit 35, and a control unit 36. In this case, the output unit 33 may include a display unit 33a that outputs an image and an acoustic output unit 33b that outputs sound.

The communication unit 31 can transmit / receive data to / from an electronic device included in the power management network 10 or an external device external to the power management network 10. [ For example, the energy management device 30 can receive power information (hereinafter referred to as Smart Grid information) related to the Smart Grid including the electric power bill from the electric power supplier through the communication unit 31 . In addition, the communication unit 31 may include one or more modules that enable communication between the DTV 100 and a network (e.g., the Internet).

The communication unit 31 can also receive smart grid information in a wired manner (e.g., Ethernet, PLC, etc.) or wireless (e.g., Zigbee).

For example, the communication unit 31 may receive the smart grid information through various communication protocols such as a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, a portable Internet, and a mobile communication network.

The source of the Smart Grid information including the power charge information and the transmission / reception method of the Smart Grid information can be very diverse.

The input unit 32 generates a user input data for controlling the operation of the energy management device 30 or for inputting data.

The input unit 32 has no special proposal for its implementation method. Generally, a keypad method, a wheel key method, a touch pad method, a touch screen method, and the like can be used. In recent years, a large number of touch screen systems have been adopted in view of an increase in space availability, enlargement of a display screen, and design considerations. In this case, the input unit 32 and a display unit 33a to be described later may be integrated into one .

The output unit 33 outputs data necessary for each type. The output unit 33 may include a display unit 33a and an acoustic output unit 33b for generating an output related to a visual or auditory sense or the like and may also include an output And a haptic module (not shown) for generating the haptic signal.

The memory (34) stores data necessary for the operation of the energy management device (30). For example, the memory 34 may store data received through the communication unit 31 and / or data input through the input unit 32.

The power supply unit 35 receives power from the external power supply and / or the auxiliary power supply, and supplies power necessary for operation of the components constituting the energy management unit 30. [ The power source unit 35 may include a battery mounted inside the energy management device 30 in addition to the external power source and / or the auxiliary power source.

The control unit 36 generally controls the overall operation of the energy management device 30. [ The control unit 36 controls operations of the communication unit 31, the input unit 32, the output unit 33, the memory 34, and the power supply unit 35. [

The energy management apparatus 30 described above with reference to FIG. 3 can be applied to various kinds of electronic devices (for example, a smart grid device) connected to the power management network 10 A refrigerator, a washer, a dryer, an air conditioner, a lighting device, a shading device, a dishwasher, a cooking device, a home server, or a personal computer). For example, the energy management device 30 can perform a power limiting request to the electronic devices, receive a response thereto, and the like. A concrete operation method for the energy management device 30 will be described later.

In the meantime, the amount of electric power used in the present specification means the amount of electric energy used per unit time, and it is assumed to include the concept of instantaneous electric energy.

<Configuration of Electronic Device>

4 is a block diagram of a DTV which is one of electronic devices connected to a power management network. 4, only the DTV 100 is illustrated. In the following description, the operation of the DTV 100 will be mainly described. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be applied to other electronic devices other than the DTV 100 It is an obvious fact.

Referring to FIG. 4, the DTV 100 may include a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, an output unit 103, a memory 104, a power source unit 105, and a control unit 106. At this time, the output unit 103 may include a display unit 103a that outputs an image and an acoustic output unit 103b that outputs sound.

The communication unit 101 can transmit / receive data to / from other electronic devices included in the energy management device 30 and / or the power management network 10 through the power management network 10. [ In addition, the communication unit 101 can communicate with an external electronic device via a network different from the power management network 10.

For example, the communication unit 101 may be connected to the energy management device 30 or an external electronic device (not shown) in a wired (e.g., Ethernet, PLC, etc.) or wireless (e.g., Zigbee) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; smart grid &lt; / RTI &gt; In other words, the communication unit 101 can receive the smart grid information through various communication protocols such as a wired Internet, a wireless Internet, a portable Internet, and a mobile communication network.

The input unit 102 generates input data for controlling the operation of the DTV 100 or for inputting data. As with the input unit 32 of the energy management device 30, there is no particular limitation on the implementation method of the input unit 102 of the DTV 100. [ That is, a keypad method, a wheel key method, a touch pad method, a touch screen method, and the like can be used. Furthermore, the DTV 100 can receive an input signal through a remote controller (not shown) such as a space remote controller or a keypad remote controller.

The output unit 103 outputs data required for each type. The output unit 103 may include a display unit 103a and an acoustic output unit 103b for generating an output related to visual or auditory information and may also output an output related to a tactile sense etc. And a haptic module (not shown) for generating the haptic signal.

The memory 104 stores data necessary for the operation of the DTV 100. For example, the memory 104 may store data received through the communication unit 101 and / or data input through the input unit 102.

The power source unit 105 receives power from the external power source and / or the auxiliary power source, and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components constituting the DTV 100. The power source unit 105 may include a battery installed inside the DTV 100 in addition to the external power source and / or the auxiliary power source.

The controller 106 generally controls the overall operation of the DTV 100. The control unit 106 controls operations of the communication unit 101, the input unit 102, the output unit 103, the memory 104, and the power supply unit 105.

The DTV 100 described above with reference to FIG. 4 receives information related to the power limitation from the energy management device 30 based on the smart grid information and the like in the embodiment of the present invention, And performs a series of operations for controlling the operation of the DTV 100 within a limited power range.

For example, the DTV 100 receives a power restriction request from the energy management device 30, and based on the request and the current operation status information of the DTV 100, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; request. &Lt; / RTI &gt; Also, each component included in the DTV 100 can be properly operated within the range of the operating power (limited power) determined based on the request and / or the current operation state of the DTV 100, (Or each of the modules).

Hereinafter, the operation of the energy management apparatus, the operation of the electronic apparatus connected to the energy management apparatus, and the interaction between the energy management apparatus and the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Power Allocation Operation of Energy Management Device>

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the energy management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is described that the operation of the energy management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented by the energy management apparatus 30 described above with reference to FIG. 3, The operation method of the energy management apparatus according to the example is not limited to the energy management apparatus 30 described above.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a series of operations for allocating the limited power to each electronic device will be described.

The energy management apparatus 30 selects a power limitation amount that can be consumed in the power management network 10 (S100). That is, the energy management device 30 may select a limit value for the total amount of power that can be consumed by various kinds of electronic devices included in the power management network 10, including the energy management device 30 . For example, assuming that the power management network 10 is configured one by one in each home, the power limit is a limit value for the total amount of power consumed by one home .

[Selection Criteria of Power Limit]

In step S100, the energy management device 30 may automatically select the power limit based on various criteria and / or requirements of the user, It is possible to passively select the power limit amount. For example, in consideration of the smart grid information received through the communication unit 31, the energy management device 30 may select the power limit amount to limit the power consumption in order to reduce the power ratio in the high- . Alternatively, the energy management device 30 can select the power limit based on the data input by the user through the input unit 32. [ Hereinafter, the criteria by which the energy management device 30 selects the power limit and the power limit time will be described in more detail.

The energy management device 30 can receive the power limit amount from the user and select the power limit amount based on the received power limit amount. That is, the energy management device 30 can control the operation of each electronic device so as not to exceed the power limit input by the user. At this time, the user can set the power limitation amount differently according to the time zone. For example, a user may enter a larger amount of power limitation in a relatively power-consuming morning time zone (a time zone for preparing breakfast and preparing to go to work) and a dinner time zone (a dinner preparation and watching a lot of TV) The energy management device 30 can check the power limit of the current time, and accordingly, the operation of each electronic device can be performed in the afternoon time zone where the power consumption is low Can be controlled.

On the other hand, the energy management device 30 can change the power limitation amount in an instantaneous flow based on a predetermined power usage fee value for a predetermined section. In this case, the power limitation amount may be the power usage charge value (which may be a value determined by the electric power charge flat rate or a value determined by the user's desired electric power usage charge) It is possible to change / determine the power limitation amount in consideration of the power usage charge value, the predetermined interval, and / or the current power usage charge. For example, when the user inputs / sets 50,000 won per month as the power usage fee, the energy management device 30 calculates the operation amount of each electronic device so as to consume power within the range of the power usage fee input by the user Can be controlled. That is, when the user inputs a desired electric bill for 50,000 won for a month in August, and the electric charge for use is 30,000 won as of August 10 as of August 10, It is possible to control each electronic device by determining the power limit amount to be a smaller value than usual. On the contrary, when the electricity usage charge used from August 01 as of August 25 is 20,000 KRW, the energy management device 30 determines the power limitation amount to be larger than usual for the remaining August month, can do.

In addition, since the algorithm for selecting the power limitation by the energy management device 30 can be extremely varied, it is obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that the energy management device 30 For the purpose of limiting the total amount of power consumed by the system, modifications to the above-described algorithms will be optional to those skilled in the art.

Subsequently, within the range of the selected power limit, the energy management device 30 acquires a restricted power-amount for each electric device (not shown) to be allocated to each electronic device included in the power management network 10 (S110).

In step S110, the energy management device 30 can automatically select the limit amount for each device in consideration of various criteria and policies and / or requirements of the user, It is possible to manually select the limit amount for each device.

For example, the energy management device 30 analyzes past power usage patterns of electronic devices connected to the power management network 10 at a time point when the power limitation amount is selected, You can obtain device-specific limits to be assigned to devices.

At this time, the algorithm for analyzing the power usage pattern of the electronic devices by the energy management device 30 and obtaining the limit amount per device may be various. For example, an average value of the amount of power used in the past by the electronic device may be determined as the limit amount per device. Alternatively, an average value of the past power consumption amount corresponding to the section to which the current time belongs may be determined as the device-specific limit amount. Alternatively, the energy management device 30 can confirm the operation currently performed by the electronic device, and determine the average value of the amount of power consumed in performing the operation in the past as the limitation amount per device.

Although not shown in the drawing, the energy management device 30 may be configured to acquire a limit amount for each of the electronic devices (for example, For example, an electronic device in which the power is turned on, can be further performed.

Further, the energy management apparatus 30 may further perform an operation of confirming whether there is an electronic apparatus which is currently in a power-off state but is to perform a reserved operation in a time interval applied to the power limitation amount. In this case, the energy management device 30 may be configured to calculate the limit amount for each device by considering the restriction amount for each device to be allocated to the electronic device that must perform the reserved operation, A star limit amount can be obtained.

Then, the energy management device 30 transmits a power restricting request including the obtained limit amount per device to the corresponding electronic device (S120). The power restriction request may be sent in the form of a message. The power restriction request may be written in an XML-based text format.

The power restriction request is a request for the target electronic device to operate under a limited power so that the electronic device that has received the power restriction request refers to the restriction amount for each device included in the power restriction request, The operating power to be operated can be determined. At this time, if the operating power is determined, the electronic device must operate within the determined operating power range unless a special condition occurs.

Upon receiving the power restriction request, the electronic device transmits a response to the energy management device 30 in consideration of the restriction amount for each device included in the power restriction request. The specific operation of the electronic device according to the reception of the power restriction request will be described later.

The energy management device 30 receives a response from the electronic device that has transmitted the power restriction request (S130). The response may include an accept-response and a reject-response. A detailed description of the acceptance response and the rejection response will be described later.

Subsequently, the energy management device 30 determines whether the response is an acceptance response or a rejection response (S140).

If the response is an acceptance response, the energy management device 30 ends the limited power allocation operation with the electronic device. This does not mean that all operations of the energy management device 30 are terminated, and when the limited power allocation operation with other electronic devices is not completed, the limited power allocation operation with other electronic devices can be continued .

On the other hand, if the response is a rejection response, the energy management device 30 performs a series of negotiation procedures to allocate the limited power to the electronic appliance again (S150). A detailed description of the negotiation procedure performed by the energy management device 30 will be described later.

In the above description, the energy management apparatus 30 transmits a power limitation request to one electronic apparatus. However, the energy management apparatus 30 may be configured to transmit the power limitation request to a plurality of electronic apparatuses Lt; / RTI &gt; can transmit a power limit request, as described above. The energy management device 30 may transmit the power restriction request to the plurality of electronic devices collectively or sequentially. For example, after the energy management device 30 has determined all of the device-specific limit amounts for a plurality of electronic devices, the energy management device 30 can transmit the power restriction requests to the devices at once. Alternatively, when the device-specific limit amount is determined for one electronic device, a power restriction request may be first transmitted to the one electronic device without waiting for the device-specific limit amount for the other electronic devices to be determined.

The power allocation operation of the energy management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Hereinafter, an operation of an electronic device that operates in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and that is assigned a limited power for each device will be described.

&Lt; Electric power allocation operation of electronic equipment &

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, how each of the electronic apparatuses operates according to a series of operations for allocating the limited power for each apparatus to each of the electronic apparatuses will be described.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is described that the operation of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention is implemented by the DTV 100 described above with reference to FIG. 4, but according to an embodiment of the present invention The operation method of the electronic device is not limited to the DTV 100 described above.

The DTV 100 receives a power restriction request from the energy management device 30 according to the above-described step S120 (S200).

Next, the DTV 100 compares the required power in consideration of the current status of the DTV 100 with the limit amount per device included in the power restriction request (S210).

The limit amount per device is the limited amount of power allocated to the DTV 100, as described above.

The required power means an amount of power consumption required for the operation of the DTV 100. On the other hand, comparing the limit amount per device and the required power is an operation performed by the DTV 100 in order to select 'operating power'. In this specification, the required power and the operating power are distinguished from each other.

The required power may be determined by various criteria. These various criteria are explained in more detail.

[Determination of Required Power]

If the DTV 100 is performing a predetermined operation in response to a request from the user, a request from the control unit 106, a request from the energy management device 30, or the like, And can be determined by the amount of power required to perform the operation.

For example, when the DTV 100 displays 'movie A' through the display unit 33a at the request of the user, if the power consumption required to display the 'movie A' is X, The DTV 100 can determine the required power as X. [

The required power may be determined as an amount of power required to perform the operation mode set in the DTV 100 by a request from the user, a request from the control unit 106, a request from the energy management device 30, have.

For example, the DTV 100 outputs 'music B' through the sound output unit 33b under the control of the energy management device 30, and when the user requests it, The power consumption required to output the 'music B' is Y, and the value set to the power required to operate in the 'maximum power saving mode' is Z (Z is assumed to be greater than Y) ), The DTV 100 can determine the required power as Z. [ Of course, since this assumes that the algorithm for determining the required power of the DTV 100 prioritizes the amount of power required for the operation mode, the required power is determined as Z, so that the DTV 100 is required If the algorithm for determining the power is different, the DTV 100 may determine the required power as Y. [

The operation of the DTV 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As a result of the comparison in step S210, step S220 is performed when the device-specific limit amount is equal to or greater than the required power, and step S250 is performed if the device-specific limit amount is less than the required power.

First, a case where the limit amount per device is equal to or higher than the required power will be described.

The DTV 100 determines the operation power of the DTV 100 when the limit amount per unit is equal to or greater than the required power (S220). If the operating power is determined, the DTV 100 should operate within the range of the determined operating power, unless there is a specific condition. do. That is, the DTV 100 should control the operation of each component (or each module) constituting the DTV 100 so as not to consume power exceeding the determined operating power.

[Determination of operating power]

When the limit amount per device is equal to or greater than the required power, the DTV 100 can determine the operating power according to various criteria.

First, the DTV 100 may determine the operating power to be the same value as the limit amount per device. When the DTV 100 determines that the current required power is less than the device-dependent limitation amount allocated to the DTV 100, but is expected to consume more power than the current required power, can do. Alternatively, if the current required power of the DTV 100 is less than the limitation amount per device, if the operation request by the user is irregular or the user's operation execution request is frequent, This determination can be made when securing a reserved power for performing the operation.

For example, if the limit amount per device is A and the power required for the operation of the DTV 100 (for example, the 'AAB news' display) is B (B <A) If the power required to perform the other operation is C, which is greater than B, then the DTV 100 may perform another operation (e.g., display and recording of movie D) The operation power can be determined as A in order to secure the power required for the performance.

Second, the DTV 100 may determine the operating power to be the same value as the required power. The DTV 100 may make this determination if it is expected that it will not consume more power than the current power afterwards.

Thirdly, the DTV 100 may determine the operation power as a value between the required power and a restriction amount per device allocated to the DTV 100. For example, in the above-described example, when the power C required for performing the other reserved operation is larger than the power B required for the currently performed operation, but smaller than the limit amount A per device, the DTV 100, The required power may be determined as C (C is smaller than the limit amount A per device but is larger than the current power B). In addition, in the case where the DTV 100 can determine the operating power as one value between the required power and the limit amount per device in consideration of various other situations and past power consumption patterns and the like It can be varied.

In step S230, the DTV 100 transmits a response to the power restriction request when the device-specific limit amount is equal to or greater than the required power. In this case, the response transmitted from the DTV 100 is an accept-response. The acceptance response may inform the energy management device 30 that the DTV 100 has determined the operation power according to the power restriction request.

The acceptance response may include the required power and / or operating power determined by the DTV 100. When the required power and the operating power are included in the acceptance response and the energy management device 30 performs a negotiation procedure that may occur in a process of allocating a limited amount of power to other electronic devices in the future, Power and the operating power. This will be described later in detail.

Then, the DTV 100 performs a power limiting operation based on the determined operating power so that the power consumed by the operation of the DTV 100 does not exceed the operating power (S240).

Next, a case where the limit amount per device is less than the required power will be described.

In step S250, the DTV 100 transmits a response to the power restriction request when the device-specific limited amount is less than the required power. In this case, the response is a reject-response. The rejection response may inform the energy management device 30 that the DTV 100 has rejected the power restriction request.

The rejection response may include the power required by the DTV 100. Meanwhile, the rejection response may include a priority order of the operations that the DTV 100 is currently performing. When the required power or the priority is transmitted in the rejection response, the energy management device 30 performs a series of processes for reassigning the device-specific limitation amount to the DTV 100 in the future The required power or the priority can be used.

Meanwhile, when the DTV 100 transmits the rejection response, the DTV 100 may temporarily perform the power limitation operation (S260). For example, the DTV 100 may determine the determined required power as the above-described operation power, and control the operation of the DTV 100 based on the determined operation power. That is, the operation of the DTV 100 can be temporarily controlled so as not to use the current power more than the currently used power.

At the same time, the DTV 100 may wait until the request for limiting the power re-power is received from the energy management device 30 (S270). If the DTV 100 receives the re-power restriction request, the DTV 100 may return to step S210 to perform the above-described series of operations again.

<Negotiation procedure>

The operation of limiting the power consumed by each electronic device by transmitting the power restriction request to each electronic device by the energy management device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, although all of the electronic devices may smoothly complete the power allocation procedure by accepting the power restriction request, some electronic devices have been described above as being capable of rejecting such power restriction requests. Hereinafter, a negotiation procedure for allocating power to some of the electronic appliances will be described in the case where some electronic appliances refuse without accepting a power restriction request.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a negotiation procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7, the energy management apparatus (EMS) selects 500 as the power limitation amount in the above-described step S100. In step S110, the energy management apparatus (EMS) Quot ;, &quot; 300 &quot; and &quot; 200 &quot; 7, the first electronic device (Device A) determines its required power to 250 according to the predetermined criteria described above, and the second electronic device (Device B) determines its required power to 250 As shown in Fig.

In this case, the energy management apparatus (EMS) may transmit a power restriction request including a limit value of 300, which is determined as a first electronic device (Device A). Accordingly, the first electronic device (Device A) can transmit an acceptance response as described above. And the allocation value for each device is larger than the required power value 250 determined by the first electronic device (Device A). Accordingly, the energy management apparatus (EMS) can regard the limited power allocation for the first electronic device (Device A) as successful. At this time, the acceptance response may include the power required by the first electronic device (Device A).

Then, the energy management apparatus (EMS) may transmit a power restriction request including a device-specific limit value 200 determined by the second electronic device (Device B). It is not necessary that the energy management device ESM send a power restriction request to the second electronic device B after receiving a response from the first electronic device A, ) And the second electronic device (Device B) can be performed in parallel. In response to the power restriction request, the second electronic device (Device B) may transmit a rejection response as described above. Since the allocation value for each device is smaller than the required power value 250 determined by the second electronic device (Device B). Accordingly, the energy management device (EMS) may be considered to have failed to perform the limited power allocation for the second electronic device (Device B). At this time, the rejection response may include the required power determined by the second electronic device (Device B). The rejection response may include a priority assigned to one or more operations performed by the second electronic device (Device B).

When receiving the rejection response in response to the power restriction request, the energy management apparatus (EMS) obtains a spare power to allocate a power amount 50 that is insufficient to the first electronic device (Device A) , The first device (Device A) may stop the current operation or degrade the current operation quality, thereby forcing the device A to operate according to the device specific limit value.

The energy management apparatus (EMS) can confirm whether or not the available power that can be allocated to the second electronic device (Device B) can be secured. The energy management device (EMS) may refer to the required power included in the acceptance response to confirm whether the available power can be secured. For example, the energy management device (EMS) determines whether the first electronic device (Device A) is connected to the first electronic device (Device A) A) can be secured.

The energy management device (EMS) may send a power restriction request back to the first electronic device (Device A). At this time, the limit value for each device included in the power restriction request may be 250. [ That is, when the energy management apparatus (EMS) allocates the power again to the first electronic device (Device A), the energy management apparatus (EMS) may request the first electronic device (Device A) It is. On the other hand, the energy management device (EMS) is configured to receive an acceptance response from the first electronic device (Device A), unless there is no particular situation (e.g., a special condition that the required power suddenly rises after the previous acceptance response) And it is possible to secure the available power that can be allocated to the second electronic device (Device B).

Accordingly, the energy management device (EMS) may transmit a power restriction request to allocate power again to the second electronic device (Device B). At this time, the limitation per device included in the power restriction request may be a value increased to 250, which is the sum of the remaining power of 50 secured from the first electronic device (Device A) Thereby, the energy management device (EMS) will be able to receive an acceptance response from the second electronic device (Device B).

On the other hand, when the energy management apparatus (EMS) initially allocates 300 device limits to the first electronic device (Device A), the first electronic device (Device A) The operating power is determined to be 250, which is a required power value, and the determined operating power may be transmitted together with the acceptance response. In this case, when the EMS receives the rejection response from the second electronic device (Device B), the energy management device (EMS) directly receives the rejection response from the second electronic device The device (Device B) can perform the re-power allocation procedure. This is because the energy management device (EMS) already knows that the spare power 50 is already secured by the active operation of the first electronic device (Device A).

Although the above description has been made on the use of the required power of each electronic apparatus included in the acceptance response in order to determine whether the energy management apparatus (EMS) can secure the available power, the energy management apparatus (EMS) A message may be transmitted to the plurality of electronic appliances requesting to respond from the plurality of electronic apparatuses included in the power management network 10 to the required power currently being actually used. At this time, the message may be transmitted in a broadcast manner.

The negotiation procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 7 has been described on the assumption that there are two electronic devices. However, even when there are three or more electronic devices, It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, a negotiation procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 7 can be performed when there is insufficient power to be allocated to one electronic device, and a trigger for proceeding with the negotiation procedure, Are not limited to those described above. That is, the negotiation procedure does not proceed only when one electronic device transmits a rejection response to the power restriction request. For example, even when a new electronic device joins the power management network 10 to allocate power to the new electronic device, the negotiation procedure can be performed, and further, The energy management apparatus (EMS) can proceed with the negotiation procedure even when a special situation occurs and more power allocation is requested.

<Power allocation procedure when negotiation procedure fails>

On the other hand, in spite of negotiation procedures between the energy management device and the electronic devices, there may be a case where sufficient power can not be secured enough to allocate to the electronic device that transmitted the rejection response. That is, although the negotiation procedure has been performed, the negotiation procedure may fail.

In this case, the energy management apparatus 30 may proceed with the following mandatory allocation procedure.

First, the energy management device 30 can inquire the priority order of power allocation for each electronic device from the user.

8, the energy management apparatus 30 displays a user interface for inquiring a user of a priority order. Referring to FIG. 8, the energy management apparatus 30 displays the user interface through the display unit 33a And a window W1 for displaying a list of electronic apparatuses currently in operation or expected to be operated in the future, together with a phrase requesting the user to set and prioritize them. The window W1 displays not only the lists of the electronic devices, but also the current operation type or the reserved operation type of the electronic devices together with a brief description related to the operation. By providing the window W1, a user can select importance of each operation by referring to various electronic devices and operation information thereon.

In order for the user to select the importance of the operation through the energy management device 30, the user interface provided by the energy management device 30 to the user can be very diverse.

For example, a user interface may be provided so that the priority of each operation can be selected in order.

Alternatively, a user interface may be provided which can input a priority of each of the operations that is preset in advance. That is, the user can input a priority for each operation in a manner of inputting the priority belonging to each operation in the priority sorted from the first rank to the fourth rank. At this time, a description corresponding to each ranking may be provided in each ranking. That is, for the first rank, 'an operation that must be performed at present. A description such as &quot; no degrade of operation quality &quot; may be provided, and for the second rank, &quot; an operation that must be performed at present &quot;.Quot; permission for deterioration of operation quality &quot; and &quot; permission for deterioration of operation quality &quot; It is necessary to resume the operation afterwards. Quot ;, &quot; no need to resume operation &quot;, respectively. Of course, it is a matter of course that the classification of the ranking can be applied variously in addition to the above-mentioned examples.

The energy management device 30 may be configured to determine the importance (or priority) selected or input through the window W1 and / or the user interface, And / or stop the operation of the electronic device. The available power secured by the deterioration of the operation quality of each electronic device and / or the operation stop can be used as the limit amount per device which was required in the above negotiation procedure.

At this time, the energy management device 30 decides what operation (or any electronic device) is to degrade, how much to deteriorate if it deteriorates, or to stop an operation The algorithms used can vary widely.

However, even though the energy management device 30 operates based on the importance of the input / selected by the user, it is automatically determined that the operation quality of each electronic device is deteriorated or the operation is stopped, . For example, while the user is watching a movie through the DTV 100 or the like, the size of the movie displayed on the DTV 100 is greatly reduced by the operation deterioration request by the energy management device 30 Or the volume may be severely decreased. In this case, the user may feel uncomfortable.

Accordingly, it is more convenient for the user to allow the energy management apparatus 30 to select the operation to be stopped in each electronic device, rather than letting the user select importance or priority for the operation in each electronic device have.

9 is a diagram showing that the energy management apparatus displays a user interface for querying an electronic apparatus to be stopped. Referring to FIG. 9, the energy management apparatus 30 includes a display unit 33a, A window W2 for displaying a list of electronic apparatuses currently in operation or expected to be operated in the future is displayed together with a phrase requesting the user to input an operation to stop. Further, information on the margin power to be secured at present can be provided to the user. The window W2 matches not only the lists of electronic devices but also a brief description related to the operation together with the current or reserved operation types of the electronic devices. Furthermore, the window W2 may display the amount of power consumed by each operation. Alternatively, a check box or the like may be provided for receiving a selection as to whether or not to restart the operation, such as when the operation to be stopped is selected in the window W2, when the free operation occurs later . By providing the window W2, the user can select an operation to stop by referring to various electronic apparatuses, power consumption information on the electronic apparatuses, and available power information to be secured.

In order for the user to select the importance of the operation through the energy management device 30, the user interface provided by the energy management device 30 to the user can be very diverse.

In the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9, the energy management device 30 has been described as displaying all the information, but the present invention is not limited to the information displayed on the energy management device 30. [ For example, the information may be displayed on the DTV 100 connected to the power management network 10. Alternatively, the information may be displayed through a general-purpose computer connected to the power management network 10. This will allow the user to be informed and enter information through a larger screen and a more convenient interface. Further, the present invention is not limited to the display of the above information, and the information may be output acoustically.

In the above, by the mutual action between the energy management device 30 and the electronic devices, a power limitation amount assigned to the power management network 10, selected by the energy management device 30, And the process of allocating and allocating them.

Hereinafter, how the respective electronic devices operate based on the device-specific limit amount allocated to each electronic device, that is, how to perform the power limitation operation will be described in detail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Power Restriction Operation of Electronic Device>

 [First Embodiment]

10 is a flowchart for explaining that the electronic device performs the power limiting operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is described that the power limitation operation according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented by the DTV 100 described above with reference to FIG. 4, The power limitation operation method of the apparatus is not limited to the DTV 100 described above.

According to the first embodiment, the DTV 100 controls its own operation so as not to exceed the total amount of determined operating power. When the consumed power exceeds the operating power, the DTV 100 predicts the amount of power consumed by each component (or module) required to perform the operation, assigns the amount of power to each component, It is possible to deteriorate the operation performance of each component in accordance with the power.

Referring to FIG. 10, the DTV 100 determines the operation power as described above (S300).

Then, the DTV 100 monitors its consumed power and determines whether the consumed power exceeds the determined operating power (S310). The monitoring operation of the DTV 100 can be performed in real time. Alternatively, the monitoring operation may be performed periodically.

If it is determined that the consumed power exceeds the operating power, the DTV 100 analyzes an operation requested or performed by the DTV 100 in operation S320. For example, the DTV 100 determines whether or not a motion picture content such as a movie in which the motion is stored is viewed, whether the motion is a motion picture content such as a TV broadcast, the motion is a motion picture content, Such as music received by a signal, or whether the operation is an operation such as Internet browsing.

The DTV 100 determines the components (or modules) necessary for the operation based on the analyzed result (S330). For example, when the DTV 100 is watching the moving image content in which the operation is stored, the memory 104, the output unit 103, the input unit 102, the control unit 106, It can be judged to be a component necessary for the operation. Alternatively, when the operation is the output of the sound content by the broadcast signal, the DTV 100 may be configured such that the communication unit 101, the sound output unit 103b, the input unit 102, the control unit 106, It can be judged to be a component necessary for the operation.

Then, the DTV 100 allocates power for each module to each of the determined components (S340). For example, by analyzing pattern of power consumption by each component in the past, it is possible to allocate power for each module to each component used for performing the analyzed operation.

Meanwhile, when the power supply unit 105 of the DTV 100 includes a battery, the DTV 100 may control the operation power not to be allocated to the battery. That is, the DTV 100 may control the charging of the battery so that the operating power is not consumed. However, if the requested operation is charging the battery, the DTV 100 may control the operation power to be consumed only for charging the battery.

The DTV 100 appropriately distributes the power for each module to each module, and then controls the components to operate within a power range of each module allocated at step S350. As such module-specific power is allocated, the operating performance of each component may deteriorate. For example, when the content is displayed through the display unit 103a, when the normal and normal operation is performed, power of 500 is consumed. Then, the DTV 100 displays 400 Can be allocated to each module. In this case, the display unit 103a reduces the brightness of the content displayed on the display unit 103a or reduces the display size of the content, thereby reducing the power consumed by the display unit 103a Can operate.

The DTV 100 can continuously monitor the consumed power consumed in the DTV 100 in real time while performing the power limitation operation described above. That is, the DTV 100 can continue to perform Step 310. [ That is, the DTV 100 monitors power consumption in real time, analyzes the operation performed when the power consumption exceeds the operation power, and calculates power to be allocated to each component according to the analyzed operation The user can control the requested operation to be performed within the range of the operating power allocated to the DTV 100. [ That is, the DTV 100 can dynamically control the allocated power according to the situation according to the requested operation.

 [Second Embodiment]

According to the second embodiment, the DTV 100 can allocate power to the determined operating power again on a component-by-component basis (or module-by-module basis) and control the components such that each component operates only within the allocated power have.

11 is a flowchart for explaining that the electronic device performs the power limiting operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the DTV 100 determines the operation power as described above (S400).

Then, the DTV 100 determines / allocates power for each module to be allocated to each component (modules) within the determined operating power range (S410).

In determining the power for each module, the DTV 100 can determine the power for each component by analyzing patterns of power consumption by each component in the past.

Alternatively, the DTV 100 may determine the power for each module according to the operation mode set in the DTV 100 in determining the power for each module. The DTV 100 may be set in various operation modes. For example, the operation mode may include a hibernation mode, a movie viewing mode, a music listening mode, an internet mode, a battery charging mode, and an optimal operation mode. The mode of operation may be much more varied than illustrated, and there may also be modes of operation specific to each electronic device depending on the electronic device. The DTV 100 may store in the memory 104 a table in which the amount of power for each module to be allocated to each component is matched for each operation mode. One example of such a table is shown in Fig.

12, the total amount of consumed power allocated to the DTV 100 is allocated to the DTV 100 according to various operation modes of the DTV 100, and the total amount of consumed power is allocated to each component, It can be seen that the consumed power amount is allocated. That is, the power amount per module is matched for each operation mode. The power amount of each module may be allocated reflecting the characteristics of each operation mode. At this time, the amount of power for each module allocated to the power source unit 105 means the amount of power allocated to charge the battery when the power source unit 105 includes the battery.

For example, in the case of the movie viewing mode, the maximum amount of power per module is allocated to both the display unit 103a and the sound output unit 103b. However, in the music listening mode, It can be seen that only 10 pieces of power are allocated because the power consumption is allocated but the display unit 103a is turned off and there is no problem in music appreciation. Of course, this is only an example, so the amount of power allocated to the display unit 103a in the case of the music listening mode may be zero. On the other hand, in the case of the stored content viewing mode, since the content is not received through the broadcasting signal, only 10 strategies are allocated to the communication unit 101, but 90 channels are allocated to the memory unit 104 In contrast, in the case of the broadcast content viewing mode, conversely, the amount of power is allocated to the memory unit 104, and the amount of power to the communication unit 101 is allocated to the communication unit 101. [

Meanwhile, when the power supply unit 105 of the DTV 100 includes a battery, the DTV 100 may control the operation power not to be allocated to the battery. That is, the DTV 100 may control the charging of the battery so that the operating power is not consumed. For example, in the case of the second power saving mode and the hibernation mode, since the power per module allocated to the power supply unit 105 is '0', it can be seen that the operating power is not consumed for charging the battery.

However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the set operation mode is the battery charging mode, the DTV 100 can control the operation power to be consumed only for charging the battery. That is, only power of '100' is allocated to the power supply unit 105, and the amount of power is not allocated to the remaining components.

On the other hand, the numerical values shown in FIG. 12 are not intended to reflect the actual situation, but are given with arbitrary numerical values for the sake of convenience of explanation.

Referring to FIG. 11 again, the DTV 100 controls each component so that each component can operate according to the power allocation determined / assigned in step S410 (S420).

Then, the DTV 100 monitors whether the power consumed by each component exceeds the allocated power for each module (S430). This monitoring operation includes monitoring not only the power consumed in each component but also the estimated consumed power required to perform the operation requested by the user or the energy management device 30 or the like. For example, when the user requests a 'backward' operation of the moving image content, the DTV 100 performs a 'backward' operation in which the memory 104, the control unit 106, or the display unit 103a ) Of each of the modules 104, the control unit 106, and the display unit 103a is greater than a power value for each module allocated to at least one of the memory 104, the control unit 106, and the display unit 103a . The monitoring operation of the DTV 100 is not necessarily performed in real time, but can be performed only when a request for a new operation is received from the outside.

If the power consumed by one of the monitoring units exceeds the power allocated to each of the modules, the DTV 100 may output a message indicating that the operation is restricted by the power restriction at operation S440.

For example, in the power allocation process for each module, it is assumed that the power per module allocated to the sound output unit 103b is 100. At this time, when a 'volume-up' operation for increasing the acoustic size of the user is requested and the magnitude of the acoustic output is increased to the requested value, the power expected to be consumed by the acoustic output section 103b Is 110, the DTV 100 can output a message that the sound can not be output at the volume requested by the user. That is, the DTV 100 may not perform the requested operation.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing that an operation restriction message is displayed to the user by the power limitation operation of the electronic apparatus, as described above. 13, when the user requests volume increase using the remote controller RC, the DTV 100 notifies the user of the volume value limited by the power allocated to the sound output unit 103b And an alarming message (AM) indicating that the current volume increase operation can not be performed can be displayed. Of course, when an operation requiring more than the power allocated to each component is requested, the DTV 100 similarly displays a message and performs a power limitation operation to the user .

The DTV 100 can perform the power limitation operation and control the modules to operate within the range of the allocated power after allocating the limited power for each module. If the power consumption of the DTV 100 exceeds the power allocation for each module after the power allocation for each module is performed in the range of the operating power regardless of the requested operation, It may not be necessary to continuously monitor the consumed power consumed in the DTV 100 in real time.

 [Reallocation request]

Meanwhile, when it is determined that the requested operation can not be performed within the range of the operating power while performing the above-described power limiting operation, the electronic apparatus including the DTV 100 transmits the power management information to the energy management apparatus 30, You can request an allocation.

Hereinafter, the case where the electronic device requests power reallocation to the energy management device 30 in such a case will be described in detail.

14 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure in which an electronic device requests power reallocation according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 14, the DTV 100 receives a request for a predetermined operation from a user or an external device including the energy management device 30 (S500).

As described above, the DTV 100 may monitor whether or not it is operating within the determined operating power range (S510). That is, it is determined whether the power consumed in the requested operation exceeds the operating power (S510).

If the power consumption exceeds the operation power, the DTV 100 can inquire the user whether the requested operation should be performed or not, and a response to the requested operation can be received from the user (S520) .

As a result of the inquiry, if the operation is not necessarily performed, the DTV 100 may output a message indicating that the requested operation can not be performed due to the power restriction operation through the output unit 103 (S530) . At the same time, the DTV 100 may ignore the requested operation and monitor the power limiting operation again.

As a result of the inquiry in step S520, if the operation must be performed, the DTV 100 can query the user whether or not the performance of the requested operation can be degraded, and the user can input a response thereto (S540).

As a result of the inquiry in step S530, if deterioration of operation performance is allowed, the DTV 100 performs the requested operation with degraded performance (S550). For example, when requesting viewing of moving image content through the DTV 100, the DTV 100 outputs the moving image content, reducing the brightness and size of the displayed content, reducing the size of the outputted sound, have.

If the result of the inquiry in step S530 indicates that operation performance deterioration is not permitted, the DTV 100 requests the energy management apparatus 30 to reallocate power (S560). That is, the DTV 100 may determine that the requested operation must be performed and request the energy management apparatus 30 to secure the power required for performing the operation.

The DTV 100 may send a power reassigning request to the energy management device 30 in order to request that power be reallocated. At this time, the power reallocation request may include the amount of power required for the requested operation. In addition, the power reallocation request may include priority information assigned to the requested operation.

Upon receiving the power reallocation request, the energy management device 30 performs the above-described negotiation procedure based on the amount of power required for performing the requested operation included therein and / or priority information given thereto, Accordingly, when the reserved power is secured, the DTV 100 can re-allocate power to the DTV 100 by transmitting a power allocation request to the DTV 100. [

Accordingly, the DTV 100 operates according to the power allocation operation and the power limitation operation of the electronic apparatus described above.

Since the power limitation operation of the electronic device described above may vary according to the type of the electronic device, how the power limitation operation according to the present invention can be applied in various electronic devices will be described in detail.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

15, the air conditioner 200 includes a communication unit 201, an input unit 202, an output unit 203, a memory 204, a power source unit 205, a suction unit 206, a cooling unit 207, Rich portion 208 and a control portion 209. [0031] In this case, the output unit 203 may include a display unit 203a that outputs an image and an acoustic output unit 203b that outputs sound.

The communication unit 201, the input unit 202, the output unit 203, the memory 204 and the power supply unit 205 of the air conditioner 200 are connected to the communication unit 101, the input unit 102, The output unit 103, the memory 104, and the power supply unit 105, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The suction unit 206 sucks the air around the air conditioner 200 into the air conditioner 200.

The cooling unit 207 cools the air sucked through the suction unit 206.

The air supply unit 208 discharges the air sucked through the suction unit 206 to the outside of the air conditioner 200 again.

The controller 209 generally controls overall operation of the air conditioner 200.

The first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 10 can also be applied to the air conditioner 200.

The air conditioner 200 determines the operating power (S300) and monitors whether the consumed power exceeds the determined operating power (S310) while monitoring the consumed power of the air conditioner 200 (S300).

If it is determined that the consumed electric power exceeds the operating power during the monitoring operation, the air conditioner 200 analyzes the operation that is performed or requested to be performed by the air conditioner 200 (S320), and based on the analyzed result , The component (or module) necessary for the operation may be determined (S330). For example, the air conditioner 200 analyzes whether the operation is cooling, blowing, cooling, or the like, and if it is blowing according to the result of analysis, the cooling unit 207 does not need to operate, It can be determined that the unit 206 and the blowing unit 208 are necessary components.

Then, the air conditioner 200 may appropriately distribute the power of each module to each determined component, and then control the components to operate within a range of power allocated to each component (S350). As such module-specific power is allocated, the operating performance of each component may deteriorate. For example, as the power for each module allocated to the cooling unit 207 is limited, the operation performance of the cooling unit 207 may deteriorate.

The second embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 11 may also be applied to the air conditioner 200.

That is, the air conditioner 200 determines the operating power (S400), and determines / allocates the power for each module to be allocated to each component (modules) within the determined operating power range (S410). The description of the DTV 100 that the air conditioner 200 can determine the power for each module according to the power consumption pattern of the past components and further can be determined according to the operation mode set in the air conditioner 200, The same / similar.

FIG. 16 shows a table in which various operation modes that can be set in an air conditioner and a power amount per module allocated to each component are matched thereto. The amount of power for each module may be allocated to reflect the characteristics of each operation mode. The numerical values shown in the table are not a reflection of the actual situation, but are arbitrary numerical values for convenience of description. As described above.

16, in the rapid cooling mode, it can be seen that the amount of power allocated to the suction unit 206, the cooling unit 207, and the blowing unit 208 is higher than that in the normal cooling mode, It can be seen that there is no power allocated to the cooling unit 207.

The air conditioner 200 controls each component so that each component can operate according to the determined power allocation of each module (S420). If the power consumed by each component exceeds the power allocated to each module (S430).

If the power consumed by one of the monitoring units exceeds the power per module allocated thereto, the air conditioner 200 may output a message indicating that the operation is restricted by the power limitation (S440).

Hereinafter, it will be described that the first and second embodiments of the present invention are applied to a refrigerator and operated.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

17, the refrigerator 300 includes a communication unit 301, an input unit 302, an output unit 303, a memory 304, a power supply unit 305, a cooling unit 306, a circulation unit 307, A removal unit 308, and a control unit 309. [ In this case, the output unit 203 may include a display unit 203a that outputs an image and an acoustic output unit 203b that outputs sound.

The communication unit 301, the input unit 302, the output unit 303, the memory 304 and the power supply unit 305 of the refrigerator 300 are connected to the communication unit 101, the input unit 102, The output unit 103, the memory 104, and the power supply unit 105, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The cooling unit 306 functions to lower the temperature of the refrigerant or the like to maintain the temperature of the refrigerating chamber and / or the freezing chamber of the refrigerator 300 at a low temperature.

The circulation unit 307 circulates the refrigerant cooled by the cooling unit 306 to the inside of the refrigerator 300 to adjust the internal temperature of the refrigerator to an appropriate level.

The malfunction removing unit 308 performs a function of removing the malfunctioning that may occur in the refrigerator 300. For example, the defroster 308 may include a hot line inserted into the inner wall of the refrigerator 300.

The controller 309 generally controls the overall operation of the refrigerator 300. [ The control unit 307 includes the communication unit 301, the input unit 302, the output unit 303, the memory 304, the power supply unit 305, the cooling unit 306, the circulation unit 307, And controls the operation of rejection 308.

The first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 10 may be applied to the refrigerator 200 as well.

The refrigerator 300 determines the operating power (S300), and can monitor whether the consumed power exceeds the determined operating power while monitoring the consumed power (S310).

When it is determined that the consumed electric power exceeds the operating power during the monitoring operation, the refrigerator 300 analyzes the operation that the refrigerator 300 is performing or requested to perform (S320), and based on the analyzed result , The component (or module) necessary for the operation may be determined (S330). For example, the refrigerator 300 may analyze whether the set temperature is a supercooling operation, performing a defrosting operation, etc., and determine the components necessary for the operation according to the results of the analysis.

Then, the refrigerator 300 may appropriately distribute the power of each module to the determined components, and then control the components to operate within a range of power allocated to the respective components (S350). As such module-specific power is allocated, the operating performance of each component may deteriorate. For example, when the requested operation is a fault removal, as the power per module allocated to the fault removal 308 is limited, assuming that the time required for fault removal is typically about 30 minutes, It may take more than 30 minutes to remove the defrosting.

The second embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 11 may also be applied to the refrigerator 300. [

That is, after determining the operating power (S400), the refrigerator 300 may determine / allocate the module-specific power to be allocated to each of the components (modules) within the determined operating power range (S410). The description of the DTV 100 that the refrigerator 300 can determine the power for each module according to the power consumption pattern of the past components and further can be determined according to the operation mode set in the refrigerator 300 The same / similar.

Fig. 18 shows a table in which various operation modes that can be set in the refrigerator, and a power amount per module allocated to each component are matched to the various operation modes. In the supercooling mode shown in the drawing, the freezing chamber is supercooled in a specific time interval (for example, a low-rate charging interval in the electric bill), and then the supercooling mode is supercooled in a different time interval (for example, And a mode for maintaining the temperature of the refrigerating chamber by using cold air. When the supercooled cool air is used, the power supply to the cooling unit 306 can be omitted or minimized. In FIG. 18, the supercooling mode A means an operation mode for performing the supercooling, and the supercooling mode B means the operation mode for maintaining the temperature of the refrigerating chamber using the supercooled cooler.

Referring to FIG. 18, in the rapid freezing mode, the refrigerant or the like must be cooled quickly, and the cooled refrigerant or the like must be circulated at a high speed, so that a large amount of power is allocated to both the cooling unit 306 and the circulation unit 307 In the supercooling mode A, as much power as possible is allocated to the cooling unit 307, and in the supercooling mode B, the power allocated to the cooling unit 307 is minimized. In particular, the supercooling mode B is performed in the high-charged billing period, and accordingly, the supercooling mode B is allocated to the communication unit 301, the input unit 302, the output unit 303, the malfunction removal unit 308, It can be seen that the power is smaller than other modes.

The refrigerator 300 controls each component so that each component can operate according to the determined power allocation of each module (S420). If the power consumed by each component exceeds the power allocated to each module (S430).

If the power consumed by one of the monitoring units exceeds the power allocated to each module, the refrigerator 300 may output a message indicating that the operation is restricted by the power restriction at operation S440.

Hereinafter, it will be described that the first and second embodiments of the present invention are applied to and operated by a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC").

FIG. 19 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a PC according to an embodiment of the present invention.

19, the PC 400 may include a communication unit 401, an input unit 402, an output unit 403, a memory 404, a power supply unit 405, and a control unit 406. In this case, the output unit 403 may include a display unit 403a that outputs an image and an acoustic output unit 403b that outputs sound.

The communication unit 401, the input unit 402, the output unit 403, the memory 404 and the power supply unit 405 of the PC 400 are connected to the communication unit 101, the input unit 102, The output unit 103, the memory 104, and the power supply unit 105, detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the communication unit 401, the input unit 402, the output unit 403, the memory 404, and the like of the PC 400 may be configured as separate components that can be detachably attached to the PC 400.

The control unit 406 generally controls the overall operation of the PC 400. The control unit 406 controls operations of the communication unit 401, the input unit 402, the output unit 403, the memory 404, and the power supply unit 405.

The first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 10 may be applied to the PC 400 as well.

The PC 400 determines the operating power (S300), and monitors whether or not the consumed power exceeds the determined operating power while monitoring the consumed power (S310).

If it is determined that the consumed power exceeds the operating power during the monitoring operation, the PC 400 analyzes the operation that the PC 400 is performing or requested to perform (S320), and based on the analyzed result , The component (or module) necessary for the operation may be determined (S330). For example, the PC 400 analyzes whether the communication is performed through a network such as the Internet, and can determine the components necessary for the operation according to the results of analysis.

Then, the PC 400 may appropriately distribute the power of each module to each determined component, and then control the components to operate within a range of power allocated to the respective components (S350). As such module-specific power is allocated, the operating performance of each component may deteriorate. For example, when the power of the display unit 403a is limited, the brightness of the display unit 403a may be reduced or the size of an area where information is displayed on the display unit 403a may be reduced , Information is displayed only in half of the screen). Alternatively, when the power allocated to the control unit 406 is limited, the operation speed of the control unit 406 may be reduced. For example, when the control unit 406 is configured with hardware such as a CPU, the number of operating clocks of the CPU can be reduced.

The second embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 11 may also be applied to the PC 400. FIG.

That is, after the operating power is determined (S400), the PC 400 can determine / allocate power for each module to be allocated to each component (modules) within the determined operating power range (S410). The description of the DTV 100 that the PC 400 can determine the power for each module according to the power consumption pattern of the past components and further can determine according to the operation mode set in the PC 400 The same / similar.

FIG. 20 shows a table in which various operation modes that can be set in the PC and the amount of power for each module allocated to each component are matched thereto.

Referring to FIG. 20, it can be seen that, in the optimal performance mode, a maximum amount of power is allocated to each component so that each component can achieve optimal performance. The power allocated to the communication unit 401 and the like is not different from the optimal performance mode but the power allocated to the input unit 402 and the output unit 403 is reduced. The power allocated to the output unit 403 is maintained at a maximum and the communication unit 401 and the input unit 402 that are not relatively largely related to the output of the multimedia are required to output a multimedia such as a movie, ) Is reduced in comparison with the optimum performance mode. In the case of the document working mode, it can be seen that the power allocated to most of the components has been reduced compared to the optimal performance mode, since the performance of relatively few components need not be kept to a maximum. Meanwhile,

The PC 400 controls each component so that each component can operate according to the determined power allocation of each module (S420). If the power consumed by each component exceeds the power allocated to each module (S430).

If the power consumed by one of the monitoring units exceeds the power allocated to each module, the PC 400 may output a message indicating that the operation is restricted by the power limitation (S440).

Meanwhile, when the power supply unit 405 of the PC 400 includes a battery, the amount of power allocated to the power supply unit 405 is an amount of power allocated to charge the battery. At this time, the PC 400 may control the operation power not to be allocated to the battery. That is, the PC 400 may control the charging of the battery so that the operating power is not consumed. For example, in the case of the second power saving mode and the hibernation mode, since the power of each module allocated to the power supply unit 405 is '0', it can be seen that the operating power is not consumed for charging the battery.

20, when the set operation mode is the battery charging mode, the PC 400 can control the operation power to be consumed only for charging the battery. That is, only '100' power is allocated to the power supply unit 405, and no power is allocated to the remaining components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described in this document may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays Microprocessors, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing functions, as will be described in more detail below.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. Further, the software code is stored in the memory and can be executed by the control unit.

Claims (15)

A communication unit;
A display unit; And
Receiving a power restricting request including a restricted power value through the communication unit,
Comparing the limited power value and a required power value required for the operation to determine whether the operation is required when the required power value exceeds the limited power value,
If the execution of the operation is not required, a message indicating that the operation can not be performed due to the power limitation is displayed on the display unit,
Determining whether the performance of the operation is possible with a lower power value if the performance of the operation is required and setting a lower performance value of the performance when the performance of the operation is possible with a lower power value; If it is not possible with the lower power value, request a reallocation of power to the energy management device and control to reallocate the limited power value
An electronic device containing. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein the controller controls the operation of the electronic device to be performed at a lower power value by stopping a function of a part of each module included in the electronic device
Electronics. delete delete delete delete delete A method of limiting power consumption of an electronic device,
A request receiving step of receiving a consumption power restricting request including a restricted consumption power value;
Comparing the limited power consumption value and a required consumption power value required for a requested operation; And
If the required power value exceeds the limit power value, checking whether the operation is required to be performed; if the operation is not necessary, displaying a message indicating that the operation can not be performed due to the power limitation; Determining if the performance of the operation is possible with a lower power value and if the performance of the operation is possible with a lower power value, setting the performance power of the operation to be lower and setting Requesting a reallocation of power to the energy management device if a lower power value is not possible;
/ RTI &gt; delete delete delete delete delete delete

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