KR101781221B1 - A network system - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a network system.
A network system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a utility network including an energy generating unit; And an energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit, wherein the energy consuming unit is a refrigerator having a driving unit for performing a power saving operation based on additional information other than energy information or energy information And the operation of the driving unit is controlled such that driving of at least some courses among the operating courses set in the refrigerator is restricted when the power saving driving mode is recognized.

Description

A network system

The present invention relates to a network system.

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

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

A network system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a utility network including an energy generating unit; And an energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit, wherein the energy consuming unit is a refrigerator having a driving unit for performing a power saving operation based on additional information other than energy information or energy information And the operation of the driving unit is controlled such that driving of at least some courses among the operating courses set in the refrigerator is restricted when the power saving driving mode is recognized.

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

1 is a schematic view showing an example of a network system according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a network system according to the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an information delivery process on the network system of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a communication structure of two components constituting a network system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a communication device constituting communication means. Fig.
6 is a diagram illustrating a communication process of a specific component and a communicator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication process of a specific component and a communicator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing a communication structure of components constituting a network system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the first component in FIG.
10 is a diagram illustrating a communication structure of components constituting a network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the first component in FIG.
12 is a schematic diagram of a home network according to the present invention.
13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electrical product according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electrical product according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric appliance that performs power saving driving according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a flow chart showing a control method of an electric appliance that performs power saving driving according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a schematic view showing an example of a network system according to the present invention.

The network system is a system for managing energy sources such as electricity, water, and gas. The energy source means that the generated amount or the used amount can be measured. Therefore, the energy source can be SOURCE not mentioned above. Hereinafter, electricity will be described as an example of the energy source, and the contents of this specification can be equally applied to other energy sources.

Referring to FIG. 1, the network system of one embodiment includes a power plant that produces electricity. The power plant may include a power plant that generates electricity through thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, and a power plant that uses eco-friendly energy such as hydroelectric power, solar power, and wind power.

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

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

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

In addition, the network system includes a smart meter for real-time monitoring of electricity consumption of a consumer (home or office), an AMI (Advanced Metering infrastructure) for measuring electricity usage of a large number of consumers, May be included.

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

In this specification, a function or a solution performed by the energy management apparatus may be referred to as an energy management function or an energy management solution.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this specification, assumption means a group of specific components such as a building, a company, and the like, as well as assumptions of a dictionary meaning. A utility is a collection of specific components outside the home.

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

When one or more components of the utility network 10 consume energy, the energy consuming component may be an energy consuming part.

The energy consuming unit is a component corresponding to the energy consuming unit 26 constituting the home network 20 or the same component as the energy consuming unit 26 or another component different from the energy consuming unit 26 Can be understood.

The energy generating unit 11 may be, for example, a power plant. The energy distribution unit 12 distributes or delivers the energy generated by the energy generation unit 11 and / or the energy stored in the energy storage unit 13 to the energy consumption unit 26 consuming energy. The energy distribution unit 12 may be a power transmission unit, a substation, a power station, or the like.

The energy storage unit 13 may be a battery and the energy management unit 14 may include an energy generation unit 11, an energy distribution unit 12, an energy storage unit 13, an energy consumption unit 26). ≪ / RTI > The energy management unit 14 may generate commands related to the operation of at least a specific component.

The energy management unit 14 may be an energy management device. The energy measuring unit 15 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, use, storage, and the like. For example, the energy measuring unit 15 may be an AMI. The energy management unit 14 may have a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in another component.

The utility network 10 may communicate with the home network 20 by a terminal component (not shown). That is, the information generated or transferred in the specific component that constitutes the utility network 10 may be transmitted through the terminal component or receive information from the other component. The terminal component may be, for example, a gateway way. Such a terminal component may be provided in at least one of the utility network 10 and the home network.

And, the terminal component can be understood as a component necessary for transmitting / receiving information between the utility network and the home network.

In addition, the two components constituting the utility network 10 can communicate by communication means.

The home network 20 includes an energy generation component 21 for generating energy, an energy distribution component 22 for distributing energy, an energy storage component 22 for storing energy, 23, an energy management component 24 for managing energy, an energy metering component 25 for measuring energy related information, and an energy consumption component 26, a central management component 27 for controlling a number of components, and an energy grid assistance component 28. [

The energy generation component 21 may be a household power generator and the energy storage component 23 may be a battery and the energy management component 24 may be an energy management device. The energy metering component 25 may measure information related to energy generation, distribution, use, storage, and the like. For example, the energy metering component 25 may be a smart meter. The energy consuming unit 26 may be, for example, a heater, a motor, a display, or the like, which constitutes a household appliance or a household appliance. It is to be noted that there is no limitation in the kind of the energy consuming section 26 in the present embodiment.

In detail, the energy generating unit 21 can be understood as a component of another utility network 10 that generates energy to be supplied to the home network 20. [

The energy management unit 24 may have a separate configuration or may be included as an energy management function in another component.

In detail, the energy management unit 24 constituting the utility network 10 or the energy management unit 24 constituting the home network 20 may be installed in one or more components of the plurality of components constituting the network 10, 20 , Or as a separate device. The energy management unit 24 can recognize information related to energy (energy information) and status information of a component controlled by the energy management unit 24.

The energy generating unit 21, the energy distributing unit 22, and the energy storing unit 23 may be individual components or a single component.

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

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

The two components constituting the home network 20 can be communicated by communication means.

The energy distributing units 12 and 22, the energy storing units 13 and 23, the energy managing units 14 and 24, the energy measuring units 15 and 25, The central management unit 26, and the central management unit 27 may exist independently of each other, or two or more may constitute a single component.

For example, the energy management units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 exist as a single component, and each of the smart meters, the energy management device, Or the energy management units 14 and 24, the energy measurement units 15 and 25, and the central management unit 27 may constitute a single unit.

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

In this network system, a plurality of utility networks 10 can communicate with a single home network 20, and a single utility network 10 can communicate with a plurality of home networks 20.

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

3 is a block diagram illustrating a process of transmitting information on the network system of the present invention.

3, in the network system of the present invention, a specific component can receive energy related information (hereinafter, "energy information 40 ") by communication means. (Environmental information, time information, etc.) in addition to the energy information 40. In this case, the information can be received from other components, that is, the received information includes at least energy information do.

The specific component 30 may be a component that constitutes the utility network 10 or a component that constitutes the home network 20. [

The energy information 40 may be one of electricity, water, gas, and the like as described above. Hereinafter, electricity is described as an example, but the same applies to other energy.

In one example, the types of information related to electricity include time-based pricing, energy curtailment, grid emergency, grid reliability, energy increment, (operation priority).

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

The energy information 40 may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal such as a Boolean on a network system, or the actual price may be transmitted or received, or may be transmitted and received in a plurality of levels.

The energy information 40 may be time of use (TOU) information, critical peak pattern (CPP) information, or real time pattern (RTP) information according to a change pattern of data over time.

According to the TOU information, data is changed stepwise according to time. According to the CPP information, the data changes stepwise or real-time with time, and emphasis is displayed at a specific time point. According to the RTP information, data changes in real time.

If the energy information is electricity rate information as an example, the information related to the electricity rate may vary. The electricity bill information may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal such as a Boolean on a network system, a real price may be transmitted or received, or a plurality of levels may be transmitted and received.

When the specific component 30 receives a true or false signal such as a Boolean signal, it can recognize that one signal is an on-peak signal and the other signal is an off-peak signal.

Alternatively, the specific component 30 may recognize information about at least one drive that includes the electricity bill, and the specific component 30 compares the recognized information value with a reference information value to determine an on-peak off-peak can be recognized.

For example, when the specific component 30 recognizes the leveled information or the actual pricing information, the specific component 30 compares the recognized information value with the reference information value to determine on-peak and off Recognize -peak.

At this time, the information value about the driving may be at least one of an electricity rate, a power rate, a rate of change of the electricity rate, a rate of change of the electric power rate, an average value of the electricity rate and an average value of the electric power amount. The reference information value includes a mean value of the energy charge, an average value of the minimum value and the maximum value of the power information (energy charge information) during a predetermined period, a reference change rate of the power information during a predetermined period (for example, a slope of power consumption per unit time) Lt; / RTI >

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

When the specific component 30 (for example, the energy consuming unit) recognizes the on-peak (for example, the recognition time), the output may be set to 0 (stop or stop) and the output may be reduced. And, the output can be recovered or increased as needed. The specific component may determine the driving method in advance before starting the operation, or may change the driving method when the on-peak is recognized after the operation starts.

Alternatively, if the specific component 30 recognizes the on-peak (for example, the recognition time), the output is maintained if the operation condition is operable. At this time, the operable condition means that the information value of the driving is below a certain standard. The information value of the driving may be information on an electric charge, an amount of power consumption, or an operation time. The constant criterion may be a relative value or an absolute value.

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

Alternatively, the output may be increased when the specific component 30 recognizes the on-peak (for example, when it recognizes). However, even if the output increases at the time when the on-peak is recognized, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component may be reduced or maintained to be less than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output. Alternatively, even if the output increases at the time when the on-peak is recognized, the total consumed power or the total electricity charge during the entire driving period of the specific component is lower than the total consumed power or the total battery charge when the specific component operates at the normal output .

When the specific component 30 recognizes an off-peak (for example, when it recognizes), the output can be increased. For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first. Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater in advance of the operation time of the heater in the case of the washing machine or the washing machine. Or if a particular component recognizes an off-peak (for example, when it recognizes it).

The energy curtailment information is information related to a mode in which the component is stopped or the electricity fee is reduced. The energy reduction information may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal, for example, as a Boolean on a network system.

When the specific component 30 recognizes the energy reduction information, the output can be set to 0 (stop or stop) and the output can be reduced as described above.

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

If the specific component 30 recognizes the emergency information, it can be shut down immediately.

The grid reliability information is information about the amount of electricity supplied or the amount of electric power supplied or information about the quality of electric power. The grid reliability information may be transmitted or received as a true or false signal such as a Boolean, or an AC power The frequency of the component may be determined.

That is, when the frequency lower than the reference frequency of the AC power supplied to the component is detected, it is judged that the supplied electricity quantity is low (lack of supplied electricity quantity information), and when the frequency higher than the reference frequency of the AC power supply is detected, Electricity excess information).

In the case where the specific component recognizes that the electricity quantity is small in the network safety information or recognizes that the electricity quality is not good (insufficient supply electricity quantity information), as mentioned above, the specific component may output 0 Or remain stationary) to reduce output, maintain output, or increase output.

On the other hand, when the amount of electricity supply excess information is recognized, the specific component can be switched from an off state to an on state.

The energy increase information is information about a state in which the electricity consumed by the component consuming energy is smaller than the electricity generation amount and the surplus electricity is generated. For example, the energy increase information can be transmitted or received as a true or false signal like a Boolean.

When the specific component 30 recognizes the energy increase information, it can increase the output. For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first. Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater in advance of the operation time of the heater in the case of the washing machine or the washing machine. Or if the particular component 30 recognizes an off-peak (for example, at the time of recognition).

The on-peak information, the energy reduction information, and the electricity shortage information among the energy-related information described above can be recognized as high-price information, which is understood to be relatively expensive.

On the other hand, off-peak information, energy increase information, and excess electricity supply information among the energy-related information can be regarded as low-price information that is relatively low in energy charge.

The information related to the upper and lower portions of the energy charge (high-cost or low-cost information) can be recognized as information for determining a power-saving driving mode of a specific component (for example, an energy consuming unit). That is, the user can recognize the time zone (region) according to the energy charge or the charge band (region) for determining the driving method of the component by using information about the up and down of the energy charge.

For example, when information related to energy is recognized as a boolean signal, the charge band for determining the time zone or the driving method of the component according to the energy charge may be recognized as two, Or if it is recognized as real time information, the time zone or the fare zone may be recognized as three or more.

On the other hand, the information related to the energy charge corresponding to at least the time can be recognized as information for determining the power saving drive method of the component. That is, the time zone (area) or the fare zone (area) can be recognized and distinguished by at least two or more using the information related to the energy charge. As described above, the time zone or the fare zone to be distinguished may be determined according to the type of information (boolean, multiple levels, real-time information) recognized.

In other words, two or more determination factors for driving the component can be distinguished and recognized using information related to the energy charge. The determination factors may include functions related to time and energy charges.

When the information related to the energy charge is leveled and recognized at two or more levels, the driving method may be determined according to the leveled information of the specific component.

On the other hand, when the information related to the recognized energy charge is not distinguished according to a specific criterion (for example, real-time charge information), information relating to the energy charge is compared with predetermined information, Can be determined.

Here, the predetermined information may be reference information (for example, a reference value) for distinguishing information related to the energy charge, and the comparison result may be related to whether or not the information related to the energy charge is equal to or greater than the reference value .

Specifically, each type of information related to the energy includes first unprocessed information 41, second information 42 that is information processed in the first information, And third information (43), which is information for performing a function of the component. That is, the first information is raw data, the second information is refined data, and the third information is a command for performing a function of a specific component.

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

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

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

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

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

The specific component may generate, transmit, or receive one or more of the first to third information. The first to third pieces of information are not necessarily sequentially transmitted and received. A plurality of third information may be transmitted or received sequentially or in parallel without first and second information. Alternatively, the first and third information may be transmitted or received together, the second and third information may be transmitted or received together, or the first and second information may be transmitted or received together.

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

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

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

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

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

In this specification, responding to a received message may include storing data, processing data (including generating additional data), generating a new command, sending a newly created command, simply passing the received command (For example, a command to transmit a message to a user), operation, transmission of stored information, transmission of an acknowledge character or negative acknowledge character.

For example, if the message is first information, the component that received the first information may, in response thereto, generate the second information by processing the first information, or generate the second information and the new third information have.

The component that receives the message can respond to energy. Here, "correspondence" can be understood as a concept including an operation in which a component can perform its function. In one example, the home network 20 may receive messages and perform operations related to energy.

We describe in detail the correspondence (operation) of the energy of a component. The component may be, for example, an energy consuming part.

The energy consuming unit can be driven such that the energy charge when driven based on the recognition of the energy information is less than the energy charge driven without recognition of the energy information.

The component may include a plurality of modes driven for self-functioning. The plurality of modes may be driven in at least one of a first mode and a second mode in which the energy charge is saved relative to the first mode.

Here, the first mode may be a general mode, the second mode may be a power saving mode, and the first and second modes may be all power saving modes.

The general mode can be understood as a mode in which the self-function of the component is performed without recognizing the energy information.

On the other hand, the power saving mode can be understood as a mode in which the self-function of the component is performed based on the recognition of the energy information or the recognition of the specific reference information in order to save the energy charge.

Here, the "specific reference information" can be understood as information that can be manually or automatically recognized for saving energy bills. For example, the reference information may be drive information that can be entered by a user or set by a specific component.

When the first mode is the power saving mode, the first mode is defined as a driving mode for saving energy bills, and the second mode is defined as a driving mode in which the energy rate is further saved than the first mode have.

On the other hand, at least a part of the driving method including at least the driving time and the course is recognized in association with the driving of the specific component (for example, the energy consuming part), and an unrecognized part can be generated , The recognized portion can be changed in a different manner.

For example, at least a part of the driving method can be recognized through setting of the user, control of the energy management unit, or self control of the energy consumption unit. And, when a specific driving method is further required for saving energy charges, the unrecognized driving method portion is newly generated, and the recognized portion can be changed in other ways for energy saving.

Of course, the process of generating the unrecognized portion may be omitted, and in this case, the process of changing the recognized portion in a different manner may be performed. On the other hand, the process of changing the recognized portion in a different manner may be omitted, and in this case, a process of newly generating the unrecognized portion may be performed.

The drive time may include a drive start time or a drive end time of the component. And, the course may include a driving period and an output of the component.

The manner in which it is created or changed may be in a manner recommended by a particular component to save energy bills. Here, the specific component may be an energy consuming unit (control unit) or an energy managing unit.

For example, if the recognized driving method is a specific driving time, the specific driving time may be changed to another time in order to reduce the energy charge, and a specific course may be created.

On the other hand, if the recognized driving method is a specific course, the specific course can be changed to another course and a specific time can be created to save energy costs.

According to this control, the time or the output value can be changed with respect to the output function of the component over time.

The manner in which it is created or the manner in which it is changed can be made within a set range. That is, in the course of recognizing at least a part of the driving method, within a predetermined criterion (for example, a restriction set by a user or set by an energy management unit or an energy consumption unit) May be generated or changed.

Therefore, within a range beyond the predetermined criterion, generation of the unrecognized portion or modification of the recognized portion is limited in other ways.

Other embodiments are suggested.

The recognized driving method may further include the charge information. That is, when the fare information is recognized, a portion related to the driving time or the course may be generated. The generated driving method can be recommended.

On the other hand, the correspondence of the components based on the information related to the up and down of the energy charge (high-cost or low-cost information), for example, output control for power saving drive can be performed. The output control may include output reduction (including output 0) or output increase.

According to the perception of information about the energy charge (on-peak or off-peak), the output is reduced or zeroed, maintained, or increased as described above.

If high-price information is recognized, the output can be zeroed or reduced. In detail, the output when the high-price information is recognized can be lower than the output when the low-price information is recognized. As described above, the reduction of the output can be determined in advance before starting the operation of the component, or can be changed when the high-price information is recognized after the start of operation.

If the output of a component is zeroed or reduced, the function that the component needs to perform may be lost rather than the normal case. Therefore, a countermeasure for preserving the lost function can be made.

For example, after the output of the component is reduced, the total operation time of the component may be increased or the output may be increased in at least one time period after the output reduction.

In other words, when the specific reference information related to the energy information is recognized in the section after the output of the component is adjusted, the output-adjusted correspondence can be released. Here, the term "section" may be defined based on the recognition time of the recognized high-price information.

The total operation time can be understood as a time at which a specific target value is reached in the course of performing the function of the component. For example, when the component is an electric appliance (a washing machine, a dryer, a cooking appliance, etc.) which is driven intermittently (driven by a specific course), the total operation time may be understood as a time until the course is completed.

On the other hand, when the component is an always-driven electric appliance (such as a refrigerator or a water purifier), it can be understood as a time to reach a set goal for performing a function of the component. For example, it may be a target temperature of the refrigerator, a target generated ice amount, or a target purified water amount.

And, the total operating time may be greater than the operating time set before the output reduction of the component, or may be increased over the operating time if the output is not reduced. However, even if the total operation time of the component is increased, the total energy charge generated through the component driving is controlled to be reduced as compared with the case where the output is not reduced.

Once high-price information is recognized, the output of the component can be increased.

However, even if the output increases at the time of recognizing the high-price information, the total output amount during the entire driving period of the specific component may be reduced or maintained to be less than the total output amount when the specific component operates at the normal output. Alternatively, even if the output increases at the time of recognizing the high-price information, the total consumed power or the total electricity charge during the entire driving period of the specific component is less than the total consumed power or the total battery charge when the specific component operates at the normal output Can be reduced.

If the low-price information is recognized, the output can be increased. For example, when the operation reservation is set, a component whose operation starts before a setting time or a component having a large output among a plurality of components can be driven first. Further, in the case of a refrigerator, it is possible to store the hot water by supercooling the output by increasing the output from the existing output, or by driving the heater in advance of the operation time of the heater in the case of the washing machine or the washing machine. Or when a particular component recognizes Low-price information (for example, when it recognizes it).

On the other hand, when a specific condition (additional condition) is generated even based on the information related to the upper and lower energy bills (high-cost or low-cost information), the correspondence of the components, for example, output control for power saving drive may be limited. That is, the output of the component can be maintained.

Here, "limitation" can be understood as being abandoned or the output control being performed is released.

The specific conditions include a case where the influence on the energy charge is small even if the output control of the component is not performed, or a case where it is necessary to prevent the function to be performed by the component from being degraded by controlling the output of the component.

Whether or not the influence on the energy charge is fine can be judged according to a certain criterion (information on the electric charge, the amount of electric power consumption or the operation time). The constant criterion may be a relative value or an absolute value.

In the case where the function to be performed by the component is degraded, for example, the component may be a defrost heater of the refrigerator.

In a case where the output is reduced in the high-price time interval and the output is increased in the low-price time interval, if the defrost heater is driven more frequently than the normal case (setting period), the temperature of the refrigerator storage room is raised In this case, the adjustment of the output can be restricted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication structure of two components constituting the network system of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a communicator constituting communication means.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a first component 61 and a second component 62 constituting the network system are connected to each other by a communication means 50, can do. And, the first component 61 and the second component 62 may communicate in one direction or in both directions.

When the two components 61 and 62 are in wired communication, the communication means may be a simple communication line or a power line communication means. Of course, the power line communication means may include a communicator (e.g., a modem or the like) connected to each of the two components.

When the two components 61 and 62 are in wireless communication, the communication means 50 includes a first communicator 51 connected to the first component 61, a second communicator 51 connected to the second component 62, And a second communicator 52 connected thereto. At this time, the first communicator and the second communicator perform wireless communication.

The first component 61 may be a component of the utility network 10 or may be a component of the home network 20.

The second component 62 may be one component of the utility network 10 or one component of the home network 20.

The first component 61 and the second component 62 may be of the same type or different types.

The component may be joined to the utility network 10 or the home network 20.

Specifically, a plurality of components, for example, the first component and the second component, may be assigned Addresses, which are necessary for communication between them and can be mapped into at least one group, respectively.

The address can be understood as a value converted from the unique code of the first component or the second component. That is, at least some of the components constituting the network may have an unchanging / unique code, and the code may be converted to an address for configuring the network.

In other words, product codes for at least some of the plurality of components that can constitute the first network and the second network can be converted into different network codes depending on the network being configured. have.

In one example, the product code may be a unique code determined at the time of production of the electrical product, or an installation code separately assigned for network registration. The product code can be converted to an ID for identifying a network to which the electrical product is to be registered.

The first network and the second network may be a network constituting the utility network 10 or a network constituting the home network 20. On the other hand, the first network may be a utility network 10, the second network may be a home network 20, the first network may be a home network 20, and the second network may be a utility network 10 .

The plurality of components constituting the network may include a first component and a second component for joining the first component to the network. In one example, the first component is an electrical product and the second component may be a server.

One of the first component and the second component may transmit a request signal to join the network and the other may transmit a permit signal.

That is, signals can be transmitted / received between the first component and the second component, and participation of the network can be determined according to the transmission time or the number of transmissions of the signal.

In one example, it is determined whether the first component transmits a test signal to the second component and a response signal is delivered from the second component. If the response signal is not transmitted, the test signal is transmitted again and it is judged whether or not the response signal is transmitted. This process is repeated. If the number of times of transmission of the test signal exceeds the preset number, it can be determined that the test signal is not participated in the network.

Meanwhile, the first component may transmit the test signal to the second component, and may be determined not to participate in the network unless a response signal is transmitted from the second component within the set time.

The first communicator 51 and the second communicator 52 may have the same structure. Hereinafter, the first communicator 51 and the second communicator 52 are collectively referred to as communicators 51 and 52, respectively.

The communicators 51 and 52 include a first communication part 511 for communication with the first component 61 and a second communication part 511 for communication with the second component 61. [ 512), a memory 513 for storing information received from the first component 61 and information received from the second component 62, a processor 516 for performing information processing, And a power supply 517 (power supply) for supplying power to the communicators 51 and 52.

In detail, the communication language (or mode) of the first communication unit 511 may be the same as or different from the communication language (or mode) of the second communication unit 512.

In the memory 513, two kinds of information received from the two components can be stored. Two types of information can be stored in a single sector or in separate sectors. In any case, an area where information received from the first component 61 is stored is referred to as a first memory 514, and an area where information received from the second component 62 is stored is referred to as a second memory 515 can do.

The processor 516 may generate the second information or generate the second information and the third information based on the information received from the component or another communicator.

In one example, when the communicator 51, 52 receives the first information, the communicator 51, 52 may process the data to generate the second information one by one or sequentially. Or when the communicator 51, 52 receives the first information, the communicator 51, 52 may process the data to generate the second information and the third information. When the communicator 51 or 52 receives the third information, the communicator 51 or 52 can generate new third information.

For example, if the second component is an energy consuming part (such as a component making up an appliance or a consumer product), the second communicator may generate an instruction to reduce energy consumption. When the second component is an energy generating unit, a distributing unit, or a storing unit, the second communicator 52 can generate a command related to an energy generation time, an amount of generated energy, an energy distribution timing, a distribution amount, have. In this case, the second communicator 52 serves as an energy management unit.

The power supply unit 517 may receive electricity from the components 61 and 62, receive electricity from a separate power source, or may be a battery.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication process of a specific component and a communicator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the second component 62 and the second communicator 52 communicate with each other for convenience of explanation. The communication process between the first component 61 and the first communicator 51 can be equally applied to the communication process between the second component 62 and the second communicator 52. [

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the second communicator 52 receives a message from the first communicator 51. The second communicator 51 can receive the message either real time or periodically without a request to the first communicator 51 or as a response to the message request to the first communicator 51. [ Alternatively, when the second communicator 52 is turned on for the first time, the first communicator 51 requests the information to receive the message, and then, without requesting the information, the first communicator 51 Or periodically. ≪ / RTI >

The information received from the first communicator 51 is stored in the memory 513. And, as a response to the message, the second communicator 52 sends a message to the second component 62. [ At this time, the message transmitted to the second component 62 is related to new information different from the previously stored information in the memory 513, or to information generated by the processor 516. [

The second component 62 then sends an acknowledge character (ack) or a negative acknowledge character (Nak) to the second communicator 52 as a response to the message. The second component 62 performs a function (command generation, operation, or the like) based on the received information or waits for function execution.

Meanwhile, the second communicator 52 requests the second component 62 in real time or periodically with information on the component information, for example, the component status information, the component specific code, the manufacturer, the service name code, . The second component 62 then sends the component information to the second communicator 52 as a response to the request. The component information is stored in the memory 513 of the second communicator 52.

When the second communicator 52 receives the component information request message from the first communicator 51, the second communicator 52 transmits the component information stored in the memory 513 as a response thereto. Or the second communicator 52 transmits component information stored in the memory 513 to the first communicator 51 in real time or periodically.

The second communicator 52 may transmit the information of the first component stored in the memory to the first component along with the information received at the first component. Or the second communicator 52 may transmit information of the first component stored in the memory to the first component, apart from transmitting information received at the first component.

Since the second communicator 52 stores the information of the second component 62, when receiving the component information request message from the first communicator 51, the second communicator 52 does not request the information to the second component 62 Since the component information stored in the memory 513 is directly transmitted to the first communicator 51, the communication load of the second component 62 can be reduced. That is, the second communicator 52 becomes a virtual component.

7 is a diagram illustrating a communication process of a specific component and a communicator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the second component 62 and the second communicator 52 communicate with each other for convenience of explanation. The communication process between the first component 61 and the first communicator 51 can be equally applied to the communication process between the second component and the second communicator 52. [

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, the second communicator 52 receives a message from the first communicator 51. The second communicator 51 can receive the message either real time or periodically without a request to the first communicator 51 or as a response to the message request to the first communicator 51. [ Alternatively, when the second communicator 52 is turned on for the first time, the first communicator 51 requests the information to receive the message, and then, without requesting the information, the first communicator 51 Or periodically. ≪ / RTI >

When the second communicator 52 receives a message regarding the information request from the second component 62, the second communicator 52 transmits a message to the second component 62 in response thereto do. At this time, the message transmitted to the second component 62 is related to new information different from the previously stored information in the memory 513, or to information generated by the processor 516. [ Alternatively, the information to be transmitted to the second component 62 may be information received from the first component and / or information received from the first component.

The second component 62 performs a function based on the received information or waits for function execution.

Meanwhile, the second component 62 performs information on the second component, such as component status information, component specific code, manufacturer, service name code, electricity usage, and the like, to the second communicator 52 Intermittently or periodically.

As described above, when the amount of electricity used is included in the information of the second component 62, it is possible to determine the amount of electricity used by the smart meter by comparing the information of the component information with the information of the smart meter, Can be performed.

The second communicator 52 then stores the component information in the memory 513 and sends an acknowledge character (ack) or negative acknowledge character (Nak) to the second component 62 as a response to the message do.

When the second communicator 52 receives the component information request message from the first communicator 51, the second communicator 52 transmits the information of the second component stored in the memory 513 as a response thereto. Or the second communicator 52 transmits component information stored in the memory 513 to the first communicator 51 in real time or periodically.

Since the second communicator 52 stores the information of the second component 62, when receiving the request message of the component information from the first communicator 51, the second communicator 52 transmits an information request to the second component 62 The information stored in the memory 513 is directly transmitted to the first communicator 51, so that the communication load of the second component 62 can be reduced. That is, the second communicator 52 becomes a virtual component.

<Application example>

In the following description, the first component and the second component may be opposite to each other, and redundant description will be omitted. For example, in the case where the first component is an appliance product and the second component is an energy management part, the description of the case where the first component is an energy management part and the second component is an appliance product will be omitted.

The information that each component sends and receives can be all the information mentioned above, and in particular, specific information can be transmitted and received for each component.

The energy generators 11 and 21 can transmit and receive information related to the energy generation amount and the like. The energy distributing units 12 and 22 can transmit and receive information related to the energy distribution amount, distribution timing, and the like. The energy storage units 13 and 23 can transmit information related to the energy distribution amount and storage timing. The energy measuring units 15 and 25 can transmit and receive energy consumption amount information and the like. The energy management units 14 and 24 can transmit and receive information on energy generation, distribution, storage, consumption, charge, stability, and emergency situations.

(1) if the second component is a component of the home network

The second component may be an energy consuming unit 26, e.g., a heater, a motor, a compressor, a display, or the like. In this case, the first component 61 may be a microcomputer or an energy consuming unit 26, for example. The microcomputer or the one energy consumption unit 26 may transmit a message to the other energy consumption unit 26 to reduce the energy consumption. Then, the other energy consuming unit 26 may perform an operation for reducing energy, for example.

As another example, the energy consuming unit 26 may be a household appliance. In this case, the first component 61 may include an energy storage unit 23, an energy consuming unit 26 (household electric appliances), an energy management unit 24, an energy measurement unit 25, a central management unit 27, (28), or a component of a utility network.

At this time, the first component 61 excluding the energy management unit 24 may or may not include the energy management function.

If the first component 61 does not include an energy management function or solution, the communication means may include an energy management function or solution, or the second component microcomputer may include an energy management function or solution. The energy management function at this time is related to energy consumption.

As another example, the second component 62 may be an energy generating unit 21 or an energy distributing unit 22, and an energy storing unit 23. In this case, the first component 61 includes an energy management unit 24, a central management unit 27, and a web server component 28. Or a component of a utility network.

The second component 62 may transmit a message such as an energy storage timing or a storage amount, such as an energy generation timing or generation amount, an energy storage timing or a storage amount.

At this time, the first component 61 excluding the energy management unit 24 may or may not include the energy management function.

If the first component 61 does not include an energy management function or solution, the communication means may include an energy management function or solution. The energy management function at this time is related to the generation, distribution and storage of energy.

As another example, the second component may be an energy measurement unit 25. [ In this case, the first component 61 may be a component constituting the central management unit 27, the web server component 28, and the utility network 10. [

The energy measurement unit 25 may or may not include an energy management function. If the energy measurement unit 25 includes an energy management function, the energy measurement unit 25 has the same function as the energy management unit.

If the energy measurement unit 25 does not include an energy management function or solution, the communication means may include an energy management function or solution, or the second component may include an energy management function or solution.

As another example, the second component 62 may be the central management unit 27. In this case, the first component 61 may be a component constituting the web server 28, the utility network 10, and the like.

(2) the second component is a component of the utility network

The first component 61 may be a component of the utility network 10. At this time, the first component 61 and the second component 62 may be the same or different kinds.

The first component 61 or the second component 62 or the communication means may include an energy management function.

The energy management function included in the specific component or the energy management function included in the energy management unit 14 may be related to the amount of power generation, the amount of distribution, the amount of storage, and the energy consumption of a component constituting the home network.

Herein, an example in which a network system can be configured is described, and it is noted that even a component not mentioned in this specification can be a first component or a second component that performs communication through a communication means. For example, an automobile may be a second component, and a first component may be an energy management unit 24. [

(3) when one of the first and second components communicates with the third component

Although communication between two components has been described in the above examples, the first component or the second component can communicate with one or more components (a third component or an n-th component), respectively.

Even in this case, the relationship of the first or second component performing communication with the third component or the like may be one of the above-mentioned examples.

For example, the first component may be a component of a utility network, the second component may be an energy manager 24 in communication with the first component, and the third component may be an energy consuming (26). At this time, one or more of the three components can communicate with another component.

In the present specification, the first to n-th components may be components constituting a utility network, components constituting a home network, or a component constituting a part of a utility network, and another constituent constituting a home network .

Hereinafter, a third embodiment and a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiments are described mainly in terms of differences as compared with the previous embodiments, and the same parts are abbreviated to the description and the reference numerals of the previous embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a communication structure of components constituting a network system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a first component in FIG.

8 and 9, the first component 70 may communicate with the second through fifth components 82, 83, 84, 85. Hereinafter, for example, the first component 70 is a central management unit (home server), the second and third components 82 and 83 are energy consuming units (household appliances) (Smart meter), and the fifth component 85 is a component of the utility network. And, the components can communicate with each other by communication means. Although the network system illustrated in FIG. 8 communicates with each component directly connected to the first component 70, when each of the components 82, 83, 84, and 85 connects and communicates with new components, The network system according to the present invention can be extended and operated.

The second component 82 and the third component 83 may be of the same type or different types and in the present embodiment the second component 82 and the third component 83 are different kinds of energy consuming deniers For example,

The first component 70 may simply forward information received from the fourth component 84 and / or the fifth component 85 to the second component 82 and / or the third component 83 , The received information can be processed and transmitted.

Also, the first component 70 may provide information received from the second component 82 and / or the third component 83 to the fourth component 84 and / or the fifth component 85, (The signal can be converted), and the received information can be processed and transmitted (the information is converted).

The first component 70 includes a communication means 760 for communicating with other components, a central manager 710 for managing the overall operation and / or information processing of the first component, API 720 (hereinafter referred to as " API ") serving as an interface between the means 760 and the central manager 710 (specifically application software).

The communication means 760 may include a first communication portion 762 for communicating with the second component 82 and the third component 83 and a second communication portion 762 for communicating with the fourth component 84. [ A second communication unit 764, and a third communication unit 766 for performing communication with the fifth component 85.

At this time, the first communication unit 762 and the second communication unit 764 can use different communication protocols. For example, the first communication unit 762 may use zigbee and the second communication unit 764 may use wi-fi. In this embodiment, the first communication unit 762 and the second communication unit 764, There is no restriction on the type of communication protocol or method used. The third communication unit 766 may use Internet communication as an example.

The API 720 includes a first API 722 and a second API 724 and a third API 726. The third API 726 is an interface between the central manager 710 and the third communication unit 766. The first API 722 and the second API 724 are interfaces between the first communication unit 762, And an interface between the second communication unit 764 and the central manager 710.

In addition, the first component 70 may be configured such that when the information to be transmitted / received between the API 720 and the communication unit 760 is information related to the operation of the energy consuming unit (household appliance) An interpreter 750 for interpreting information to be transmitted from the local manager 740 to the communication means 760 or information received from the communication means 760, . The information output from the interpreter is used to set an information value associated with each energy consuming unit and to obtain an information value.

The local manager 740 includes a memory (not shown) in which information relating to one or more energy consuming units is stored. Alternatively, the local manager 740 may be coupled to a memory in which information relating to one or more energy consuming units is stored. The information relating to each energy consuming part among the at least one energy consuming part may include information for operating the energy consuming part and information for controlling the energy consuming part. Further, it may further include software download information for operating each energy consuming unit, and information for remote control / monitoring.

For example, when a plurality of energy consumption parts include a washing machine, a refrigerator, and a cooking appliance, information related to each product is stored in the memory. The information related to the energy consuming unit stored by the local manager 740 may be changed in accordance with changes of components connected to the network system.

When a signal is transmitted from the API 720 to the local manager 740, information corresponding to the specific energy consuming unit is output. When there are a plurality of energy consuming parts, information on a plurality of energy consuming parts is stored in the memory. The interpreter 750 converts the information transmitted from the local manager 740 into a machine language for transmission to the energy consuming unit. The machine language may be a signal for inputting or obtaining operation information of the energy consuming part.

The information transfer process in the first component 70 will be described.

For example, the first component 70 may receive energy information (e.g., an energy reduction signal: first command) from the fourth component 45 via the second communication unit 764. The received energy information is transmitted to the central manager 710 through the second API 724. [ At this time, in the process of transmitting information between the second API 724 and the central manager 710, only the signal including the information is converted and the contents of the information are not converted.

Since the energy information is related to energy consumption reduction of the energy consuming unit, the central manager 710 transmits information (second command) related to the operation of the energy consuming unit to the API 720. For example, the central manager 710 transmits information necessary for turning off the power of the washing machine and the refrigerator.

Then, the information is transferred from the first API 722 to the local manager 740.

The local manager 740 transmits information (third command) for controlling the operation of each energy consuming unit to the interpreter 750 based on the information transmitted from the first API 722. For example, when the information transmitted from the first API 722 is information that targets energy consuming units of different types, the local manager 740 transmits information related to control of each energy consuming unit to the interpreter 750 do. At this time, the local manager 740 receives the second command and outputs the third command, so that the information input to the local manager 740 is converted and output by the local manager 740.

The interpreter 750 then converts the information sent from the local manager 740 into a machine language (signal). Then, the converted signal is transmitted to the energy consumption units (second and third components) of the target object via the first communication unit 762. Then, the energy consuming parts (second and third components) are finally turned off to reduce the energy.

In the above description, the first component receives information through the second communication unit. Otherwise, the first component receives the information through the third communication unit and outputs information related to the control of the energy consuming unit .

Meanwhile, the second component 82 and the third component 83 may transmit their operation information to the first component 70. Since the information transmitted from the second and third components 82 and 83 is information related to the operation of the energy consuming unit, the signal received by the first communication unit 762 is transmitted to the interpreter 750, the local manager 760, And is transmitted to the central manager 710 through the first API 722. [ In this information transfer process, the information related to the second and third components 82 and 83 is stored in the local manager 740. In this embodiment, since the local manager stores information related to the energy consuming unit, the local manager may be described as performing a virtual energy consuming unit abstraction model.

The central manager 710 may transmit the received information to the second communication units 764 and 766 and / or the third communication unit.

In summary of the operation of the first component, the information received via the communication means 760 is passed directly to the API 720, transformed (via the interpreter and the local manager) according to its type (or signal format) API 720. &lt; / RTI &gt;

The information transmitted from the central manager 710 may be transmitted to the direct communication means 760 or converted and transmitted to the communication means 760 depending on whether the energy consuming unit is related to the operation.

As another example, the local manager 740 may be configured to include an interpreter, and the information received via the communication means 760 is transmitted to the local manager, but the information is converted according to the contents of the transmitted information You can output it without outputting the information.

On the other hand, when the information transmitted to the API through the second communication unit 764 or the third communication unit 766 is raw data or refined data, the central manager 710 transmits an ON-peak time And transmits information (first command) to the API 720 to control the operation of the energy consuming unit in case of an on-peak time. Then, this information is converted through the local manager 740 (second command), and then transmitted to the energy consuming unit through the interpreter 750 and the first communication unit 762. Alternatively, the central manager 710 may transmit the electricity bill information to the first communication unit 762 through the second API 724 without determining the ON-peak. In this case, the information may or may not be converted. That is, when receiving the first information (raw data), the central manager can transmit first information or convert it into second information (refined data) and transmit the first information.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a communication structure of components constituting a network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a first component in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the network system of the present embodiment may include at least first to fourth components 92, 94, 96 and 98.

The first component 92 may communicate with the second through fourth components 94, 96, 98. The fourth component 98 may communicate with the first through third components 92, 94, 96.

Hereinafter, for example, the first component 92 is a central management unit (home server), the second and third components are energy consuming units (household appliances), the fourth component 98 is an energy measuring unit (smart meter) .

The central management unit (home server) can be understood as a component necessary to control at least one component constituting the home network 20. [

The first component 92 includes a communication unit 970 for communicating with other components, a central manager 920 for managing the entire operation and / or information transmission / reception process of the first component, An application programming interface (API) 930 serving as an interface between the communication means 970 and the central manager 920 (specifically, application software).

The communication unit 970 includes a first communication unit 972 for performing communication with the second to fourth components 94, 96 and 98 and a second communication unit 974 for performing Internet communication .

The API 930 includes a first API 932 and a second API 934. The second API 934 is an interface between the central manager 920 and the second communication unit 974 and the first API 930 is an interface between the first communication unit 972 and the central manager 920, Lt; / RTI &gt;

If the information to be transmitted / received between the first API 932 and the communication unit 970 is information related to the operation of the energy consuming unit (household appliance), the first component 92 may be associated with the energy consuming unit An interpreter 960 for interpreting information transmitted from the local manager 950 to the communication means 970 or information transmitted from the communication means 970, .

In this embodiment, the functions of the interpreter and the local manager are the same as those of the third embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The information transfer process in the first component 92 will be described.

For example, the first component 92 may receive energy information (e.g., an energy reduction signal) from the fourth component 98 via the first communication unit 972. [ Alternatively, the second communication unit 974 may receive energy information from an external component connected to the Internet.

 The received energy information is transmitted directly to the first API 932 or the second API 934 and then to the central manager 920. Since the energy information is related to energy consumption reduction of the energy consuming unit, the central manager 920 transmits information related to the operation of the energy consuming unit to the first API 932. For example, the central manager 920 transmits information necessary for turning off the power of the washing machine and the refrigerator.

Then, the information is transferred from the first API 932 to the local manager 950.

The local manager 950 transmits information for controlling the operation of each energy consuming unit to the interpreter 960 based on the information transmitted from the first API 932. For example, when the information transmitted from the first API is information related to energy consuming units of different types, the local manager transmits information related to control of each energy consuming unit to the interpreter 960.

The interpreter 960 then converts the information sent from the local manager 950 into a machine language (signal). Then, the converted signal is transmitted to the energy consuming unit via the first communication unit 972, and the energy consuming unit is turned off to ultimately reduce energy.

Meanwhile, the second component 94 and the third component 96 may transmit their operation information to the first component 92. Since the information transmitted from the second and third components is information related to the operation of the energy consuming unit, the signal received by the first communication unit 972 is transmitted to the interpreter 960, the local manager 950, (932) to the central manager (920). In this information transfer process, information related to the second and third components 950 is stored in the local manager 950.

The central manager 920 can transmit the received information to the first communication unit 974. Then, the information of the second and third components 94 and 96 is transmitted to the fourth component 98.

In summary of the operation of the first component, the information received via the communication means 970 is passed directly to the API or transformed (via the interpreter and local manager) to API 930 according to its type (or signal format) Lt; / RTI &gt;

Conversely, the information transmitted from the central manager may be transferred to the direct communication means 970, or may be converted and communicated to the communication means 970, depending on whether it is related to the operation of the energy consuming unit.

Meanwhile, when the information transmitted to the API through the second communication unit is information related to the electric charge, the central manager determines whether the device is ON-peak time, and controls the operation of the energy consuming unit when the on- Information can be transmitted to the API. Then, this information is transmitted to the energy consuming unit through the local manager, the interpreter, and the first communication unit. In this case, it can be understood that the first component serves as an energy management unit.

Although it has been described above that the two energy consuming parts communicate with the first component, it is noted that there is no limitation on the number of energy consuming parts in communication with the first component.

In addition, although the first component is a home server, for example, the first component may be an energy manager. In this case, the fourth component in the above embodiments may be a central management unit, an energy management unit, a smart meter, or the like.

As another example, the first component may be a smart meter. In this case, in the above embodiments, the fourth component may be a central management unit, an energy management unit, or the like.

As another example, the first component may be the terminal component (e.g., a gateway).

As another example, the second and third components may be an energy generating unit, an energy storing unit, or the like, which constitute a home network. That is, the idea of the present invention is that at least one of the energy generating unit, the energy consuming unit, and the energy storing unit can communicate with the first component. In this case, the memory included in or connected to the local network may include information related to the energy generating unit (for example, information relating to the operation of the energy generating unit), information related to the energy storing unit Information related to the information (for example, the energy storage unit) can be stored.

In the above description, the first component is described as performing Internet communication, but may not perform Internet communication.

In the first embodiment, a single local manager is provided. Alternatively, a plurality of local managers may be provided. In this case, for example, the first local manager can process information on home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, and the second local manager can process information on display products such as televisions and monitors.

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

Referring to FIG. 12, the home network 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an energy measuring unit 25 for measuring in real time power and / or electricity rates supplied from the utility network 10 to each home For example, a smart meter, the energy measurement unit 25, and an energy management unit 24 connected to and controlling the operation of the electric product.

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

The energy management unit 24 is connected to the energy management unit 24 through an internal network of the home and stores electrical products as an energy consuming unit 26 such as a refrigerator 110, a washing machine 120, an air conditioner 130, a dryer 140, 150) for bi-directional communication.

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

13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electrical product according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a refrigerator will be described as an example of an electric appliance. It should be noted, however, that the spirit of the present embodiment is also applicable to other electric appliances including a compressor or a heater device as a driving portion.

Referring to FIG. 13, a refrigerator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes temperature sensors 210 and 220 for sensing the temperature of a storage compartment, a timer 230 for accumulating time elapsed from a predetermined reference time, A door switch 240 for detecting whether or not a door for selectively shielding the storage room is opened, and a controller 250 for controlling the refrigerator using information recognized from these configurations.

The refrigerator (200) includes a driving unit (260) for performing the function of the refrigerator (200). That is, the function of the refrigerator 200 includes a compressor for driving a refrigeration cycle and a heater device for driving a predetermined heat to at least a part of the refrigerator.

In detail, the drive unit 260 is provided with a compressor 262 for supplying a heat-exchanged medium (for example, air) to the storage space as a constitution of a refrigeration cycle, a blower fan 262 for blowing the heat- And a heater device 266 for supplying heat to a part of the refrigerator.

The heater device 266 may be provided in the home bar door. The home bar door is defined as a door that is openably provided on the refrigerator door. The home bar door may have an area corresponding to a portion of the refrigerator door.

The user can open only the home bar door without opening the refrigerator door to easily take out the food stored in the storage space or the refrigerator door.

The temperature difference between the air outside the refrigerator and the air in the storage space may cause dew formation on the home door. In order to prevent such dew formation, a heater device 266 may be provided in the home bar door. Such a heater device 266 may be referred to as a "home bar heater ".

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electrical product according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 14, a method of controlling an electrical product according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The refrigerator power is turned on, and the compressor 262 is initially started (S11). The compressor 262 or the blowing fan 264 can be driven according to the first set temperature (target temperature) set in the refrigerator. The first set temperature may be preset to a predetermined value, or may be set by the user. Of course, the first set temperature can be changed.

The cool air generated by the driving of the compressor 262 may be supplied to a storage space (storage room) of the refrigerator by driving the blowing fan 264 (S12).

It is recognized whether or not the door of the refrigerator is opened after being opened (S13). If the door is opened or closed, the elapsed time after the door is opened is accumulated (S14). Then, it is detected whether or not the storage room temperature has increased after the door is opened and closed (S15).

It is recognized whether or not the storage room temperature has risen above the reference value within the set time. Here, the set time may be a predetermined time after the door is opened and closed, for example, five minutes (S16).

And to control the target storage room temperature of the storage room to be lowered to the second set temperature when the storage room temperature rises above the reference value within the set time. Here, the second set temperature may be lower than the first set temperature.

According to the reference value, the second set temperature may have a different value.

For example, if the temperature of the storage compartment (refrigerating compartment) rises by 1.5 ° C or more, the second set temperature may be set to be 0.5 ° C lower than the first set temperature. On the other hand, if the storage room temperature rises by more than 2.5 ° C, the second set temperature is lower than the first set temperature by 2.0 ° C, and if the storage room temperature rises by 5.0 ° C or more, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; (S17). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The compressor 262 or the blowing fan 264 is continuously driven until the storage room temperature reaches the second set temperature. When the storage room temperature reaches the second set temperature, the compressor 262 or The driving of the blowing fan 264 can be stopped.

As a result, since the storage room target temperature is lowered, the driving time of the driving units 262 and 264 can be further driven for a longer time as compared with before the door opening and closing (S18).

If it is determined in step S16 that the storage room temperature does not rise above the reference value, the compressor 262 or the blowing fan 264 may be driven based on the first set temperature (S19).

In this way, when the temperature of the storage room after the opening and closing of the refrigerator door is increased, the driving time of the driving unit such as a compressor or a blowing fan is increased to supercool the storage room to maintain the freshness of the food. Such a driving method can be called "load-responsive driving" as driving corresponding to an external load.

The load-responsive driving can be understood as a part of a plurality of courses required for driving the refrigerator. For example, the course constituting the driving of the refrigerator may include on / off driving of the compressor or the blower, on / off driving of the home bar heater, defrosting operation of the evaporator, or driving corresponding to the load due to door opening.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric appliance that performs power saving driving according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 15, a refrigerator 200 as an "energy consuming unit " according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 270. Fig.

The communication unit 270 includes an energy measurement unit 25 that recognizes additional information other than energy information or energy information and an energy management unit 25 that manages (controls) the operation of the electric product 100 according to the energy information or the additional information. (24). &Lt; / RTI &gt;

The energy measuring unit 25 and the energy managing unit 24 may be connected to each other to be able to communicate with each other. The communication unit 270 may be provided inside the refrigerator 200 or may be detachably coupled to the refrigerator 200.

The refrigerator 200 includes an input unit 290 for inputting a predetermined command, a display unit 285 for displaying driving information of the refrigerator 200 or information recognized from the communication unit 270, A memory unit 280 for storing information (e.g., energy charge information) or additional information (for example, environmental information), and a control unit 250 for controlling these configurations.

The refrigerator 200 may further include a server 300 for storing energy information or additional information transmitted from the energy measuring unit 25 or the energy managing unit 24. [ The server 300 may be configured separately from the energy management unit 24 or may be integrally configured.

The input unit 290 includes a plurality of power saving mode selection units 291, 292, 293, 294 that can select a power saving driving mode of the refrigerator 100. As described above, the above-mentioned "power saving mode" can be understood as a mode in which the self-function of the component is performed based on the recognition of the energy information or the recognition of the specific reference information in order to save energy costs .

The power saving mode selection unit includes a plurality of selection units for selecting the first to fourth power saving modes.

In detail, a first power saving mode selection unit 291 for making a power saving operation of the refrigerator at a specific time period, a second power saving mode selection unit 291 for allowing the user to select a power saving driving time zone based on " A third power saving mode selection unit 293 for automatically setting a power saving driving time period based on the high cost information, and a third power saving mode selection unit 293 for temporarily storing the high cost information in the refrigerator 200 And a fourth power-saving mode selection unit 294 for allowing power-saving driving to be performed.

In the first power saving mode, the specific time zone may be a night time zone, for example, from 12:00 am to 4:00 am. Meanwhile, the specific time zone may be divided into two sections, for example, from 12:00 am to 3:00 am, and from 4:00 am to 5:00 am. The night time may be defined as a time interval from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am.

In the second power saving mode, the user can select a predetermined time zone within the set maximum time interval. For example, the maximum time interval may be four hours. By setting the maximum time interval, it is possible to prevent the function of the refrigerator from being deteriorated due to the power saving operation and to maintain the function of the refrigerator (the freshness of the food).

In the third power saving mode, the refrigerator 200 can be automatically power-saving driven in conjunction with the information received through the energy management unit 24 or the energy measurement unit 25.

In the fourth power saving mode, the high cost information may be temporarily stored in the energy management unit 24 or the server 300.

On the other hand, the third power saving mode and the fourth power saving mode can be understood as an automatic mode in which power saving driving is performed by selecting a power saving operation time zone automatically.

In the third power saving mode and the fourth power saving mode, the communication method in which the high-cost information is transmitted may be different. For example, the communication mode of the third power saving mode may be "Zigbee ", and the communication mode of the fourth power saving mode may be" Wifi ".

16 is a flow chart showing a control method of an electric appliance that performs power saving driving according to an embodiment of the present invention. A control method of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the power saving mode of the refrigerator can be recognized. The power saving mode may be selected by one of the first to fourth power saving mode selection units 291, 292, 293, and 294. That is, any one of the first to fourth power saving modes corresponding to the selectors 291, 292, 293, and 294 may be recognized (S21).

The power saving operation of the refrigerator can be performed according to the recognized power saving mode. For example, the power saving driving method includes a first method of restricting the load-corresponding driving, a second method of setting the target temperature of the refrigerator storage room at a settable maximum temperature value, and driving of the heater device 266 And a third method of turning OFF for a period of time.

In detail, the control method described with reference to Fig. 14, that is, the driving corresponding to the load due to the door opening can be stopped. In addition, the cold air supply can be performed based on the normal driving of the refrigerator, that is, the first set temperature in FIG. 14, so that the additional driving of the driving units 262 and 264 is limited, so that power saving can be achieved.

As described above, it can be understood that the refrigerator 200 drives some courses (S23) because one course constituting the driving method of the refrigerator, that is, the load corresponding driving course may be restricted according to a predetermined condition.

The driving unit may be driven by setting the target temperature of the storage room at a settable maximum temperature value. Here, the "maximum temperature value" means the highest temperature inside the storage compartment. Considering the function of the refrigerator, if the temperature of the storage room has a maximum value, the driving burden of the driving unit can be reduced, and the power saving driving can be performed.

On the other hand, the storage chamber set to the maximum temperature value may be, for example, a freezing chamber, and the maximum temperature value may be formed in a range of approximately -15 ° C to -17 ° C.

When considering that the refrigerator 200 is operated on the basis of a general target temperature (for example, -18 ° C to -20 ° C) (the set cold air supply amount or the supply time) as one course, It can be understood that the driving of one course is limited (the driving time of the compressor is shortened) because the driving method is driven according to a relatively small amount of cold air or the supply time (S24).

Then, the heater device 266 may be turned off for a set time. That is, the first to fourth power saving modes may be turned off during the set time within the time period during which the power saving driving is performed.

The set time may be a predetermined time period from a start time of a time period during which the power saving operation is performed, or may be a predetermined time period from an intermediate time point. As described above, the heater device 266 is turned off for a predetermined time, so that power saving can be achieved.

As described above, when it is considered that the heater device 266 is ON-driven, it can be understood that the driving of the one course is partially restricted to be OFF for a predetermined time (S25).

The processes of S23 to S25 may be performed simultaneously or sequentially in a predetermined order. That is, it may be performed in the order of S23, S24, S25 or in the order of S25, S24, S23.

In summary, in the first, second, and third schemes, it can be understood that all or a part of one set course of the refrigerator is restricted (stopped), and only some of the driving courses of the entire refrigerator are driven &Lt; / RTI &gt;

As a result, the refrigerator 200 can reduce energy costs by driving only a part of the course in accordance with the recognized power-saving driving mode.

24: Energy management unit 25: Energy measurement unit
200: Refrigerator 210: Refrigerator room temperature sensor
220: Freezer room temperature sensor 230: Timer
240: door switch 250:
260: driving part 262: compressor
264: blower fan 266: heater device
290: Power saving mode selection unit 300:

Claims (13)

A utility network including an energy generating unit; And
And an energy consuming unit for consuming energy generated in the energy generating unit,
Wherein the energy consuming unit is a refrigerator having a driving unit for performing a load corresponding driving or a power saving operation based on additional information other than energy information or energy information,
When the door of the refrigerator is opened and closed, a load corresponding drive is performed to change the target set temperature of the storage room from the first set temperature to the second set temperature lower than the first set temperature according to the elevated temperature of the storage room And,
Wherein the power saving driving time interval is set based on the high cost information when the power saving driving mode of the refrigerator is recognized and the driving corresponding to the load opening according to the door opening of the refrigerator is stopped in the set power saving driving time period. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein operation of the driving unit is controlled such that driving of at least some courses of the operating course set in the refrigerator is restricted when the power saving driving mode is recognized. delete delete 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the driving restriction of the partial course stops all or a part of the partial course. 3. The method of claim 2,
In the driving limitation of the above-mentioned partial course,
And shortening the driving time of the driving unit to raise the storage room target temperature of the refrigerator to a settable maximum temperature value. 3. The method of claim 2,
In the driving limitation of the above-mentioned partial course,
And shortening a driving time of a driving unit that performs a heating operation in one area of the refrigerator. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the driving unit includes a compressor for generating cold air, a blowing fan for blowing cold air to a storage room of the refrigerator, and a heater unit for heating a part of the refrigerator. 3. The method of claim 2,
In the power saving mode,
A first power saving mode in which the power saving operation of the refrigerator is performed in a predetermined time period;
A second power saving mode in which the power saving operation time zone is manually set; And
And a third power saving mode in which the power saving operation time zone is automatically set. 10. The method of claim 9,
In the first power save mode,
Wherein the predetermined time zone is included in a time period from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. 10. The method of claim 9,
The second power-saving mode or the third power-
And the peak driving time zone is set based on the high-cost information on the energy. 10. The method of claim 9,
And an energy measuring unit for receiving the energy information or the additional information,
In the third power saving mode,
And a power saving mode for performing power saving operation based on the high cost information received through the energy measurement unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
In the third power saving mode,
And a power saving mode for performing power saving operation by receiving expensive information on energy from a server.

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